Popular destinations in Bangladesh. Cox's Bazar

 Cox's Bazar

Cox's Bazar (Bengali: কক্সবাজার) is a city, fishing port, tourist center and district headquarters in southeastern Bangladesh. It is located 150 km (93 mi) south of Chittagong city. Cox's Bazar is also known as Panoa, which literally means "yellow flower". Another old name was "Palangki". Kutupalong refugee camp with more than a million Rohingya refugees in Cox's Bazar.

Cox's Bazar

The city covers 23.4 km2 (9.0 sq mi) with 58 mohallas and 27 districts and had a population of 223,522 in 2011. Cox's Bazar is connected to Chittagong by road and air.

Modern Cox's Bazar takes its name from Captain Hiram Cox, an officer of the British East India Company, chief inspector of the Palangki outpost. To commemorate his role in refugee resettlement, a market named after him was established. It is one of the most important tourist places in Bangladesh. The city has the longest uninterrupted natural beach in the world. In 2023, Bangladesh evacuated more than 50,000 people to safe shelters as Cyclone Maucha approached.

Transport

 Road

The N110 is the national highway that connects the city via the N1 to the country's capital and largest city, Dhaka, and many other parts of the country.

There are services from companies like Green Line Paribahan, Shohag Enterprise and many others to travel to Cox's Bazar. The price range for these premium bus tours ranges between Tk. 1200 to Tk. 2500  depending on the seats and the bus.

Traveling by bus to Cox's Bazar from Dhaka usually takes between 9 and 12 hours, depending on traffic.

Airport

Cox's Bazar is served by Cox's Bazar Airport located in the northwest of the city. It is one of the busiest domestic airports in Bangladesh. Major airlines serving the airport are Biman Bangladesh Airlines, US-Bangla Airlines, NovoAir and Regent Airways. In November 2020, Biman Bangladesh Airlines started flights between Sylhet and Cox's Bazar, the first direct flight between the two cities without a connecting flight from Dhaka. Cox's Bazar Airport is currently being converted into an international airport to attract tourists. It will become the fourth international airport of Bangladesh.

Rail

Cox's Bazar Railway Station is the main district station under construction and will provide trains on domestic routes operated by Bangladesh State Railways. 

Tourism

Cox's Bazar Beach: Cox's Bazar Beach is the main attraction of the city with an uninterrupted length of 150 km (93 mi), which is said to be the "World's Longest Uninterrupted Natural Beach". There are several 3 and 5 star hotels that offer facilities to tourists in exclusive beach areas. Visitors to other hotels head to Labni Beach, the closest beach to the city. Apart from the beach, the city has several nearby attractions that can be easily visited from the city center.

Cox's Bazar

Himachari National Park: Himachari is located just south of Cox's Bazar city. It is made up of lush rainforest, grasslands and trees and has multiple waterfalls, the largest of which cascades down onto a sun-drenched sandy beach. The National Park was established by the Government of Bangladesh in 1980 as a protected area for research, education and recreation. It was once a herd of Asian elephants. It is still home to a limited number of mammals. 

Aggmeda Khyang: - a large Buddhist monastery and a place revered by about 400,000 Buddhists in Cox's Bazar; and Chittagong Hill Tracts. The main temple is supported by several round wooden pillars. It has a prayer hall and a meeting room, as well as large and small bronze Buddha statues and a collection of several ancient manuscripts.

Ramu: About 10 km from Cox's Bazar, it is a town with a significant Buddhist population. The town sells handcrafted and homemade cigars. There are monasteries, khangs and pagodas with precious stone Buddha images in bronze, gold and other metals. One of the temples on the banks of the Bagkhali River, is home to Burmese relics and crafts, as well as a large four-meter-high bronze Buddha image resting on a two-meter-high plinth. Weavers ply their trade in open workshops and artisans make handmade cigars in their pagoda-like homes.

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Safari Park: Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Safari Park is the first safari park in Bangladesh. Dullahazara Safari Park is built on an unspoilt landscape of about 2,224 acres (9.00 km2) in Chakaria upazila of Cox's Bazar district. The nature of the forest is tropical evergreen and rich in shrubs, bushes and deciduous trees with gorjan, boilam, telsur and chapalish. Safari park is a declared protected area where the animals are kept in a fairly large area with natural environment and visitors can easily see the animal by bus, jeep or on foot. This park is designed according to a South Asian model. This safari park is an extension of an animal sanctuary located along the Chittagong-Cox's Bazar highway, about 50 km from Cox's Bazar city. The sanctuary itself protects the large number of wild elephants found in the area. Tamed elephants are available for rides in safari parks. Other animal attractions include lions, Bengal tigers, crocodiles, bears, leopards and a variety of birds and monkeys.

The only aquarium in Bangladesh is located in Cox's Bazar. Attractions include parasailing, paddle boating, beach biking, horse riding, Cox's Carnival Circus Show, Dariya Nagar Eco Park, Cox's Bazar Development Authority, numerous architectural sites, children's parks and numerous photogenic locations. Bangabandhu Safari Park, the country's largest safari park, is nearby. There is a forest reserve, Naf Tourist Park, where a cable car is also planned.

Cox's Bazar – Teknaf Marine Drive: This is the road from Cox's Bazar to Teknaf. Sea on one side and mountains on the other.

In 2013, the Government of Bangladesh formed the Tourist Police Unit to better protect local and foreign tourists and take care of nature and wildlife at tourist spots in Cox's Bazar.