Branding Bangladesh in Tourism

Weather and Geography

Cox’s Bazar town doesn’t have a big area. Its has the area of 6.85 km², which is located at 21°35'0°N 92°01'0°E / 21.58333°N 92.01667°E and surrounded by Bakkhali River on the north and East, in the West Bay of Bengal, and in the south Jhilwanj Union.

The weather of the Cox’s Bazar differs some what from the other regions of Bangladesh as it’s bordered by the Bay of Bengal. Generally climate of any country is more often than not determined by its position in the tropical monsoon region. Based on that, the weather of Cox’s Bazar has following characteristics: profound rainfall, soaring temperature, excessive humidity and distinctive seasonal variations. Between summer and winter is another important feature of the climate of the country; the reversal of the wind circulation. The weather of Cox's Bazar is almost similar to the rest of the country. Maximum of 34.8 °C and a minimum of 16.1 °C is the annual average temperature in Cox's Bazar and the average rainfall is 4,285 mm.

Climate in Cox's Bazar

Month

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Avg high temperature (°F)

80°

83°

87°

90°

91°

87°

86°

86°

87°

87°

85°

80°

Avg low temperature (°F)

57°

61°

68°

75°

78°

77°

81°

77°

77°

75°

67°

60°

Average Precipitation (inches)

0.1"

0.5"

1.5"

4.2"

12.7"

31.1"

35.5"

27.8"

15.3"

7.2"

3.3"

1.0"

Source: WeatherBase.Com

Mineral content in beach sand

Heavy-metal mineral content is found in the sand at Cox’s Bazar beach and surrounding areas. The heavy minerals of Cox's Bazar beach sands are dominated by hornblende, garnet, epidote, ilmenites (both unaltered and altered) with magnetite, rutile, pyrite and some hydroxides. Cox's Bazar beach alone is believed to have a deposit of 5.119 Mt of minerals @ 0.04% mon, while nearby Inani beach is expected to have another deposit of 0.729 Mt. of minerals @ 0.13% mon. Surrounding islands of Maheshkhali, Kutubdia and Nijhum Deep as well as mainland beach in Teknaf area are also believed to have similar large deposits. The total deposit in these locations is about 20.5 million tons of raw sand, which contains 4.4 million tons of heavy minerals (sp gr > 2.9).

Prominent Tourist Places in Cox’s Bazar

People come to the Cox’s Bazar mainly to see the long sandy beach that stretches from the mouth of the Bakkhali River going all the way to Teknaf. Although commonly known as Cox's Bazar beach, it stretches far beyond the area designated as Cox's Bazar town. Several beaches of Cox’s Bazar are suitable for visiting and sea bathing. Even though the main attraction is the beach; some other places are a must for fulfilling a tour of Cox’s Bazar.

• Laboni Beach: This is the main beach of Cox's Bazar and is considered the main beach due to the fact that it is closest to the town. Hundreds of small shops alongside the beach are selling souvenirs and beach accessories to the tourists. The nearest point of the Laboni beach is called Kolatoly beach. It’s the most crowded beach in Cox’s Bazar and also a great shooting spot for film makers.
• Inani Beach: This is a nice place for those who want to spend some quality time in the beach and in the sea quietly. Because it is free from the crowd of tourists that is usually seen at the Laboni beach as it is far from the town. That’s why most tourists prefer to come down here for relaxing. It is Located 35 km south of Cox’s Bazar; this white sandy beach is sited within Ukhia Thana. This beach is famous for its golden sand and its clean shark free water which is ideal for sea bathing.
• Himchari: Located about 18 km south of Cox’s Bazar along the sea beach, is a nice place for the picnic and film shooting. This picnic spot is famous for its waterfalls. The road to Himchari runs by the open sea on one side and hills on the other which makes the journey to Himchari stunning. It’s another attraction is the Christmas tree in the side of the beach.
• Burmese Market: This market is visited by all the tourists that come to Cox’s Bazar. Here you can find the handicrafts of the local tribal people and many other useful products and food items imported from Burma/Myanmar.
• Aggmeda Khyang: is a large Buddhist monastery. It’s a place respected by all the Buddhist people of Cox’s Bazar; and the Chittagong Hill Tracts . A series of round timber columns held the main sanctuary. The sanctuary contains a prayer chamber and an assembly hall along with a storehouse of large and small bronze images of Buddha and a number of old manuscripts.
• Ramu : its about 10 km from Cox’s Bazar, is a village with a large Buddhist population. Handicrafts and homemade cigars are the main reason for which its famous for. Ramu is also known for its monasteries, khyangs and pagodas which contain images of Buddha in gold, bronze and other metals inlaid with precious stones. One of the most interesting of these temples which is located on the bank of the Baghkhali River. It holds not only fascinating relics and Burmese handicrafts but also a large bronze statue of Buddha measuring thirteen feet high and respites on a six feet high pedestal. The wood carving structure of this khyang is very fragile and sophisticated. The village has a charisma of its own. Weavers carry out their skill in open workshops and craftsmen make handmade cigars in their pagoda like houses.
• Dulhazra Safari Park : This safari park is a conservatory of an animal safe haven sited along the Chittagong-Cox's Bazar road about 50 km from Cox's Bazar town. The safe haven itself guards a large number of wild elephants which are inhabitant to the area. The park also consists of domesticated elephants which are on hand for a ride. Other animal attraction comprise of lions, Bengal tigers, Crocodiles, Bears, Chitals and lots of diverse types of birds and monkeys.
• Mermaid café: this is the best café of the Cox’s Bazar. Its architectural design is world class and that’s why its look terrific. It has three branches around Cox’s Bazar.

Places near the Cox’s Bazar

Other than the places of Cox’s Bazar, there are some other places you can visit if you have time. These places are also enriched by panoramic natural beauty.

• Maheshkhali : it’s a small island of 268 square kilometres on the Cox’s Bazar coast. The island tenders panoramic charming beauty and is enclosed by a range of low hills, about 300 feet (91 m) high from the sea level, stretches throughout the middle of the island and beside its eastern seashore. The shoreline of the island on the west and north form a low-lying tract that is occupied by the mangrove forests. A temple of Shiva called Adinath Temple and a Buddhist pagoda are also situated on this island. This Temples have stunning and ancient artifacts.
• Sonadia Island : is a small semi-circular island of only 9 square kilometers . It’s 7-km north-west of Cox's Bazar. Different kinds of shells are found on the beach of the western side of the island which is sandy too. On the northern part, there are beds of window pane oysters. Fishermen set up brief camps on the island and dry their catches of sea fish during the winter. Sonadia Island holds the last remaining part of mangrove forest of southeast Bangladesh. Due to their development in a coastal lagoon setting rather than in a delta, Sonadia's mangroves are much distinctive from the well-known Sunderbans . The sight of game birds migrating here in great numbers during the winter seasons is another attraction of this island.

• Teknaf : It’s situated by the side of Naf River on the southernmost part of Bangladesh. This also symbolizes the end point of Cox's Bazar beach. Tourists usually come here for a river cruise by boat or sampan in the beautiful Naf River which runs between Bangladesh and Myanmar.

• St. Martin's Island : About 9 km south of the tip of the Cox's Bazar-Teknaf peninsula in the northeast part of the Bay of Bengal there is a small island called St. Martins Island. It is the only coral island of Bangladesh and is about 8 km west of the northwest coastline of Myanmar at the entrance of the Naf River . The local called the island as "Narikel Janjira", translated from Bangla , meaning 'Coconut Island'. St. Martin's Island has become a famous tourist spot. Three shipping liners run daily to the island they are Kutubdia , Sea-Truck and Keary-Sindbad. Travelers can book their ticket from Chittagong or Cox's Bazar. The adjacent coral reef of the island has an expansion named Chera Dwip. The St. Martins Island is home to several endangered species of turtles, as well as corals, some of which are found only on this island.

Things to Do

Tourists come here to see the beach and relax on the beach. But other than that you can do much more:-

• Cox’s Bazar beaches are famous for sea bathing. As the rise and fall of the tide is not see great, there is no danger for sea bathing in any part of the day. In case any emergency there is Life guard who is there to help.
• For the gentle tide of the Bay of Bengal Cox’s Bazar is a suitable place for surfing for all. There will be people on the beach who will help you with the instrument and guideline for sea surfing.
• Horse riding on the beach is a nice experience. You try it and you will love it. You will find horses on the beach and can ride them with paying very little money.
• There is another riding experience which is very exciting. It’s riding four wheeler sand bikes or Quad bikes. A must try experience for the visitors. You can also ride speed boat and sea scooty on the sea and you will surely past a thrilling time.
• For completing a tour to Cox’s Bazar you have to visit all the places mentioned above with the tag of ‘places in Cox’s Bazar’. All the places mentioned are full of wonderful natural scenery.
• Every body that comes here watches the sunset on the beach. Because the sky and the sea take a marvelous looks which spellbound the people who see that.
• If you chose a hotel close to the beach you can get an experience which you will forget for the rest of your life. It’s seeing the sea from the beach at after the midnight. On that period the sea takes a look which is outside of this world. No words can express the scenery to you. To feel the experience you have to see by yourself.

Transportation

From Dhaka one can go to Cox’s Bazar by following ways -

• Way 1: First you'll need to take a plane to Cox's Bazar if you want to take the aerial route. You can fly from Zia international airport, Dhaka and Shah Amanat international airport, Chittagong.
• Way 2 : In case of bus route there are several bus services both from Dhaka and Chittagong. There are both Air Conditioned (AC) and non- Air Conditioned bus service. In AC bus service there are economic class and business class. Non AC buses are cheaper than ac buses but ac buses are more comfortable than non ac buses.
• Way 3 : You can also take the rail to Chittagong and catch a bus to Cox’s Bazar. In this way of transport may cost a little less from the first two mode of transportation. But it may take an hour or two longer to reach Cox’s Bazar.

Communication and Network

Cox’s Bazar has a highly developed communication and network system. It has both land line and mobile phone network. As it is the landing station for the submarine cable, it is well connected to the world through the high speed internet. I can describe all the features to you but it’s no matter how well I describe Cox’s Bazar; there is no way in the world that you could feel the pleasure or know why it’s considered for the new 7 wonders of the world. So just visit Cox’s Bazar and find out why it’s called the wonder of nature.

Foods and Drinks

The food of Cox’s Bazar is appetizing. And the food cost is very much reasonable.

• The sea food especially the fish are fresh and mouth-watering. To be more precise Rupchada fish curry is a must item on your food menu.
• You will find every types of food here. There are restaurants that have foods from Bengali to foreign.
• All of the hotels also have restaurants with the Bangladeshi and foreign offerings, with higher prices and better quality than those outside of the hotels.
• The local people also sell dried fish, which is a bit more expensive but fresher than those available up shore in Cox's Bazar.
• Here you can find every kind of drinks. If you look for alcoholic drinks you will find them on the three and five star hotels. Some local people also sell alcoholic drinks, but you have to be careful about that.

Places to stay

The price of the hotels differs on the basis of tourist’s peak (November-April)-season and off season. For more information, go to the hotel page or click here. You will find all the information you need to choose a suitable place to stay at the beach.

Watch out

Bangladesh is a natural disaster prone area and so is Cox’s Bazar. That’s why the coastal areas of Cox's Bazar are laying face down to devastating cyclones and landslides on a yearly basis. The areas near the Cox’s Bazar town are located directly in the high risk area for surge water heights above 1 meter as well as landslides. There was a 70% casualty rate near the town area during the 1991 cyclone. Another hazard of the Cox's Bazar area is the high natural background radiation which has been found to be above global average. There have been reported incidents of human casualty due to actions of wild elephants in the locality but it happens very rarely. The threat of mosquito borne diseases like Malaria also may be higher in the area. However, all these hazards mainly affect long term residents of the area and visiting tourists should be able to guard against these risks with appropriate precautions.

District Commissioner Office - (0341) 63200 Residence - (0341) 63201
District Judge Office - (0341) 63232 Residence - (0341) 63271
Civil Surgeon Office - (0341) 63768 Residence - (0341) 63602
Sadar Hospital Office - (0341) 63584 Residence - (0341) -
District Super Office - (0341) 64602 Residence - (0341) 62391