3-star hotels in Himchari

Himchari is a forested national park twelve kilometres south of Cox's Bazar, anchored by a seasonal waterfall and a small, quiet beach. The park covers the hills where the coastal range runs down to the sea, with short steep trails up to viewpoints over the Marine Drive. The waterfall is genuinely impressive in July and August and close to dry by March. It is popular with locals on Fridays and almost empty the rest of the week, so a weekday visit gives you cool air, good light and the trail largely to yourself. Almost nobody sleeps here, and there is nowhere to eat but your own hotel after nine.

The hotels on this shortlist all sit along the Marine Drive corridor inside or beside the park. Mermaid Eco Resort, Moon Nest, Sagor Nibash and Beach Queen Resort are on Pechardwip or Marine Drive Road with the beach nearby and the sea in view from some rooms; Neelima Resort and Marina Beach Villas Resort sit at Pechardwip and on the 583 stretch of Cox's Bazar Marine Drive. This suits couples and families who want the evening and the morning in the hills, and short-break visitors who accept that dinner is at the hotel.

Getting there and around

Himchari National Park sits twelve kilometres south of Cox's Bazar, along the Marine Drive. The hotels on this shortlist line that road, from Pechardwip through Himchari to the 583 stretch of Cox's Bazar Marine Drive, and Mermaid Eco Resort, Neelima Resort and Marina Beach Villas Resort Cox's Bazar list a shuttle service. By car is the straightforward way: the park gate is on the Marine Drive, a short steep road and stair climb leads to a viewpoint tower over the coast, and the waterfall is a few minutes walk from the road. Entry is a small fee at the gate, a little higher for foreign visitors and for vehicles, and it is worth keeping the ticket for the trail. Wear shoes with grip; the stairs and the rock around the falls are slick year-round.

When to go

The waterfall decides the season. From July to September, during and just after the monsoon, it is a genuine cascade over the rock face with a pool at the bottom; by late February it is a trickle, and from April to May it is usually dry stone. If the waterfall is your reason for coming, come in the wet season and accept the rain. For the park itself, any weekday morning is the different experience: arrive between eight and ten for cool air, good light and the best chance of having the trail to yourself. Friday and public-holiday afternoons bring picnic groups, sound systems and queues on the viewpoint stairs.