World’s Longest Sea Beaches – Cox’s Bazar

Cox's Bazar is a town, a fishing port and distict headquarters in Bangladesh. It is one of the world's longest uninterrupted natural sandy sea beaches, The beach in Cox's Bazar is an unbroken 125 km sandy sea beach with a gentle slope. It is located 150 km south of the industrial port Chittagong. Cox's Bazar is also known by the name Panowa, whose literal translation means "yellow flower." Its other old name was "Palongkee".

The modern Cox's Bazar derives its name from Captain Hiram Cox (died 1799), an officer serving in British India. An officer of the British East India Company, Captain Cox was appointed Superintendent of Palongkee outpost after Warren Hastings became Governor of Bengal. Captain Cox was specially mobilised to deal with a century-long conflict between Arakan refugees and local Rakhains. He embarked upon the mammoth task of rehabilitating refugees in the area and made significant progress. A premature death took Captain Cox in 1799 before he could finish his work. To commemorate his role in rehabilitation work, a market was established and named Cox's Bazar ("Cox's Market") after him.

Today, Cox's Bazar is one of the most-visited tourist destinations in Bangladesh. It has yet to become a major international tourist destination, and has no international hotel chains, due to lack of publicity and transportation. In 2013, the Bangladesh Government formed the Tourist Police unit to better protect local and foreign tourists, as well as to look after the nature and wildlife in the tourist spots of Cox's Bazar.

Environment

The main attraction of Cox's Bazar is the world longest but least-crowded sandy beach which stretches from the mouth of the Bakkhali River and going all the way to Teknaf. Though normally known as Cox's Bazar beach, but the beach stretches far beyond the region designated as Cox's Bazar town. The setting for the beach with its silvery gold sand is tropical-forested hills. "Miles of golden sands, surfing waves, rare conch shells, towering cliffs, delightful seafood, tribes, colorful pagodas and Buddhist temples" this is not a literary description for Cox's Bazar beach, it's an illustration for the eager person who want to imagine the beach. The beauty of the beach cannot be described by writing as no suitable word you can get to describe it.

Climate

The climate of Bangladesh has a tropical monsoon-type, with a hot and rainy summer whereas a dry winter. Often excessive humidity, heavy rainfall, high temperature, and distinct seasonal variations are common here. January is the coolest month with averaging around 26 ° C . whereas April is the warmest one with temperatures averaging from 33 to 36 ° C .The climate is one of the wettest in the world. Most rains occur during the monsoon (June to September) and little in winter (November to February).The climate of Cox's Bazar is typically similar to the rest of the country. However, it characterized by the location in the coastal region. The annual average temperature in here remains at approximately highest 34.8 °C and lowest 16.1 °C. The average amount rainfall is at 4,285mm.

Geographical View

Often termed as the world's longest beach,Cox's Bazar has yet to become a major tourist destination in Asia.Cox's Bazar District has an area of 2491.86 square km. It is located at 21°35' N 92°01' E and is bounded by Chittagong District on the north, Bay of Bengal in the south, Bandarban District on the east, and the Bay of Bengal on the west. Major rivers include Matamuhuri, Bakkhali, Reju Khal, Naf River, Maheshkhali channel and Kutubdia channel. The area of the city of Cox's Bazar is 6.85 square km The town with an area of 6.85 square km, and bounded by Bakkhali River on the north and East, Bay of Bengal in the West, and Jhilwanj Union in the south.

Cox’s Bazar Tourist Attractions:

There are many tourist attractions around Cox’s Bazar, which are easily accessible by Jeeps and in some cases cars.

1.            Himchari: Is famous for Himchari Waterfall and natural beauty. It is located about 8 km south of Cox’s Bazar. During the winter dry season, the waterfall dwindles but in the rainy season it is fabulous. Besides a beach drive to Himchari is an exotic experience.

2         Inani Beach: A Pristine rocky beach with corals all around. It is bordered by hills and forests and is located only 32km south of Cox’s Bazar. It can also be accessed via Himchari.

      3         Aggmeda Khyang: A large elaborately planned and decorated Buddhist Monastery. It is located near the entrance to the Cox's Bazar town. It has been designed to sit on a series of large timber columns. The monastery holds a big collection of manuscripts, prayer chamber, bronze Buddha images of Burmese origin and an assembly hall.

4         Ramu: A typical Buddhist village located 16 kilometers away from Cox's Bazar. It is accessible from the main highway leading to Chittagong. The village accomodates monasteries, khyangs and pagodas. There are images of Buddha in gold, bronze and other metals inlaid with precious stones inside the pagodas. Temple on the Baghkhali River houses relics along with a 13 feet high bronze statue of Buddha rested on a six feet high pedestal. Wood carvings here is delicate and refined. In the village weavers ply their trade in open workshops and craftsmen make handmade cigars.

5         Teknaf: A drive to this small town called Teknaf which is about 80km from Cox’s Bazar is a memorable experience as the road goes alongside the beautiful Naf river and through forested hilly roads. Teknaf is the southernmost point of Bangladesh and is bordered by Myanmar.

6         Island-Hopping: Hopping to Sonadia, Maheshkhali and Saint Martin’s Islands are certain to become unforgettable experiences for every visitor.

Get It….

Located about 150 km south of Chittagong Metropolitan city, Cox's Bazar is connected both by air and road with the capital of Bangladesh, Dhaka and the PPrime Port city Chittagong.

Daily non-stop flights are available from Chittagong and Dhaka on United Airways [1] or Regent [2]. The journey by plane takes 60 minutes and the fare is BD taka.6000.00 and 3500.00 one way from Dhaka & Chittagong respectievly.

By bus it will take about 10-12 hours from Dhaka and 4-5 hours from Chittagong. The private AC Bus line named 'Greenline', 'Soudia', 'Hanif','TR Travels' 'Shamoli' and 'Amader Baghdad' are available from Dhaka and Chittagong. AC bus will take BDT 1400-1800 from Dhaka to Cox'sbazar. Moreover, many Non-AC services are also available from Dhaka and Chittagong costing from BD taka.350.00-750.00(from Dhaka) or BD taka 200.00-360.00 (from Chittagong).

The main bus terminal is a few kilometers east of the central town area, about a 15-20 minute / Tk 100-120 by electric bike known as 'Easy Bike' or CNG auto ride. Local buses head to Chittagong (Tk 120, 4 hours) and Teknaf (Tk 70, 3 hours).

The private bus companies have offices near 'Hotel Sea Queen' on the main road, and also down in the Hotel Motel Zone.During the tourist season bus tickets goes scarcity requires advance ticketing to avoid delayed staying,better to book immediately on arrival.