One of the things that most people don't know about Andaman and Nicobar Islands is that it is a trekker's paradise. While the beaches in Andaman are famous among the travelling community, very few people come here to trek. One of the easiest and most accessible treks in Andaman Islands is the trek to Munda Pahad from Chidiya Tapu.
Chidiya Tapu is around 30 km from Port Blair and a cab ride will take you around an hour to reach here. The beach is usually open from 10 am to 5 pm and visitors are warned not to swim here as alligators have often been spotted there.
It’s an easy trek and for anyone who’s never trekked before, it’s an amazing way to get acquainted to the world of trekking. It’s best to start the trek by early afternoon and the the latest by 3 pm. This is because the beach closes at 5 pm and you need to be back by then. It will take approximately 45 mins (at max) to reach the top, depending upon your speed. Time your trek in such a way so that you can also reach back in time for the sunset.
The trail is very well defined and there’s no need for a guide. It is easy to follow without any turns and bifurcations.
The trail throughout provides you with mesmerizing views of the azure sea on either side – something that you would surely miss if you just stick around in the beach.
While the trail is so beautiful, the final point of the trek will surely take your breath away. After a little more than half an hour of trekking, we found ourselves near the south most end of the island. We could see the vast sea in front of us which seemed to merge into one from the three sides. The sea stretches off to infinity as you can’t see anything apart from the water for miles on either side.
The rocks are actually barricaded but you can still cross them. However, no one is allowed to walk to the last big rock because of some previous unfortunate incidents. You can also see a cave down below.
The trek to Munda Pahad is surely one of the best things to do in Port Blair. In all honesty, it’s something that you should not miss.
After taking in the mesmerizing views, we made our way back to the beach to witness the sunset. Chidiya Tapu is famously known as the sunset point in Port Blair. However, visitors to this place will tell you otherwise. The sunset in all honesty is quite disappointing. But at least I got some wonderful shots of the sun setting and disappearing behind the mountains. (The photos are good enough to fool anyone).
However, disappointment soon turned into relief and amazement as within half an hour after the sun set, the sky had turned into beautiful shades of red and yellow with the moon appearing in the sky. So I guess our waiting around for the sunset did pay off. It looked really pretty.
Overall, I was left amazed and mind blown by the trek to Munda Pahad. I can’t recommend this trek enough. Not only does it not take much of your time and efforts, it’s also simply breath taking. One of the best things about this trek is that not many people know about it. So you’ll rarely find anyone on the trek. It’s a place you can call your own in the very busy and crowded island of Port Blair.
If you liked this post, you can read more about my adventures in my blog.