Promodini: Blissful water tourism on luxurious houseboats

The water surrounding the floating boats illuminated with bright moonlight in a silent night could give you a heavenly feeling. The soft sound of water along with the gentle swaying sensation will blow your mind. 

It is not possible to experience this feeling in our modern urban life. Only those who are lucky enough to pass their childhood in the remote villages would relate with this feeling.

However, it is possible to enjoy this dreamy experience in Kaptai Lake in Rangamati thanks to Promodini Boat Life. In collaboration with Avijatrik Tourism Limited, the company has arranged luxurious house boats with air-conditioned rooms and all modern facilities for the tourists.

The boats will give you the feeling of floating on vast waters with your house on the lake surrounded by green hills. No mechanical sound or crowds of people will disturb your peace here.

The air-conditioned houseboats have washrooms and bathrooms similar to star hotels. There are also double bed cabins where you can spend private time with your family members and loved ones at the lake.

Photo: TBS

The interior of the boats is decorated with modern furniture of modern designs. The roof of the boats has a bamboo sofa where you can enjoy the fresh air in the lake.

Established in 2015, Avijatrik Tourism Limited is focused on opening new doors of water tourism to tap the possibilities in this sector in 24,140 km long riverways in the country. In 2020, it added luxury houseboats to give tourists the special experience. It operates jointly with Promodini Boat Life in this sector which has added a new dimension in tourism in Rangamati.

So far, they have introduced three houseboats with a maximum capacity of accommodating 10 people in Kaptai Lake.

Dipanjan Dewan, the entrepreneur of Pramodini Boat Life, was impressed by the tourism and service sector while studying in Australia. He found houseboats very popular in that country. He also visited India and saw the popularity of houseboats in the lakes of Kerala and Kashmir.

He told The Business Standard, "We have followed here the concept of houseboats that is popular in Kerala and Kashmir. So far, we have received great responses from our customers. All of them have thoroughly enjoyed our services."

Nazmul Islam, founder and CEO of Avijatrik Tourism Limited, said, "Promodini Boat Life is a unique tourism product and a model demonstrating how a new approach can create a new market. Avijatrik started working with Promodini in 2020. This collaboration has strengthened the venture. We realised the potentiality of this initiative and started working to make it successful."

"Now, more than 500 people enjoy this service every month. We are proud to be a part of Promodini Boat Life to open new doors in water tourism. At Avijatrik, we always seek to innovate authentic experiences that help local communities to improve their livelihood," he said.

Luxurious houseboats

Promodini has two types of houseboats – Promodini-1 for eight people and Promodini-2 for 10 people. Houseboat tours include a two-night one-day package with breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. For a group of six to ten people, it will cost Tk7,500-Tk7,750 per person, Tk30,000 for a couple package, Tk10,500 per person for four-person package, and Tk9,000 per person for five-person package.

The journey starts from Tabalchari ghat in Rangamati. From there, tourists are taken to the dock of Nilanjana Boat Club by speed boat. After breakfast they ride on the boats at 10 am. At first, tourists are taken to a swimming point, a relatively shallow point in Kaptai Lake which is safe for diving. There are lifebuoys to ensure the safety of the tourists. Tourists can also enjoy kayaking in the lake after swimming.

In the afternoon, lunch is served with bamboo chicken, kachki fish, salad, big fish fry, mixed vegetables, alu bharta, dal and rice. For dinner, they serve barbecued chicken with salad, soft drinks, etc. At night, local musicians perform rooftop concerts to entertain the tourists.

On the next day, tourists can visit the hanging bridge, Buddhist temple, Shuvolong Waterfall, Polwel Park riding speed boats and enjoy traditional food of Rangamati. The journey ends at 6pm.