ELEPHANT POINT, COX'S BAZAR, BANGLADESH

We drove in a jeep by the side of dried paddy fields from Bawli Bazaar to a place near Cox’s Bazaar called Elephant Point, situated on the long winding strip of sand stretching between the Indian Ocean and the jungle.

Here at tremendous speed we raced across the hard sand in burning sun. It was a curious sensation. The sea was brilliant blue and silver. Here was health, sun, ozone - little wonder I felt so well.

We arrived at our destination - a holiday camp where servicemen, tired, rattled and in need of rest, are posted for a week’s relaxation here, bathing, playing games on the sand, sleeping... men seemed completely changed.’

(Cecil Beaton, Indian Diary and Album 1945,

Cecil Beaton, 1904-1980, Academy Award winning film designer, and internationally renowned photographer of royal and society portraits.)

‘My brother’s house stood close to the sea shore, looking on to a long stretch of shining sand, then low, abruptly wooded cliffs and far away to the south a long blue point (Elephant Point) running well out to sea. The waves were rolling in with crests of foam, breaking on the sand ridge and tossing up columns of spray against a few scattered rocks.’

John Beames, Memoirs of a Bengal Civilian Pub 1961. John Beames, 1837-1902, Senior Administrator in British Period, Bengal 1858-1893.)

Elephant Point is unchanged. It remains an outstanding natural feature of the 120 km length of the world’s longest continuous natural sea beach. Today it marks the real beginning of about 100km of totally unspoilt and undeveloped natural marine beauty.