Andamans offers something for every member of the family, writes Navneet Sahni
The moment you dream of Andamans, images of virgin beaches, miles of white sands and turquoise blue waters come to mind. All this can be made a reality for you. So just don’t think twice about visiting this paradise. Earlier there were flights from Kolkata and Chennai to the only airport at Port Blair, but now there are flights from Delhi and Mumbai too. Fares too are not as expensive as they used to be, and so the entire trip is very affordable. This is the perfect place to dispel the traumatic stress of the pandemic, with its pristine and idyllic beaches of white sand, along the crystal-clear waters.
Andamans offers something for every member of the family from romantic beaches to adventurous water sports to historical museums and exotic food, this place offers you everything for a memorable vacation.
Beach first
Of course, it being primarily a beach destination, keep your swimming trunks handy. However Andamans is now also a popular watersports destination, with a variety of water sports on offer – apart from scuba diving and snorkeling. Some of the islands are ideal for deep sea diving and sea fishing.
A mere handful of 37 islands out of a total of 572 islands of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands are inhabited. These uninhabited islands have always been veiled in a deep mystery for the outside world. There are so many curious travellers visiting the Andaman and Nicobar Islands every year with a desire to have a peep at the interiors of the islands and their primitive unspoilt beauty. Some of the islands of Andaman and Nicobar are under government protection as Aboriginal Tribal Reserve Area to save the Aborigines from the influences of modern civilisation and to reserve their pure and natural form of lifestyle, and it is prohibited to visit them.
Upon arrival at Port Blair, history buffs spend a few days to visit this once upon a time “Kaala Pani” – infamous for its solitary location and the Cellular Jail with its dark history in the Indian freedom struggle. For water sports buffs a visit to the Andaman Water Sports Complex is a primary attraction in Port Blair as the complex provides both fun and adventure sports and activities such as parasailing, paddle boating, banana boat rides, water skiing, windsurfing, water scooter and jet skiing. If one has never done these activities, there are instructors to teach you the basics, so that one can enjoy the rest of the trip enjoying different waters sports.
Another must-visit is the Corbyn’s Cove Beach, which in spite of being so close to the City Centre (just 8 kilometres away), is surprisingly secluded and beautiful. It is a prominent sightseeing place in Andaman. The beach is blessed with a sandy gentle shoreline, pleasant blue sea water and lush green coconut palms lining the coast. One gets a variety of water sports here too and is also a perfect location for sunbathing, swimming or simply sitting at the beach front gazing at the ever-changing colours of the seas. This coconut-palm-fringed beach is lined with small stalls selling bright and colourful knickknacks, and restaurants offering a wide variety of delicacies to munch at, along with juices, coffee and shakes. From here the adventurous can take a short trip to the dangerous Snake Island where one can see deadly snakes. The Snake Island is also famous for its colourful corals, spellbinding variety of fish and seabed rock/coral formations.
Depending upon the time one has at hand, Andamans can keep you busy for 7–12 days at least. One can go to the famous islands of Havelock and Neil. Ferry services are aplenty with a choice of morning, afternoon or evening services. They have 3 classes of travel – Economy, Luxury and Royal. Word of advice: Book well in advance as these can fill up pretty fast in season time.
Main destination
Havelock Island is one of the main destinations of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Havelock, recently renamed to Swaraj Deep, is truly a traveller’s paradise. Its amazing beaches, mesmerising deep blue waters along with awesome diving sites make it one of the most well-known places in the entire Andaman region. Owing to its more than fair share of popularity among tourists and travelers, Havelock has developed luxurious tourist resorts and hotels to cater to all categories of travellers. In addition, Havelock’s six stunning beaches make it a honeymooner’s paradise. Kalapathar, Radnanagar and Vijaynagar are the more frequented ones but Neil’s Cove, Elephant Beach and Govind Nagar Beach are not to be missed either. In fact, two of these are tagged as the best beaches in Asia. With its many dive sites and PADI certified diving centres people visit this paradise in droves for snorkelling and scuba diving. DiveIndia and Barefoot Scuba are two of the most well-known centres, which run courses from 3 to 11 days. So in case you plan to take one of these, do remember to book in advance to beat the crowds. A plethora of hotels and guest houses are available to suit your budget but the world-famous resort Barefoot at Havelock is the most well known. The Taj Group has recently opened a super deluxe hotel too at Radhanagar beach, which is in fact the top-rated beach in India, and 7th best beach in the world ranked by Time Magazine. So be sure not to miss this one!
A short ferry ride away from Havelock is the beautiful Neil Island which is known for its tranquillity, unexplored coral reefs and secluded beaches in comparison to any of the other islands. This is the perfect place for a romantic and intimate holiday. The three picturesque beaches – Bharatpur, Sitapur and Lakshmanpur – are usually very quiet. Being a smaller island, accommodation is somewhat limited, but caters to all sections of the traveller’s budget.
The North Bay Island is a haven for corals which spread along the long coastline. The fish found in the reefs are slightly different from the others found in the deep sea, which makes it attractive for the scuba and snorkelling enthusiast as they can get both types in the vicinity of each other. Going down to the bottom of the water in an open submarine is an absolutely exhilarating feeling, as one sees such varied marine life up close. Glass-bottomed boats are another way to see the stunning colours of the fishes and world underwater. The beautiful light house at the North Bay island affords stunning views of the thick forest and the azure blue ocean. I found it very strange that a photo of the North Bay Island can be found on the old Rs 20 banknote.
Great Andamans
The Great Andaman island is divided in three zones – North, Middle and South with Port Blair located in the South part. Being located strategically in the vast Indian Ocean this archipelago is in close proximity to the main shipping routes from the Atlantic to the Pacific Oceans. The main shipping trade route from India to Myanmar and erstwhile Malaya goes past here, and so the British developed it as a major staging post. Just 90 miles to the South-West is the north-western tip of Sumatra.
The main advantage of travelling to the Great Andaman islands is that it can be done overland and there are a few beautiful places which can be visited. This is mainly for those who feel sea-sick (and believe me there are many) yet get a feeling of being in an island and close proximity to the ocean. One of Andaman’s best-kept secrets, North Andaman is a slice of heaven on Earth. This region is known for its virgin beauty and is characterised by lush forests, pristine beaches, and turtle nesting sites. Places in North Andaman include Rangat, Baratang, Diglipur and Mayabunder. Tourists usually go on a day trip to Baratang to visit the Limestone Cave and the Mud Volcanoes.
Diglipur in North Andamans is the main attraction and in the very near future there will be an airport here, as a runway exists as it is. There are ambitious plans of introducing sea planes to connect many of the distant islands soon. At the moment it is an 8-hour drive from Port Blair but believe you me, totally worth it.
After an early start, leave for Baratang island which is located about 100 kilometres away from the Port Blair city and offers a boat-safari, amidst the nature-made tunnel of thick mangrove plantations. A variety of exotic birds can be spotted along the lush trail of dense tree knots and canopies. This mangrove creek leads to the magnificent Limestone Caves. Another unique natural feature here are the Mud Volcanoes. The very word volcano brings sinister thoughts naturally, but this is one of its calmer and quieter versions. Mud volcanoes are basically formed by the geo-thermal excretion of gas and liquids. At some places you do get methane, but mostly gases like carbon dioxide and nitrogen are released. Mostly these mud volcanoes spew out everything in a semi-solid state. After visiting these places you can push forward to Diglipur and arrive late evening.
From Diglipur a morning visit to the Ross & Smith Island is a must. Ross & Smith islands are actually two islands – Ross & Smith joined together by a sand bar to make a single group of islands. Water is crystal clear and gem green in color. Sunbathing on these islands is a wonderful experience. During high tide, the sand bar disappears leaving a trail of water between the two islands and during low tide the sand bar appears again making the islands look majestic! There is a Marine Sanctuary on the island which makes it an ideal place for spotting beautiful coral reefs and colourful marine life underwater.
Diglipur is also famous for the turtle nesting ground on the twin beaches of RamNagar and Kalipur. December and January months are when the turtles come ashore and nest. At Karmatang you come across four amazing species – leatherback turtles, green ocean turtles, hawksbill turtles and olive ridley turtles. This is a very beautiful moment for wildlife enthusiasts and so many of them understandably come during this time. Apart from these, the famous beaches of Limaya, Kalipur and RamNagar are stunning and perfect for swimming, scuba and snorkelling.
North Andaman is famous for the tribes which were the original inhabitants – Andamanese, Onge, Jarawa and the Sentinelese are dominant ones. The Sentinelese are the inhabitants of North Sentinel Island, which is about 60 sq. kilometres. They are probably the world’s only Paleolithic people surviving today without contact with any other group or community. They are considered as an off-shoot to the Onge and Jarawa tribes which have acquired a different identity due to their habitation in an isolated island and have lost contact with the main tribes. The Sentinelese are very hostile and never leave their Island, and hence very little is known about this tribe. This is the main reason that the Government prohibits tourist visits to some of these regions, thereby allowing them to maintain their own identity.
So gather your swimming gear and head out. Visiting Andamans is a dream come true!
