Chhera Dwip

The adventure here begins with knowing when not to go: Chhera Dwip is currently closed to tourists.

Chhera Dwip is the small, tide-shaped southern extension linked to St. Martin’s marine ecosystem. Exposed rocks and shallow water once made it a popular side trip, but the same fragile landscape is easily damaged by footsteps, boats and waste. Under the 2025–26 government controls, tourist access was prohibited. That means no boat trip, low-tide walk or informal detour should be promoted while the restriction remains. Travellers can still protect the place by staying within permitted areas of St. Martin’s, refusing unauthorised offers and never collecting coral, shells or marine life. Any future visit depends entirely on a new official notice.

Chhera Dwip should be presented as a protected natural feature, not an automatic excursion. It lies south of St. Martin’s and is linked or separated by shallow water depending on tide, but that geography does not create a right of access. Under the government’s 2025–26 tourism rules, travel to Chhera Dwip was prohibited. Any future visit must depend on a new, explicit official notice lifting or changing that restriction.

Travellers should reject boat operators who promise to bypass controls, land quietly or reach the islet outside authorised hours. Such offers risk passenger safety and damage a highly sensitive coral environment. Viewing the southern seascape from permitted parts of St. Martin’s is the responsible alternative. Binoculars and a long camera lens can reveal changing water, birds and distant shoreline without adding pressure to the site.

If access is ever formally reopened, tide timing, vessel authorisation, landing points and visitor limits will remain essential. The area has sharp coral material, slippery surfaces and strong current exposure; casual wading or walking across shallow sections can become dangerous as water rises. Nothing should be collected, broken or purchased, including coral fragments, shells and marine organisms. All packaging must return with the traveller. Because there is no accommodation on Chhera Dwip, overnight marketing would be false even without the current prohibition. Keep accommodation and transport planning focused on the authorised St. Martin’s season or on Cox’s Bazar as the mainland base. The adventurous choice is also the disciplined one: respect the closure, refuse illegal access and allow conservation rules to determine whether this fragile southern edge can be seen at all.