Cox's Bazar
Cox's Bazar is a town, a fishing port and district headquarter in Bangladesh . It is an unbroken 125 km sandy sea beach with a gentle slope. It is known for its wide sandy beach which is claimed to be the world's longest natural sandy sea beach. Since the rise and fall of the tide here is not great, it is a good place for sea bathing. 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. Cox's Bazar is one of the most visited tourist destinations in Bangladesh , it becomes a major international tourist destination, now-a-days.The main reason to visit Cox's Bazar is, of course, the beach, which is shark free. The beach of Cox 's Bazar has a lot to offer, such as silvery sands, low cliffs, surfing waves, conch shells, colorful pagodas Buddhist temple, variety of tribes etc. The breath-taking beauty of sunset behind the waves of the sea is captivating. Attractive local cigars and handloom products of the Rakhain Tribal families are good buys.
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Sundarban
Sundarbann can be literally translated as "beautiful jungle" or "beautiful forest" in the Bengali language. The Sundarbans is the largest single block of tidal halophytic mangrove forest in the world.
Alternatively, it has been proposed that the name is a corruption of Samudraban or Chandra-bandhe (name of a primitive tribe). But the generally accepted view is the one associated with Sundari trees. Every nature oriented tourists will get an unequaled opportunity to find and unique environments and over whelming spectrum of unusual exotic wildlife and natural bounty that has no match in the world .The most prominent and fascinating Islands , which offers various attraction to touristsThe forest lies at the feet of the Ganges and is spread across areas of Bangladesh and West Bengal, India, forming the seaward fringe of the delta. The seasonally-flooded Sundarbans freshwater swamp forests lie inland from the mangrove forests. The forest covers 10,000 sq. km of which about 6,000 are in Bangladesh . It became inscribed as a UNESCO world heritage site in 1997, but while the Bangladeshi and Indian portions constitute the same continuous ecotop. Additionally, the Sundarbans serves a crucial function as a protective flood barrier for the millions of inhabitants in and around Calcutta .
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Rangamati
Rangamati is a favourite holiday destination because of its beautiful landscape, scenic beauty, lake, colourful tribes (Chakma, Marma etc), its flora and fauna, tribal museum, hanging bridge, homespun textile products, ivory jewellery and the tribal men and women who fashion them. For tourists, the attractions of Rangamati are numerous . It's a travel destination of Bangladesh which is known as "Lake City ”.
From Chittagong a 77 km road amidst green fields and winding hills leads to Rangamati; which is a wonderful repository of scenic splendors with flora and fauna of varied descriptions. The township is located on the western bank of the Kaptai Lake .. Tribal life, fishing, speed boat cruising, hiking, bathing or merely enjoying nature as it is. It is queen of Chittagong Hill Tracts. Here the hills covered with the forest stand steel with their shadows in the crystal blue water of the Kaptai Lake , largest man made lake ever. Hanging Bridge : Hanging Bridge (Jhulonto Bridge in Bengali)is the landmark icon of Rangamati. It's a popular tourist spot and a must go destination.Kaptai lake is a wonderful spot for boating and cruising. Parjatan and private tour operators offer a number of cruises by mechanical boats. One can go to various scenic spots in Shuvalong, Barkal, Longadu, Mainimukh and other areas by boat from Rangamati. The only Tribal Cultural Museum in the Chittagong Hill Tracts region was established at Rangamati town in 1978 and run by the Tribal Cultural Institute. It preserves valuable objects and articles of different tribes depicting their socio-economic, cultural and historical tradition. These include typical tribal dresses, ornaments, arms and ammunitions, coins, statues made of wood, bronze and other metals, musical instruments, ivory products, handicrafts, paintings on tribal life etc.
Open: Saturday- Thursday, 10.00 a.m.- 4.00 p.m. Closed: Friday & Public Holidys.
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St. Martin Island
It is the only coral island in BangladeshSt. St. Martin's Island is a small island in the northeast part of the Bay of Bengal, about 9 km south of the tip of the Cox's Bazar-Teknaf peninsula, and forming the southernmost part of Bangladesh. It is about 8 km west of the northwest coast of Myanmar at the mouth of the Naf River . The local name of the island is "Narical Gingira", also spelled "Narikel Janjina/Jinjera", translated from Bangla, meaning 'Coconut Island '. Martin's Island has become a popular tourist spot. Currently, three shipping liners run daily trips to the island, including Sea-Truck and Keary-Sindbad. Tourists can book their trip either from Chittagong or from Cox's Bazar.
At high tide the island is about 3 miles around, and pinched in the middle. The island exists only because of its coral base, so removal of that coral risks erosion of the beaches. St. Martins has lost roughly 25% of its coral reef in the past 7 years. The dumb bell shaped Saint Martin's island has an area of about 8sq. km. Main attraction St. Martin Island is the Chera Dip or Narikel Ginjira . It is little isolated from the main land but you can go by walking during low tide. The small island is full of coconut (Narikel) trees from which the name Narikel Ginjira came.
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Kuakata
It is a famous destination for people around Government and local people are now business concerned and amicable and also the communication system is now very good and comfortable. The long and wide sandy beach has gentile slopes into the sea. Bathing there is as pleasant as is walking or driving. Boat plying in the Bay of Bengal with colorful sails, fishing. Towering clifts, surfing waves everything here touches every visitors' heart. The kuakata beach is 30 km long and 6 km wide. On 13 September, 2007 government have announced red alert in Kuakata as caution for a possible Tsunami. One should visit the Sagor Kannya ( Daughter of the Sea), Kuakata and discover the lovely grace of Bangladesh .