Updated on : 3rd September-2023; 12:00 am IST
Written by : Indrajit Sengupta
💗Travel is NOT my profession; it's my love only. Travel to lots of destinations across the world. Suddenly, I came across a co-passenger during my travel to Andaman and Nicobar Island from India with my wife. It was our honeymoon destination.
Co-passenger was my first impression of me as a travel blogger. How I will tell all of you in the other chapter Actually, if I start that story, I may forget to tell about the beauty of places.
The greatest beaches, most untouched natural pathways, and beautiful sunsets can all be found in the Andaman Islands. All of these factors, together with the location's intriguing history, convinced us to book a vacation to the Andaman Islands as a honeymoon spot.
Buckle up you could save your life.. Jocks apart. Lets start...
Indian summer holiday places
1. Andaman and Nicobar
Know about Andaman & Nicobar Island
(Source: Internet, travel journal, Wikipedia)
The 572 islands that make up the Andaman and Nicobar Islands are located where the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal meet. Only roughly 38 of these 572 islands are inhabited. The Ten Degree Channel, which is 150 kilometers wide, divides the Andaman group from the Nicobar group.
The Nicobar group only includes 24 islands, compared to the Andaman group's 325. The Great Andaman is the combined name for the north, middle, and south Andaman. The islands include Little Andaman in the south, which is divided from the Nicobar group of islands by the Ten Degree Channel, Landfall Island, Interview Island, the Sentinel Islands, Ritchie's Archipelago, Rutland Island, and the Sentinel Islands.
The Nicobar group's three largest islands are Car Nicobar in the north, Great Nicobar in the south, and Camorta, Katchall, and Nancowry in the center.
Andaman-know the History
Normally, we research a place's history before traveling there. It improves our comprehension of the area and its residents. This was also true of the Andaman voyage. I did learn some fascinating information when researching the location's past.
Everyone is aware that Andaman was a British penal colony during the colonial era, but the location appears to have historical records dating back further.
The exact date the first people migrated to this group of islands is unknown. It's thought that Andaman was populated more than 30,000 years ago. Archaeological evidence from 2,200 years ago is the earliest available.
The first colonizer of these islands was King Rajendra Chola I of the Chola Dynasty, who established a naval base there between 1014 and 1042 AD in order to launch expeditions against the Sriwijaya Empire of Indonesia.
The Danish East India Company then took control of the islands, and they remained thus until 1868. Finally, the British East India Company bought these islands in 1869, and there they later established a prison settlement.
Top sites and top activities must do in Andaman:
On our vacation to the Andaman Islands, we discovered that the area is wonderful. There are a lot of locations to see in the Andaman Islands, but they are all as per your time schedule. We'll start with the typical locations before moving on to the unusual ones.
Main attraction at a glance:
- Port Blair, Ross Island, Havelock Island, Neil Island, and Radhanagar Beach among many.
- Adventure sports like swimming, scuba diving, snorkeling, sea-walking.
- Bird watching in the tropical rainforests.
- Visit in passing India’s only active volcano in the Barren Island.
- Enjoy picturesque sunrise and sunset.
- Bask in the sun, play in the blue waters, and laze in the languid beach resorts.
1. Port Blair
The capital and the largest city of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands is Port Blair. The gateway to all the other islands, it is also the biggest settlement. Your journey will therefore most likely begin from this location. The Cellular Jail, Samudrika Marine Museum, and water sports complex are a few of the interesting locations in the town. You can also go to Corbyn's Cove Beach if you want to go to a beach. Additionally, aquatic sports are available here.
Chidiya Tapu
About 30 kilometers from Port Blair, Chidiya Tapu is well known for its bird watching and sunsets. Chidiya Tapu is reachable by day travel from Port Blair.
Wandoor Beach and Jolly Buoy Island
These two locations can also be visited from Port Blair in a single day. Part of Mahatma Gandhi National Park, Jolly Buoy Island is renowned for its pristine water and underwater coral reefs.
North Bay Island
Visit Ross Island and North Bay Island for the day. Water activities are well-known on North Bay Island. Here, you can go speed boating, sea walking, jet skiing, and scuba diving. The ferry voyage to the island from Port Blair Jetty takes an hour.
2. Ross Island (Netaji Subhash Chandra Dweep)
Another location that will captivate you is Ross Island. Up until an earthquake demolished the island in 1941, this island served as the former Andaman capital. For almost 80 years, Ross Island served as the administrative center for the Indian Penal Settlement.
The island once had shops, a bakery, markets, a water distillation plant, a church, a tennis court, a printing press, a secretariat, a hospital, a cemetery, and an open-air theater. Today, all of these landmarks have vanished save for some deteriorated, aging structures that once housed them.
The visits of Ross Island and North Bay Island are typically combined into one day.
(Source: Internet, Wikipedia)
3. Havelock Island (Swaraj Dweep)
The beach at Radhanagar is regarded as one of Asia's most stunning. Like we did, you may rent a motorbike or scooter and tour the island. We advise that you stay on Havelock Island for at least two nights. A lovely honeymoon nights too.
Here we had an incident where we lost our Nikon camera. We lost a lot of memories as well. very sad for us.
Activities on Havelock Island
- Visit Havelock Island and have a nice time on its lovely beaches.
- Visit Kalapathar Beach at sunrise and Radhanagar Beach at sunset.
- Govindnagar Beach and Vijaynagar Beach are other beaches.
- Visit a dive shop. Havelock, as was previously noted, features some of South Asia's top diving locations. It is preferable to dive from one of the diving schools close to Beaches 3 and 4.
- At Elephant Beach, relax. Havelock Island is about a 20-minute boat ride away from Elephant Beach. The area is a winner with its white dune sand and stunning coral reefs.
- Additionally, you may engage in water activities like glass-bottom boat excursions, sea walking, and snorkeling here.
4. Neil Island (Shaheed Dweep)
This lovely island is a haven for travelers. The golden sand beaches and turquoise waters are a visual pleasure. On Neil Island, in addition to the spotless beaches, there is a natural bridge. Shaheed Dweep, also known as Neil Island, is a small island that can be completely explored on a two-wheeler in a single day. You can rent a motorbike or scooter here as well, just as in Havelock, and explore the island.
It is possible to go to Neil Island or Shaheed Dweep in a single day, however overnight stays are strongly advised. Our favorite location on the entire Andaman tour was Neil Island.
5. Baratang Island
Between the South and Middle Islands is where you'll find Baratang Island. Gorgeous beaches, mangrove rivers, limestone caverns, and mud volcanoes can all be found there. About 5 hours are needed to travel the 100 kilometers to Baratang Island from Port Blair. The state of the road is very bad. While we do not intend to discourage, only those who enjoy exploring the unknown and who are not put off by the lengthy travel time and uncomfortable surroundings should go.
Please be aware that a permit is required to enter the limestone caves.
6. Diglipur and North Andaman
This is possibly the tour to the Andaman Islands' best-memorable treasure. The island's North Andaman region is yet another unknown area. Driving from Port Blair to Diglipur takes about 12 hours. However, once you arrive, the area's untouched beauty will fascinate you.
My recommended Diglipur tourist attractions:
Island of Smith and Ross
In reality, Ross and Smith islands are two islands that are connected by a sand bar to form one group of islands. The sand bar appears at low tide and the water is perfectly clear. The sand bar vanishes at high tide, leaving a watery path between the two islands.
Lamiya Bay Beach:
Saddle point, the tallest point in the North Andaman Islands, is located at the foot of Lamiya Bay Beach.
Mud Volcano at Shyamnagar and Limestone Cave at Diglipur:
Similar to Baratang, Shyamnagar in North Andaman has mud volcanoes. Near Ramnagar Beach in Diglipur are limestone caves that go by the name of Alfred Caves.
How to reach
The islands are quite remote. Flight connections to Port Blair are available from selected airports, so are sea cruises. Kolkata and Chennai are the two cities with connectivity to the island archipelago in Bay of Bengal.
Where to stay in Andaman
In Andaman, camping at the beaches is not permitted unless the resorts make arrangements for it with authorization.
What to eat in Andaman
Is any permit required for the Andaman trip?
Indian nationals do not require a permit for visits to Andaman.
For foreign citizens
To visit the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, all foreign nationals must have a RAP (Restricted Area Permit), which is easily obtained for 30 days from the Immigration Authorities upon arrival at Port Blair by plane or ship, subject to the availability of a valid visa. This can be extended in some circumstances for a further 15 days with approval, and the Superintendent of Police, FRO/CID, Port Blair, has been given the power to do so.
Additionally, the Restricted Area Permit is available from the Indian embassies abroad, the foreigners registration offices in New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, and Kolkata, as well as the immigration authorities at the airports serving these cities.
In an effort to increase tourism in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, international visitors are no longer need to have RAP when visiting the 30 islands listed below:
(1) East Island (2) North Andaman (3) Smith Island (4) Curfew Island (5) Stewart Island (6) Landfall Island (7) Aves Island (8) Middle Andaman (9) Long Island (10) Strait Island (11) North Passage (12) Baratang (13) South Andaman (14) Havelock Island or Swaraj Dweep (15) Neil Island or Shaheed Dweep (16) Flat Bay (17) North Sentinel Island (18) Little Andaman (19) Chowra (20) Tillang Chong Island (21) Teressa (22) Katchal (23)Nancowry (24) Kamorta (25) Pulomilo (26) Great Nicobar (27) Little Nicobar(28) Narcondum Island (29) Interview Island and (30) Viper Island (Day visit only).
Both Indians and foreigners are absolutely prohibited from entering the tribal regions. Therefore, reject any attempts to sell you such an Andaman trip.
What time of year is ideal for visiting Andaman?
Andaman is accessible all year long. The island's greatest time of year is from the middle of November to the beginning of March. The ideal time to visit the Andaman Islands is thought to be now.
Internet and WiFi
Although you will have access to mobile services, the Andaman data connection is quite subpar. The WiFi and internet speeds in this area are quite poor. Havelock Island and Neil Island both had very shaky cell network connections. Enjoy your time off the internet and wifi. Never mind going without these connection to other world for a few days.
ATMs in Andaman
There are several ATMs in Port Blair. A few ATMs may be found in Havelock close to Beach No. 1 or the Jetty. Both Neil Island and Diglipur have a few ATMs. When traveling to Neil and Diglipur, it is preferable to have cash on hand.
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