Saint Martin’s Island Travel Guide: How to Go, Visitor Rules and Protecting the Coral

Clear water, coconut palms and a slow island pace: Saint Martin’s Island is the trip many people in Bangladesh dream about. It is also fragile, and visits are now tightly controlled. This guide explains how to go to Saint Martin, what the visitor rules mean for your plans, and how to enjoy the island without damaging it.

About the island

Saint Martin’s Island is a small island in the Bay of Bengal off the southern tip of Teknaf, and the only coral island in Bangladesh. Locally it is called Narikel Jinjira, “coconut island”, for the palms along its shore. At its southern end a smaller islet, Chhera Dwip, is cut off at high tide.

The island is home to a fishing community and to coral, seaweed, turtles and reef fish rarely seen elsewhere in the country. It has been declared an ecologically critical area, because years of unplanned building, crowds and plastic have done real damage to its reefs and beaches. The full guide is on our Saint Martin’s Island page.

The rules come first

To protect the island, the government limits when it can be visited, how many people may go and whether visitors may stay the night. These rules have changed from year to year, and they may include registration or other paperwork. So the first step in any plan is simple:

• Check the current rules from official announcements before you buy anything.
• Make sure your dates fall inside the permitted season.
• Carry the documents the rules ask for, including your ID.
• Be wary of anyone promising a trip or an overnight stay that the current rules do not allow.

How to go to Saint Martin

Step 1: Get to Cox’s Bazar

Every trip starts in Cox’s Bazar, which has direct buses from Dhaka, Chattogram and many other cities. Most travellers take a night bus and arrive in the morning. Plan to spend at least one night in Cox’s Bazar before or after the island, in case the sea or the schedule changes.

Step 2: Take the ship

Saint Martin is reached by ship only, and only in the winter season. Ships have sailed from Cox’s Bazar and, in some seasons, from Teknaf; which ports and ships are operating depends on that year’s rules, so check before you plan. Buy the ship ticket before you plan the rest of the trip, arrive at the jetty early with your ID, and keep your ticket and documents together.

Do not take an unauthorised boat

Outside the ship service, people sometimes offer trawlers or speedboats across the open sea. These crossings can be dangerous in any weather and may break the visitor rules. Do not take them.

Best time to visit

Only in the permitted winter season, roughly November to February — check the current dates first. Even then, rough weather can cancel sailings, so build in a spare day and keep your return bus flexible.

Getting around the island

• Walk: the island is small and flat, and walking is the easiest way about.
• Bicycles can be rented near the jetty for a ride around the coast.
• Vans (pedal or battery) carry people and luggage between the jetty and the beaches.
• Chhera Dwip: boats cross when the sea allows; at low tide you can walk, but come back before the tide turns.

Protecting the coral

The island’s reefs are what make it unique, and they are easily broken.

• Do not touch, break or collect coral, shells or stones, and do not walk on live coral at low tide.
• Bring nothing disposable you cannot take back: carry your plastic and rubbish off the island.
• Turtles nest on the beaches: no lights, fires or loud music on the sand at night.
• Do not buy coral or shell souvenirs; buying them keeps the trade alive.
• Use the toilets and water you are given carefully; fresh water is scarce on a small island.

Safety on Saint Martin

• Do not swim far out, never swim alone and stay out of the water when the sea is rough. The sea around the island can change quickly.
• Stay off the rocks at Chhera Dwip as the tide comes in.
• Carry cash and a power bank: ATMs, electricity and mobile signal can be limited.
• Wear a hat and sunscreen and drink plenty of water; there is little shade on the beaches.

More to see from Cox’s Bazar

Whether or not the rules allow a Saint Martin trip this season, the coast around Cox’s Bazar is worth days of its own:

• The long Cox’s Bazar Sea Beach in front of the town
• The Marine Drive along the coast towards Teknaf
• Himchari, with its hill steps and waterfall
• The rocky shore at Inani Beach
• Maheshkhali Island, a short boat ride from town
• The Ramu Buddhist temples inland

Quick checklist

• Current rules checked, dates inside the season
• Ship ticket bought, ID and any required documents ready
• Bus to Cox’s Bazar booked, with a spare day
• Cash, power bank, reusable water bottle and a bag for your rubbish

Ready to start? Search buses to Cox’s Bazar and book your seat once your ship is confirmed.