Hum Hum Waterfall (হামহাম জলপ্রপাত)

The fall lies deep inside the Rajkandi Reserve Forest in Kamalganj upazila, Moulvibazar, a short distance from the Indian border with Tripura. The nearest village is Kalabanpara, also called Tellaingbari, and beyond it there are no roads, only forest tracks and stream beds.

Local people knew the fall long before outsiders did and call it Chita Jhorna. It became known across the country after a group of tourists guided by Shyamal Debbarma reached it around 2009 or 2010 and published photographs. The name Hum Hum is said to echo the sound of the water, and it is also spelled Ham Ham.

The water drops in a single long horsetail down a sheer rock face into a pool. No precise measurement has been made, and estimates range from about 135 to 160 feet. In the monsoon the flow widens and spray fills the clearing; in the dry months it thins to a few separate strands.

Two routes lead in. One climbs over the ridge called Mokam Tila; the other follows the stream bed, wading for long stretches between bamboo groves and big trees. Leeches are thick on both paths during the rains, and the forest floor stays muddy for weeks afterwards.

There is no entry fee or permit for the fall. A local guide hired at Kalabanpara is the only sensible way to go, since the paths branch and are not marked. The return trek takes most of a day, so leave Sreemangal early and be back at the village before dusk. Late monsoon, around September and October, combines decent water with slightly firmer ground.

Past Kalabanpara with no signs, so take a guide

Kalabanpara, or Tellaingbari, is the last village in Kamalganj upazila and sits near the Champarai Tea Estate in the Kurma forest beat. Beyond it, houses thin out quickly and there is no government infrastructure or signage at all, which is why a local guide matters.

The forest along the trail is mixed, with jarul, chikrashi and kadam trees that draw butterflies, fig (dumur) trees where spectacled monkeys, also called Phayre's leaf monkeys, are often seen feeding, and several bamboo species, including dolu, muli, mitinga and kali. Snakes, mosquitoes and leeches are part of the walk, and stream beds can hide patches of quicksand, so test soft ground with a stick before stepping in.

The Mokam Tila route is steep and becomes very slippery after rain. Sources differ on the year the fall became widely known, giving either 2009 or late 2010, but all credit the group guided by Shyamal Debbarma.