Beaches and Islands of Bangladesh

Saint Martin’s Island

The Dumbbell shaped Saint Martin’s Island has only about 8sq km, which reduced to about 5sq km during the high tide and forms one to four islands. It is the only coral island of the country; situated in the northeastern part of the Bay of Bengal and about 8km south of the tip of Cox’s Bazaar-Teknaf peninsula the southernmost part of Bangladesh. This beautiful island only exists because of its coral base. Three smaller islands -Zinjira, Gakachira and Chiradia or Chera Dwip – are located just south of the main island. At the low tide, they’re necessarily one body of land, and a narrow strip of land connects them with the main island. A solid rocky platform surrounds the entire island and extends into the sea, fine sands almost all around the island and an ideal place for sunbathing. Saint Martin’s Island is one of the best places in the country for hiking around, especially in the winter season (October to early March). It is possible to walk all around the main island within a day. There are very few mosquitoes in the winter and only a marginally more during the summer season. St. Martin’s island provides the best nesting ground for sea turtles and has the country’s only clear water suitable for snorkelling.

Patenga & Fouzdarhat Sea Beaches:

Patenga beach is accessible by road and about 22 km from Chittagong. This is where the Karnaphuli River and the Bay of Bengal merge together. The beach is protected from erosion by placing boulders. Visitors can enjoy a great view of the bay sitting on the boulders. Sandy part of the beach only pops up during the low tide, and visitors can enjoy boating and river cruise on the Karnaphuli River. Another ideal tourist spot is the Fauzdarhat Sea Beach, 16 km from Chittagong.

Parki Beach:

Parki beach is situated in Anwara Thana under Southern Chittagong region. The beach is located about 17 Km from Chittagong city. As the beach is located at the Karnafuli river channel, visitors can view both the Karnafuli River and the sea together. Tourists can see the big ships anchored at the outer dock, anglers catching fish in the sea, sunset, and various coloured crabs at the beach and enjoy the quiet and peaceful environment.

Shitakundo Beach:

Located 37 km from Chittagong city, Shitakundo is famous for the Chandranath Temple and the Buddhist Temple, which is said to have the footprint of Lord Buddha. Shitakundo attracts tourists for its scenic setting and particularly because these hilltops are regarded as very sacred both by the Buddhists and Hindus. Siva-chaturdashi festival is taking place here every year in February for about ten days, thousands of devotee pilgrims gather here for the celebrations. Labanakhya, the salt-water spring is about 5 km. North of Shitakunda.

Maheshkhali Island: 

Beautiful Moheshkhali island is located about 6km northwest of Cox’s Bazar, mixed inhabitants of Buddhist, Hindu and Muslims are living together in peace at this little island for ages. Adinath Hindu temple and ashram dedicated to the God Shiva is the main attraction of this island besides nature, beach and mangrove. This island is about 15 minutes speedboat ride from Kastura Ghaat of Cox’s Bazar.

Sonadia Island:

Centuries ago a ship loaded with gold sunk here due to the Portuguese pirates attack, and eventually an island formed around the shipwreck – a legend about the formation and name of this island. This little island is about 7km from Cox’s Bazar and easily accessible by 10 minutes speedboat ride from Kastura Ghat. People interested in isolated island life, culture and dried fish must pay a visit, and dried pomfret from this island has a high demand. Variety of mangrove of this island had been attracting quite a number of migratory birds over the winter, and this islands also act as a temporary sanctuary for petrels, geese, curlews, ducks and waterfowls. Sonadia was once renowned for precious pink pearls, which has lost the battle with commercial fishing business which is the prime demands of the economy. Beach is located at the western side of the island, famous for its interesting seashells, and seashell crafts can be purchased from Sonadia Bazar.

Kotka Beach:

Beautiful Kotka beach flows alongside the mangrove forest, located at the southeastern parts of Sundarbans. Only seven kilometres long, and this is one of the most virgin, sandy beaches of Bangladesh, offers a fantastic refreshing swim and forest walk at the same time. Visitors can enjoy a relaxing and peaceful time at this isolated beach. Only the tourists travelling to Sundarban Forest gets the opportunity to visit this unique beach.