Ali Cave Bandarban

The mysterious Ali's cave or Ali's tunnel is located in Alikadam upazila of Bandarban district. Ali's tunnel is named after Ali's hill. There is no end to the mystery about this cave at the top of two hills near the Matamuhuri-Twain Canal, three kilometers from Alikadam Sadar. There are basically three caves here, it will take about 2 hours to visit all the caves. You have to go to the caves along the jhiri path. The cave mouth is located above Jhiri. There is a ladder to the first cave. In the rest you have to climb a little hill. It is dark inside the cave. You need to carry torch light or torch to go inside. Some parts of the cave are quite narrow and must be crawled through. The environment is damp inside. As soon as you enter, you will be introduced to an unknown world. There are many bats inside these caves. Bats will fly here and there when people see them, there is nothing to be afraid of.

To visit Ali's cave, you first need to come to Alikadam in Bandarban district. Alikadam can be reached via Chakaria upazila of Cox's Bazar or from Bandarban city via Thanchi-Alikdam road. However, it is the most convenient and time-saving way to become a chakriya.

Currently, Shyamli and Hanif buses run directly to Alikadam from Dhaka. Dhaka to Alikadam bus fare is Tk 850. If you stay in Dhaka, it is better to go directly to Alikadam. It saves a lot of time and will reduce the hassle of going. Besides, you can go to Alikadam via Chakria. Chakria can be reached by any bus bound for Cox's Bazar. Chakria bus fare from Dhaka is 950 to 2200 taka depending on the class. When going, ask the bus supervisor to drop you at Chakaria Bazar and he will drop you. A local bus to Alikadam is available from the new bus terminal at Chakaria. Bus leaves for Alikadam daily from 7.30 am to 6.30 pm. Or you can go to Alikadam by local Chander car or reserve a Chander car if there are many people together. You can come from Chakaria by Alikadam Chand's car i.e. jeep. Local fare is Tk 65 per person. Reserve fare is like Tk 1200-1500 one way (need to bargain). It takes two hours by bus and less than 30 minutes or 40 minutes by car.

From Alikadam, first you have to go to Manchupru Para. This 3 km route can be done on foot or by easy bike. Twine Canal runs through this neighborhood. One has to cross the Twin Canal and walk for some time on the hilly and steep path to reach Ali's tunnel. It will take about 20-30 minutes to reach the first Ali's Cave from Mangchupru Para. If you want to see all the caves, it will take about 3 hours to visit from Alikadam.

You can see Ali's cave in one day and come back. You can take a night bus from Dhaka and see Ali's tunnel in one day and return to Dhaka by night bus. If you leave early in the morning from Chittagong, you can see it and come back in one day. If you still need to stay or have more places on your travel list, you can stay at the newly opened The Damatua Inn (Contact: 01748-912127) or Zilla Parishad Dak Bungalow on Upazila Road in Alikadam. There is also a boarding in Pan Bazar though the quality is not that good.

If you have not been to Ali's tunnel before, it is better to take a guide with you. Tell the guide in advance that you will visit all the caves. You can take a local person in Manchupru neighborhood or someone from Alikadam as a guide. At the beginning of Jhiri path, there are several small boys waiting, you can take them along. Will be happy to accept whatever you give.

There are several local food hotels in Panbazar of Alikadam, Alikadam also has several food hotels. You will get good quality food even if it is not very expensive. You will get rice, chicken, meat and fish items. Food will cost 100-150 taka.