Andaman is a beautiful archipelago far away from the mainland Indian (it is in fact closer to Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia than to mainland India), some of world’s finest beaches and marine life, spectacular night skies, and genuinely friendly locals. What we really enjoyed is the absence of over commercialization by big hotel chains and the fleeting cellular network. We visited the Andaman islands early February this year, and experienced everything we had hoped for and more.
General tips:
Best Time to Visit: November to March is the most pleasant time. April to June is hotter and June to September may see strong winds and incessant rains.
Budget: Overall, apart from the flight tickets (which are also not too expensive), a trip to the Andamans is something which can suit everyone’s budget. There are a number of economy hotels here (most of which are not found online) ranging from $10-$50 per day, as also enough luxurious ones.
Geography: A brief overview of the geography of the islands would be useful to understand how to plan the itinerary. The main Andaman group of islands consist of a vertically elongated strip including North, Middle, and South Andaman. Port Blair is in South Andaman and is the central hub from where other places are accessed. Havelock Island and Neil island are around a 2 hours boat ride from Port Blair and on the eastern aspect of South Andaman. Ross Island, North Bay Island, and Jolly Buoy/ Red Skin Islands are close day trips from Port Blair. Nicobar islands are a 24 hour boat ride away and cannot be accessed for tourism; only government/defence personnel on official visits and local Nicobarese can access them.
Image obtained from http://www.experienceandamans.com/andaman_map.php
Planning the days of your visit: Plan to spend 2 days in Port Blair out of which one day would be to Jolly-buoy/Red Skin Beach. At least 2 nights- 3 days in Havelock will give you enough time to take the beauty in. Most people spend just one day- one night in Neil. We recommend two nights especially if you want to indulge in night photography. In that case, plan your stay in Neil to be as close to a new-moon’s night as possible.
Andaman is a fantastic place to get your PADI certification done, and you may want to plan your trip accordingly. Barefoot Scuba and Dive India are two experienced groups which offer PADI and SSI certification courses. You will need to be on one island for at least 3 full days for the certification.
Getting around:
You will need to island hop, with Havelock and Neil Islands being the top destinations. There are three ferries available as we write the blog.
-Government ferry: This is the cheapest option by far (~Rs. 450 per person per sector); while it is not posh, it is still decently comfortable and good value for money. The main issue is with reservations, as they open only 3 days in advance and islanders get preference over tourists. Also, they do not take online bookings. So if you really wish to avail these services, ask your tour operator to do so. If you are traveling by yourself (as we were), you could get these booked through a local person. One such person who was extremely reliable is Akbar Ali (contact no 9679511543) and we would heartily recommend him.
-Private ferries: There are 2 options: Makruzz and Green Ocean. Both are good, but much more expensive. To give an idea of the cost, the Port Blair-Havelock ferry cost ranged from Rs 1300-2900 on Makruzz (depending on class booked), and Rs 1200-1400 on Green Ocean at the time of our travel.
Once on the island, you can choose from renting a taxi or riding a two-wheeler.
For Port Blair, we would recommend getting a taxi especially for the days you plan to do Chidiyatapu and Jolly Buoy/Red Skin Beach.
For Havelock and Neil Islands, the two-wheelers are convenient and a lot of fun. Roads are empty, drives are beautiful and not very long. A 24-hour two-wheeler rental costs Rs 500 plus the petrol. You will find taxis very easily to go to and fro from the jetty to your hotel with the luggage.
Hotels:
-All hotel check out times are pretty early (8 am in most cases, stretched to max 9 am), and check-in times are between 10 am to 12 noon. But this works out alright as most flights and ferries start early morning anyway.
-Do not expect great facilities in the hotels, even if they are the expensive ones. For example, shower curtains and napkins were not available in any of the hotels we stayed in. Also, although most hotels have a breakfast inclusive package, the breakfast timings are very limited (usually between 7-9 am), and you often need to take a packed breakfast when leaving early for day-trips.
Cellular network: BSNL and Airtel work in quite some places; Vodafone works in Port Blair and around the major hotspots (near the jetty and popular beaches) at Havelock and Neil. Cellular data is poor irrespective of which service provider you use; do not trust hotel Wi-Fi either. Even sending a whatsapp message may be difficult in most places.
Food: Very good veg food is easily available everywhere. Of course, the place is famous as such for its fresh sea food!
As usual, we are sharing our itinerary on our google maps page. Here is the link: https://drive.google.com/open?id=19SJaI5kG6-Ad6l3pJR5xsYbg-d4&usp=sharing. Select the label ‘Andaman’.
Planning the stay:
Planning this trip is not very difficult and using a tour operator is not necessary. Once the travel and hotel bookings are done, everything else can be easily managed after landing in Port Blair as the locals are very helpful and have a terrific network amongst themselves to help you out. Hindi is spoken by everyone, but knowing English alone should be sufficient for all practical purposes. People are very helpful and honest, and thefts are unheard of.
There is a fixed price for almost all activities (scuba, snorkeling etc) and transport (renting a two-wheeler or using a taxi), irrespective of whether you use an agent or do it directly.
We will replicate our itinerary here, and then list more options in the end.
Day 1: Port Blair – Cellular Jail
We landed around noon and checked into our hotel. It is nice to stay within 2 km radius of the Cellular Jail and the Phoenix Bay jetty (from where the Havelock ferries depart). That way you will be close to all the activities and eateries in town.
The Cellular Jail is a must-visit place especially for all Indians. It is known for its dark history dating back to the Indian Freedom struggle with multiple freedom fighters and revolutionaries (Veer Savarkar being the most notable amongst them) having been incarcerated and tortured here. The last time for entry to the Jail is 4 pm, so be sure to reach by then. It is well maintained; it doesn’t take more than 45 minutes to an hour to see the jail. All tourists have to vacate the premises by 5 pm, following which there are sound and light shows which start at 5.30 pm, 6.30 pm, and 7.30 pm respectively (times may vary depending on the time of the year). While not the best quality show in the country, the show does do a good job of depicting the entire history of the jail during the freedom struggle.
Tickets for the show can be booked online using the link: http://www.and.nic.in/etourist/. The tickets can also be bought from the venue on the morning of the desired day of visit. The 5.30 pm tickets usually get booked early on once the booking windows open, but the later show tickets are usually available anytime. A little secret: If you couldn’t do either and still prefer the 5.30 pm show, just hang around the ticket window till around 5.15-5.20 pm; they usually put up extra plastic chairs and sell (unadvertised) extra tickets just before the show begins!
In between the cellular jail visit and the later sound-and-light show, many tourists visit the nearby Corbyns’s cove (a 6 km drive along the sea) to enjoy the sunset. It was too cloudy the day we landed to expect a good sunset, so we ended up seeing the 5.30 show followed by dinner.
Food: Annapurna and Vegan Creek are two good vegetarian restaurants in Port Blair.
Day 2: Havelock Island – Radhanagar Beach
We took the 6.20 am ferry to Havelock; arrive half an hour early as there is a security check for all bags and suitcases. There are official coolies available to carry luggage into the ship which makes things very convenient. The trip takes roughly 2.5 hours (faster on Makruzz), and we reached Havelock by around 9 am. We stayed at Symphony Palms near Govind Nagar Beach, a convenient location with a beautiful beach (photo below).
After relaxing and having a leisurely lunch, we rented a Honda Activa (an automatic two-wheeler) and drove to Radhanagar Beach, by far the most famous beach in Andaman. This is a large idyllic curved stretch of white sand with pristine blue waters and surrounded by beautiful dense palms and foliage. It was rated as 7th in the top ten beaches in the world by Time Magazine sometime back, and deservedly so. Although you will see a decent crowd of people there, it still remains relatively empty, particularly if you walk a few hundred feet either way from the entrance. And certainly less crowded than most other ‘top 10’ beaches in the world! After enjoying a gorgeous sunset (photo below) and dinner, we relaxed at the hotel and retired early to bed.
Other things to do: We missed doing this, but one of our friends has highly recommended the night kayaking tour at Havelock. This offers pristine views of the night sky as also a chance to see bioluminescence (see our blog on Puerto Rico to know more about this phenomenon), and sounds like something memorable. The tour has great reviews on tripadvisor as well (click here to see them), and certainly looks like something worth doing. (PS: We have no financial interests with the kayaking tour; have given the link simply so that people can have a better idea about this experience).
Food: We would highly recommend two restaurants around Govind Nagar Beach. Shakahar is a pure veg restaurant with lip-smacking (and very reasonably priced) food which more than makes up for its basic ambience; we had most of our meals here and it never disappointed. Full Moon Café is a cute restaurant run by a very passionate team and serving very good food. It also voluntarily offers free refills of bottles with drinking water treated with reverse osmosis. (Most hotels and other restaurants also have the same RO facility, but you will have to prod them into refilling your bottles). Barefoot Bar and Brasserie and Anju Coco Restaurant are other well reviewed restaurants; although we didn’t go there.
Day 3: Elephant Beach – Kala Pathar Beach
We departed early next morning for Elephant Beach. The boat ride was priced at Rs 950 per person at the time of our trip, and had a free session of guided snorkeling included in it. You can book the boat ride and time slot in advance via your hotel, although same day booking should also be available on most days. Elephant Beach is a relatively small (and hence crowded) beach and is the center for various water sports such as jet skiing, banana boat ride etc, besides of course snorkeling, glass bottom boat ride, and sea walking. The free guided snorkeling session are especially great for beginners and non-swimmers. We had our own snorkeling kits and we could really explore the absolutely stunning corals and underwater life on our own. We skipped the sea walk as most reviews of it are lukewarm. Elephant Beach has some food stalls as well as changing rooms and showers available. A little secret: The beach is also accessible via a beautiful 1.8 km trek along the forest (relatively straightforward unless it has rained and made things slushy and slippery). This path is marked on the right side 2 kilometers before reaching Radhanagar Beach.
We headed back to the hotel for lunch, after which we went to Kala Pathar Beach. Although a sunrise spot per se, the color of the water and the tide receding over rocks at the beach offer an extraordinary visual delight at any time of the day. In fact, this was our favorite beach at Havelock, with pristine waters and less people. The road to the beach is a beautiful drive along the coast offering many photographic locations.
Day 4: Scuba Diving at Havelock– Neil Island
Andaman is a great place to Scuba dive for professionals and non-swimmers alike.
There are over 20 scuba operators in Havelock which offer a Discover Scuba Diving package for beginners and non-swimmers (you need to be PADI certified for most other dives). The first slot begins at 6 am; slots being slightly cheaper after 8 am. It’s a 30 min off the beach underwater dive; add another 20 min for the preparation and instructions. Each one is guaranteed an unforgettable experience in a world of corals and fishes (including the sea anemone and nemo!). A complimentary video and picture album of you scuba diving is included. Again, prices remain unchanged irrespective of whether you book directly or via the hotel.
While it is fantastic for the first-time divers, people who have dived elsewhere before (and are still not PADI certified) may skip this; it is beautiful but not as colorful as some of the others we have done, and the fact that you are essentially carried along by the scuba operator (see photo below) and not allowed to swim even if you are a practiced swimmer does not give the complete diving experience.
Nemo and the sea anemone
We then relaxed at the beach and took the 2.30 pm ferry to Neil Island.
Neil is a rustic, more laidback and smaller (around 5 km diameter) island and our absolute favorite part of the trip. After a quick check-in, we were able to watch a stunning sunset from our hotel beach itself (photo below). The official sunset beaches are Laxmanpur and Ramnagar beaches, but given the island’s diameter, you can see it from most beaches facing west.
If you are a night sky enthusiast or photographer, Neil Island is known to have one of the most beautiful night skies in India. We were very fortunate to witness the rise of the Milky way this night. The experience of sitting for hours under twinkling stars and listening to the waves is unmatchable and very rejuvenating.
The stunning Milky Way!
Food: Most prominent hotels (Tango, Holiday Inn, Summer Sands etc) have good restaurants; the food is rather expensive though. The other options are multiple small dhaba type restaurants which appear pretty rundown. We were able to find a really good restaurant called Garden View; it is run by an artist couple who have designed and built their entire place themselves. Food is good and cheap; however do not expect a fancy place. (PS: There are no pure veg restaurants, although Shakahar was planning to open a branch in Neil soon).
Day 5: Natural Bridge, Laxmanpur and Sitapur beaches
We fell in love with Neil today. We woke up early morning to go to Sitapur beach for the sunrise; a surreal experience. Reach there at least 45 min prior to the sunrise time as the dawn starts creeping in early.
Sunrise at Sitapur Beach
The Natural Bridge is an arch made of rocks next to the ocean. This place is accessible only during low tide; so time your trip accordingly. It was by far our favorite experience on Neil. Expect to wet your feet, choose your footwear accordingly. Apart from the bridge, there are extraordinary rock formations along the oceans which may remind you of Pamukkale (Turkey); and a lot of interesting water life including star fish, sea cucumbers, and the touch-me-not flowers growing on corals, amongst others. Getting a guide (they charge around 200-300) is a good idea; they point out everything and explain it really well.
The lovely rock formations at the Natural Bridge
The ‘Natural Bridge’ formation
We then went to Bharatpur beach; this is the ‘Elephant’ beach equivalent in Neil. Snorkeling is however pretty deep and reaching the corals is not that easy. Give the glass-bottom boat ride a miss here. Sunset was at Laxmanpur beach; this place has the best sand- your toes will be pampered by its softness and we wished we stayed here for longer.
Day 6: Neil – Port Blair and Chidiyatapu
It was time to go back to Port Blair by the 8.30 am ferry. We spent the afternoon relaxing in the hotel, and then left for Chidiyatapu at around 3.30 pm. A 30-40 min drive from Port Blair, Chidiyatapu is a beautiful sunset point by a lake. We saw one of our best sunsets from here, and would certainly recommend going there if you have the time. The taxis also take you to the nearby Munda Pahad (Black Mountain) beach; this can be avoided especially if you leave late. For those who love trekking, there is a trail at the beach which takes you the actual Munda Pahad; this has beautiful flora and fauna with a lot of bird sightings but should ideally be done in the early morning for maximum bird views.
Sunset at Chidiyatapu
Day 7: Jolly Buoy Island
If we had to choose one place in Andaman to go again – it will be Jolly Buoy Island. It boasts of one of the richest coral and marine life destinations for snorkeling. This is open for public only 6 months every year to preserve the marine life (Red Skin Island nearby is open for the other 6 months). Both are located in the Mahatma Gandhi National Park, and have to be accessed by ferry from the Wandoor jetty (about 30 km from Port Blair). The island is a plastic free zone, with the officials checking and removing all plastic bags prior to entry into the ferry. You will be provided with rented plastic water bottles to carry drinking water and cloth bags to carry any additional items at the jetty at minimal rates. Unlike Elephant Beach, Jolly Buoy does not have food and water stalls; so carry these along with you. The ferries depart in the morning around 8.30 am onwards, and return back after about 3 hours on the island.
The marine life along the beach is pristine and untouched. However, there are limitations that you must know about. There are only two activities at the beach: glass bottom boat and snorkeling. The glass bottom boat ride cost us Rs.1000 each for an hour long guided tour- totally worth it, particularly for people doing this for the first time and for elderly people who would not be able to swim much. Snorkeling unfortunately is restrictive and was a big let down for us. One cannot snorkel on his own, even if you get your own snorkels; this is ostensibly to protect the corals. The only way to snorkel is to again shell out another grand, and then be guided along the waters for a 15-20 min experience. This is a perfect experience for people who are not comfortable doing deep sea snorkeling otherwise. We spent the rest of the time relaxing on the beach and playing with our little one in the shallow waters.
The Jolly Buoy beach
Fishes seen from the glass bottom boat
If we compare Elephant Beach, the scuba dive, and Jolly Buoy, there is no doubt that the Jolly Buoy is more beautiful by far. However, Elephant Beach does let you snorkel on your own, besides enjoying other water sports (if you are interested). If you are someone who is not confident of snorkeling on your own, we would suggest that you skip Elephant Beach and scuba diving and just go to Jolly Buoy; it would give you a better experience than the other two combined.
Day 8: We flew back to Mumbai in a super tanned skin- a reminder of the beautiful week in the sea, sand and sun!
Other options for things-to-do in Andaman:
Depending on your preferences and time available, other interesting things to do in Andaman (besides spending more time in Havelock or Neil) include:
- Ross Island and North Bay Island: These together are a common day trip from Port Blair. Ross Island was the British capital of Andaman, although it is now more dilapidated. North Bay Island is the one with a lighthouse which is featured on the Indian 20 rupee note; it has a lovely beach with opportunity to snorkel etc.
- Mount Harriett National Park: This provides some lovely views and treks, besides of course great flora and fauna.
- Baratang island: A common day trip, this requires departing early morning (around 3-4 am) to reach the Baratang island near mid Andaman. The journey takes you across the Jarawa Tribal Reserve, the habitat of the Jarawa tribes (natives of Andaman), which has to happen along with a government convoy (hence the need to leave early); you may even glimpse a few natives (although direct contact is prohibited). The trip takes you to Baratang Jetty, from where you travel in a boat across mangroves to reach Baratang Island. You can then trek to the Limestone Caves, which have stalactite and stalagmite formations, and also the mud volcano (google it) which is only sporadically active. An extra option is to also go to the Parrot Island, where literally tens of thousands of parrots come together in the evening. It is a surreal sight with all the chirping and the sky dotted by these birds, but can only be enjoyed from a distance from the boat. You cannot actually go to the island. To do this, you may have to plan a night closer to Baratang.
- Diglipur: Located in North Andaman (an 8-hour drive), this offers relatively untouched beaches and the famous Ross and Smith ‘twin’ islands, amongst other attractions. While it is a long travel, it is an attractive off-the-beat option, particularly for the repeat traveler.
We definitely plan to visit Andaman again to explore these places. And as always, we would love to hear from you about your experience.
Edit on 4th March, 2021: Our close family visited Andaman recently; we are adding three more important points as suggested by them
- Do not miss the moonrise at Sitapur beach; it is a sight to behold!
- Deep sea scuba diving (called boat scuba diving) is now allowed at a certain spot for those not PADI certified as well; definitely prefer it over the beach scuba experience. It is a class apart. Also, the prices are no longer fixed rate and can be haggled!
- Carry cash everywhere; due to the poor cellular network, using credit card or PayTm/ GooglePay is not usually be feasible.
Travelously yours 
Hello, thanks for sharing your trip. I have a few questions as below, can you pls. suggest
– How did you arrange permit to Jolly Buoy? Can you share the details
– Where did you star gaze in Neil Island? Are the beaches safe or was it from your hotel/resort?
– How long did your trip to Natural Bridge take? We are planning to go there at 9 am and we have ferry back to Portblair at 3 pm. We were also planning to visit Bharatpur beach before taking the ferry. Is this feasible?
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Hi Swathi.
– We arranged our permit through Akbar Ali – contact no 9679511543 (as we mentioned on the blog). He is a local guy and we found him completely reliable, with very reasonable charges. However, any local taxi driver should also be able to arrange it for you.
– We stayed in Holiday Inn and stargazed at the beach attached to the hotel (but no one will stop you from accessing it). You can go to Sitapur beach; it is supposed to be the best one as it is secluded with minimal light pollution. Look at the time of moonrise and Milky Way rise online before reaching (no internet there); you ll be able to see it only when the moon is not up (or of course if its no moon night). We were lucky as this was 10 pm when we went; but it may be at 3 am also! The beaches and indeed the entire island is very safe. We would suggest however that you go there before sunset to know the whereabouts; it will make you more comfortable when you go there at night.
– Natural Bridge will take 1-1.5 hours; tops 2 hours. You’ll be done by 11 am max (check the low tide time though). Bharatpur beach is next to the ferry; you should be able to visit it as well. We did not do the glass bottom boat there; so didn’t spend more than an hour.
Hope this helps.
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Want inputs about andaman trip
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Happy to help. Do let us know what questions you have beyond what is covered in the blog.
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Hey.. thank you so much for the wonderful post on Andaman. I am eager to visit the place. Need your suggestion if it’s good to go Andaman during may first 2 weeks. Thanks
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Thank you so much for your kind comment. Do check the weather; it may be quite warm.
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Hi Swathi,
This is a very useful itinerary
But one question i have , how did u go to chidiya tapu? What is the means of transport to reach there ?
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You book a taxi or auto to take your there, from your hotel in Port Blair.
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Hi. Could you please help me with information about how to reach Radhanagar beach, Elephant beach and Vijayanagar beach from Havelock? Do we have to avail ferries for any of these places? Likewise, what is the mode of conveyance for reaching Bharatpur beach and Laxmanpur beach in Neil Island?
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All beaches are a short drive away from the respective jetties at Havelock and Neil (apart from Elephant beach). You will be able to easily hire rickshaws or cabs or rent a two-wheeler to go to these beaches at reasonable rates. Do not worry about this at all.
Elephant beach can be reached either by trekking or via a boat ride. The boat ride was priced at Rs 950 per person at the time of our trip in Feb 2018, and had a free session of guided snorkeling included in it. You can book the boat ride and time slot in advance via your hotel at the same price, although same day booking should also be available on most days. The trek is around 1.8 km long, and anyone in Havelock will be able to show you the way towards it. Here is its google maps link: https://goo.gl/maps/yC1dccN2YcL2
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Could you tell us which are the hotels u book during the trip. That would really help us
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We stayed at Holiday Inn at Neil Island, and at Symphony Palms at Havelock. Both were good places, although we found the latter slightly overpriced. The manager though was promising a lot of improvements, and its been two years past, so hopefully it should be better now. In Port Blair, we just stayed at a relatively inexpensive place rather than a resort.
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hello.. You have provided nice description. You have mentioned 2 things on day 6: Neil to port blair, chidiya tappu and jolly buoy island. did you cover both in 1 day or its typo.
I am planning 5N/6D:
Day 1: Delhi- port blair; cellular jail and corbyn cave beach
Day2: port blair- havelock: radhangar beach
Day 3 elephant beach and kala paththar beach
Day 4 havelock- neil island
Day 5 neil island-port blair and jolly buoy island
Day 6: Port blair- delhi
(I have read that jolly buoy beach visit timings are 10am to 2pm; Pl confirm is that so? In that case, I have to reach port blair on day 4 itself. So, what will be better:
Day2: port blair- havelock: radhangar beach
Day 3 elephant beach and kala paththar beach
Day 4 havelock- port blair
OR
Day2: port blair- havelock: radhangar beach & kala paththar beach
Day 3 elephant beach; havelock- neil
Day 4 Neil- Port blair
Other suggested itineraries are also welcome. Though I wanted to visit baratang, but after reading the reviews, I have decided to miss it. Pl note I am planning trip with wife, 1 kid and my parents. Pls guide accordingly.
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Thanks for catching the typo; we have corrected it! We traveled to Port Blair from Neil on Day 6 and enjoyed the sunset at Chidiyatapu, and then went to Jolly Buoy on day 7, as you rightly guessed. The Jolly Buoy ferries started at around 8.30 am, with the last one departing at around 10.30 am when we were there in Feb. The boats leave you on the island for around 3 hours and then take you back in similar shifts. So you will have to catch an evening ferry from Neil to Port Blair to be able to go to Jolly Buoy the next morning. We would suggest dropping one island so that you can have a relaxing time; otherwise it will get too hectic with you parents and baby along.
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Hi, Thanks for all the details. I am thinking of taking the trip in December. 5 nights in Port Blair, 2 nights in Havelock and 2 nights in Neil island. I am thinking of staying in Harriett View in Port Blair, Barefoot in Havelock and 1 night in Emerald Geico and one night in Pearl Park Beach Resort. I will have my parents and my 6 years old so 4 people. Do you think it will be too much to stay in 2 separate hotel in Neil Island? As you always mentioned that very easy to get around in the island with taxi, ricsaw… We will do submarine and glass bottom boat tour. Not interested in any other water activities. What do you suggest ?
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Hi Piu. December should be great for Andaman; glad you are planning so early as it would be peak season! The entire Neil Island is around 10 km in circumference. It would be quite tedious to move from one room to another for a day; we would suggest staying put in one place and hiring a vehicle to travel. Also, if you are going to do the glass bottom boat at Jolly Buoy, we would suggest avoiding the one at Neil; its not going to be anywhere close to what you see at Jolly Buoy.
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Do you have any recommendation for hotel in Port Blair?
12/04/2018 Tuesday 1 kolkata to portblair Visit cellular Jail & then Light & sound show
from 5:30pm
12/05/2018 Wednesday 2 Havelock Island Neil’s cove, Sunset at Radha nagar
Beach, kala pathar beach, elephant beach, vijay Nagar Beach,
Neil’s cove, govinda nagar Beach
12/06/2018 Thursday 3 Havelock Island Volcanic Ash Beds, Havelock Is, The best
exposure of Neogene Ash Beds. It’s a Geotourism site in Andaman
Islands
12/07/2018 Friday 4 Neil Island bharat pur beach and natural beach only accesible
on low tide, ram nagar beach/ sunset beach near Holiday Inn
12/08/2018 Saturday 5 Neil Island Sunset at lakhsman pur beach, Sunrise for Sitapur
beach
12/09/2018 Sunday 6 Port blair Chidiyatapu for sunset and Munda Pahad (Black
Mountain) beach
12/10/2018 Monday 7 Port blair jolly boy/red skin island, glass bottom boat tour
12/11/2018 Tuesday 9 Port blair Ross Island and North Bay Island, lighthouse in Indian
note, Mt harriet NP
12/12/2018 Wednesday 10 Port blair baratang Island, lime stone cave, parrot Island, Mud
Volcano
12/13/2018 Thursday 11 back tot Kolkata
Do you think it is doable?
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1. We had stayed at Blue Sea hotel as it had a good veg restaurant attached and was conveniently located. It was an OK place as far as staying is concerned, with no wifi; so you may think of staying somewhere else. Afraid we cannot recommend a specific hotel, but you would find a lot of good places to stay in Port Blair depending upon your price range. Per se, you wont be around to enjoy the hotel in Port Blair (unlike the islands, where you will spend considerable time at the hotel), so my suggestion is to select something reasonable rather than extravagant and spend more on the hotels on the islands.
2. The program looks great. A couple of things though. Going to Elephant Beach on the day you reach Havelock might be difficult; usually the last boat would be leaving around 11-11.30 am. Secondly, we do not know of the volcanic beds at Havelcok. Are you planning to go to Barren Island region, or are these at Havelock itself? Thirdly, if you do go to Parrot island on Day 10, be prepared to reach back late to Port Blair. We are excited to see you planning to go there; do share your experience on Parrot Island as also the volcanic beds with us after returning from the trip!
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Dear please guide me in making my short trip in mid of nov. I am planning to visit from delhi and please correct me in my planning.
Day1. 5AM flight from delhi will teacher around 9-10 AM, now please guide me that is it possible to go to heavelock the same day?
If it is possible will look forward to go the same day. After reaching havelock, will check in and visit radha nagar beach and elephant beach.
Day2 and Date3. Havelock and neil island
(Water sports and please guide over starting??) Is it possible to get back to portblair in the evening.
Day4. Portblair and than jolly buoy, carbeyant cove, cellular jail, light show and back to hotel.
Day5. Back to delhi by 11.40 AM Flight
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Assuming your flight lands on time, you should be able to catch an afternoon ferry to Havelock/Neil on Day 1. You can look at the ferry timings here. https://www.havelock.co.in/fairsshedules.html
We would recommend spending time only on one island as you essentially have two days with you on the island. If you wish to go to Jolly Buos as well, we would recommend catching the last ferry back to Port Blair on day 3 (around 3-4 pm) and reach Port Blair by evening. Jolly Buoy will take the entire next morning and early afternoon.
Of course, the ideal thing would be to extend the trip by a few days if possible! Either ways, you will certainly love the place!
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Hello, your travelogue really helpful…
we are planning for 6N/7D trip with below itinerary. I did reached out to the contact provided but I haven’t heard back again will follow up.
Can we take a chance to wait till last minute to book govt ferry, will we be able to get private one at that point
Day 1 reach port Blair and travel to Havelock
Day 2 Elephant Beach stay at Havelock
Day 3 to Neil & stay at Neil
Day 4 back to Port Blair and visit cellular jail & Corbyn cove’s beach
Day 5 Jolly Buoy (I know its open for 6 months but will it be open on Oct 13 if not is Red Skin worth visiting if not will go with below itinerary) and chidiyatapu/mundapahad
Day 6 Baratang
Day 1 port Blair and visit cellular jail & Corbyn cove’s beach
Day 2 travel to Havelock & stay at Havelock
Day 3 Elephant Beach & stay at Havelock
Day 4 to Neil & stay at Neil
Day 5 back to Port Blair and chidiyatapu/mundapahad
Day 6 Baratang
Thank you
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We did see empty seats in the govt ferries at all ports; however the locals will always scare you saying that you will get tickets only at the last moment if there are no locals left (which is true, but as I said, there are usually tickets still left!). I cannot talk about the pvt ferries, as we never used them.
Jolly Buoy vs Red Skin: You should be fine; all guides said that the two islands are equally good.
Baratang: Do let us know your feedback on the road!
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Very educative experience sharing. Does the problem of ticket booking occur from Havelock to Neil and Neil to Port Blair? Please suggest someone who can arrange this.
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We have shared the name and contact no of the person who helped with our ticketing on the blog: Akbar Ali (contact no 9679511543). He is a local guy and was extremely reliable. The ticketing rules and problems are the same for all ports, but usually there are vacancies left even after all locals have booked their tickets.
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Hello Akshay & Trupti, first of all my sincere thanks and gratitude for posting such a lovely, insightful and professional article. REALLY HELPFUL. Even more useful for me than answers I got on TripAdvisor. KUDOS & BIG THANKS to you both! 🙂
Based on all the research and your tips, I have planned the below itinerary. Still have just a few points to clarify with you. Thanks for your feedback!
Context: Travelling for 7N/8D (Dec 29 – Jan 5) with my parents (59 and 64 years old) majorly for Nature / Beaches / Landscapes / Leisure.. Not particularly interested in Museums / History for this particular trip.
1) Given we don’t have pro kits and want best snorkelling experience – is it OK to go for it only at JOLLY BUOY, and give Elephant Beach (Havelock) a skip altogether (like you mentioned). I assume we won’t be missing anything much by not going there?
2) Can we be quite sure that it’s Jolly Buoy that would be open on Friday, Jan 4, and not the Red Skin Island? (We REALLY wish to go to JollyBuoy!!)
3) Besides this day trip to JollyBuoy/Chidiyatapu that we intend to do by hiring a cab for the day, will it be fine to rely on Point to point cabs / autos for other days? (Or you recommend hiring a vehicle for some other day/s as well?)
4) Any tips for what we could do specifically at Port Blair on Sunday, Dec 30 morning, Thursday, Jan 3 evening and Saturday Jan 5 morning ? 🙂
Any other feedback / tips from you highly appreciated. So far I have done our Air tickets, Hotels and PB to HL ferry. Other ferries to be done as soon as they open up. Light-n-sound show tickets booked as well! 🙂
Thanks again, and happy travels for your other trips!
– Ankit
Planned Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival early morning (7 AM) to PB – Rest at Hotel, Reach Cellular Jail by 3 PM. Visit Corbyn’s Cove from 4:30 to 5:30, followed by Light-n-Sound show at 6 PM. Roam around, have dinner, back to hotel
Day 2: Check out by 9, roam around, ferry for Havelock at 12:30 PM. Reach Havelock, check-in at Dolphin Resort (near Govindpur/Kalapathar beach) – Enjoy resort + nearby area 🙂
Day 3: Visit Radhanagar beach by noon. Enjoy leisure time – take a dip – Back to hotel by Evening. Enjoy New Year’s Eve.
Day 4: Check out by 9. Roam around (nearby beaches), take ferry to Neil at 2:30 PM. Check-in, enjoy sunset at a suitable beach. head back to hotel. Try to star-gaze in the night 🙂
Day 5: Do the Neil Exploration – Beaches, natural places et al. Enjoy leisure time.
Day 6: Check out by 9 AM. Leisure time yet again 🙂 Take ferry to Port Blair at 3:45 PM. Check-in at the hotel, enjoy leisurely evening.
Day 7: JOLLY BUOY in the morning – Do snorkelling + Glass-Boat Ride, enjoy until afternoon. Head back to Hotel via CHIDIYATAPU (for sunset) – have dinner and sleep 🙂
Day 8: Check out by 9. Leisure hours one final time 😉 Flight at 3:15 PM
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Thanks for your kind and encouraging comments Ankit! Feedback like this really enthuses us to write more blogs.
1) Given we don’t have pro kits and want best snorkelling experience – is it OK to go for it only at JOLLY BUOY, and give Elephant Beach (Havelock) a skip altogether (like you mentioned). I assume we won’t be missing anything much by not going there?
Its completely OK to do so. Give Elephant beach a skip.
2) Can we be quite sure that it’s Jolly Buoy that would be open on Friday, Jan 4, and not the Red Skin Island? (We REALLY wish to go to JollyBuoy!!)
It should be open; its open for 6 months and was open last Feb when we went! You can always call them and ask, but we woundl’t worry about this (anyway nothing you can do about it in either case).
3) Besides this day trip to JollyBuoy/Chidiyatapu that we intend to do by hiring a cab for the day, will it be fine to rely on Point to point cabs / autos for other days? (Or you recommend hiring a vehicle for some other day/s as well?)
Point cabs/autos are fine. We ended up renting two wheelers on the island, but you will get cabs or autos to most places easily.
4) Any tips for what we could do specifically at Port Blair on Sunday, Dec 30 morning, Thursday, Jan 3 evening and Saturday Jan 5 morning ?
Afraid there is not much left to do in Port Blair if you do not want to go to the city museums (there are a few there). You could try going to the Mount Harriett National Park; it has the highest point in this region. You can read more on this tripadvisor link: https://www.tripadvisor.in/Attraction_Review-g297584-d2369429-Reviews-Mount_Harriet_National_Park-Port_Blair_South_Andaman_Island_Andaman_and_Nicobar_I.html
Do let us know what you end up doing!
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Thanks so much for your quick feedback. Much appreciated! And I will surely come back (in Jan) on the experience after completing the trip! (By the way, I am not completely averse to the idea of museums – so will consider that too alongwith Mt Harriett National Park).
Couple of final follow-up questions if you don’t mind 🙂
1) Is it recommended to book Snorkelling package to Jolly Buoy – or no issues in terms of getting these activities the same day there? (Given the very high / peak season)
2) We all are very enthusiastic about going into the sea for a dip / enjoyment for good amount of time. Tricky/Subjective Question: How would you rank in order the top beaches at Havelock/Neil/PB in terms of this aspect (Bathing and swimmer friendly in terms of clean water / safety / ease..) I just know about Radhanagar beach with certainty! 🙂
Thanks a ton.
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1. We had booked the Jolly Buoy package via an agent a day in advance; it helped avoid the line but we did see people buying on the spot. We would recommend booking in advance simply so that you know your time slot (otherwise you may have to wait for a later ferry as the earlier ones are booked).
2. We loved all beaches yaar! Every beach is clean and safe. Kala Pathar Beach was really beautiful; although perhaps not really a bathing beach. Laxmanpur beach was our favorite in Neil.
Enjoy your trip! Await to hear about your experience! Its great that you have planned so much in advance; you’ll certainly have a great time.
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Appreciate your kind wishes – and yes, Want to make this trip as special as possible for my parents – our first trip to the “Pristine Andaman” (as you put it ver well)!
Will surely get back with comments here after our trip 🙂
PS: I am sure you guys have travelled all over, but in case you plan something to Europe (I only see the 2016 Spain blog under your archives), I could be of some help. (Sample trips I’ve undertaken – 5-day Iceland, 5-day Belgium, Rhine Valley Germany, Normandy – St Malo, Mt St Michel, Etretat, Bordeaux/nearby..)
Not sure if you are able to see my email id – In anycase do give me a shout-out if you need any pointers – It will be a pleasure to assist 🙂
Cheers to travels !
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Afraid we can’t see your email. Any tips for a week long vacation to Holland in November? Feel free to respond directly here. Else you can connect with us on ‘Contact us’ option as well!
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No problems – I have sent you a message (with my initial ideas) through the contact form – along with my email id. Feel free to write back 🙂
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Hi Akshay and Tirupati,
At the onset, Thank you very much for such a nicely written blog. It really increased my confidence to plan my upcoming trip to Andaman during February 1st week. I generally take package tours during my yearly visit to india when we (my parents – in their 60s and my siblings – in their mid twenties) generally take 4-5 day trip. However, Andaman seems a little different in this regard. I didn’t find many tour operators (I generally don’t consider big names) online with good names so i am leaning towards self planned itinerary like i do when i travel with my friends. I was little apprehensive though given that it involves my parents and i want the tour to be perfect without any hassles for them (like the ones i have had in past year when i have booked with operators, guess i have been lucky 🙂 ) but reading your blog has really provided the boost i needed. It also seems there is not much haggling involved here which i really dread.
So, Here is the initial draft of my plan. I was hoping that you would be able to vet it for me or take it apart and propose something better.
1) We arrive in port blair on February, 04th around 2 pm. After taking some rest, we go out for the cellular jail show and enjoy the rest of the evening exploring the city (may be Corbyns’s cove to enjoy for sunset depending on the weather)?
2) Feb 5th – We take early ferry to havelock island (Makruzz) and check in to the hotel (i am considering barefoot resort). Rest and bit and head to radhanagar beach. Take a dip and get some sun. Are there any activities to be done here? i and my bro/sis are looking to do some snorkelling and scuba and probably sea walk for my parents. have lunch in between and then enjoy the sunset. I am also really interested in night kayaking (i have done it in PR – vieques island and it was awesome!) and want to see the bio luminescence magic to the rest of my family.
3) Feb 6th – Another day in havelock. What should we do on this day?
4) Feb 7th – Head to neil island and return to PB on the same day/evening.
5) Feb 8th – we have flight at 3 pm so nothing much can be done.
Btw, My primary concern is transport apart from the ferries. We are family of 5 so will have quite some luggage.
P.S – i am a beach bum and can spend days by the water but i was hoping everyone has their fun.
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Thanks a lot for your kind comments! We are sure you will have a memorable and comfortable trip. As long as your flight, hotel, and cruise bookings are done, everything else can be easily managed from the island without any hassles.
Day 1 sounds good.
Day 2-3: There are lots of activities on Havelock. You can do snorkeling and the sea walk on Elephant beach. There are lots of scuba diving packages as well, including ones by barefoot. If you are PADI certified, you can do quite a few dives at different locations; otherwise you will have to do the beginner’s dive (read our description in the blog).
Day 4: Neil will be slightly rushed, but do go to the Natural Bridge (check the tide timings to know whether this is possible given your short stayover).
We didnt do the biolumiscence tour ourselves at Andaman, but it seems to have got good reviews, and a friend of ours recommended it too; so we added it to the blog. Do let us know how it turns out to be. We did see glimpses of bio luminescence during our night photography right from the Neil island beach, so it should hopefully be good.
Do not worry about local transport; taxis and rickshaws are easily available.
Have a blast!
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Hi Akshay and Tirupati,
What a amazing blog about planning A&N trip.
You are giving lot of confidence to people about planning A&N trip on their own.
And wat a prompt expert reply you are giving to queries.
I want to know few things.
I am planning trip in around 1st May.
1. How to book Night Kayaking with Tanaz.
2. Is Jolly Bouy would open at that time.
3 wat would be leisure itinerary for 5N/6D including Port Blair, Havelock, Neil and Jolly Bouy/ Red Skin island
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Thanks a lot for your kind words Varun!
1. Afraid we did not do the night kayaking ourselves, so we cannot help out with that. The trip advisor link is on the blog and gives their contact no as +91 99332 69653; perhaps you could call them up?
2. Jolly Buoy is open for 6 months (the winter time), and Red Skin is open the other 6 months. So essentially one of them is always open. Again, you could call them and ask for day specific information.
3. For 5N/6D, you could pretty much follow our itinerary. Skip Chidiyatapu and perhaps adjust the ferry such that you can shorten the time spent in Port Blair. Another option is to do the Scuba Dive course (PADI/SSI certification with Barefoot Divers, if you are interested in that.
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Dear Akshay and Trupti
Thanks for this very informative article. This is very helpful and have made very minor changes to your schedule. Please advise if this can be action-ed.
Day 1 :
Land at Port Blair
Carbyn’s Cove Beach
Cellular Jail (need to enter by 4pm)- Light and Sound Show
Marine Park
Dinner
Day 2 :
Early morning Govt. Ferry to Havelock Island
Radhanagar Beach
Night Kayaking in Havelock
Day 3 :
Early morning Trek to Elephant beach (or can hire a boat)
Try Snorkelling & Scuba Diving
Kala Pathar Beach for Sunset
Day 4 :
Morning Ferry to Neil Island
Lunch
Lakshmanpur Beach
Sitapur Beach
Day 5 :
Natural Bridge Formation
Bharatpur Beach
Ferry to Port Blair
Chidiyatapu
Day 6 :
Ross Island – was a British Capital with dilapidated buildings
North Bay Island – scenery of 20rs note
Day 7 :
Baratang Island – Journey through the Jarawa Tribal Reserve
Mangrove Safari
Limestone Cave
Mud Valcano
Day 8 :
Jolly Buoy / Red Skin Island (Glass Bottom Boat ride & Snorkelling)
Day 9 :
Depart to Chennai
Also please advise on the estimated cost you incurred, so it can be helpful and i can budget it accordingly.
Looking forward to your revert.
Regards
Aishwarya
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Your itinerary looks great and feasible! The only thing we would comment is on Day 5; just ensure that you go to Natural Bridge during low tide. Whether you will be able to go to Chidiyatapu will depend on your ferry back to Port Blair. Assume you will have to leave for it by around 4ish at the latest.
The cost actually depends upon you choice of hotels and transport; the ferry rates vary from govt to pvt, and hotels of all different prices are available. Apart from the stay and travel, everything else is very cheap and you don’t have to budget much for that.
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Dear Akshay and Trupti,
Apologies for the delayed response. The response email notification did not work out here.
Thank you for your suggestion. I am planning to skip Night Kayaking and Chidiyatapu. Night Kayaking doesnt seem to be feasible around the time i go and there arent good reviews about them.
And i have planned the trip for July, so fingers crossed on the Climate.
Once again thank you for your inputs and i have completely planned my vacation on your itinerary. Looking forward to enjoy it.
Thanks
Aishwarya
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Thank you so much Akshay and Trupti for this immensely informative & interesting blog which is complete in all respects for Andaman trip. I have also taken many inputs from this blog & completed my Andaman trip from 8 to 14 Feb.2020. Used the services of Akbar Ali also & travelled by Govt ferry only from Port Blair to Havlock, Havlock to Neil & Neil to Port Blair.
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Thank you so much for your heartening feedback! It is always nice to know that the blog is actually useful to the readers. Akbar and the the govt ferries save quite a chunk of money as well, so glad you used his services.
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Hey Akshay and Trupti .. It’s a very well written Blog! Quite informative.
I was planning my trip to Andaman and stumbled across this one. It’s definitely one of most descriptive ones I’ve read so far.
I am planning for a short trip to Andaman next month with my friends. Although, the tickets are done, we are yet to finalize out itinerary as we have really less time and want to cover as much as we can with out taking any agent’s help. So far this is the plan that we’ve made.
April 8 – Reach PB by 2PM and explore Cellular jail, Corbyn’s Cove that day.
April 9 – We will go to Ross Island in morning and then take the afternoon ferry to Havelock. Spend the remaining time exploring RadhaNagar and Kalapatthar beach.
April 10 – Go for morning scuba diving and then other water sports at Elephant Beach. Afternoon transfer to Neil. Spend time at Laxmanpur Beach and Sitapur Beach.
April 11 – Bharatpur Beach, Natural Bride formation and any other beachs in Neil. Then afternoon ferry to PB. Explore the local markets/museums in PB
April 12 – Flight back from PB.
Can you let us know if following this itinerary is possible or will it be too hectic. Any suggestions/advice is most welcome.
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Hi Pooja,
Thanks for your kind words. We feel the itinerary will be a bit hectic to be frank. One suggestion is to go directly to Havelock after landing. That way you’ll have the full 9th April to enjoy the beautiful beaches and scuba. You could go to Cellular jail after you reach PB on Apr 11. We would suggest that you skip Ross Island given your tight schedule.
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Hi
Please share tour spots around port blair havelock and neil island
We’ve booked flights and hotels.
Ferry is booked from https://ferrybooking.in for
Port Blair to Havelock (21st Oct)
Havelock to Neil (23rd Oct)
Neil to Port Blair (25th Oct)
Is rickshaw available from airport to ferry terminal?
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Rickshaws are easily available and quite inexpensive. You can also rent a two-wheeler for the entire day for a reasonable amount. We have listed the various tour spots on the blog itself. Do go through them! Happy to respond to any specific queires.
Enjoy your trip!
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