Cox's Bazar is said to be the world's longest continuous sandy sea beach and the most popular holiday destination for Bangladeshi people all year-round, but the winter and longer holidays can be extremely crowded. Cox's Bazar is a beautiful destination for relaxation in Bangladesh.
Cox’s Bazar is located at a distance of 393 km from Dhaka and 152 km south of Chittagong. Cox’s Bazar is easily accessible by air and road from Dhaka and Chittagong. The train service is available up to Chittagong from Dhaka and Sylhet, but the public daylong and overnight bus services are quite comfortable and impressive.
Cox’s Bazar is a place to relax and to enjoy the beach, reserved forest, waterfalls, fresh seafood. Miles of golden sandy beach, towering cliffs, surfing waves, broken hills, conch shell & tribal handicraft markets, waterfalls of Himchori, Rocky Inani beach, nearby Ramu Buddhist village, salt & prawn cultivations and some nearby islands are the main attractions of Cox’s Bazar. The journey is an exotic driving along the seashore and rock, and coral boulders have made Inani beach very famous. Cox’s Bazar offers quite a range from budget to five-star rated accommodation, some cosy and eco-resorts for your comfort and daily Dhaka – Cox’s Bazar back and forth flight saves a long road journey for the short time visitors. Long time staying visitor should not miss visiting the nearby Moheshkhali and Shonadia Island, which can be a daylong excursion.
Around Cox’s Bazar:
Inani & Himchori Beach: These two places are the must checkout spots for most of the local travellers while visiting Cox’s Bazar. Inani beach is about 32km south from Cox’s Bazar or 14km south of Himchori. Inani is well known for its coral boulders and rocks, recommended to visit this place during the low tide to be able to see more rocks and corals. Tiny waterfalls and and “Broken Hills” of Himchori, located about 18km south from Cox’s Bazar. Himchori offers are an excellent overview of the sea beach from the peak of the broken hill, a huge craft market and food courts are always a bit overcrowded. A journey to these places is an exotic drive along the seashore Marin Drive.
Aggameda Khyang: This is one of the prominent Buddhist monasteries, located at the eastern end of the city. Typical Burmese style architecture, the main sanctuary is built around massive timber columns, and the floor is made of hard teak wood. A vast spread of Buddhist structures ‘Maha Thin Daw Gree’ is just behind Aggameda Khyang.
Ramu & Lama:
Ramu and Lamapara or Lama Bazar towns are well known for Buddhist Khyangs (temples). Quiet village Ramu is located 14 km east of Cox’s Bazaar, just off the Chittagong highway. Ramu was a subsidiary capital of the Arakan Kingdom for about three centuries. There is a beautiful monastery here containing images of Buddha in bronze, silver and gold, and inlaid with precious and semiprecious stones. Lamapara is a palm-shaded village, 5 km from Ramu and accessible only by zigzag village roads, prior permission is required for any foreign visitors. The interesting Burmese Bara Khyang in Lama Bazar has the country’s most giant bronze Buddha statue. Three wooden buildings of the temple house several precious Buddhist images in silver and gold set with gems.
This small town Teknaf is on Southeasternmost tip of the country, situated on the Naaf River bank and just at the end of the hilly regions of the district. The Naaf River is the natural separator of Mayanmar - Bangladesh, and Mayanmar is just on the opposite bank of the river. The beauty of hills, forests, Wild animals, birds, Naaf River and the beach; makes Teknaf an excellent destination for adventure lovers. The salt fields on the Riverbank are an exciting sight for visitors. Teknaf is the jumping off point for Saint Martin's Island - the only coral island of Bangladesh. All the sea trucks are harbored and makes back and forth day trips to St. Martin's Island every day during the winter (October to early March) season. There are AC and Non-AC bus services to Teknaf from Dhaka, Chittagong and Cox's Bazar. Parjatan Motel 'Netong' is the best available accommodation option for this area, which offers very basic services but safe and secure so far. Netong is own and run by the government, best to make a pre-reservation to avail a room here, which can be done at Parjatan Head (Hotel Abakash is the temporary head office now ) office in Dhaka Mohakhali.
Rohingya Refugee camps along the roads on the hills and forests, starting from Ukhiya till to Teaknaf, is darker sides of a moon. We are one of the few tour operators in the country, worked there during the crisis period in 2017 for many national and international agencies of print and electronic media. We have really witnessed the consequences of systematic ethnic cleansing by Burmese militaries, and this humanitarian crisis has rewritten the definition of brutality. Words are never enough to explain the situation and marks had carried by 1.5 million Rohingyas to Bangladesh. We do not offer any tour or excursions to the camps for conventional tourists but who has a valid purpose; we will do everything to bring a ray of light for humanity. We believe that it's not a good feeling to see the lives in the cases without being able to do anything for them. Any researcher, journalists and humanitarian aid workers are more than welcome to contact us for any information, assistance in this regard.
Teknaf Wildlife Sanctuary:
Designated initially as Teknaf game reserve in 1983. December 2009 the Government of Bangladesh enhanced its status to a Wildlife Sanctuary protecting 11,615 hectares of hilly and sloppy lands. This sanctuary is located in Teknaf region of Cox’s Bazar district, comprises a range of steep hills aligned north-south and bordered by the Bay of Bengal to the west and a narrow strip of lowlands and settlements along the Naf river to the south and east, and Inani reserve forest to the north. Coastal communities and ecosystems here are vulnerable to cyclones and tidal surges. The hilly terrain of Teknaf range faces several climate-related hazards every year. In particular heavy rainstorms and localized flash floods and landslides in the wet season destroy crops, infrastructure and damage habitats. Also, more intense dry seasons result in ponds and waterways drying up, and local people face a shortage of fresh drinking water. Restoring a sustainable forest ecosystem to significant areas of the Teknaf watershed hills is vital to improve water and soil retention and enhance the resilience of wildlife and local communities to the threats posed by degradation and climate change. Despite the deterioration, Teknaf Wildlife Sanctuary is still home to a small population of endangered Asian Elephants which comes into regular conflict with local people. Teknaf conservation management community has been working with some others to change attitudes and conserve elephants in a coordinated way. The fauna of the Wildlife Sanctuary has been only partially studied. The wider Teknaf peninsula is home to a diverse fauna: some 260 species of birds including the impressive and globally vulnerable Great Slaty Woodpecker, Grey Peacock Pheasant, and mammals such as Rhesus Macaque and Hog Badger, and is home to the last population of Long-tailed Macaque in Bangladesh. Of particular note within the Wildlife Sanctuary is Teknaf Nature Park, this easily accessed area has shady forest, three small lakes, three hiking trails, an Interpretation centre, and accommodation for visitors.
