Hilltop view
Sea and forest from above.
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Himchari National Park is an area of green hills rising straight above the Bay of Bengal, south of Cox's Bazar. It covers about 1,729 hectares and brings forest and sea together in one view. The area was declared protected in 1980 to save its forests. Some 286 bird species and 26 mammal species have been recorded here, including the Asian elephant, the hoolock gibbon, the fishing cat and the rhesus macaque, and people also live within the park's boundaries. From the higher ground the view opens over the long beach, the line of surf and the forest running south. At the foot of the hills a small waterfall slips over fern-covered rocks, with sand and shallow pools in front of it at low tide. The park is about 9.4 km in a straight line from central Cox's Bazar and about 13.4 km from Inani Beach. Bring water, walk in the morning before the heat, and keep well away from elephants if you see any.
Sea and forest from above.
Water over fern-covered rocks.
Sand and pools at low tide.
Marine Drive, Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh
Asian elephants live here but sightings are not assured; keep your distance if you meet one.
By car or tuk-tuk from Cox's Bazar, about 9.4 km away in a straight line.