Known for
- 1
One beach, both suns.
Kuakata's 18 km of sand faces south-east and south-west at once, so you can watch the sun come up out of the Bay in the morning and go down into it in the evening from the same shore.
- 2
Chars and mangroves at both ends.
Gangamati to the east for the sunrise, Lebur Char, Kakra Char and the Fatrar Char forest to the west across the river mouth: a day of motorbike and boat rides along the coast.
- 3
The Rakhine coast.
Rakhine families have lived around Kuakata for generations; their Buddhist temples with large Buddha images and their weaving shops are part of every visit.
Best season
GoodFairNov–Feb
- Rash Purnima fair at Kuakata The full moon of Kartik, usually November: a holy dip in the sea at dawn and a fair on the beach
November to February is the season: clear skies for the sunrise and sunset, a calm sea and easy boat rides to the chars.
March to May is hot but quieter. The monsoon (June to September) brings rough water and cancelled boats, and cyclone warnings in May and from October to November can close the beach.
Getting there
Bus
Dhaka
Direct to Kuakata over the Padma bridge
Launch
Dhaka (Sadarghat)
Overnight to Patuakhali, then a bus to Kuakata
Getting around
In the district
Motorbikes along the beach; boats to Fatrar Char and the chars
Since the Padma bridge, buses run from Dhaka straight to Kuakata by road. Overnight launches from Dhaka's Sadarghat go to Patuakhali, and from there buses cover the rest. Inside the district, motorbikes and battery vans go along the beach and the coast road; boats go to the chars and to Fatrar Char.
Local food
Beach-fried sea fishMust try
Pick it at the stall in the evening
Crab
Fried or in curry at Kuakata
Sea fish fried on the beach stalls at Kuakata in the evening, crab, and hilsa from the rivers in season; Rakhine households and shops sell their own dishes and dried fish.
Places to see
Forest and mangroveSaiful121157 · CC BY-SA 4.0Fatrar Char Forest
A mangrove forest across the river mouth west of Kuakata, reached by boat: keora and gewa trees, creeks and birds, often called a small Sundarbans.
BeachMadhuree Roy · CC BY-SA 4.0Gangamatir Char
The eastern end of the Kuakata beach, where people gather before dawn to see the sun come up out of the Bay beside a strip of coastal forest.
BeachBhoboghure · CC BY 4.0Kakra Char
A strip of sand beside Lebur Char, at the western end of the beach, named for the little red crabs that cover it and vanish into their holes as you walk.
BeachLonely Explorer · CC BY-SA 4.0Kuakata Sea Beach
An 18 km beach at the southern tip of the district, the one place in the country where the sun both rises from and sets into the sea in front of you.
Buddhist vihara and pagodaTuhin · CC BY-SA 4.0Kuakata Buddhist Temple
A Rakhine Buddhist temple in Kuakata with a large Buddha image, close to the old well that gave the town its name.
BeachSaiful121157 · CC BY-SA 4.0Lebur Char
The western end of the Kuakata coast, a mangrove-fringed char where people go for the sunset and a look across the water at the forest.
Wildlife and national parkMd suzan akon · CC BY-SA 4.0Sonar Char Wildlife Sanctuary
A remote char in Rangabali with mangrove forest, a long empty beach and a wildlife sanctuary declared in 2011.
Sources 4
Times, fares and opening hours change. Check before you go.
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