The green, ramshackle capital sprawls around a harbour on the east coast of South Andaman and is the administrative nerve centre of the islands. There’s plenty to see in town relating to the islands’ colonial past plus a couple of interesting museums, and as this is the only place to change money, reliably access the internet and book (and wait for) onward transport, most travellers will spend at least a couple of days here. If you want to experience the more natural beauty of the Andamans – above and below the water – book a ferry and move on to Havelock or one of the other islands.
Category: Andaman And Nicobar Islands
If you really want to slow down, and are looking for peace, isolation and near-deserted beaches without being a castaway, Neil Island, 40km northeast of Port Blair, is a good place to get off the ferry. Much quieter than nearby Havelock Island, Neil is populated by Bengali settlers involved in fishing and agriculture. This is the place to lie on the beach, jungle-walk, snorkel, cycle through paddy fields and farms, and then lie on the beach some more.
The Andaman Trunk Rd runs north from Port Blair to Bharatang Island and Middle Andaman – both linked by small roll-on roll-off ferries – then onto North Andaman linked by road bridges. It’s very slow going, but consider at least the northern part of the road – say between the jetties at Rangat and Diglipur – as an alternative to taking the ferry in both directions. Relentlessly thick jungle opening to mangrove-fringed waterways with only occasional cultivated clearings make this a spectacularly lush and green journey, especially with the knowledge that tribal people still live traditional lives in the deep forest. The road runs beside Jarawa reserves on the west coasts of South and Middle Andaman, but as most traditional Jarawa people are busy getting on with their lives in the forest you’re unlikely to encounter them unless they’re beside the road. Motorcycles are forbidden beyond the checkpoint, 40km outside of Port Blair.
In Mayabunder there’s an unexpected gem in the shape of Sea’n’Sand (273454; [email protected]; r Rs 200-500), a simple lodge, restaurant and bar overlooking the water 1km south of the town centre. Run by Titus and Elizabeth, along with their young family, it’s low-key and will appeal to travellers looking for an experience away from the crowds. Titus organises a range of boat-based day tours (per tour from Rs 500-2500) that, depending on the season and how he feels about you, may include Forty One Caves where hawabills (swiftlets) make their highly prized edible nests; easy snorkelling off Avis Island; or a coast-and-forest-wilderness experience on Interview Island.
With one of the Andaman’s most dazzling beaches and plenty of cheap bamboo-hut accommodation, Havelock is the island of choice for travellers wanting to kick back and enjoy the slow (but not comatose) pace of island life. It’s easily accessible from Port Blair, and offers excellent snorkelling and scuba-diving opportunities. Although Havelock is the most developed of the islands, it’s still very low-key and simple – a world away from the beach resorts of mainland India or Southeast Asia.
Diglipur, three hours by road north of Mayabunder, isthe main town of North Andaman and as far north as you can get in the island chain. The town itself and nearby Kalipur are the only places on North Andaman where foreigners can stay. Ferries arrive at the Aerial Bay Jetty from where it’s 11km southwest to Diglipur village and the bus stand, basic restaurants, market and a couple of lodges. Ferry tickets can be booked at the Administration Block in town. Kalipur is on the coast 8km southeast of the jetty.
Once known as Kalapani – Black Waters – for their role as a feared penal settlement, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands are now a relaxed tropical island outpost that belongs to India but is geographically closer to Southeast Asia. Superb, near-deserted beaches, incredible corals and marine life, an intriguing colonial past and the remnants of a Stone Age culture lure travellers to these mysterious islands, 1000km off the east coast of India in the Bay of Bengal.