Saint Martins Island
Discover Saint Martins Island
Saint Martins Island is in the Chittagong Division of Bangladesh and lies about 10 km southwest of the southern tip of the mainland. Saint Martins is a tropical cliché and the only coral island in the country, with beaches fringed with coconut palms and laid-back locals. It's a clean and peaceful place with nothing more strenuous to do than soak up the rays — even mosquitoes are a rarity. There's a naval base near the center of the island, and the USA looked into setting up one of their own. The island was devastated by a cyclone in 1991 but has fully recovered, and was untouched by the 2004 tsunami.
What to Experience in Saint Martins Island
Taste of Saint Martins Island...
Food is a little more expensive here than on the mainland. The food shacks that line the road to the port all cook up similar fare: parothas (Tk 8), omelettes (egg, Tk 20) and vegetable curry (Tk 20) for breakfast, and (fish, dal, rice and veggies at Tk 130) the rest of the day. Cha is Tk 8. All of the hotels also have restaurants with basically the same typical Bangladeshi offerings, with higher prices and better quality than those near the port. Chicken is sometimes available but not very tasty, and lobster and crab may be available occasionally at very high prices. The restaurant at Blue Marine Resort and Appayan at Saint Martin's Resort are the best on the island. The islanders also sell dried fish, which is a bit more expensive but fresher than those available upshore in Cox's Bazaar. Early morning is the best time to get fresh fish from the fisherman near the market, you can often bring it to your hotel chef and ask him to fry it up the way you like, or some places may do a nice evening barbeque. Some places may even give you kitchen access to cook it yourself if you ask. There are several budget guesthouses along the main road such as Hotel Sea Heart, Bay of Bengal Guesthouse, Coast Guesthouse, Hotel Sadek, Oceanview and Coral Reef Guesthouse, all similarly dark and characterless with dank attached bathrooms and no running water. Anywhere else these rooms would cost Tk 500–700, but here you'll be lucky to pay Tk 1000 and be asked for as much as Tk 1500.
Essential Information
Getting There
Multiple OptionsGetting to Saint Martins Island by bus is a two-step process. First you'll need to come Teknaf which is on the very southern tip of Bangladesh, near Myanmar. One can come Teknaf by bus from Dhaka, Chittagong and Cox's Bazar. Dhaka to Teknaf bus fare is Tk 850-950 non-A/C and Tk 1300-1700 A/C as of January 2012. Several bus services depart from Fakirapool, Dhaka to Teknaf. Maximum bus starts at night and the journey is near about 11-12 hours. From Teknaf, mid-level ships run daily and take around 1½-2 hours, named Kutubdia, Keary Sindabad, and Shundorbon Service. The fare ranges from Tk 450-2500 as of January 2012. All the ships and cruises stars journey from Teknaf to Saint Martin at 9AM-9:30AM and return journey starts from Saint Martin at 3PM-3:30PM. During the off-season (May–August/September) these ships do not provide services because of bad weather. The peak season is September–April. The total distance from Dhaka to the island is 510 km....
Getting Around & Staying
Getting Around
After arriving at the ferry terminal, you will walk through a strip of basic restaurants and shops, and hit a T-intersection. If you go left, you will go toward the eastern beaches (the cement ends shortly before the scuba dive center). If you go right instead, you will go along main cement 'road' where most of the hotels and guesthouses are, ending at the northwest part of the island. At one point a left turn leads around the newly built hospital and into the center of the island. It's an interesting walk and eventually leads out to the western beach just north of the Sea Turtle Hatchery, after a couple wrong turns. Flatbed cycle-rickshaws are the only transport aside from walking. There are no motorized vehicles on the island, not even motorcycles (yay!). The first tag was attached in 2000, and in January 2003, a total of 65 tags had been attached to nesting Green and Olive Ridley turtles.
Where to Stay
There are several budget guesthouses along the main road such as Hotel Sea Heart, Bay of Bengal Guesthouse, Coast Guesthouse, Hotel Sadek, Oceanview and Coral Reef Guesthouse, all similarly dark and characterless with dank attached bathrooms and no running water. Anywhere else these rooms would cost Tk 500–700, but here you'll be lucky to pay Tk 1000 and be asked for as much as Tk 1500. Most evenings will be candle-lit since there's no electricity on the island, but a few of the more expensive hotels have generators. The island has seen a massive increase in tourism (mostly Bangladeshis) over the last few years, and the fragile ecosystem on the island is not well equipped to handle it. Do what you can to encourage eco-friendly practices, and definitely don't litter the island. It's also a good idea to avoid eating fish at every meal on an island where overfishing is a major problem and sea life is rapidly vanishing.
Money & Budget
There are many small shops near the dock/port and along the main road selling very basic necessities and the odd souvenir t-shirts, hats, dried fish (recommended), shoes, tinned food, cosmetics, toiletries, sunglasses, etc. relatively cheaply. There are also few decent restaurants along with the main road of Saint Martins Island. Sea shells and things made from them are sold by little children around the island, but it's illegal and leads to the depletion of sea life. Food is a little more expensive here than on the mainland. The food shacks that line the road to the port all cook up similar fare: parothas (Tk 8), omelettes (egg, Tk 20) and vegetable curry (Tk 20) for breakfast, and (fish, dal, rice and veggies at Tk 130) the rest of the day. Cha is Tk 8.
Safety Information
Glimpses of Saint Martins Island
waves in the ocean
a crowd of people at a beach
a group of people on a beach
waves in the ocean
a crowd of people at a beach
a group of people on a beach
waves in the ocean
a crowd of people at a beach
a group of people on a beach
waves in the ocean
a crowd of people at a beach
a group of people on a beach
waves in the ocean