Arrival in Port Blair
We embarked on our journey to the enchanting Andaman Islands on a Friday evening in December 2021. After a brief layover in Kolkata, we touched down in the mesmerizing Port Blair early the next morning. Our home for the first leg of our trip was the Andaman Castle, and we wasted no time diving into the local culture.
Checked in and got fresh
Our first full day in Port Blair was filled with exploration. One place that truly stood out was the Lighthouse Cafe - a spot where ambience, chilled beer, and seafood melded into a memorable experience.
Things we explored
- Cellular Jail
- Cobryn's Cove Beach
- Naval Museum
- Anthropology museum
- Light house Cafe (dinner)
Exploring all this takes a good half a day especially the cellular jail
Will recommend Light house Cafe
Best view and chilled beer towards the end of your day
Cruising to Havelock
Sunday morning brought a thrilling adventure as we embarked on a cruise to Havelock Island.
Remember, booking your cruises in advance is crucial. The two-hour journey to Havelock Island was mesmerizing in itself.
Ours was an early morning cruise that left at 7 am and reached by 9.30, this leaving us with most of the day to explore.
Do plan in advance so that there is a sufficient gap between your cruise and landing time or just do what we did - reach 1 day early and explore Port Blair.
In Havelock, the Flamingo Resort became our home.
Things we explored on day 1 in Havelock
1.Radha Nagar beach - It is the cleanest beach that I have ever seen. Also ranked as 7th cleanest beach. The beach is shallow for over a km and more l, this you can go deeper into the water to explore. The sand is white as snow
2.Kala Pathar beach - one end of Havelock lined with black rocks that sit well with the sunset view
3. Venom cafe - spent the evening here
Discovering the Depths
Our morning started with an unforgettable experience: scuba diving with Andaman Divers. The clear morning waters made the adventure even more exhilarating.
We had booked an early morning 5am slot for scuba
Make sure that you do the same as well
Early morning ensures less crown and clearer water
We reached the place at 5, did the formalities
Got into our gear
There is a 30 mins training session where they teach you about signs to be used underwater, how to breathe from the apparatus, how to reduce air pressure in your head
Then you get on a boat and leave for the centre of the creek and dive one by one followed by an instructor.
Descending into the depths of the ocean was life-changing, making our eardrums ring with excitement
We came back by 11 from the dive and ran straight to get food in a local cafe
Post that we were planning to go to Radha Nagar again, but stopped midway at a sign pointing to Elephant Beach towards the middle of the jungle.
It seems there is another beach which is accessible via either a 2 hour trek through forest in mush and mud or via 30 mins boat ride from Jetty
We decided to take the adventurous route and did the trek
Do get a guide, it helps if there is someone who knows the way, since a lot of people seemed to be confused by the random routes.
Remind you the trek is not an easy one. You are knee deep in mud at some places. Sandals and shoes don't help - we had to be barefoot all the way
Slipping and sliding, we reached the Beach which was minddd blowingly beautiful!
We reached the beach by 3ish and did a couple of boat rides and shallow snorkeling each for 300rs
We were the last ones to leave from the beach and the trek back was thrilling and scary at the same time.
With help from phone lights and a little moon light our guide guided us back to the main road by evening
For the evening dinner we went to a beach cafe called Something Different.
Niel Island Exploration
Leaving Havelock behind, we set our course for Niel Island.
We had pre-booked the cruise and did check-in at 9am and were in Niel island by 10.
While most travellers return to Port Blair from Havelock, we highly recommend exploring Niel Island.
It's a small gem with just one road.
We stayed at Tango Beach Resort and, despite limited scooter rentals, managed to see the untouched beauty Laxmanpur Beach 2 on our first day here
The beach is famous for 2 big reasons
- shallow tide pools full of aquatic life
- natural bridge built by erosion over years
Both of the things hold their ground in terms of beauty
We spent the evening at the beach and left back only towards late evening.
Beware that the walk to these points depends on tides, so check local conditions before you plan
Water Adventures in Niel
Next morning we got up early and rode straight to Bharatpur beach.
At Bharatpur Beach, we indulged in various water activities, including deep-sea snorkeling and a glass-bottom boat ride. Bargaining skills came in handy here, as we negotiated for the best deals. People would come down from charging 1000 for a ride to just 300, so negotiate well
Would suggest doing the deep sea snorkeling
This was the highlight of this beach
After this we went to the quaint Sitapur beach towards the other end of Neil
The beach is a sunrise beach and therefore generally secluded towards the afternoon
We were the only tourists in the beach other than some locals
Very clean beach, would recommend.
Return to Port Blair
The day began with a one-hour cruise ride back to Port Blair.
Remember, booking cruises in advance is crucial for a smooth trip.
In Port Blair, we stayed at Ginger Green, a budget-friendly option.
Places we explored
- Cellular Jail light show : totally worth the experience. You can book tickets via the govt website well in advance. Keep 3 hours for this
- Corbyn Cove Beach : we took a stroll on the beach during the afternoon before leaving for the cellular jail show
- Light house Cafe and food trucks : minutes walking distance from Cellular Jail are both light house Cafe and Marina Bay food trucks and can be a good option for dinner
We had our last meal in Andaman there only.
Back to base
We took the early morning 8 am flight back to Kolkata, where we had a good 4 hour halt before the next flight
There was some cyclone which had cancelled our direct flight via Chennai
All in all we reached Mumbai back by evening..
Total Expenses (Per Person):
- Hotel: ₹5,000 per day
- Flights: ₹20,000 (round trip)
- Scuba Diving: ₹6,000
- Cruises: ₹3,000 (estimated)
- Misc : ₹3,000 per day
And so, our Andaman adventure came to an end, leaving us with unforgettable memories of clear waters, sandy beaches, and the rich culture of this island paradise.