www.coxs-bazar.com

Home:

Cox's Bazar is a town, a fishing port and district headquarters in Bangladesh. It is known for its wide sandy beach which, believed to be the world's longest natural sandy sea beach. It is an unbroken 125 km sandy sea beach with a gentle slope. It is located 150 km south of Chittagong. Cox’s Bazar is also known by the name "Panowa", the literal translation of which means "yellow flower". Its other old name was "Palongkee". The modern Cox's Bazar derives its name from Captain Cox (died 1799), an officer serving in British India. In the 18th century, an officer of British East India Company, Captain Hiram Cox was appointed as the Superintendent of Palongkee outpost after Warren Hastings became the Governor of Bengal. Captain Cox was specially mobilised to deal with a century long conflict between Arakan refugees and local Rakhains. The Captain was a compassionate soul and the plight of the people touched his heart. 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. But the work he had done earned him a place in the hearts of the locals and to commemorate his role in rehabilitation work a market was established and named after him as Cox's Bazaar ("Cox's Market"). Although Cox's Bazar is one of the most visited tourist destinations in Bangladesh, it has yet to become a major international tourist destination, due to lack of publicity.

The Town:

Located along the Bay of Bengal in South Eastern Bangladesh, Cox's Bazar Town is a small port and health resort. But it is mostly famous for its long natural sandy beach. The municipality covers an area of 6.85 km² with 27 mahallas and 9 wards and has a population of 51,918. Cox's Bazar is connected by road and air with Chittagong.

History:

The greater Chittagong area including Cox's Bazar was under the rule of Arakan Kings from the early 9th century till its conquest by the Mughals in 1666 AD. When the Mughal Prince Shah Shuja was passing through the hilly terrain of the present day Cox’s Bazar on his way to Arakan, he was attracted to the scenic and captivating beauty of the place. He commanded his forces to camp there. His retinue of one thousand palanquins stopped there for some time. A place named Dulahazara, meaning "one thousand palanquins", still exists in the area. After the Mughals, the place came under the control of the Tipras and the Arakanese, followed by the Portuguese and then the British.

The name Cox's Bazar/Bazaar originated from the name of a British East India Company officer, Captain Hiram Cox who was appointed as the Superintendent of Palonki (today's Cox's Bazar) outpost after Warren Hastings became the Governor of Bengal following the British East India Company Act in 1773. Captain Cox was especially mobilised to deal with a century long conflict between Arakan refugees & local Rakhains at Palonki. The Captain made significant progress in rehabilitation of refugees in the area, but had died (in 1799) before he could finish his work. To commemorate his role in rehabilitation work a market / bazaar was established and was named after him as Cox's Bazaar (market of Cox). Cox's Bazar thana was first established in 1854 and a municipality was constituted in 1869.

After the Sepoy Mutiny (Indian Rebellion of 1857) in 1857, the British East India Company was highly criticised & questioned on humanitarian grounds, specially for its Opium trade monopoly over the Indian Sub-Continent. However, after its dissolution on 1 January 1874, all of the company's assets including its Armed Forces were acquired by the British Crown. After this historic take over, Cox's Bazar was declared a district of the Bengal Province under the British Crown.

After the end of British rule in 1947, Cox's Bazar remained as a part of East Pakistan. Captain Advocate Fazlul Karim, the first Chairman (after independence from the British) of Cox's Bazar Municipality established the Tamarisk Forest along the beach to draw tourist attention in this town and also to protect the beach from tidal waves. He also donated many of his father in law’s and his own lands for establishing a Public Library and a Town Hall for the town. He was inspired to build Cox's Bazar as a tourist spot after seeing beaches of Bombay and Karachi, and one of the pioneers in developing Cox's Bazar as such. He founded a Maternity Hospital, the Stadium and the drainage system by procuring grants from the Ford Foundation and Rockefeller Foundation through correspondence. Mr. T. H. Matthews, the principal of the Dacca Engineering College (1949~1954) was his friend who had helped him in doing this. Engineer Chandi Charan Das was the government civil engineer who had worked on all these projects. In 1959 the municipality was turned into a town committee. In 1961 the erstwhile Geological Survey of Pakistan initiated investigation of radioactive minerals like monazite around the Cox's Bazar sea-beach area and a number of precious heavy minerals were identified the same year.

In 1971, Cox's bazar wharf was used as a naval port by the Pakistan Navy's gunboats. This and the nearby airstrip of the Pakistan Air Force were the scene of intense shelling by the Indian Navy during Bangladesh Liberation War. During the war, Pakistani soldiers killed many people in the town including eminent lawyer Jnanendralal Chowdhury. The killing of two freedom fighters named Farhad and Subhash at Badar Mokam area is also recorded in history.

After the independence of Bangladesh Cox's Bazar started to get the administrative attention. In 1972 the town committee of Cox's Bazar was again turned into a municipality. In 1975, The Government of Bangladesh established a pilot plant at Kalatali, Cox's Bazar to assess the commercial viability of the heavy mineral content in the placer deposits of the area with the cooperation of the Australian Government. Later, in 1984 Cox's Bazar subdivision was promoted to a district and 5 years later (in 1989) the Cox's Bazar municipality was elevated to B-grade. In 1994 (jobs) the Marine Fisheries and Technology Station (MFTS) was established at Cox's Bazar. MFTS is a research station of Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute (BFRI) headquartered in Mymensingh. The station covers a land area of 4 hactor and is equipped with 5 specialised laboratories, and one indoor and one outdoor cistern complex. In April 2007 Bangladesh got connected to the submarine cable network as a member of the SEA-ME-WE-4 Consortium, as Cox's Bazar was selected as the landing station of the submarine cable.

Geography and Climate:

Cox's Bazar town with an area of 6.85 km², is located at 21°35′0″N 92°01′0″E / 21.583333°N 92.016667°E / 21.583333; 92.016667 and bounded by Bakkhali River on the north and East, Bay of Bengal in the West, and Jhilwanj Union in the south.

The climate of Bangladesh is mostly determined by its location in the tropical monsoon region: high temperature, heavy rainfall, often excessive humidity, and distinct seasonal variations. The reversal of the wind circulation between summer and winter is another important feature of the climate of the country. The climate of Cox's bazar is mostly similar to the rest of the country. It is further characterised by the location in the coastal area. The annual average temperature in Cox's Bazar remains at about a maximum of 34.8 °C and a minimum of 16.1 °C. The average amount of rainfall remains at 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; Retrieved on 2008-01-25

Economy and development :

As one of the most beautiful and famous tourist spots in Bangladesh, the major source of economy in Cox's Bazar is tourism. Millions of foreigners and Bangladeshi natives visit this coastal city every year. As a result, a large number of hotels, guest houses and motels have been built in the city and coastal region. Many people are involved in hospitality and customer service orientated businesses. A number of people are also involved in fishing and collecting seafood and sea products for their livelihood. Various kinds of Oyster, Snail, Pearl and their ornaments are very popular with tourists in seaside and city stores. A number of people are also involved in the transportation business for tourists. Cox's Bazar is also one of the few major spots for aquaculture in Bangladesh. Along with Khulna, it is considered a major source of revenue from foreign exchanges. Beside a mix of small-scale agriculture, marine and inland fishing and salt production are other industrial sources from this region that play important roles in the national economy.

Risks and Hazards :

The coastal areas of Cox's Bazar are prone 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 metre 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 has been reported incidents of human casualty due to actions of wild elephants in the locality. 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. For them these are not at all a considerable problem. emergency health services are available in the Cox's bazar district hospital which is secondary level hospital in Bangladesh.

The Beach:

The main attraction of Cox's Bazar is 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.

Tourist & accommodation:

Cox's Bazar, arguably the best tourist spot in Bangladesh, is visited by a large number of tourist from Britain, America, Korea, Japan, India, Nepal, Pakistan and many more countries each year. Though there is no specific record in Bangladesh Porjatan Corporation (BPC) on how many people usually visit Cox's Bazar each year but an AFP report says that during the winter 10,000 available rooms in the beach area hotels usually remain occupied almost seven days a week. Accommodation near the beach varies from an expensive range to a reasonable price. Many private hotels, BPC Motels and two Five Star hotels are located near the beach.

Places of interest along the beach:

Cox’s Bazar, mostly famous for its beautiful sea beach and the sunset, has several other attractions, including:

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. Close to the beach, there are hundreds of small shops selling souvenirs and beach accessories to the tourists.

Himchari Beach:

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 very attractive. Its another attraction is the Christmas tree.

Enani Beach:

Located 35 km south of Cox’s Bazar, this white sandy beach is located within Ukhia Thana. This beach is famous for its golden sand and clean shark free water which is ideal for sea bathing. Most tourists prefer to come down here for relaxing because it is free from the crowd of tourists that is usually seen at the Laboni beach. 

Mineral content in beach sand:

The sand at Cox's Bazar beach and surrounding areas is rich in heavy-metal mineral content. 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 Enani 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).

Tourist Sport:

• The beach is the main attraction of the town. Larger hotels provide exclusive beachside area with accessories for the hotel guests. Visitors in other hotels visit the Laboni beach which is the area of the beach closest to the town. Other than the beach there are several places of interest near the town which can easily be visited from town center.
• 
  
• Laboni Beach:
• 
  
• Laboni beach is considered as the main beach area of Cox’s Bazar as is at the central location and close to town. The beach is always crowded by tourists. Visitors can sunbathe, surf, jog, cycle, and swim. It is best for swimming and relaxation. Numerous souvenir shops around the area can attract tourist to purchase the souvenirs, beach accessories and some other stuffs.
• 
  
• Inani Beach:
• 
  
• Inani beach is famous for its golden sand. The beautiful beach attracts most of the tourist who appreciate warmly the wonders of nature. Tourists like to come here for relaxing as it is free from the crowd of visitors who are typically seen at the Laboni beach. The beach is generally considered to be the world’s longest beach. 
• 
  
• Location: Located about 32 km to the south of the famous tourist destination of Cox’s Bazar
• 
  
• Attraction:
• 
  
  • Backdrop of lush green hills rising up on the east.
  • The sea stretching out endlessly to the west.
  • Unusual shaped rock and coral boulders scattered lavishly in the beach and trough the sea.
  • Fringed with tall palm trees swaying gently in the breeze.
  • Seashells of different colors, shapes, and sizes are found along here.
  • Calm lagoon which is wonderful for the little ones to paddle in.
  • Getting on the rock & coral boulders with the waves washing up on the shore around you, will be an extremely therapeutic experience.
  • Beachcombing.
  • Shark free water is suitable for sea bathing.
  
  
  
• Note: Every year numerous foreign and local tourists come here to spend their leisure in Inani Beach. However, it lacks several amenities that visitors can expect. It is wise to take a packed lunch and water with you when you visit the beach. But those people who have taken the time to explore the beach can testify that its beauty and cool breeze far outweighs anything it might be lacking in amenities. When visiting Inani Beach, ensure you have camera along to capture the amazing sight of the sun setting over the sea.
• 
  
• Himchari: 



Himchari Roa

• Himchari is one of the most attractive places for the visitors. Journey to Himchari is also exciting because the road to Himchari runs by the lovely green hills on one side and open blue sea on the other side. The scenery of the two side of the road pleased all.
• 
  
• Location: Located 12 km south of Cox’s Bazar Town and 6 km from the Kalatali beach by the hill.
• 
  
• Area: 1,729 hectares
• 
  
• Getting there: From Kalatali stand, it is only 15-minute ride to entry; if you take a taxi or chander gari (local transport). You can also rent a car from Cox’s Bazar.
• 
  
• Outstanding Features:
• 
  
  
  1. Beautiful Waterfall
  2. Himchari National Park
  3. Broken Hill
  4. Christmas Tree
• 1. Beautiful Waterfall:
• The amazing waterfall of Himchari is a very rare scene to enjoy. The waterfall from the green hill is relatively extraordinary to look at. However, in the winter it dwindles whereas in the rainy season it is really wonderful and full waterfall could be enjoyed.
• The spot is ideal for picnic, shooting, relaxing and sunbathing. But whenever you have sunbathing locals can rush around you as Bangladeshis’ are not used to see women in swim costume. Here you get beautiful hilltop resort centre where you can stay for relaxing and can hear the shore of the Bay of Bengal.
• 
  
• 2. Himchari National Park: 
• The Park is a beautiful tropical rain forest (evergreen & semi-ever-green) around the South Asia. The park was established in 1980. This place is maintained, protected and secured by the government for the foreign tourists and the local visitors. The Park is not only attractive for the tourists it is also attractive for the biologist.
• The park gets high forest, low forest & grasslands with a few trees. Around 58 species of trees, 4 species grasses, 15 species of shrubs, 19 climbers and 21 species of herbs altogether 117 plant species are available here. In the forest area there are at least twenty kinds of important herbs like Curculigo recurvata, Swintonia floribunda and Alpinia nigra are available which most valuable plant are for the biologist.
• The park is also considered as a paradise of birdwatcher. A lot of bird watchers are gathered here for the seeing the different kinds of birds, as more than 286 species of birds found there. Additionally, 55 species of mammals, 56 species of reptiles and 13 species of amphibians are found in the evergreen forest. A small number of elephants and leopard also found here. The US administration already made an agreement with Bangladesh government to induct tigers in to the forest areas.
• 
  
  
  • Wild life: Elephant, Tigers, Capped Langur, Gibbon, Rhesus Macaque, Dhole, Sloth Bear, Hirundo Rustica, Indian Muntjac, Wild Boar, Cypsiurrus Parvus Leopard Cat, Jungle Cat, Fishing Cat,  and Acridotheres.
  • Adventure: Picnic, Shooting and Bird safari
  • Entry Fee: Tk. 5.00/ Person
  • Present Visitors: 2,00,000 / Year
  
  
  

• 3. Broken Hills: 
• It is also an attraction for most of the visitors. Come and see what wonder waiting for you.
• 
  
• 4. Christmas Tree:
• The Christmas tree of here is another famous attraction for the tourist.
• 
  
• Best Time to Visit: September 01 to October 31
• 
  
• Accommodation: After visiting Himchari if you want to stay at night, should stay in Cox’s Bazar. You will get a number of hotels and restaurants there with different budget.
• 
  
• Note: You can reach Himchari only by the beach. So, ensure you are back to town before high tide rise in the evening. It is not wise to stay here after sunset.

• 
  
• Aggmeda Khyang:
• 
  
• A large Buddhist monastery, and a place revered by around 400,000 Buddhist people of Cox’s Bazar; and the Chittagong Hill Tracts. The main sanctuary is posted on a series of round timber columns. It has a prayer chamber and an assembly hall along with a repository of large and small bronze Buddha images and a number of old manuscripts.
• 
  
• Ramu:
• 
  
• About 10 km from Cox’s Bazar, is a village with a sizeable Buddhist population. The village is famous for its handicrafts and homemade cigars. There are monasteries, khyangs and pagodas containing images of Buddha in gold, bronze and other metals inlaid with precious stones. One of the most interesting of these temples is on the bank of the Baghkhali river. It houses not only interesting relics and Burmes handicrafts but also a large bronze statue of Buddha measuring thirteen feet high and rests on a six feet high pedestal. The wood carving of this khyang is very delicate and refined. The village has a charm of its own. Weavers ply their trade in open workshops and craftsmen make handmade cigars in their pagoda like houses.
• 
  
• Dulhazra Safari Park: 
• 
  
• This safari park is an extension of an animal sanctuary located along the Chittagong-Cox's Bazar road about 50 km from Cox's Bazar town. The sanctuary itself protects a large number of wild elephants which are native to the area. In the safari park there are domesticated elephants which are available for a ride. Other animal attractions include lions, Bengal tigers, Crocodiles, Bears, Chitals and lots of different types of birds and monkeys.
• 
  

• Teknaf:
• 
  
  
  
  
  Teknaf is the most southern or south-eastern coastal subdistrict under the Cox’s Bazar district of Bangladesh. This is the only place Bangladesh which is connected with Myanmar by a small river called Naf River of Bangladesh.Teknaf  is an Upazila of Cox’s Bazar District in the Division of Chittagong, Bangladesh. It forms the southernmost point in mainland Bangladesh.The name of the region comes from the Naf River which forms the Eastern boundary of the upazila.Teknaf has a population of 152557. Males constitute are 51.81% of the population, and females 48.19%. This Upazila’s eighteen up population is 64417.

  • 
    
    • 
      
      
      Because of tropical weather of Bangladesh most of the tourist usually go to visit this place during winter or in between winter and autumn (October to March). It is about 100 km far away from Cox’s Bazar and well connected with various kinds of luxurious bus services.

      
      

      Saint Martins – Coconut Island:

      

      Saint Martins is the only coral island in Bangladesh, with beaches fringed with coconut palms, seashells and laid-back locals. The island is a tropical cliché. It’s a clean, calm and cool place for soak up the rays.

      
      

      Location: 
      
      
      
      
      
      Approximately 9 km south of the tip of the Cox’s Bazar-Teknaf peninsula. It is the southernmost part of Bangladesh located in the Bay of Bengal. It is around 8 km west of the northwest coast of Myanmar at the mouth of the Naf River. The total distance from Dhaka to St Martin is around 510 km.
  • 
    
    
    
    Area: 8 sq. km but it reduces to around 5 sq. km during high tide.

    
    

    Tourist Season: November to February 

    
    

    Original Name: “Narikel Jinjira” (Coconut Island) – The local name of the COCONUT is NARIKEL and the original name of this Island is Narikel Jinjira is derived from that.

    
    

    Features:
    

    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    

    • Beautiful Coral Reef
    • Long Coral Beach
    • Lots of Coconut Trees
    • Peaceful Environment
    • Bountiful Marine Life
    • Deep Blue Water
    • Sandy Beach

    
    

    How to Reach?
    To reach Saint Martins Island is just three-step process.

    1. Fly or bus and get down to Cox’s Bazar (400 km from Dhaka).
    2. Catch a bus to Teknaf.
    3. From Teknaf, ferries run daily and take around 3 hours.

    Ferries leave the island about 3 pm. Now, three shipping liners run daily trips to St. Martins. They are Sea-Truck, Kutubdia and Keary-Sindbad. For the regular Eagle ferries you need not to pre-book. However, for more reliable Keari Sindbad ferry and if you have not a roundtrip ticket you can book the return ticket at the Keari Marzaan restaurant. The restaurant only services to day-trippers on tours arranged by Keari Tours. The one-way fare is Tk 225.
    

    
    
    For Contact:
    S.A.KAJOL
    +88 01819605557, +88 01919605557
    

    
    
    Local Transport: Cycle-rickshaws are the only transport besides walking. No motorized vehicles on the island, even no motorcycles! It is highly advisable that you travel the island on foot; otherwise, miss a lot of things. St. Martine is a small island. You just cover it around 3 to 4 hours on foot.

    
    Sunrise & Sunset: Observing sunrise and sunset St Martins is a better place. Sunset Point is a rocky peninsula on the northwest corner of the island.
    

    
    
    Village life: A slow paced life — most work happens in the morning and evening, whereas midday is reserved for drying rice and fish. During the day time, some villagers sells coconuts while others sitting in the shade and chewing paan (battle leaf).
    

    
    
    Sea Turtle Hatchery: Located on the west side of the island south of Shemana Pereye Resort. The hatchery is not officially open to tourists; however, it is generally empty and the gate unlocked.
    

    
    
    Stars: Amazingly plentiful stars get on a moonless night, due to the lack of electricity on St Martine.

    
    
    Scuba Diving: Oceanic Scuba Dive Center, the only dive operation in Bangladesh. To experience the beauty underwater scuba diving is best but the cost is lit-bit high though negotiable.
    

    
    
    Visit Chera Dwip: An extension part of St. Martins which is divided during tides. You can go to there on foot during low tide. It is about two and half an hour’s walk from St. Martins Island. You can also go the place by local boat or tourist boat during high tide. In Chera dwip you can find living and dead corals all over the Island. You will also get a small bush which is in the only green part of Chera-dwip, and enhancing the beauty of the island. No people live in this Island. That’s why; advisable for the visitors to go there early and back by afternoon.
    

    
    
    Embrace Moonlight: Make a tour in St Martins by yourself in the moonlight. The astonishing beauty of full-moon in St. Martin’s Island never be expressed; you can only feel it. Over the night feel and listen the sound of the Bay of Bengal.
    

    
    
    Watching Sun Rise: Wake up early and watch the sun rise.
    

    
    
    Campfire: Make a campfire to stay up at night.
    

    
    
    Shopping: A good number of small shops are near the port and along the main road selling essential commodities, odd souvenir t-shirts, hats and sunglasses. Various sea shells and things made from the shells are sold by teens around St Martine. However, it’s illegal as leads to the depletion of sea life.
    

    
    
    Foods:
    Food is relatively expensive here than on Cox’s Bazar. The food shacks line the road to the port. Bill of fare: Parothas - Tk 5, Omelettes - Tk 10 and vegetable curry - Tk 15 for breakfast. Various fish, dal (pulse) rice and vegetables are the rest of the day. Cha (tea) is Tk 5. Additionally, all the hotels have restaurants with the same typical Bangladeshi offerings. But higher prices & better quality than the food near the port. Chickens, lobsters and crabs are also available in the hotels. The islanders sell dried fish, which is little expensive but much fresher than those available up-shore in Cox’s Bazar.
    

    
    
    Drinks:
    Coconuts’ tasty water is available here with very low cost. But if you look for alcohol it’s very rare except some particular hotels. However, if you ask discreetly for the alcohol near the port, you may get it.
    Accommodations: Accommodations facilities are very good here. You can easily manage a room according to your budget. Most of the evenings can be candle-lit as no electricity on St Martins, but a few of the much expensive hotels have generators services.
    

    
    
    Awareness:
    

    • Avoid eating fish at every meal on the island as over-fishing rapidly vanishing sea life.
    • Keep a sound distance from sea turtles and their eggs. Don’t disturb those fascinating but fragile creatures.
    • Avoid western bathing suits both man and woman.

    
    

    Displeasure:
    

    1. No Land phone
    2. No Motorized Vehicle
    3. No Night Club
    4. No Internet Facilities
    5. Very Limited Alcohol