St. Martin's Island (সেন্ট মার্টিন্স দ্বীপ/ সেন্ট মার্টিন আইল্যান্ড) is a small island (area only 8 km2) in the northeastern part of the Bay of Bengal, about 9 km south of the tip of the Cox's Bazar Teknaf peninsula, and forming the southernmost part of Bangladesh. There is a small adjoining island that is separated at high tide, called Chhera Island. It is about 8 kilometers (5 miles) west of the northwest coast of Myanmar, at the mouth of the Naf River. The local name of the island is "Narical Gingira", also spelled "Narikel Jinjira/ Jinjera", that means 'Coconut Island' in Bengali. It is the only one coral island in Bangladesh.
St Martin’s Island is perfect for tourist who is truly interested in escaping the holds of a modern world. Do not expect to find taxis, tarred roads or electricity here. Lodges are dependent on generators, as the island is all about sun, sea and palm trees. During the day, the island comes alive with water and beach sports, with beach parties and bonfires lighting up the evening skies. For the use of a phone or a reminder of what a television set looks like, visitors can pop down to the Coast Guard station.
It's possible to walk around the island in a day because it measures only 8 km2 (3 sq. mile), shrinking to about 5 km2 (2 sq. mi) during high tide. This is the only coral island of Bangladesh.
St. Martin's Island has become a popular tourist place. Currently, some (about 5 to 6 in number) shipping liners run daily trips to the island, including Sea-Truck and Keary-Sindbad. Tourists can book their trip either from Chittagong or from Cox's Bazar or from Dhaka. The surrounding coral reef of the island has an extension named Chera Dwip. The golden sandy sea beach and crystal clear blue water memorize you the Koh Lipe island of Thailand.
