Kuakata

Kuakata sits at the southern edge of the delta in Patuakhali district, and its geography is its selling point: the beach faces almost due south on a curve of coast, so the sun rises over the sea at one end and sets over the sea at the other, and Bangladeshi visitors make a ritual of watching both in a day. The beach runs for many kilometres of firm sand backed by coconut and casuarina. The name, the well of drinking water, comes from the wells dug by the Rakhine community who settled here from Arakan in the eighteenth century, and Rakhine villages and a Buddhist temple with a large image stand behind the beach. Fishing fleets work off the shore and the Fatrar Char mangrove lies west by boat.

What you actually see

• Sunrise and sunset over the sea - both from the same beach.
• Kilometres of firm sand - the long southern strand.
• Rakhine villages and temple - the community the wells are named for.
• Fishing fleets offshore - the working boats along the coast.

When to go

November to March. Two days, to see both sunrise and sunset properly. The journey from Dhaka is long by road; holidays fill the hotels. Cyclone season affects the coast in the transition months.

Honest expectations

The journey is long and tiring. Development is growing fast and untidily. Erosion is eating the beachfront and defences are visible. Weekend crowds concentrate at the central point.

Nearby

Fatrar Char mangrove is west; Barishal lies north.