Since 2023, the island has been under an active government conservation regime that's proven far more restrictive than the weather alone, and it's changed the mechanics of the trip itself. None of this makes the island not worth visiting; it does mean planning around it works differently than a few years ago.
The season is shorter than “dry season”
The nominal tourist season has always run October through March. For two consecutive years running, government directives have shortened that considerably in practice: the island closes to tourism entirely from February 1 through October 31, a nine-month suspension, then reopens November 1. Within that window, November is day-trips only, with overnight stays permitted only in December and January before the island closes again. This has held for both the 2024-25 and 2025-26 seasons, so it's worth treating as the current baseline rather than a one-off, while still confirming the exact current-season dates before you book, since the specifics have shifted year to year.
Tickets go through an official portal now
Booking is no longer a boat counter you turn up to. Tickets must be purchased through the Bangladesh Tourism Board's official online portal, which automatically issues a QR-coded travel pass on purchase; entry without one isn't permitted. Only officially authorised passenger vessels are allowed to carry tourists to the island, small boats, trawlers, and speedboats are excluded entirely, and the daily number of visitors is capped at 2,000 across all operators combined.
The departure point has moved
As of the 2025-26 season, passenger vessels depart from Cox's Bazar rather than Teknaf, a change made specifically for safety reasons. This is recent enough that older information, including some of our own site's, still describes the Teknaf route; confirm which port applies to your actual ticket rather than assuming based on older guides, since this is exactly the kind of detail that changes the whole first leg of the trip if you get it wrong.
Chera Dwip specifically is restricted
Chera Dwip, the smaller islet our destination guide names for the calmest water and best coral snorkelling, now sits inside a zone with active enforcement under the same conservation rules. Treat any assumption of free, unrestricted access there with caution, and follow whatever signage or Department of Environment officials indicate on the ground rather than relying on what worked on a previous visit.
The conduct rules while you're there
A twelve-point government directive governs behaviour on the island: no lighting on the beach at night, no loud noise or barbecue parties, no entry into the protected Keya forest area or collecting Keya fruit, no collecting or selling coral or shells, and no motorised vehicles, including motorcycles, on the beach. Single-use plastic is banned outright, so bring a reusable bottle rather than assuming you can buy bottled water freely once you're there.
The practical takeaway
Book your ticket through the official Tourism Board portal for your actual travel dates rather than assuming a boat counter at either port, confirm the current season's exact open dates and departure point before building a wider Cox's Bazar itinerary around them, and expect a more tightly managed experience than the island offered a few years ago. The reward, according to the same conservation reporting, is a coral reef and beach that are visibly recovering rather than being loved to death.