Island, Cox's Bazar
Saint Martin's Islandসেন্ট মার্টিন দ্বীপ
- Time needed
- A long day (about 5 hours by ship each way), or one or more nights in December–January.
- best months
- Dec–Jan
- Cost
- Return ship fares last season ran from about ৳3,500 for a seat to around ৳20,000 for a private cabin; 2026–27 fares were not yet published in late October. Plus a ৳100 conservation fee per visitor.
The country's only coral island and its southernmost inhabited land, 9 km off the tip of Teknaf: clear water, coconut palms and keya thickets, open to visitors only from November to mid-March, by ship from Cox's Bazar town.
Plan your visit
- Opening
- 2026–27 season: 1 November to 15 March; closed to visitors the rest of the year. November: day trips only. 1 December to 31 January: overnight stays allowed. February to 15 March: day trips; overnight rules unclear. About 3,500 visitors a day.
- Best time
- December and January, the only months you can be sure of staying overnight; a day trip gives you just a few hours ashore.
At a glance
- Season 2026–27
- 1 November – 15 March
- Overnight stays
- December and January
- Daily limit
- About 3,500 visitors
- Ships leave from
- Nuniarchhara jetty, Cox's Bazar
About
Saint Martin's, also called Narikel Jinjira (the coconut island), is a small, low island of coral rock and sand with one village, fishing boats drawn up on the shore and, in season, a steady stream of visitors. The water is clearer than anywhere else on the coast. The west and north beaches face the open sea and the sunset; the jetty and the village are on the east side; Chhera Dwip lies off the southern tip.
The island is an ecologically critical area, and in recent seasons the government has opened it only for a few months, with a daily limit on visitors. For 2026–27 it is open from 1 November to 15 March. In November you can only go for the day; in December and January you may stay overnight; from February to 15 March day visits continue, but the reports on overnight stays disagree, so check before you book a room. Every visitor pays a ৳100 conservation fee.
The rules on the island are strict, and they are there for the reef, the sea turtles that nest on its beaches and the keya thickets that hold the sand: no single-use plastic, no lights, loud music or barbecues on the beach at night, no motorbikes or jet skis on the sand, no going into the keya thickets, and no taking coral, shells or sea creatures. Electricity is limited and fresh water is scarce.
Getting there: Approved tourist ships leave only from the BIWTA jetty at Nuniarchhara in Cox's Bazar town; the Teknaf and Inani routes are not allowed, nor are trawlers or speedboats. Last season ships left between about 7 and 10 am, set by the tide, and started back from the island between about 3 and 6 pm; the crossing takes 5 to 5½ hours each way.
Things to do
- Watch the sunset from the west beach, then walk up to the north beach.
- Eat fresh sea fish and drink a green coconut in the village.
Good to know
- Buy the ship ticket only through the official online system: you need an online registration or the QR-coded travel pass (travelpass.gov.bd, with your NID), and a ticket without a valid QR code is treated as fake. Carry a printed copy.
- Leave single-use plastic at home: bags and small water bottles are banned on the island.
- On a day trip the ship waits only a few hours; be back at the jetty well before the announced return time.
- Do not walk on coral, enter the keya thickets or pick keya, and keep lights off on the beach at night: turtles nest there.
Getting there
On foot. The island is small enough to walk all the way round in a day, and the beaches are joined by sand and paths. Motorbikes and other motor vehicles are not allowed on the beach.
