The beautiful Andaman !

Andaman and Nicobar islands form a small dotted cluster in Bay of Bengal and are home to pristine white sand beaches, clear water, ancient tribes and tropical rainforests.

Let me show you the b'ful Andaman!

Whereas Nicobar islands are not open to tourists, Andaman has limited connectivity of 4-5 direct flights from India. With selective tourist spots spread over three main islands, Andaman offers a pretty standard itinerary with not much scope to explore beyond it due to either dense forest or deep sea.

Here's how we spent our 8D 7N !!

3N Port Blair (2 in the beginning and 1 in the end for airport transfer), 2N Havelock Island, 2N Neil Island

Cellular Jail

Port Blair-This capital city is the only entry point for visiting the islands and is home to iconic Cellular Jail, several museums and day trips to other islands.

Day 1- Like a typical tourist, we began the trip with the infamous Cellular Jail (kala pani) constructed by Britishers to exile Indian political prisoners. Its different sections reflecting the atrocities stirred a sea of emotions inside us.

We then proceeded to Marina Park in and around which are various beautiful photo spots like "I love Port Blair, map of India, statue of Gandhi Ji and flag point". Quick hopping in and out for the car for these photos was really interesting especially for our baby girl.

We visited Anthropoligical museum, aquarium and Samudrika - naval marine museum to get an insight into the history about indigenous tribes and marine life of Andaman.

In the evening, we planned to see the Light and Sound show (Hindi/english) at Cellular Jail but since it was closed for maintenance, we drove towards Marina Park where we enjoyed munching at the food trucks parked at the gorgeous stretch of road by the ocean that reminded us of Marine Drive, minus the crowd.

This may sound a lot but everything is close-by and can be covered in a day subject to your arrival time. If not, it can be divided on the next or last day.

Ross Island

Day 2- We took a boat to visit the small and fairly interesting Ross Island with a halt of 1 hour. Here we had a close interaction with deer and took an electric cart to see the remains of British settlement and Japanese bunkers literally wrapped by roots of trees. After a small walk, we reached the lighthouse and the statue which honours the people who served the country and captured it in our phones. 

North Bay - Submarine 

We later took a ferry to NorthBay of which's photo can be seen at the back of Rs.20 note. There are plethora of water activities to do but we just chose the three floored semi submarine which happens exclusively in Northern Bay of Andaman. The underwater view of marine life isn't that great but thanks to the nice cruise it is definitely an hour well spent. Those who don't want to take the submarine can skip Northern Bay as all other activities can be later enjoyed at other beaches. 

Chidiya tapu beach

To witness the splendid sunset, we headed to the beautiful Chidiya tapu beach (known as Mandu Pahar Beach) located 17km away from Port Blair. Enroute we made a quick stop at 1st flag hoisting point of India and spent 15 minutes at the lively Carbyn Cove where Tourism Day was being celebrated.

Since we started at 8am, we managed to fit in everything and reach at the Chidiya tapu beach before the gates closed at 5.30. It is not included in a standard itinerary but given the beach was as beautiful as the journey till there, it must be!

To unwind ourself, we took a dip in the swimming pool at our hotel "Symphony Samudra" which was hardly 1km from the sunset point.

Subject to your interest and time in hand, you may take a day trip (from 3am to 5pm) to Baratang Island which is famous for its natural wonders- limestone caves, dense mangrove creeks and mud volcanoes. Here you may have a chance to glance of the tribals (photography is a non-bailable offence). Since we were travelling with an infant, we chose to skip this one.

You can check out these good places to eat at Port Blair- Amaya at Hotel Sea Shell, Sinclairs Bayview Restaurant and Annapurna.

Makruzz

Day 3- We took the Makruzz jetty to Havelock Island (Swaraj Dweep) - the most visited island in the Andaman Archipelago due to its pristine beaches and dive sites.

First things first, we visited Radhanagar beach renowned as Asia's best and world's 7th best beach. Its white sand, clear water, beautiful sunset, swimming friendly one long stretch of beach with no hotels or shacks directly on it makes it ideal to spend quality time.

Later that night, we had a lovely dinner at "Something Different" which provides a pick- drop facility from the hotel. It had a nice playful vibe, delicious food and trampoline to keep kids entertained. I absolutely recommend their pizza and almond pudding.

Day 4- We started with scuba diving at dive master which included 15 min training and 30 min of underwater where we saw corals and fishes and relived the moment from movie "Zindagi na milegi dobara". The plus point is that one doesn't even need to know swimming for it. If you feel confident, I would suggest to take dive from the boat option rather than shore for better view.

We went next to the Havelock Island Jetty and took a 10 person sharing speed boat which gives a fixed 3 hour time at Elephant beach that is widely popular for aquatic adventures like sea walk, parasailing, banana ride, jet ski, snorkeling, glass boat etc.

If time permits, you can also enjoy for a while at Kalapathar beach which is popular for clear blue water and black boulders.

After a long exhausting beach day, a cold shower and a cup of hot tea, we later went to Havelock Island beach resort for dinner which had great ambience but extremely poor service. Alternatively based on reviews, I would recommend eating at Barefoot, Amaya and other cafes namely Full moon cafe,bonova cafe, cafe salt water and Anju Coco restaurant.

From the port of Neil Island

Day 5 - We boarded an one hour Makruzz jetty for Neil island (Shaheed Dweep).This exquisite island is famous for its serenity, unparalleled biodiversity, endless blue water, white sand beaches, abundant coral reefs and dense tropical forests.

Natural Bridge

We then went to the natural bridge (Laxmanpur beach no.2) which is a naturally built coral bridge built over thousands of years. We reached there at 4 pm- the ideal time in terms of sunlight and low tide to witness this natural wonder by a 45 min-1hour walking tour with the help of a guide. Opportunity to witness the clear water, endless corals, marine life like sea snake, eel, sea cucumber, oysters, urchins,etc. in natural water makes it the most popular tourist attraction of Neil Island. I personally loved being here and found it to be the most beautiful place of Andaman.

Laxmanpur Beach No.1

Then we went to Laxmanpur beach no.1 where we watched the sky change into all shades of blue, yellow and orange while bidding good bye to the sun. This is the only beach that has small local kiosks selling refreshments with table-chairs to sit at the beach and enjoy waves hitting the shore.

Restaurant Dugong

The day ended pretty well with dinner at Dugong- the restaurant at Hotel Sea Shell. Despite having only handful vegetarian options, the live music, great taste and a lovely ambience totally made it a great place to dine.

Day 6

Bharatpur Beach

-We spent 1 hour at Bharatpur beach where we made sand castles, did jet ski and bought local souvenirs.

After five hectic days, we chose to spend the remaining day at leisure by ordering in food for Shakahari restaurant, enjoying the hotel's swimming pool and sleeping in well.

When in Neil Island, people often visit Sitapur Beach famous for its turquoise blue waters and breathtakingly beautiful sunrise. Since it requires getting up at 3am, we decided to skip this one.

Wandoor Beach

Day 7 - We took the Makruzz jetty for Port Blair, grabbed lunch at Annapurna restaurant, checked-in and headed for the famous Wandoor beach by 3.45 pm as it is a 45 min drive from the city. This is a quiet and picturesque beach, however, you can’t enter the water because it is crocodile infested. We enjoyed sitting under the groves and taking plenty of photos. If you wish to stay longer, I recommend going to Sea princess beach view resort which is a five minute drive and offers great sea view as you sip and munch. 

Bay Island

We ended the day with a sumptuous dinner at Welcomhotel Bay Island. Based on reviews, you may also eat at Vibes and Dives, Kiran Restaurant, etc.

My first-hand advice-

• Carry your covid certificate as they are mandatory at arrival in Andaman

• Most of the monuments in Port Blair are closed on Monday

• The sun sets by 5:30 and it gets pitch dark instantly, so plan all your days accordingly

• Hotels don't have wifi, cellular network is very limited, make necessary bookings and downloads before-hand

• Check in and out timings significantly vary at each island

• Given the unpredictable weather, carry an umbrella, glares and cap

• While visiting beaches, carry an extra pair of clothes and packed food as there are nil/very few options at the beach

• Pre-book the jetties due to low frequency Makruzz/Nautika and arrive at the port at least 40 minutes prior to departure for a comfortable check-in

• Best time to travel is october to march

• Baby food for infant below 2 years can be availed complimentary

• There are neither app based taxis nor a 24 hr taxi at disposal, hence, it is important to preplan and pre-book the taxi for pick and drop either by agent/hotel. The ones we booked and recommend are-

Aakash at Havelock-

Shekhar at Neil Island- 95319 58125, 99332 48223

The rates are same for all taxis as it is decided by the driver association

• Only 2 litres mineral water bottle is available in the market, so it would be convenient to carry your 1 litre regular bottle to keep it handy

Andaman is definitely not an alternate to Goa as if you seek to sit by the beach at pretty shacks serving good delicacies and dance your night away, you can strike it off your bucket list.

Andaman is like Maldives of India. It is clean, picturesque and ideal to travel with family. If you are looking for natural beauty and serenity, fond of beaches and water activities, comfortable with a holiday wherein you start early, finish everything off by 5.30pm and relax at the hotel thereafter, you will return with post-card perfect pictures and happy memories.

Happy holidays,

Shruti