Andaman or 'Kaala Paani' as its popularly known in India evoked thoughts of a dark, grim island lying amid the Indian Ocean where Indian freedom fighters were sent to their doom in the early 1900s.
Now, a visit to the island throws open a lush green land enjoying the bounties of thick deciduous and evergreen forests, rich marine life and a host of adventurous water sports.
Some basic facts about planning a visit to Andaman
- There are over 800 islands in Andaman and Nicobar, out of which 31 are inhabited.
- Tourists confine themselves mainly to Port Blair, the capital of Andaman, Havelock Island (now called Swaraaj Dweep), Neil Island (now called Shahid Dweep), Ross Island (now called Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Island), North Bay Island, Jolly Buoy, Parrot Island and some more.
- These islands offer attractions like scenic landscapes, amazing beaches, a large variety of marine life, water sports like snorkelling, scuba diving, jet skiing, sea walks, and places of historical interest.
- Basically, a vacation to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands can be a fun-filled enriching experience for the whole family.
Most people wonder about Nicobar and whether they can visit that too. Let me inform you that Nicobar is inhabited by some preserved tribes and is out of bounds for tourists.
Our 8-day itinerary in Andaman
Day One - Cellular Jail, Port Blair
We started our vacation from Port Blair, which is the point where all tourists land in Andaman.
Port Blair is a small town, there are some specific attractions here that are not to miss.
By the time we reached Port Blair and checked into a hotel, it was noon.
That evening we decided to visit the Cellular Jail, the place that has given Andaman the infamous name of Kaala Paani.
The infamous Cellular Jail and the watch tower
There are two must-watch attractions in the jail,
One, the premises of the jail and
Two, the Light and Sound show in the evening after the jail closes.
There are tour guides available, I would suggest going with one. The guide we hired showed us around the jail with interesting anecdotes and historical incidents from British rule in India. Once the tour is over, one has to wait for the show to begin.
The show is in English and Hindi, kindly check the timings for the language of your choice.
My Tip -
The show is spectacular. It depicts the torture that was inflicted upon Indian freedom fighters by the British and the way the prisoners were kept in the jail under sub-human conditions.
The audio-visuals and commentary are excellent.
The prison walls and trees all around are used as communicating mediums in the show!
Our mood had turned quite sombre after watching this show, to brighten up our spirits, we decided to try some local seafood.
We went to a restaurant called 'Seafood Delights' in Phoenix Bay. It's one of the best restaurants in the city, the prices, though, are on the higher side.
We ordered garlic butter prawns and a dish made of King Mackeral, both were delicious and worth the price.
If you're planning to stay in Port Blair for the next day, then you can visit Ross Island and North Bay Island or Corbyn's Cove.
In case, you're leaving town, then these attractions can be covered on the return journey. North Bay Island is known for a variety of water sports in Port Blair.
We were staying in Port Blair for two nights, so on Day Two, we decided to go to Corbyn's Cove.
Day Two - First half - Corbyn's Cove
The cove is a beautiful part of the beach with very calm waters.
You can hire an autorickshaw to go there. It will take about 20 minutes from the main city.
The scenic route to the cove from the city centre is spectacular with beautiful views of the Andaman Sea on the side.
The main attractions of the place are jet skiing, sea karting and speed boating. Sea kart is available only in this cove in the whole of Andaman because very calm water is needed to ride it.
We could not do it because it was slightly windy that day. So, we opted for speed boating. The boat takes you to Snake Island, a small island off the cove with beautiful views. There are some eateries and souvenir shops along the beach.
My Tip -
One can spend a whole day exploring the sea and trying out different water sports.
Day Two - Second half - Chidiya Tapu
In the evening, we went to see Mundapahad Beach in Chidiya Tapu.
As the name suggests, the island is home to a lot of migratory birds, so you can do some bird-watching, the island is a biological park with a mini zoo that can be a fun outing with families for kids.
The island is about 30 kilometres from Port Blair and the approach road is very scenic.
It's famous for its beautiful sunsets, ideally, one should plan the outing in the evening and wait for the sunset.
The beach has a lot of deposits of black rocks and mangroves lending it a very scenic and mysterious look.
Two things that you should remember if you're visiting this island are,
One, do not enter the water as it has saltwater crocodiles. Stepping in the water is absolutely forbidden.
Two, one has to wait for the sunset out in the open near the sea, there is no shade or shack available. There are a lot of mosquitoes here, carry a mosquito repellant and sunscreen to protect yourself from the scorching sun.
On the way to Chidiya Tapu is the beautiful Symphony Samudra Beachside Jungle Resort and Spa.
After having waited for almost two hours for the sunset in the scorching heat, we decided to spend the rest of the evening in this resort. There is a nice lounge aptly called 'Sunset Lounge' and a restaurant to unwind and see the last of the sunset.
Mesmerizing sunset on the horizon...view from Sunset Lounge
Day Three - Havelock Island (now Swaraj Dweep)
We take a ferry from Haddo Jetty.
The ferry takes about 1.5 to 2 hours to arrive at Havelock.
Please reach the jetty point at least 45 minutes before departure.
Havelock is easily the high point of visiting Andaman.
It's a small island, with verdant greens all over, beautiful beaches, stunning scenery, nice eateries and exciting water sports.
We were going to spend three nights on this island at the beautiful Sea Shell Resort.
Crowned welcome at the Sea Shell Resort!
Havelock is known for five major beaches,
Radhanagar Beach,
Kaala Patthar Beach,
Govind Nagar Beach,
Elephant Beach
Vijaynagar Beach
Each of these beaches is distinctly different from the others, so if you have time, try to visit all five of them.
Our resort was situated on the Govindnagar beach, so that is where we spent the afternoon. The beach is rocky, one has to be careful while walking in the water.
It's known for Nemo Reef, which is a favourite spot for scuba divers.
One can see a lot of scuba divers gearing up for their dive from this beach in the mornings. Walking on the rocks and corals and seeing micro-marine life was fun.
We set out for Radhanagar beach in the evening.
According to Time Magazine, this beach holds the ranking of the seventh best beach in the world. It has also been awarded the title of a Blue Flag-certified beach. And rightfully so.
The waters are a placid blue, the 2-kilometre long coastline extends into the horizon offering beautiful sunset views, there are thick green mountainous forests all around and the changing facilities on the beach are good.
Radhanagar Beach....white sands with nature's intricate patterns, an elderly man walking in the water holding his stick and another glorious sunset!
We were taken by complete surprise to see so many people splashing around in the water since it is quite shallow far into the sea.
After spending a good 3 hours on the beach and watching the stunning sunset, we came back to the resort to spend the evening in the Bo no va Cafe inside the Sea Shell Resort.
This is considered to be one of the best places to eat in Havelock.
Day 4 - Havelock to Elephant Beach
In the morning, we headed to Elephant Beach. At some point in time, a lot of elephants used to roam around on this beach, hence the name.
Elephant Beach is the hub of water sports in Havelock.
But now no elephants can be seen, only hordes of tourists trying all sorts of water activities.
One has to take a small boat from Havelock to reach Elephant Beach which takes about 15 to 20 minutes.
Tickets are issued at the Jetty point for the boat and the activity, though tickets for the water sport are available at the beach too.
We decided to start with deep-sea snorkelling.
There are trained divers who equip you with the snorkelling gear and the life jacket, then they take you out into the sea holding your hands while you float on the surface of the water.
There are lifeguards stationed at the beach and the water is completely safe from any dangerous marine creatures and saltwater crocodiles.
Deep sea snorkelling ....An unbelievable riot of colour under the sea
This was a delightful experience, the sunny day ensured that we saw some colourful marine life and corals.
Elephant Beach offers a Sea Walk in Havelock. If you're not too scared of water and you do not have any pressing health conditions like hypertension, Asthma, Sinusitis, or diabetes then this is a must-experience attraction.
The sea walk is done on the sea bed about 7 to 10 meters deep.
The amazing Sea Walk!
You are given a headgear resembling a big helmet that covers your head and shoulders. The underlying purpose of this helmet is to provide oxygen so that you can continue breathing normally inside the helmet once underwater.
The helmet is quite heavy and weighs about 35 kg so it's put on your head only once you're about to touch the water's surface.
The experience is unique and fairly simple.
Once underwater, one gets to spend about 20 to 25 minutes watching marine life very closely.
What enhances the experience is the live photos and videos of you that are taken throughout.
If you have time, then one can add jet skiing also the mix.
My Tip -
Please take note of two things when going to Elephant Beach,
One, carry an Android phone if possible. All photos and videos can be taken down immediately if you have an Android phone on you. We were carrying only iPhones, so had to wait till 10:00 pm that night to get all our photos and videos from the concerned people on WhatsApp.
Two, if you're travelling with small kids, carry something for them to eat there. The shacks at the beach offer some basic snacky stuff and some drinks only.
Day 5 - In and around Havelock
We planned to hire a Scooty to gallivant around the island and see what remained in our itinerary.
Scootys are easily available for a reasonable price in Havelock.
First on the list was Kaala Patthar Beach.
We spent some time here and took some pictures amidst this stunning backdrop.
Vijaynagar beach is also quite close by and falls on the same route back into the city.
In the evening, we savoured a delicious lobster at a very happening place in Havelock called 'Something Different'.
The place is rustic, right next to the sea and the food is delicious.
They can get you picked up from your hotel or resort and will even get you dropped off at the end of your meal, click a picture and hand it over to you before you leave. So, that's really something different!
With this, we finished seeing all five beaches, and now what remained to be seen was one sunrise over the sea.
We did this on the last day of our travel at the Kaala Patthar beach at 4:30 a.m.
We scooted to the beach, the cool fresh morning air is something we really miss in big cities.
The sunrise was mesmerizing, no photograph can do justice to that magical moment when the sun struggles to get up and start its day's job.....
Day 6 - Havelock to Neil Island (now called Shahid Dweep)
Our next stop was Neil Island, via a one-hour ferry from Havelock. Try to reach the jetty point early, it's chaotic and very crowded.
Neil Island is now called Shadid Dweep, it's a small island, laid back and much smaller than Havelock but as scenic.
We checked into this beautiful seaside resort called the Sea Shell Samsara. This exotic resort is located on Laxmanpur Beach No.1.
Stunning twig-shaped shells are littered all over the beach
This is a white sand beach laden with shells that have been cut to precision by the sea over millennia.
The fact that all shells have the same twig-like structure just shows the astounding precision with which nature operates. Needless to say, I filled my pockets with these beauties for bringing back home.
We had dinner at Malacca, the multi-cuisine restaurant at Sea Shell Samsara. The dinner was good, although I always prefer to step out of the resort and look for more authentic food options. But in Neil, eating-out options are limited, there is another restaurant called Dugong in Sea Shell Neil, a sister resort of Sea Shell Samsara, which is also considered to be good.
Day 7 - Scuba Diving at Neil Island
The last day at Neil, the big day that we had been waiting for throughout the trip, was here.
We had planned a scuba dive with 'DIVE India' for this day.
'DIVE India' is considered to be the best in the market, in terms of safety and expertise.
As a first-time diver, these are the two things we were looking for the most.
Also, there are fewer mangroves in Neil, so the waters are much clearer offering better visibility of marine life.
And the best part is that the crowds are missing here. Most people opt to dive in Havelock, so this spares Neil the tourist rush.
Early morning we headed to the jetty area where the 'DIVE India' Neil Dancing Dugong Resort is located. The resort has a reception area, independent cottages, a cafeteria and basic changing facilities before your venture into the sea. We slipped into our wetsuits and followed the instructors into the shallow water for our training session.
I will talk about our scuba experience in a separate blog...keep reading!
Exhilarated by our scuba dive at Neil, we took the afternoon to relax. In the evening, we went to see Laxmanpur Beach No. 2.
The beach has a stunning natural formation of rocks called the 'Howrah Bridge'. One can walk up to the bridge only when the tide is low, we checked the timings of low tide on the internet before starting for the bridge.
The approach to the beach is interesting, there are steps followed by a small area full of shops and souvenirs and then comes the beach.
There are many dead corals throbbing with marine life around the bridge. One can spend about 2 hours wandering around till sunset.
We decided to spend our last evening at Neil to celebrate our scuba experience at Dugong, at Sea Shell Neil. There is live music here to unwind and enjoy.
My Tip -
Kindly note that internet connectivity in both Havelock and Neil Island, especially in Neil, is very poor. This can pose a problem if you're depending on last-moment online tickets and confirmations. We had hard copies of all our documents, this certainly made our life easy!
Day 8 - Neil Island to Port Blair
Early the next morning, we head back to Port Blair by ferry. As I mentioned earlier, a visit to Ross Island was still left on our itinerary.
So, on the last day of our Andaman trip, we took a ferry to Ross Island from Marina Park Sports Complex.
Ross Island was the old capital of Andaman, now it serves as a base for the Indian Navy. It's now called Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Island or NSCB.
A few things to remember when going to Ross are,
One, the boat leaves the jetty when there are a minimum of 10 people travelling to Ross,
Two, one has to make online bookings for the light and sound show at the Ross Island,
Three, the island closes at 4:00 pm, so you can go in the evening only if you have tickets for the show. Once the show is over, the boat that took you is the one that will bring you back.
Going to Ross brought back the sad memories of our freedom struggle that we had experienced on Day one in Cellular Jail. Ross bore the brunt of this struggle the most.
My Tip -
The light and sound show is spectacular, beautifully conceptualized with amazing 3D graphics depicting the tumultuous history of the island. The script and narration are by Gulzar, so one can imagine the high poetic content of the narrative.
The show tells the history of the island, its inception by the British to make a penal colony as a means of punishment for the freedom fighters of the revolt of 1857, and its ultimate destruction by a massive earthquake in 1941.
The show highlights the stark contrast between the lifestyles of British officers who were living on the island in their mansions equipped with facilities like swimming pools and tennis courts as against the life of Indian freedom fighters who were made to survive in sub-human conditions on this island of horror.
But apart from this show, Ross Island has nothing more to offer.
What it needs is a facelift.
The island suffers from poor infrastructure, there is no provision to address any contingencies considering that the island is in the middle of nowhere, and the apathy of local government agencies is written all over the place.
Since the island closes at 4:00 pm and the show starts at 5:30, even the toilets were non-operational. No kiosks were offering any refreshments or even water. It was disappointing to see the historical ruins of British colonial power that need to be better preserved for future generations to see are all lying in shambles.
Our last sunset at Ross Island!
Andaman is beautiful, it is blessed by all the bounties of nature, forests, oceans, marine life, sun, beaches and more. My only hope is that the tolls and travails of excessive tourism do not end up ruining the fragile ecosystem of this enchanting island.
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