Top 15 Most Beautiful Islands in Bangladesh You Shouldn't Miss!

The islands of Bangladesh fall into two very different groups. In the south-east, off Cox's Bazar, sit coral-fringed Saint Martin's, hilly Maheshkhali and low, windy Kutubdia. In the south-centre, where the Meghna pours into the Bay of Bengal, lie huge silt islands such as Bhola and Hatiya, and the forested chars where spotted deer live: Nijhum Dwip, Monpura and Char Kukri Mukri. This guide covers 15 islands across both groups, with how to reach each one, when to go and what to expect once you land.

For the full overview, read our guide to the best places to visit in Bangladesh.

Island travel in Bangladesh means boats, tides and slow launches, so plan more time than the map suggests. If beaches are your main goal, read our companion guide to the sea beaches of Bangladesh; this page is about the islands themselves, their villages, forests and wildlife.

How this list was put together: We kept every island from the earlier version of this article, corrected the ones that were described in the wrong place or with features they do not have, and checked access routes and seasonal rules against government notices, the Forest Department and Bangladeshi newspapers in October 2026. One island on the list, Bhasan Char, is not open to tourists, and we say so plainly. Launch timetables and fares change often, so they are described in general terms only.

• Islands covered: 15
• Saint Martin's daily cap: 3,500
• Nijhum Dwip national park: 2001
• Main island season: Oct–Mar

Quick comparison of islands in Bangladesh

Sort by region and access first; the islands of the Meghna estuary are reached from Dhaka by overnight launch, while the Cox's Bazar islands are short boat rides from the town.

The 15 most beautiful islands in Bangladesh, one by one

Saint Martin's, the only coral island in Bangladesh, leads the list. Off Cox's Bazar you can add Maheshkhali, Chhera Dwip, Kutubdia and Sonadia, while the Meghna estuary islands of Bhola, Hatiya, Monpura and Sandwip, and the deer-filled forests of Nijhum Dwip and Char Kukri Mukri, are reached by overnight launch from Dhaka.

Saint Martin's Island

Saint Martin's is about 9 km south of the tip of the Teknaf peninsula, a flat island around 9 km long and barely half a kilometre wide at its narrowest. It is the only coral island in Bangladesh, and the reef around it was declared a marine protected area in 2022. Coconut palms, screw pine and small fishing villages cover the land; the beaches on the west side face the sunset.

Access is controlled. In October 2026 the environment ministry opened the 2026-27 season from 1 November 2026 to 15 March 2027, with an average cap of 3,500 visitors a day and a Tk 100 environmental conservation fee per person. Only authorised tourist ships sail, from the Nuniachhara jetty in Cox's Bazar; the old Teknaf route is not used. November is for day trips only, overnight stays are allowed in December and January, while for February to mid-March travellers should check the latest Department of Environment notice before booking, and every visitor needs a QR-code travel pass. Bonfires, loud music, plastic, motor vehicles on the beach and collecting coral are banned.

On the island, cycle or walk; vans and small motorbikes link the jetty to the south. Food is mostly seafood, and prices are higher than on the mainland because almost everything arrives by boat.

• Location: Teknaf upazila, Cox's Bazar
• Season: 1 Nov 2026 to 15 Mar 2027 (as of Oct 2026)
• Getting there: Authorised ship from Nuniachhara, Cox's Bazar
• Fees: Tk 100 conservation fee plus ship ticket

As the country's only coral island, Saint Martin's is the place for clear water and reef. Book the ship early in December and January, when overnight stays are allowed.

Maheshkhali Island

Maheshkhali lies just across the channel from Cox's Bazar town, and unlike most Bangladeshi islands it has hills. On the highest of them, Mainak hill, stands the Adinath temple, dedicated to Shiva and the island's best-known landmark. A Buddhist monastery and pagodas in the Rakhine neighbourhoods sit a short ride away, and the island's mangroves, betel leaf gardens, salt pans and fish-drying yards fill the low ground.

Boats leave from jetty No. 6 in Cox's Bazar; speedboats take a few minutes, local engine boats longer and much cheaper. From the Maheshkhali jetty, rickshaws and battery vans run to the temple. Half a day is enough for the temple and the market; a full day lets you add the mangrove walk and a boat on to Sonadia.

• Location: Maheshkhali upazila, Cox's Bazar
• Best time: November to March
• Getting there: Speedboat or engine boat from jetty No. 6
• Highlight: Adinath temple on Mainak hill

Hills, temples and a short boat ride make Maheshkhali an easy half-day trip from Cox's Bazar. Go in the morning, when the speedboat channel is calmer.

Chhera Dwip

Chhera Dwip is the small piece of reef and sand off the southern end of Saint Martin's, cut off from the main island at high tide. Nobody lives there, and a small patch of bush is the only green on it. The appeal is the rock pools, coral boulders and the feeling of standing at the last point of land in Bangladesh.

You reach it from Saint Martin's, on foot or by bicycle along the beach at low tide, or by small boat. Go early and come back by the afternoon so the tide does not cut you off. Because it sits inside the protected area, walking on live coral and taking shells or coral is forbidden, and rules on boat trips change between seasons; ask on Saint Martin's before setting out.

• Location: South of Saint Martin's Island
• Best time: Morning low tide, in the island season
• Getting there: Walk or cycle at low tide, or local boat
• Note: No shade, water or shops

The uninhabited southern tip is all about rock pools. Carry water and a hat, and check the tide before you leave.

Kutubdia Island

Kutubdia is a flat island north of Cox's Bazar, separated from the mainland by the Kutubdia channel. It is known for its lighthouse: the British-era tower collapsed in a storm surge in 1960, and a newer light was built in 1965 inside the embankment. The island also hosts one of the country's early wind power projects at its southern end, though its output has been unreliable.

From November to mid-April the island turns white with salt beds, and visiting during the salt season is the best time to see how sea salt is made by hand. Boats cross the Kutubdia channel from the mainland side in Pekua. Kutubdia has basic guesthouses and very few visitors, which suits travellers who want to see working coastal life.

• Location: Kutubdia upazila, Cox's Bazar
• Best time: November to April (salt season)
• Getting there: Boat across the Kutubdia channel
• Stay: Basic guesthouses only

Kutubdia rewards slow travel, with its lighthouse and salt fields. Combine it with a night in Cox's Bazar.

Nijhum Dwip

Nijhum Dwip, whose name means quiet island, lies south of Hatiya in Noakhali district. In 2001 the government declared 3,865 hectares of its forest a national park. The planted keora mangroves are home to chital, the spotted deer, and you have the best chance of seeing them at dawn at the forest edge near Namar Bazar, where they come out to graze. Thousands of migratory birds use the mudflats in winter.

The usual route is an overnight launch from Dhaka's Sadarghat to Tomoruddi ghat on Hatiya, then road transport across Hatiya and a short boat crossing to Nijhum Dwip, where motorbikes take you to Namar Bazar. Accommodation is a handful of simple resorts and guesthouses. Camping is popular; see our camping guide.

• Location: Hatiya upazila, Noakhali
• Best time: November to February
• Getting there: Launch Dhaka to Hatiya, then road and boat
• Highlight: Deer at dawn near Namar Bazar

The deer of the national park are why people make the trip. Hire a local guide for the forest walk at sunrise.

Sonadia Island

Sonadia is a low sand and mangrove island in Maheshkhali upazila, separated from Maheshkhali by a tidal canal. It has two small villages, mangrove patches, mudflats and a long, empty western beach. In winter the mudflats are an important feeding ground for migratory shorebirds, which brings birdwatchers.

There is no hotel, so most visitors come on an organised camping trip or a day trip by hired boat from Cox's Bazar. The cheaper route goes by boat to Maheshkhali, then on to Ghatibhanga and across by local boat, which runs only on the tide. Bring all water and food, and take every scrap of rubbish out.

• Location: Maheshkhali upazila, Cox's Bazar
• Best time: December to February for birds
• Getting there: Hired boat, or via Maheshkhali and Ghatibhanga
• Stay: Camping only

With no hotels and a coast full of shorebirds, Sonadia suits birders and campers. The beach section is covered in our sea beaches guide.

Monpura Island

Monpura is an island upazila of Bhola district, wrapped by the Meghna on three sides and the Bay of Bengal on the fourth. A coastal forestry programme planted mangroves here, and deer now live in several of these forests. The landscape is grass, embankment, water buffalo and long views over the estuary.

Launches from Dhaka run to Monpura and Hatiya, and the island also links to Bhola by boat. Facilities are simple. Fishing boats leave the island's fish landing point for the crossing to Nijhum Dwip, so the two islands can be combined in one trip.

• Location: Monpura upazila, Bhola
• Best time: November to February
• Getting there: Launch from Sadarghat or boat from Bhola
• Highlight: Grassland, buffalo and estuary sunsets

Monpura fits neatly into a trip that also covers Bhola and Nijhum Dwip. Plan for slow boats and early starts.

Sandwip Island

Sandwip is one of the oldest inhabited islands in the Bay of Bengal, separated from Sitakunda by the Sandwip channel. It is a working island of rice fields, ponds, markets and fishing villages, with long mudflat shores and a strong local identity.

Crossing the channel is the main challenge. A government ferry runs between Bashbaria in Sitakunda and Guptachhara in Sandwip, and speedboats and wooden boats cross from Kumira. The channel can be rough, and there have been fatal speedboat accidents, so use the ferry when it runs, travel in daylight and avoid crossings in bad weather or the monsoon.

• Location: Sandwip upazila, Chattogram
• Best time: November to February, calm weather
• Getting there: Ferry Bashbaria to Guptachhara, or boat from Kumira
• Safety: Avoid overloaded boats and monsoon crossings

Go to Sandwip to see everyday island life in an old island town. Cross in the morning and check the return ferry before you leave.

Shah Porir Dwip

Shah Porir Dwip is the southern extension of the Teknaf peninsula at the mouth of the Naf River, where Bangladesh meets Myanmar across the water. Despite the name, it is reached by road: it is about 13 km, or roughly 45 minutes, from the Kulalpara jeep stand in Teknaf.

The draw is the wide beach, fishing boats and the sense of being at the very end of the country. The old tourist jetty is in poor condition, and border security is tight, so carry ID and follow instructions at checkpoints.

• Location: Sabrang, Teknaf, Cox's Bazar
• Best time: November to February
• Getting there: Jeep or CNG from Teknaf, about 13 km
• Carry: Passport or national ID

Best as the last stop of a Marine Drive road trip.

Bhola Island

Bhola is the largest island in Bangladesh and the heart of the country's only island district. It is a farming and fishing island with no beach resorts, with paddy, betel nut, river ports and buffalo curd (moishar doi) that people from Barishal travel for.

Launches from Dhaka reach Bhola overnight, and boats also cross from the Barishal side. For visitors, Bhola is mainly the gateway to its southern chars: Char Kukri Mukri, Dhal Char and Monpura. Allow at least three days to go south and back.

• Location: Bhola district, Barishal division
• Best time: November to March
• Getting there: Launch from Dhaka, or boat from Barishal
• Try: Buffalo curd from local sweet shops

Best as a base for the southern chars. See our Char Kukri Mukri entry below.

Hatiya Island

Hatiya is a large estuary island in Noakhali, shaped every year by erosion on one side and new land on the other. Most travellers pass through on the way to Nijhum Dwip, but Hatiya has its own mangrove belts, fishing ghats and markets.

The overnight launch from Sadarghat lands at Tomoruddi ghat, usually in the morning, and the return launch leaves around midday, so many visitors arrange their Nijhum Dwip time around that schedule.

• Location: Hatiya upazila, Noakhali
• Best time: November to February
• Getting there: Overnight launch from Sadarghat to Tomoruddi
• Connects to: Nijhum Dwip by road and short boat

Best as a stepping stone. Confirm the launch departure time at Sadarghat on the day.

Dublar Char

Dublar Char is an island at the southern edge of the Sundarbans that fills up each winter with fishermen who catch and sun-dry sea fish from roughly October to March. The racks of drying fish stretching along the beach are the main sight, and the smell carries a long way.

The island is also the site of the Rash Mela, a three-day Hindu festival held at the Rash Purnima full moon in late autumn, when thousands of pilgrims arrive by boat to bathe in the sea. As part of the Sundarbans, Dublar Char is visited only with a Forest Department permit, normally as part of a launch tour from Khulna or Mongla. See our Sundarbans travel guide.

• Location: Sundarbans East, Bagerhat
• Best time: November to February
• Getting there: Licensed tour launch from Khulna or Mongla
• Permit: Forest Department permit required

Photographers and anyone curious about the fishing culture of the Sundarbans will get the most from it, and a permit is needed. Ask your operator whether the trip coincides with Rash Mela.

Char Kukri Mukri

Char Kukri Mukri is a mangrove island in Char Fasson upazila at the far south of Bhola, protected as a wildlife sanctuary. Its forest mixes keora, gewa and sundari with coconut and bamboo, and its wildlife includes spotted deer, monkeys, foxes and wild buffalo. Trails and a small rest house cater for visitors.

The island is a long way south of Bhola town, reached by road to Char Fasson and then by trawler or small boat from Char Kachhpiya. January to March is the best window; avoid the monsoon. The chars nearby also dry fish between October and March.

• Location: Char Fasson, Bhola
• Best time: January to March
• Getting there: Road to Char Fasson, boat from Char Kachhpiya
• Wildlife: Spotted deer, monkeys, waterbirds

The wildlife sanctuary is a place for quiet forest walks. Combine it with Dhal Char on the same trip.

Bhasan Char (Thengar Char)

Bhasan Char, formerly known as Thengar Char, is a silt island that emerged in the Meghna estuary in recent decades. Older travel articles, including earlier versions of this one, described it as a tourist island. That is no longer accurate: the government developed it, with the navy, as a settlement for Rohingya refugees, and tens of thousands now live there. Its administrative assignment between Hatiya and Sandwip has also been disputed.

Access is controlled, and it is not a place to plan a holiday. We keep it on this list only so readers searching for Thengar Char know its current status.

• Location: Meghna estuary, east of Hatiya
• Status: Restricted settlement
• Access: Not open to tourism
• Former name: Thengar Char

Not a tourist destination. Choose Nijhum Dwip or Monpura for estuary islands you can visit.

Dhal Char

Dhal Char is a remote char in the Dhalchar union of Char Fasson, Bhola, close to Char Kukri Mukri. Earlier versions of this guide placed it in Shariatpur, which is incorrect. It has sandy shores, mangrove plantations and seasonal fishing camps, and from October to March fish are dried on racks along its edges.

Getting there is by boat from Char Fasson's southern ghats, usually combined with Char Kukri Mukri. There are no hotels to speak of; most visitors camp with an organised group or return the same day.

• Location: Dhalchar union, Char Fasson, Bhola
• Best time: November to March
• Getting there: Boat from Char Fasson
• Stay: Camping or day trip

Dhal Char's remote beach is usually empty. Go with an operator who knows the tides.

SponsoredExclusive holiday package offersMaldives, Bali, Thailand and more, with flights and hotels included.View offers

Planning an island trip in Bangladesh by region

The Cox's Bazar islands work from one base. Stay in town or on the Marine Drive, then add Maheshkhali for half a day, Sonadia for a full day, and Saint Martin's with Chhera Dwip for two or three days in season. Kutubdia sits a couple of hours north by road and boat. Our Cox's Bazar destination page and beach hotel guide help with where to stay.

The Meghna estuary islands are reached from Dhaka by overnight launch. A classic route is Dhaka to Hatiya by launch, two nights on Nijhum Dwip, then back. Monpura can be added by boat. A separate trip goes to Bhola and south to Char Kukri Mukri and Dhal Char. Allow four to five days for either circuit.

The Sundarbans islands, Dublar Char among them, are only visited on licensed launch tours with forest permits. Sandwip is the easy outlier, a day or overnight trip from Chattogram by ferry.

When to visit the islands of Bangladesh

The dry season from November to February is the time for island trips. The sea and estuary are calmer, launches run on schedule, deer are easier to see on Nijhum Dwip, and migratory birds are on the mudflats. March is still good but hotter. During the south-west monsoon, from about June to September, crossings become dangerous, many boats stop and Saint Martin's closes to tourists. Cyclone warnings in April and May or October and November can cancel launches at short notice.

Each island has its own window. Saint Martin's is open to tourists only from 1 November 2026 to 15 March 2027, with day trips only in November, a Tk 100 environmental fee per visitor and a daily cap of about 3,500 visitors. Nijhum Dwip, declared a national park in April 2001, is easiest from December to February, when the overnight launch from Sadarghat to Hatiya runs reliably and the mudflats fill with winter birds.

Read this before you board a boat: Many island crossings use small wooden boats with no life jackets. Ask for a life jacket, avoid overloaded boats, and do not cross in rough weather or after dark.

Launch schedules from Sadarghat change with the season and tides. Confirm the departure on the day and keep your cabin ticket safe.

Practical tips for island hopping in Bangladesh

Book an overnight launch cabin a day or two ahead for Hatiya, Monpura and Bhola, and plan boats to Sonadia, Chhera Dwip and the southern chars around the tide. Carry enough cash for the whole stay because ATMs are rare, keep ID ready for coast guard checks, and take all plastic back to the mainland.

• Book a launch cabin. Overnight launches to Hatiya, Monpura and Bhola have deck space and private cabins. Cabins sell out before weekends and holidays, so book a day or two ahead.
• Live by the tide. Boats to Sonadia, Chhera Dwip and the southern chars run only at certain tides. Ask locals the night before.
• Carry cash. ATMs and card payments are rare on small islands. Bring enough taka for the whole stay.
• Keep ID handy. Coast guard and police check passengers near Teknaf and on some crossings.
• Pack for the outdoors. Mosquito repellent, a torch, a power bank and a dry bag make island stays far more comfortable.
• Leave nothing behind. Saint Martin's and the Sundarbans ban plastic. Take your rubbish back to the mainland everywhere.

For Hatiya and Nijhum Dwip, the usual route is the evening launch from Sadarghat in Dhaka, which travellers report leaving around 5:30 pm, calling at Monpura and reaching Tamaruddin ghat on Hatiya the next morning. From there, reach the north-west of the island by road and cross the narrow channel by boat to Nijhum Dwip, which lies about 2 km south-west of Hatiya. Times shift with tides and season, so confirm at the ghat on the day.

Planning a trip to Bangladesh? Read our Bangladesh travel guide, compare hotels in Bangladesh, browse tours or search flights.