Saint Martins – Coconut Island
Saint Martins is the only coral island in Bangladesh, with beaches fringed with coconut palms, seashells and laid-back locals. The island is a tropical cliché. It’s a clean, calm and cool place for soak up the rays.

Location:
Approximately 9 km south of the tip of the Cox’s Bazar-Teknaf peninsula. It is the southernmost part of Bangladesh located in the Bay of Bengal. It is around 8 km west of the northwest coast of Myanmar at the mouth of the Naf River. The total distance from Dhaka to St Martin is around 510 km.
Area: 8 sq. km but it reduces to around 5 sq. km during high tide.
Tourist Season: November to February
Original Name: “Narikel Jinjira” (Coconut Island) – The local name of the COCONUT is NARIKEL and the original name of this Island is Narikel Jinjira is derived from that.
Features:
• Beautiful Coral Reef
• Long Coral Beach
• Lots of Coconut Trees
• Peaceful Environment
• Bountiful Marine Life
• Deep Blue Water
• Sandy Beach
How to Reach?
To reach Saint Martins Island is just three-step process.
1. Fly or bus and get down to Cox’s Bazar (400 km from Dhaka).
2. Catch a bus to Teknaf.
3. From Teknaf, ferries run daily and take around 3 hours.
Ferries leave the island about 3 pm. Now, three shipping liners run daily trips to St. Martins. They are Sea-Truck, Kutubdia and Keary-Sindbad. For the regular Eagle ferries you need not to pre-book. However, for more reliable Keari Sindbad ferry and if you have not a roundtrip ticket you can book the return ticket at the Keari Marzaan restaurant. The restaurant only services to day-trippers on tours arranged by Keari Tours. The one-way fare is Tk 225.
For Contact:
Keari Marzaan Restaurant
Before Saint Martin’s Resort, off the main road.
+88 01727 266077, +88 0181 6820971
Local Transport: Cycle-rickshaws are the only transport besides walking. No motorized vehicles on the island, even no motorcycles! It is highly advisable that you travel the island on foot; otherwise, miss a lot of things. St. Martine is a small island. You just cover it around 3 to 4 hours on foot.
Thing to See:
Sunrise & Sunset: Observing sunrise and sunset St Martins is a better place. Sunset Point is a rocky peninsula on the northwest corner of the island.
Village life: A slow paced life — most work happens in the morning and evening, whereas midday is reserved for drying rice and fish. During the day time, some villagers sells coconuts while others sitting in the shade and chewing paan (battle leaf).
Sea Turtle Hatchery: Located on the west side of the island south of Shemana Pereye Resort. The hatchery is not officially open to tourists; however, it is generally empty and the gate unlocked.
Stars: Amazingly plentiful stars get on a moonless night, due to the lack of electricity on St Martine.
Things to Do:
Scuba Diving: Oceanic Scuba Dive Center, the only dive operation in Bangladesh. To experience the beauty underwater scuba diving is best but the cost is lit-bit high though negotiable.
Visit Chera Dwip: An extension part of St. Martins which is divided during tides. You can go to there on foot during low tide. It is about two and half an hour’s walk from St. Martins Island. You can also go the place by local boat or tourist boat during high tide. In Chera dwip you can find living and dead corals all over the Island. You will also get a small bush which is in the only green part of Chera-dwip, and enhancing the beauty of the island. No people live in this Island. That’s why; advisable for the visitors to go there early and back by afternoon.
Embrace Moonlight: Make a tour in St Martins by yourself in the moonlight. The astonishing beauty of full-moon in St. Martin’s Island never be expressed; you can only feel it. Over the night feel and listen the sound of the Bay of Bengal.
Watching Sun Rise: Wake up early and watch the sun rise.
Campfire: Make a campfire to stay up at night.
Shopping: A good number of small shops are near the port and along the main road selling essential commodities, odd souvenir t-shirts, hats and sunglasses. Various sea shells and things made from the shells are sold by teens around St Martine. However, it’s illegal as leads to the depletion of sea life.
Foods:
Food is relatively expensive here than on Cox’s Bazar. The food shacks line the road to the port. Bill of fare: Parothas - Tk 5, Omelettes - Tk 10 and vegetable curry - Tk 15 for breakfast. Various fish, dal (pulse) rice and vegetables are the rest of the day. Cha (tea) is Tk 5. Additionally, all the hotels have restaurants with the same typical Bangladeshi offerings. But higher prices & better quality than the food near the port. Chickens, lobsters and crabs are also available in the hotels. The islanders sell dried fish, which is little expensive but much fresher than those available up-shore in Cox’s Bazar.
Drinks:
Coconuts’ tasty water is available here with very low cost. But if you look for alcohol it’s very rare except some particular hotels. However, if you ask discreetly for the alcohol near the port, you may get it.
Accommodations: Accommodations facilities are very good here. You can easily manage a room according to your budget. Most of the evenings can be candle-lit as no electricity on St Martins, but a few of the much expensive hotels have generators services.
Saint Martin’s Hotels
Blue Marine Resorts
Dhaka Office
Lal Bhaban, 18 Rajuk Avenue
Dhaka-1000, bangladesh
Phone: 9556251, 01711827785
Email: sonali@bol-online.com
Fax: 8802-9562076
Cox’s Bazar Office
Samim Guest House
Kalatali Road, Cox’s bazar
Phone: 0341-62325
Cell: 01819063504, 01713103595
Saint Martin’s Office
Delpara, Narikel Zingira
Saint Martin’s, Bangladesh
Cell: 01817060065
Phone: 0341-62100, 62500
Shemana Pereye Resort
Dhaka Contact
Phone: 01190493887, 01711344451, 01818043415
St. Martin’s Contact
Phone: 01819018027, 01817042020
Saint Martin’s Resort (Motel Nijhum)
Phone: +880 01819 490129
Riyad Guesthouse
Phone: +880 018 1856 255
Hotel Prince
Ph: +88-017-11276250
Awareness:
• Avoid eating fish at every meal on the island as over-fishing rapidly vanishing sea life.
• Keep a sound distance from sea turtles and their eggs. Don’t disturb those fascinating but fragile creatures.
• Avoid western bathing suits both man and woman.
Displeasure:
1. No Land phone
2. No Motorized Vehicle
3. No Night Club
4. No Internet Facilities
5. Very Limited Alcohol
Moheshkhali Island – Jewel of Cox’s Bazar
Moheshkhali is a jewel among the attractions of Cox’s Bazar. The island is famous for its beauty and tranquility. Numerous eager rickshaw pullers patiently wait for the arrival of tourist, and offer them an exclusive tour of the island.
Area: 268 sq. km
Attraction:
• Breathtaking Mangrove Forest
• Spectacular Hilly Areas ( around 300 ft. high)
• Salt Fields
• Striking Landscapes
• Picturesque & Peaceful Beaches
• Colorful Buddhist Temple & Pagoda
• Shrimp
• Battle Leaf
• Simple Island Lifestyle
• Rakhain villages
Place of Interest:
Adinath Temple: Located on the top of the Mainak Hill on Moheshkhali. The Shrine of Adinath is dedicated to the Hindu god, Shiva, who is worshipped as Adinath. The place is famous for the annual fair held in the month of Phalgun according to the Bengali Calendar. The fair is taken place at the foot of the Mainak Hill and lasts 13 days. Thousands of Hindus participate here from all over Bangladesh.
Get in:
Waterway: You can reach the Moheshkhali by trawler (local motorboat) or by speedboat. By trawler, it is one hour and half an hour journey whereas speedboat takes just half an hour to reach the Island.
By Road: Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Bir Uttam Bridge connects the island to the mainland. So, you can easily reach their by road.
Note:
Traveling to Moheshkhali by waterway is advisable, as it is a super way to catch valuable memories on film and add extra adventure to exploration of Bangladesh.
Sonadia Island – Home of Turtles
Sonadia is a small crescent shaped island. The western part of this island is sandy and different types of shells are found on the beach. Visitors can see the apparently endless beds filled with windowpane oysters. The land is a tranquil haven for fishermen as well as its small local community.
Area: 9 sq. km
Location: 7-km north-west of Cox’s Bazar.
Attraction:
• The sight of game birds migrating Sonadia Island in huge numbers through the winter seasons.
• Turtle nests.
• Various bird species (More than 52 bird species including resident and migratory)
• Wildlife
• Live fishing and fishermen lifestyle
• Shrimp Farm

Laboni beach is considered as the main beach area of Cox’s Bazar as is at the central location and close to town. The beach is always crowded by tourists. Visitors can sunbathe, surf, jog, cycle, and swim. It is best for swimming and relaxation. Numerous souvenir shops around the area can attract tourist to purchase the souvenirs, beach accessories and some other stuffs.

Cox s Bazer Beach

Inani Beach
Inani beach is famous for its golden sand. The beautiful beach attracts most of the tourist who appreciate warmly the wonders of nature. With flights frequently available at http://www.fly.com/ to the nearby Cox’s Bazar airport, it’s no wonder that this has become a popular holiday destination. Tourists like to come here for relaxing as it is free from the crowd of visitors who are typically seen at the Laboni beach. The beach is generally considered to be the world’s longest beach.

Location: Located about 32 km to the south of the famous tourist destination of Cox’s Bazar

Attraction:

v  Backdrop of lush green hills rising up on the east.

v  The sea stretching out endlessly to the west.

v  Unusual shaped rock and coral boulders scattered lavishly in the beach and trough the sea.

v  Fringed with tall palm trees swaying gently in the breeze.

v  Seashells of different colors, shapes, and sizes are found along here.

v  Calm lagoon which is wonderful for the little ones to paddle in.

v  Getting on the rock & coral boulders with the waves washing up on the shore around you, will be an extremely therapeutic experience.

v  Beachcombing.

v  Shark free water is suitable for sea bathing.

Note: Every year numerous foreign and local tourists come here to spend their leisure in Inani Beach. However, it lacks several amenities that visitors can expect. It is wise to take a packed lunch and water with you when you visit the beach. But those people who have taken the time to explore the beach can testify that its beauty and cool breeze far outweighs anything it might be lacking in amenities. When visiting Inani Beach, ensure you have camera along to capture the amazing sight of the sun setting over the sea.

Himchari
Himchari is one of the most attractive places for the visitors. Journey to Himchari is also exciting because the road to Himchari runs by the lovely green hills on one side and open blue sea on the other side. The scenery of the two side of the road pleased all.

Location: Located 12 km south of Cox’s Bazar Town and 6 km from the Kalatali beach by the hill.

Area: 1,729 hectares

Getting there: From Kalatali stand, it is only 15-minute ride to entry; if you take a taxi or chander gari (local transport). You can also rent a car from Cox’s Bazar.

Outstanding Features:

1. Beautiful Waterfall
2. Himchari National Park
3. Broken Hill
4. Christmas Tree

1. Beautiful Waterfall: The amazing waterfall of Himchari is a very rare scene to enjoy. The waterfall from the green hill is relatively extraordinary to look at. However, in the winter it dwindles whereas in the rainy season it is really wonderful and full waterfall could be enjoyed.

The spot is ideal for picnic, shooting, relaxing and sunbathing. But whenever you have sunbathing locals can rush around you as Bangladeshis’ are not used to see women in swim costume. Here you get beautiful hilltop resort centre where you can stay for relaxing and can hear the shore of the Bay of Bengal.

2. Himchari National Park: The Park is a beautiful tropical rain forest (evergreen & semi-ever-green) around the South Asia. The park was established in 1980. This place is maintained, protected and secured by the government for the foreign tourists and the local visitors. The Park is not only attractive for the tourists it is also attractive for the biologist.

The park gets high forest, low forest & grasslands with a few trees. Around 58 species of trees, 4 species grasses, 15 species of shrubs, 19 climbers and 21 species of herbs altogether 117 plant species are available here. In the forest area there are at least twenty kinds of important herbs like Curculigo recurvata, Swintonia floribunda and Alpinia nigra are available which most valuable plant are for the biologist.

The park is also considered as a paradise of birdwatcher. A lot of bird watchers are gathered here for the seeing the different kinds of birds, as more than 286 species of birds found there. Additionally, 55 species of mammals, 56 species of reptiles and 13 species of amphibians are found in the evergreen forest. A small number of elephants and leopard also found here. The US administration already made an agreement with Bangladesh government to induct tigers in to the forest areas.

• Wild life: Elephant, Tigers, Capped Langur, Gibbon, Rhesus Macaque, Dhole, Sloth Bear, Hirundo Rustica, Indian Muntjac, Wild Boar, Cypsiurrus Parvus Leopard Cat, Jungle Cat, Fishing Cat,  and Acridotheres.
• Adventure: Picnic, Shooting and Bird safari
• Entry Fee: Tk. 5.00/ Person
• Present Visitors: 2,00,000 / Year

3. Broken Hills: It is also an attraction for most of the visitors. Come and see what wonder waiting for you.

4. Christmas Tree: The Christmas tree of here is another famous attraction for the tourist.

Best Time to Visit: September 01 to October 31

Accommodation: After visiting Himchari if you want to stay at night, should stay in Cox’s Bazar. You will get a number of hotels and restaurants there with different budget.

Geography,Environment & Mineral Contents in Cox’s Bazar

Geography:

The town with an area of 6.85 km², and bounded by Bakkhali River on the north and East, Bay of Bengal in the West, and Jhilwanj Union in the south.

Climate:
The climate of Bangladesh has a tropical monsoon-type, with a hot and rainy summer whereas a dry winter. Often excessive humidity, heavy rainfall, high temperature, and distinct seasonal variations are common here. January is the coolest month with averaging around 26 deg C (78 d F) whereas April is the warmest one with temperatures averaging from 33 to 36 deg C (91 to 96 deg F). The climate is one of the wettest in the world. Most rains occur during the monsoon (June to September) and little in winter (November to February). The country is issue to devastating cyclones, storms originating over the Bay of Bengal, during the periods of April to May and September to November. Sometimes, accompanied by strong surging waves, those storms cause great damage and loss of life.

The climate of Cox’s Bazar is typically similar to the rest of the country. However, it characterized by the location in the coastal region. The annual average temperature in here remains at approximately highest 34.8 °C and lowest 16.1 °C. The average amount rainfall is at 4,285 mm.

Required Dress:

• Lightweight cottons and linens throughout the year.
• Warmer outfits are needed in the evenings of the winter season.
• Waterproof dresses are necessary during the monsoon season.

Environment & Mineral

The main attraction of Cox’s Bazar is the world longest but least-crowded sandy beach which stretches from the

Cox,s Bazer

mouth of the Bakkhali River and going all the way to Teknaf. Though normally known as Cox’s Bazar beach, but the beach stretches far beyond the region designated as Cox’s Bazar town. The setting for the beach with its silvery gold sand is tropical-forested hills.

“Miles of golden sands, surfing waves, rare conch shells, towering cliffs, delightful seafood, tribes, colorful pagodas and Buddhist temples” – this is not a literary description for Cox’s Bazar beach, it’s an illustration for the eager person who want to imagine the beach. The beauty of the beach cannot be described by writing as no suitable word you can get to describe it.

Mineral content in beach sand:

• Hornblende
• Garnet
• Epidote
• Ilmenites
• Magnetite
• Rutile
• Pyrite
• Hydroxides

Bathing: The rise & fall of the tide is not great here; so, it is a better place for sea-bathing. However, the shark free warm waters are good for swimming & bathing. On the other hand, the sandy beaches offer sun-bathing opportunity.

Best Time for Tour: September and October
Best Time to Visit: The best time to visit here is at sunrise and sunset while the sand changes colors.
Activities: Watching the sun set; it is fabulous and everybody watches it. Best place for capturing photos.

Hazard: If you are a foreigner, everybody would want to talk to you. They also have their photo taken with you. It is a lit-bit annoying. However, it is a great way to get opportunity to talk to local people and know their culture and tradition. If you are in bikini or western dress, locals’ eye may embarrass you.

Cox’s Bazar - The Longest sea-beach on the world

Cox’s Bazar, the world’s longest natural sandy sea beach with its incredible 125 km length, and most visited tourist destinations in Bangladesh. It is also a modern town; well known fishing port and a district headquarter in Bangladesh.It is a district in the Chittagong Division of Bangladesh near the border of Myanmar. The town is located 150 kilometer south of Chittagong. Due to lack of development, publicity and mismanagement; the spot has so far to become a most desirable international tourist destination in Asia. Cox’s Bazar now is competing to get top for “New7Wonders of Nature”.

Alternative Name: “Panowa” means “red flower”.
Old Name: “Palongkee”.

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Modern Cox’s Bazar: The modern Cox’s Bazar gained its name from British-Indian Captain Hiram Cox in the 18th century. He was an officer of British East India Company. He did several social works here as the Superintendent of Palongkee outpost before he died in 1799. The works he had done made him a place in the hearts of the locals. As a result, to commemorate Cox’s role in social work a market was established here and named after him as “Cox’s Bazaar” (”Cox’s Market”) with time it turn as Cox’s Bazar.
Cox’s Bazar city is not so big. It has only 6.85 km² of area. But its weather condition is always good for healthy life. Bangladesh is situated in the monsoon area. So in the Cox’s Bazar there is very seasonal change. In this region most of the time there stay high temperature, heavy rainfall excessive humidity because of the Bay of Bengal. The weather is controlled by the beautiful sea Bay of Bengal. The Bay of Bengal in Cox’s Bazar is a small port and health resort.
Near the Cox’s Bazar city there are several places to visit which places are really attractive for the tourists. Himchari, Laboni Beach, Sonadia Island, Maheshkhali, Teknaf, ST Martin Island etc places are really exciting and enjoyable spot for the viewers.
The best remarkable scenery of Cox’s Bazar is the sunrise and sunset scenery. You can enjoy there with water-related activities. A lot of small shopping mall are located here you can get very nice handmade clothes, Barmiz shoes, dress and various types of showpieces. You will also get various kinds of food. The traditional Achar (pickle) and Shutki (dry fish0 of Cox’s Bazar are really famous around the world.
Cox’s Bazar is really a great place to visit for a tourist. Every year a huge number of tourists come here from across the world. Many high class hotels are driving their business in the Cox’s Bazar. So, don’t think for accommodation. It is a matter of sorrow for the country that a few number of foreign tourists come here for visiting. However, for the lack of publication the spot cannot attack more visitors which should be. But recently, the administrations take some step to increase its facilities and publicities.
On the way to Chittagong to Cox's Bazar, we have tasted bitter experiences. We scheduled to reach Cox's Bazar at 12pm but reached there at 3pm due to highway jam and road accident.
Really it was a bizarre experience. Hundreds of countrymen were hanging around here and there. We chatted with the local people. And they informed us that as communication became easier these days, people from all over the country want to spend their leisure periods, weekends and vacations in there.
After boarding into a hotel, we went to Inani where large corals are piled up which added extra natural beauty to the place. Saint Martin island also got the coral reefs as well.
We expected to spend our first night at the beach; but due to lack of knowledge about the law and order situation at night in the beach, we decided to postpone the event.
My question to the Govt. that It's been a long time time we are promoting Cox's Bazar to secure a place at the Natural 7 wonder contest but we are not giving proper attention to this place which is turning out to be a very lucrative and large business real soon. Even This hundred miles beach can be decorated like Bangkok & Singapore beach.