The Fishing Boats At Cox's Bazar

July 15, 2014 Bangladesh 5 Comments 20,283 Views

True Craftsmanship: The Fishing Boats At Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh.

We arrived at Cox’s Bazar after a long train journey from Dhaka to Chittagong, followed by a horrifying 5-hour bus ride. Why horrifying? Well, we had a pretty keen driver who thought he was king of the winding country roads. A tyre blew up right in the middle of the trip, which stopped him from continuing (at least for a while) and gave us a chance for a breather. Passengers at first thought that an explosion occurred because of the loud bang (we know this sound from our bush-taxi trips through Africa). The minute we stopped, the driver’s helpers went got to action and replaced it within 10 minutes. Hats off, honestly; they work pretty fast!

So in the end we arrived safely but still a bit shaken at Cox’s Bazar, ready to settle in at one of the few waterfront hotels. The name is actually a bit strange for a town … its origin comes from Captain Hiram Cox; an officer serving in the British East India Company who defeated the Burmese Governour, Warren Hastings, and set up a Bazar (market) here and therefore was named after him.

We immediately hired a tuk-tuk and were on the way South to check out the area. We passed Himchari National Park from which you have an amazing view of the beach – which by the way is the longest beach in the world (approx. 120 km of pure sand) and continued to Inani beach, which is one of the very few spots with rocks.

Apart from the beautiful beach itself (not to be compared to paradise beaches in Indonesia though), the sight of the day were definitely the fishing boats along waters of southern Bangladesh. Every single boat can be described as a piece of art! You immediately recognize the great craftsmanship involved in building such boats. They protect the fishermen from any weather weather, storms and high waves.

It takes about two months to build one boat and it costs approximately 5.000 €. There are even bigger fishing boats along the beach, also with a very unique shape (photos will follow soon) that cost about 8.000 € (including an engine and the nets).

We spent the entire day here, watching & waiting for the next boats to arrive with the catch of the day…

Fishing boats at Cox's Bazar in Bangladesh.
For Bangladeshi’s it doesn’t get much better than Cox’s Bazar, the country’s most popular beach town.
Fishing boats at Cox's Bazar in Bangladesh.
Cox’s Bazar is an important fishing port in Bangladesh.
Fishing boats at Cox's Bazar in Bangladesh.
The fishing boats at Cox’s Bazar look really different and you can see that a lot of work has gone into their building.
Fishing boats at Cox's Bazar in Bangladesh.
Fishing boats at Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh.
Fishing boats at Cox's Bazar in Bangladesh.
Cox’s Bazar sea beach is the longest sea beach in the world, 120 km long. The wavy water of Bay-of-Bengal touches the beach throughout these 120 km.
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5 Comments

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“True Craftsmanship: The Fishing Boats At Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh.”

  1. Stevo Grubor

    I went there in june when it was rainy season in Bangladesh.It was a heavenly experience. Wild sea of the longest beach will surely make your visit worthwhile. Try to visit himchori while you visit coxsbazar. trust me, you won’t regret it. hill in one side and sea in the other side, it’s a treat to watch.

  2. Nisa

    Hi Stevo!
    Thanks for your comment & the tip. Unfortunately we didn’t manage to visit Himchori, but we will return to Cox’s Bazar again a& have it on our agenda then!
    Best, Nisa

  3. Afzal

    Thanks Stevo, you mentioned Himchori. There are some other places you would like to visit when you go to world’s longest sea beach(120 km), Cox’s Bazar. Places like Inani Beach which is 27 km far from Cox’s Bazar. At there you will see coral stones.
    Another place is Dulhazra Safari Park, 32 km distance from Cox’s bazar. It’s a coral Island. There is also another Island, Chhera Island which is amazing.
    There are many 5 star hotels at Cox’s Bazar, so no need to worry about accommodation.
    Hope next time you won’t miss visiting these places, NISA. Stay Good. :)
    For any further query, you are welcomed to contact (afzal09sust@gmail.com)

  4. Hi,

    My wife and I will visit Bangladesh next February. We also go to Cox’s Bazar. We would like to see the boats you describe. Can you tell us how far it is from Cox’s Bazar? And how do we come there?

    Regards,

    Paul and Jeannette (Holland)

    Btw: you have a very nice site!

  5. Hi Paul!
    The boats are about 30km south of Cox’s Bazar. You simply have to drive along the coast. We did this with an Auto Rickshaw and there are several places along the way where you will come across these boats. The southern most point we visited was Pebble beach – a well-known beach, yet in our opinion not too exciting.
    Have a great trip!
    Best, Nisa

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