Boga Lake

Boga Lake sits at around eighteen hundred feet in the hills near Ruma in Bandarban district, a small deep body of water in a bowl with no obvious stream feeding it and none draining out, which has produced local explanations involving a dragon and a sunken village and a geological one involving a crater or a landslide-dammed basin. The water changes colour through the year. A Bawm village stands on the shore with simple guesthouses, and the lake is the usual overnight stop on the way to Keokradong, the peak a few hours further on. Access is a very steep rough track by jeep from Ruma and then walking, with a guide and permits required.

What you actually see

• A lake with no visible inflow - the feature the local stories explain.
• Water changing colour - the shifts through the seasons.
• The Bawm village on the shore - the settlement and its guesthouses.
• The Keokradong route - the lake as the overnight on the way up.

When to go

November to March. Two days minimum, with a night at the lake. Guides and permits are arranged in Bandarban and Ruma. The track up is very steep and jeeps sometimes cannot make it.

Honest expectations

Permits for foreigners are restrictive and refusals happen. The jeep track is genuinely steep and dangerous in wet conditions. Accommodation is basic village guesthouses with shared facilities. There is no phone signal.

Nearby

Keokradong is a few hours further; Ruma lies below.