Keokradong is quite far from Bandarban city. The distance from this 3172 feet high mountain to Bandarban town is about 70 kilometers. You can't come back from there with a 2 day plan. You must have a good plan before you go to Keokdang.
And if you plan to go to Keokkradong, it's like killing two birds with one stone. Because Bagalek falls on the way to Keokradong.
You must know how to get to Bandarban from Dhaka or Chittagong. Almost all the bus companies go to Bandarban. There is no airport in Bandarban. So if anyone wants to travel by air, he has to stop at Chittagong or Cox's Bazar. Then the music will increase more than your rent. However, from Dhaka you can reach Bandarban by any bus including Hanif, Saudia, Unique, Shyamli, Greenline. But in Chittagong you have to go to Purbandi or Pubali bus from Bahaddarhat bus terminal to Bandarban. It takes about 2 to 3 hours to reach Bandarban from Chittagong.
You have to get off at Bandarban bus station and go to Ruma bus station by rickshaw or tomtom. There are buses to Ruma every hour. Or if you go in a group of 8/10 people and have a little more budget and want to go within 2 hours without spending 3 hours on the bus, then you can reach Ruma Bazaar by renting a jeep with 3/4 thousand rupees.
You are not allowed to go without a guide at Keokradong. So when you reach Ruma Bazaar, you have to hire a registered guide. You are responsible for all its expenses.
To get to Keokkradong, you need to get a permit from the army camp. Your guide will do just that.
In my opinion, it is better to spend the night at Ruma Bazaar and leave for the mountains very early in the morning. This is because according to the rules, you cannot go to Bagalek after 4 pm.
After getting the permit, you have to rent a 4 wheel jeep called Mercedes Benz and leave for Bagalek. If there are less people in the group, you can talk to another group together or cut the ticket yourself. Keep in mind that after 4 pm, the local hired jeeps stop going. The 4 of us went so we formed a group with 2 couples at the hotel and after buying tickets we went like locals, a lot of money was saved!
After reaching Bagale, he reported to the Army Camp, where he would spend the day taking pictures, traveling all day, and spending the night there. We stayed in Keokradong for the night. If you want, you can come back to Bagale and spend the night there.
You must walk and climb the mountain path with the mindset that you have to leave for the mountain. And it is better to take less of Apu's outfits. Because after walking for an hour you will want to throw them away. So it is better not to take anything other than the necessary things. As much as possible, try to keep the bag light.
Talk to the guide in advance about food, accommodation and whatever you need. Because since you started walking with the guide, only the guide will be able to take care of everything you need. Because you don't know anything there, you don't know where it is. So it is better to leave it in the hands of the guide.
Those who want to give or give updates every 2 minutes, they must take Robi or Teletalk SIM.
In my opinion, 5 thousand rupees is enough to go around the group. At least for budget travelers like me.
Travel costs-
From Chittagong to Bandarban: 200-300 Taka
From Bandarban to Ruma: 120 rupees by bus, 3000-4000 Taka by jeep
Ruma to Bagalek: 1800 to 2000 rupees by jeep, local fare 100 Taka