St. Martin's Island
(সেন্ট মার্টিন দ্বীপ)
St. Martin's Island is a small island at the south-eastern part of Bangladesh. It’s around 36 sq. km in area and situated at the northeastern part of the Bay of Bengal, at around 9 km south of the tip of the Cox's Bazar-Teknaf peninsula. The small island which is also known as “Chera Dwip”, is at around 8 km west of the north-western coast of Myanmar, near the Naf River. During the British rule, the island was named after the then Deputy Commissioner of Chittagong Mr. Martin as “St. Martin Island”. The local names of the island are "Narikel jinjira" which means 'Coconut Island', and also "Daruchini Dwip" which means "Cinnamon island". This is the only coral island in Bangladesh.
How to travel to St. Martin’s Island?
The best weather to visit this beautiful island is usually between November and February which is the major tourist season. Between March and July, cyclones can strike. The island was devastated by a cyclone in 1991 but has fully recovered, and was untouched by the tsunami in 2004. Hence, March to July is off-season for tourists.
One has to reach St. Martin's Island by water transportation. Mainly, boats and ships (mostly for tourists) from Cox Bazar and Teknaf. The only means of transport within the island is non-motorized van (pulled by man.) The roads are well made by using concrete. Generally, the hotels run generators until 11 PM and are not allowed afterwards. Later, they rely on solar power and it has become popular all over the island. The island is all about sun, sea and palm trees. During the day, it comes alive with water and beach sports, with beach parties and bonfires lighting up the evening skies.
During the rainy season, because of the dangerous conditions on the Bay of Bengal, the inhabitants have no scope to go to the mainland (Teknaf) and their life can become dangerous. There is a hospital on the island, but in the past, there has often been no doctor. But due to the concern from the tourism sector of the government, the overall situations have become better.
Here’s a five-day tour plan for St. Martin’s Island:
Day 01: Leave Dhaka for Teknaf by reserved car/coach - Overnight journey.
Day 02: After breakfast at Teknaf start cruise by sea truck to St. Martins Island. Reach Saint Martin Coral Island within afternoon. After Lunch relax for a while and then enjoy the beauty of St. Martins Island - watch the memorable sunset. Overnight at St. Martins Island.
Day 03: Enjoy the beauty of sunrise from the beach in early morning. After Breakfast, Start journey to ‘Chhera Dwip’. Spend some times there, enjoy the living corals and small fishes swimming. Back to Saint Martin’s island. After lunch and refresh, rest or beach tour. Watch sunset from beach.
Day 04: After breakfast, go for a short swim and / or sunbath. Back to hotel. Refresh and pack-up. After lunch leave St. Martin and start for Teknaf by sea truck. Start for Dhaka by Night Coach. Overnight Journey.
Day 05: Reach Dhaka at Morning.
- End of Tour –
A few things to know about this beautiful island:
St. Martin's Island has recently become a popular tourist spot. Here, five shipping liners run daily trips to the island. Tourists can book their trip either from Dhaka, Chittagong or from Cox's Bazar.
The surrounding coral reef has an extension named ‘’Chera Dwip’’. There is a small bush there and it is the only green part. People do not live on this part, so it is advisable for the tourists to go there early and come back by afternoon.
Recently, a number of efforts have been proposed in order to preserve the several endangered species of turtles that are on the island, as well as the corals, some of which are found only on Narikel Jinjira. Pieces of the coral reef are being removed to be sold to tourists.
Fishing is one of largest professional activities of St. Martin's Island's 5,500 residents thus one can enjoy a wide variety of fishes to enjoy here. Besides, the foods prepared by the hotels are also of good standard since they have been in this business for a very long time.
Images are taken from google.com and information are obtained from Wikipedia.
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