Sonadia island is about 9 square km of Maheshkhali upazila of Cox's Bazar district. A beautiful small island. The island is a haven of extraordinary beauty and is located about 15 km north-west of Cox's Bazar district headquarters and south-west of Maheshkhali Island, bordering the Bay of Bengal. This island is separated from Maheshkhali Island by a canal. It is said that a gold-laden ship sank here in the attack of Portuguese pirates a few hundred years ago and later an island arose around the wreckage of the ship. This is Sonadia Dbip, and it is called Sonadia Char in the local language. You will be mesmerized by the beauty of Sonadia Island. 

Sonadia Island is one of the attractions of Cox's Bazar. This picturesque island is quite attractive to tourists. Composed of mangroves and coastal forests, this island cannot be believed without seeing. Beaches on three sides, sand dunes covered with sea creepers, kea-nishinda groves, and small canals make Parabon Island unique. Deep blue water of the sea, red crabs, kea forest, all in all a kind of thrilling atmosphere always prevails in this island. Sonadia Island is a sanctuary for various guest birds and waterfowl. This island can be called a paradise for migratory birds. Among the birds that visit here are: petrel, snipe, shank, pheasant and a variety of ducks. 

A canal formed from the sea goes inland and spreads in several branches and flows for a long distance. The water of this canal is so clear and choppy that it seems as if the boat is moving on a glass. If you see it, you are bound to forget the sorrows of a hundred years in an instant. Green forest on both sides of the canal. This forest has Keora, Hargoza, Orighas and black and white pine trees. 

On the west side of the island, the open fields covered with green grass, the solitude and endless breeze, all together will fill the mind with tranquility. Sitting in the open field of this island, you will feel as if you are alone in an unknown island. The scenes of red crabs scurrying around are very picturesque. Everything may seem like a fictional scene, but it is real. The sunset at Sonadia Island is even more spectacular. In the evening, rows of bucks flutter their white feathers and fly to their destination. Who gives a red tip on the forehead of the blue sky. As the sun slowly disappears into the ocean, a mesmerizing atmosphere is created. 

A night stay here can be one of the best nights of your life. Especially on a moonlit night, you can spend a night camping on the beach of Sonadia and see how beautiful the world is. Friends can take a tent and run to this deserted island for a few days. The west side of Sonadia Island is completely safe for trekking and camping in Sonadia Island. The thing about this island that can make a lasting impression on tourists is the tea here. Although the quality is very ordinary, the taste of the tea here is unforgettable. 

It is the main dry fish production center of the country. Thousands of fishermen camp here in winter and dry their catch to make shutki. A lot of fish is dried here which is sold in different parts of the country. This island is famous for drying fish. There are many types of snails and many oysters found on the beach. Once the pink The island was famous for its pearls. 

Accommodation in Sonadia Island –

Sonadia Island has no residential hotels for tourist accommodation. There is no specific arrangement for eating. If you give money to the local people, they provide food. And in the case of staying overnight in Sonadia Island, the local residents are also trusted. But thinking of the trouble of staying overnight, those who return before sunset will miss out on the real beauty of Sonadia Island.

If you want to spend the night, you have to stay at a local's house. In this case, a boy from that area named Gias Uddin can provide accommodation and food, but you have to give him something in return. If told in advance, he will arrange to feed fresh sea fish or dry fish, he has helped several tourists in this regard. Besides, if you want, you can stay in the forest department office, in that case you have to take permission from the staff there. 

How to go to Sonadia Island:

From Dhaka's Kamalapur, Syedabad, Kalyanpur and any other place in the country by bus, train or any other means of transportation, you have to go to Cox's Bazar first. From Cox's Bazar Kasturi Ghat you have to go to Maheshkhali by speedboat or engine boat. In this case, first you have to come from Kalatali or Labani point to Ghat No. 6 of Cox's Bazar. There you will get a speed boat to go to Maheshkhali, the fare is 75 taka per person, it will take 12-15 minutes to reach Maheshkhali Ghat. If you are afraid to ride a speed boat, you can ride a wooden boat, the fare is Tk 30, it will take 45-50 minutes.

Get down to Maheshkhali Ghat and take a rickshaw to Gorakghata Bazar, the fare is Tk 20. Then you have to go to Ghativanga, the distance from Gorakghata in Maheshkhali to Ghativanga is 24 km. If there are 3-4 people, you can take a CNG to Ghatibhanga, the fare is Tk 150-170.

From there, you have to go to Sonadvia Island again by engine-driven boat. Sonadia island after crossing the Sonadia channel by boat from Ghatibhanga. There is not much water in the canal during low tide. There are two ways to go to Sonadia. Walking or boat on tide. Only one trawler leaves from West Sonadia to Ghatibhanga every day during high tide. Usually leaves around 10 am or 11 am. This trawler picks up the passengers and returns again within a few minutes. You will reach Sonadia within 40-50 minutes, the fare is Tk. 25 per person.

There is a forest department building nearby after getting off the boat, you can take a rest there, or you can sit and chat for a while in the nearby zoo. After that you can go to the beach by asking the locals, you can see the beach after 10-15 minutes walk.

Sonadia can also be reached by foot from Ghatibhanga, but it is a bit difficult. If you walk, you have to go to Sonadia Purb Para, there is no accommodation there yet, so it is better to go to West Para. It should be noted that there is a provision to go to Sonadia Island by reserving a speedboat directly from Cox's Bazar. For that, additional money has to be charged than the fixed rent. Those who love to travel adventurously can go to Sonadia Island by direct speed boat from Cox's Bazar by spending some extra.

Another good news, now you can go directly to Maheshkhali by car. Those who want to come by land or take a private vehicle as they are afraid of boat ride should get down at Chakria on the way from Cox's Bazar or Dhaka/Chittagong. From Chakaria by Jeep/CNG to Badarkhali and then by Jeep/CNG to Gorakghata Bazar.