Banshkhali Sea Beach (বাঁশখালী সমুদ্র সৈকত)

Banshkhali Sea Beach is a long run of shoreline in the south of Chattogram district. It takes in the coasts of Chhanua, Gandamara, Saral, Baharchhara and Khankhanabad unions, and some writers describe it as the second longest sea beach in Bangladesh after Cox's Bazar.

The coast has stayed largely undeveloped, with villages and farmland behind the shore and few visitor facilities, which keeps it quiet compared with better known beaches.

Rows of casuarina trees line much of the sand, many of them planted after Cyclone Sidr in 2007. The beach faces open water with little built around it, so sunsets are unobstructed. Local young people use the firm sand for football in the afternoons.

Banshkhali Eco Park and the Chandpur-Belgaon tea garden are within the same upazila, and Kutubdia island lies across the channel to the south, so the beach is often combined with other stops.

There is no entry fee and almost nothing for sale on the shore, so bring water and food from Chattogram or Monchhuria Bazar. The sea is not managed for bathers; ask locals before swimming. From Chattogram, go by bus or CNG to Gunagari Bazar and switch to a local CNG; keeping a reserved vehicle helps, as return transport is scarce later in the day. A day trip is usual.

Khankhanabad, Baharchhara or Ratnapur

Khankhanabad, Baharchhara and Ratnapur are the most popular points on the Banshkhali coast. The natural beach runs about 35 kilometres south from the estuary of the Sangu River, and roads now link each point to the Banshkhali to Chattogram main road. The drive from Chattogram city takes about an hour and a half.

Much of the shore is intertidal. At high tide the water comes right up to the embankment, and at low tide it pulls back a long way, exposing flats where seabirds and gulls feed and shells and oysters wash up. Smooth cordgrass grows in some places, and Ratnapur has a small mangrove forest, a remnant of a much larger one cleared for shrimp farms and salt pans.

Concrete slabs protect parts of the embankment, but cyclones and rising sea levels damage it year after year, and monsoon tidal surges have washed away many of the casuarina trees. Check the tide before walking out on the flats so you are not cut off. The eco park inland has what is described as the country's longest hanging bridge. A planned Marine Drive expressway from Mirsharai through Banshkhali to Cox's Bazar could change the area if it is built.