Chagolkanda Waterfall (ছাগলকান্দা ঝর্ণা)

The falls lie in the hills east of the Dhaka to Chattogram highway in Sitakunda upazila, within Baroiyadhala National Park, declared on 6 April 2010 and covering 2,933.61 hectares of forested hills in Sitakunda and Mirsharai.

Chagolkanda is the name given to two falls on the upper branches of the Komoldoho stream system. They are known locally as Chagolkanda 1 and 2, and Chagolkanda is also called Kamalak Jharna.

The walk starts at Boro Darogahat bazar on the highway. A short way toward Dhaka, past a brickfield, a mud road leads to the stream. The Komoldoho cascade comes first, and above it the stream splits; Chagolkanda is reached by keeping to the right forks.

Several streams join here, and wrong turns are common, so check the route at each junction, ask locals or walk with a guide. The rock is smooth and wet, and climbing the cascades needs care. In full monsoon the volume of water in the narrow gorge makes the walk very difficult, so turn back if the water rises.

There is no ticket for the trail. Late monsoon, when the falls still run but the flow has eased, is the most practical time. Start in the morning and plan on most of a day. Few hotels exist near the trail, so most visitors stay in Sitakunda town or Chattogram city.

Wildlife of Baroiyadhala National Park

Baroiyadhala National Park covers 2,933.61 hectares east of the Dhaka to Chattogram highway and is classed as an IUCN Category II protected area. The hills form a wildlife corridor in a part of the country where forest is disappearing, and the animals recorded here include the mainland serow, barking deer, marbled cat, Assamese macaque, Chinese pangolin and kalij pheasant.

The Chagolkanda walk is one of several stream routes in the park. The Komoldoho trail, which this walk follows at the start, and the Napittachhara trail are the two named trails, and the park's best known fall is Khoiyachhara.

Because this is a national park, leave the forest as you find it: no fires, no cutting of bamboo for walking poles and no rubbish left on the rocks.