Chittagong is the port city of Bangladesh which is located beside the Bay of Bengal. It is also the second largest city after the capital Dhaka. Recently this district was renamed as Chattogram. This city has all the facilities and activities for the tourists. The district is so big, and it offers plenty of tourist attractions starting from hill ocean, rivers to lakes, etc. People from the district speak a different dialect of Bangla which is difficult to understand, but not hard if you try to understand it. Communication between Chittagong and Dhaka is fast and top class. Below is the list of tourist attractions specifically listed based on travel to chittagong. Hope this would help to make your plan for the Chittagong trip.
#1 Explore Sitakunda eco park
Sitakunda eco park is located in Sitakunda upazila of Chittagong district. This beautiful park is just 37 kilometer from the main town of Chittagong. This eco park was established in 2001 over 800 hectares of hilly area. It has two popular waterfalls, Suptadhara and Shahasradhara. Also the park is a nice place to explore the green as it has several walking trails. If you prefer green then the best time to visit the park is during the rainy season. Otherwise winter is the usual time when people visit this park. Friday and Saturday are usually busy days because of the weekend.
#2 Foy’s lake & the Sea world
Foy’s lake is located close to the Khulshi area of Chittagong. It was created in 1924. It was made using a stream to reserve water so that nearby people could access it. The lake has few boats which you could rent to explore the lake. It has a sea world at the other corner of the lake. You have to go using a boat. Visitors can enjoy the small amusement park, specially the children. It has a small zoo if anyone is interested. This is a nice place to go for a family outing during the weekend. This Foy’s lake is probably one of the oldest tourist attractions from the Chittagong.
#3 Kaptai lake from Chittagong
Yes, this is correct. Famous Kaptai lake is also possible to visit from Chittagong district. The end of the Kaptai dam is in Chittagong (where the hydro electricity is produced). Most of the people visit this lake from either Chittagong, or from Rangamati. This lake is a nice destination for travelers. Near the dam it has a government guest house (probably maintained by the Army or BGB). That guest house is a nice place to enjoy the beauty of the lake. Don’t forget to enjoy the lake by hiring a boat!
#4 Chandanpura mosque
Chandanpura mosque is a unique attraction from the Chittagong district (pity we do not know much about this mosque). In Bangladesh we do not have this kind of mosque. It doesn’t take much time to visit this architectural gem. Also the location of the mosque is very convenient. Anyone who has interest in this particular attraction should visit this Chondonpura mosque.
#5 Mohamaya lake – Mirsarai
Mohamaya lake is located in Mirsarai of Chittagong. This lake is artificially created by blocking the several streams. The purpose of the project is to ease the water crisis in nearby areas. Lot of people visit this place during the weekend as a part of their day tour. Tourists could have a boat ride to explore the lake as a part of their activity. It also has a small waterfall at the edge of the lake. This waterfall is actually contributing water to the lake.
#6 Khoiyachhora waterfall
Khoiyachhora is an easy to access waterfall that is located at Mirsarai of Chittagong district. This is an ideal location for a day trip from the Chittagong town. The walking trail of the waterfall is full of scenic beauty. This waterfall is most beautiful during the rainy season. This is probably the most beautiful waterfall from Chittagong which has several steps. Overall walking requires roughly 2 hours, and the trail is very easy.
#7 World War II Cemetery
The World War II cemetery in Chittagong is located beside the 9 Badsha Mia Chowdhury Road. This is a nice calm place to visit. Especially for anyone visiting Chittagong and who has a few hours to spend, then this cemetery is an excellent location. This Cemetery has 755 graves inside. Few of those are unidentified. Opening time for the cemetery is 7am-12pm and 2pm-5pm everyday. They maintain a strict schedule.
#8 Patharghata Catholic Church
Patharghata Chatholic Church is situated in Chittagong town. It is probably a 500/600 years of old church. This church has a graveyard that has many old graves. This is a different kind of attraction from the Chittagong district. You’d not see too many tourists visiting there.
#9 Chhoto darogar hat Waterfall
This waterfall is known as Chhoto Darogar-hat waterfall. Also known as Shahasradhara waterfall. Access for the waterfall is very easy, and doesn’t require any hill climbing. This is basically a tall but slim waterfall having very less amount of water during any season. This waterfall, the dam, and the surrounding hills could be a day trip plan for someone who is looking for a different taste.
#10 River Karnafuli
Karnafuli (or Karnaphuli) is the largest river from Chittagong district. It originated in Mizoram and flows approximately 270 kilometer before falling into the Bay of Bengal. This river is known as one of the fastest flowing rivers from Bangladesh. Lake Kaptai is formed by blocking the flow of the river. That lake contributes the major portion of hydro electricity. This river is most beautiful when you visit it from outside the city. It flows through the small hills of Chittagong.
#11 Shahasradhara waterfall
Shahasradhara waterfall is located inside the Sitakunda eco park which is located in the Chittagong district. The Shahasradhara waterfall is a narrow waterfall with only a single drop. The flow of the water is not that heavy and it doesn’t produce much noise either. This waterfall is the upper stream of the Suptadhara waterfall. This waterfall is a hard to miss when you are visiting the eco park.
#12 Suptadhara waterfall
Suptadhara waterfall remains dormant throughout the year, except during the rainy season. Most of the time the waterfall is having 3 separate droppings over the rocks. But during a heavy rain pour they may join all together. But during heavy rain it would be very risky to go there. Most of the tourists who visit the eco park are not aware of the waterfall (although the signboard is there). The trail to the waterfall is also beautiful.
#13 Horinmara kundo waterfall
Horinmara kundo waterfall is located near the Chhoot komoldoho bazar of Mirsarai. This is a small waterfall and the trail is super easy. This area also has a nice water dam which was created from the water of the waterfall. This low profile waterfall is for someone who visited most of the places from Chittagong and want to explore more.
#14 Local train journey
Although at this point you probably have traveled to Chittagong by train. But it has a nice opportunity to experience it by a local train. This will give you an idea how people from Bangladesh do their commute. If you visit the Sitakunda eco park then you could take this opportunity to return to Chittagong town. Each person required approximately 10 Taka.
#15 Old Railway Station
Chittagong has two railway station terminals. One is new, and another one is old which was built during the British period. There is a main road beside the terminal which is known as station road. This old railway station terminal is very near to the hotel Golden Inn. If you are interested you could spend few minutes to explore this old train station.
#16 Restaurant for the drivers
In Mirsarai it has a restaurant for the truck drivers. They come here during the night to have their meal. It is a nice busy 24 hours restaurant to have some food after exploring the area around Mirsarai. If you are passing by this area you could sneak inside to have your meal.
Others
Above activities are listed based on my travels. I didn’t visit many more places which you could explore. Few such places are Patenga beach, Butterfly park, Chittagong zoo, Ethnological Museum, Kutubdia island and many more.
Eat more fish
Being located beside the Bay of Bengal, Chittagong is the doorway of ocean fish in Bangladesh. The fish market has numerous fishes which we didn’t even see in Dhaka city. While staying in the city try to eat as much fish as you can. Especially the unknown fishes.
How to go
Chittagong is the second largest city in Bangladesh. And it has almost all of the facilities as in Dhaka. The communication between Dhaka and Chittagong is top notch as a lot of people work in Dhaka during weekdays and return back to home during weekends. This port city is connected to Dhaka through air, train and bus. Flights are slightly expensive, but faster. Train is the second best option as it is faster and slightly cheaper. Train follows the timeline (which is unlikely for other trains from Bangladesh). It takes 6-7 hours overnight. Bus is the third option which might take more time depending upon the traffic condition. As it requires an advance booking for train and plane, people prefer to travel by bus as you could book it with a short notice. For both bus and train you could take an overnight journey and sleep (which is a nice way to utilise the night).
Where to stay
Once again, Chittagong covers a variety of ranges for the quality hotels for staying. Starting from a low budget of hotels to a resort. For a five star hotel Radisson blue is a popular one, but I personally always avoid expensive hotels unless there are no other options. During my visit I stayed in a budget hotel named Golden inn. Here is a list of hotels from the Chittagong town which you could book online.
Written by Lonely Traveler,
for the blog http://alonelytraveler.com/
