Natural Wonders of Bangladesh

Cox's Bazar

Bangladesh 's only beach resort is near the Myanmar border in an area where Rohingya refugees have settled to escape persecution in Myanmar . It has a Burmese Buddhist flavour and few amenities to service the visitors attracted by its enormous expanse of shark-free beach. Even modestly clad bathers, especially females, should expect to be gawked at by locals and Bangladeshi holidaymakers. Bangladeshi women who swim (they are a rare breed) do so in a flowing shalwar kameez . South of Cox's Bazar are more secluded beaches where having a swim can still be a private experience rather than a public spectacle. They include Himacheri Beach and Inani Beach . Note that the beaches are not considered entirely safe at night.

At the moment the road from Chittagong to Cox's Bazar is one of the worst in the country and still unfinished, but you can avoid it altogether by making your way from Dhaka to Chittagong, and then doing a short 20 minute flight from there. Alternatively buses go straight from Dhaka to Cox's Bazar, a distance of 370km (230mi).

St Martin Island

This small coral island about 10km (6mi) south-west of the southern tip of the mainland is a tropical cliché, with beaches fringed with coconut palms and bountiful marine life. There''s nothing more strenuous to do here than soak up the rays, but it''s a clean and peaceful place without even a mosquito to disrupt your serenity. It''s possible to walk around the island in a day because it measures only 8 sq km (3 sq mi), shrinking to about 5 sq km (2 sq mi) during high tide. Most of island''s 5500 inhabitants live primarily from fishing, and between October and April fisher people from neighbouring areas bring their catch to the island''s temporary wholesale market. A ferry leaves Teknaf for St Martin every day and takes around 3 hours.

Getting to St. Martin ''s is a three-step program. First you''ll need to fly or bus it down to Cox''s Bazar, and then catch a bus to Teknaf, which is right on the very tip of Bangladesh , sandwiched up against Myanmar . From Teknar, ferries run daily to St. Martin Island . The total distance from Dhaka to the island is 510km (316mi).

The Sundarbans

In the south western part of Bangladesh, in the district of greater Khulna, lies the Sundarbans, "the beautiful forest." It is a virgin forest which until recently owed nothing to human endeavour and yet nature has laid it out with as much care as a planned pleasure ground. For miles and miles, the lofty treetops form an unbroken canopy, while nearer the ground, works of high and ebb-tide marked on the soil and tree trunks and the many varieties of the natural mangrove forest have much to offer to an inquisitive visitor.

Here land and water meet in many novel fashions. Wild life presents many a spectacle. No wonder, you may come across a Royal Bengal Tiger swimming across the streams or the crocodiles basking on the river banks. With the approach of the evening herds of deer make for the darking gladeswhere boisterous monkeys shower Keora leaves from above for sumptuous meal for the former. For the botanist, the lover of nature, the poet and the painter this land provides a variety of wonders for which they all crave.

The Sundarbans is a cluster of islands with an approximate area of 3600 sq. km. forming the largest block of littoral forests. It's beauty lies in its unique natural surrounding. Thousands of meandering streams, creeks, rivers and estuaries have enhanced its charm. Sundarbans meaning beautiful forest is the natural habitat of the world famous Royal Bengal Tiger, spotted deer, crocodiles, jungle fowl, wild boar, lizards, rhesus monkey and an innumerable variety of beautiful birds. Migratory flock of siberian ducks flying over thousands of sail boats loaded with timber, gopatta (round-leaf), fuel wood, honey, shell and fish further add to the serene natural beauty of the Sundarbans.

This is indeed a land for the sportsmen. the anglers and the photographer with its abundance of game. big and small, crocodile. wild b ar. deer, pythons. wild birds and above all the Royal Bengal iger, cunning, ruthless and yet majestic and graceful. For the less adventurou5ly inclined, there are ducks and snipes. heron and coots. yellow-lags and sandpipers. It is also the land for t e ordinary holiday makers who desire to rest or wander aroun at will to refresh their mind and feast their eyes with the rich t easure that nature has so fondly bestowed.