Patuakhali is the daughter of the sea. It is the home of Kuakata, the second most famous beach destination in Bangladesh. Kuakata is rare globally because it offers the unique spectacle of watching both the sunrise and the sunset from the same beach. The beach is wide and sandy, less chaotic than Cox's Bazar, and backed by groves of coconut and zhau trees. The vibe here is laid back. You can see the Rakhine indigenous community who have lived here for centuries. Their Buddhist temples, with golden statues and wooden architecture, add a spiritual diversity to the coast. The Rakhine market is a great place to buy hand-woven textiles and pickles. Near the beach, the Shutki Palli (dried fish village) offers a pungent but fascinating look into how sea fish are preserved.
The district has gained massive economic importance recently with the Payra Seaport and the Payra Thermal Power Plant. These mega-projects are transforming the sleepy coastal district into a major industrial hub. The huge ships docked at the port and the tall chimneys of the power plant are visible signs of a changing Bangladesh. However, the interior of Patuakhali remains deeply rural and riverine. The Payra Bridge at Lebukhali has finally connected the district to the mainland by road, ending the era of slow ferries and opening the doors to tourism.
Patuakhali is also famous for its watermelons. The coastal soil is perfect for growing large, sweet red watermelons. In the summer, you will see mountains of them being loaded onto trucks and boats. The district comprises many small islands or chars, like Rangabali, where life is incredibly hard and dependent on the tides. The people here are the frontline against cyclones, living in houses often built on high plinths. Patuakhali is a district of transitions, moving from a quiet fishing hub to a roaring engine of commerce, all while the waves of the Bay of Bengal continue to crash against its shores.