Andaman and Nicobar Islands

Andaman and Nicobar Islands

Port Blair is the capital of Andaman and Nicorbar Islands and airport that connects Kolkata and Chennai. To start with, Andaman and Nicobar has many Islands and Andaman can be divided into North, South and Middle and has many cities and villages that are connected by roads and ferry. Andaman Islands are a place of great adventure and energy. One has to plan the trip accordingly and to note carefully the group of islands can never be finished in a seven day trip. It would need more than that so plan a trip only after a proper research.

Port Blair being the capital is connected to all these cities and villages and has some lovely beaches like Colvin. Port Blair itself has the Peerless Portico Sarovar, Fortune Bay Hotel, Sea Shell and Shompen (named after a famous tribe of Andaman and Nicobar), to name a few.

The main islands for a traveler’s itinerary are the Havelock, Neil, Mayabunder, Ross, Smith, Jolly Boy, Ross and Viper. The Ross and Viper Island are reachable through a ferry. Ross consists of the remnants of the British Settlement and now an Indian Naval Base. It has some lovely remnants of a british bakery, church, water distillation plant, swimming pool, cemetery, clubs etc. It is said that during Tsunami, the island acted as a wall for Port Blair and faced the onslaught of the giant waves.

Viper Island, it has remnants of a jail where the Indians and others were kept in isolation during the pre- independence period by the British. The city of Port Blair has a fisheries and anthropology museum and has some lovely artifacts. Another island is called Chatham which is very near to Port Blair and connects itself through a bridge built by the British. It has now been renovated by the Government of Port Blair. The Chatham Island has an ancient saw mill which is in running condition and has a small museum consisting of wooden artifacts out of the wood from the giant Paduk trees (of the size of 35 to 40 meters), considered to be a high priced wood carved out of the Paduk trees from the deep deciduous forests of the Andaman and Nicobar jungles. These woods are exported to various countries abroad, specifically Burma. There is giant pith inside the compound of the Chatham Saw Mill that was caused by the British bombs on the Japanese occupation of Andaman and Nicobar.

Port Blair has some lovely pearls, coral, shells and artifacts carved out of the wood from Paduk trees and can be carried as a souvenir for the trip. One of the interesting areas around Port Blair is the Jarawa tribal Reserve Forest, especially if one is looking out for serious adventure. The forest is located at Baratung and one has to wake up at three am to reach there on time. On time is the important quotient of the trip, reason being, the convoy of cars and buses opens at six am sharp for entry in the forest and closes at around 4pm. The forest strictly bars photography and videos of jarawa tribes in the forest and any such act invites imprisonment of seven years and a fine. One can see lovely trees, one being the Paduk that is visible to the naked eyes as enormous height of towering amongst the others. Baratung has a jetty and one has to travel in a cargo ferry to reach the other bank. The other bank consists of speed boats that take people to the Stalagmite caverns inside the forests, mangrove trees and a mud volcano. One can also visit the Jarawa village and Mayabunder city that has turtle breeding reserve, pearl culture and Avis Island.

Port Blair is well connected to Havelock Island and can be commuted through cruises both private and government. Havelock Island consists of there beaches Radhanagar beach, Kala Pathar beach and Elephant beach. Havelock Island has the famous Bare foot resort and other cottages where one can unwind and relax. Scooters and cycle is available to commute in and around the island. Foreigners always make it a point to visit this island.

The famous Neil Island is close to Havelock and can be reached by a speed boat. Jolly Buoy island is also nearby and commutation is available.  Jolly Buoy is famous for its various coloured coral reefs.

Port Blair has varied places to visit and a seven days  is not enough to visit. The must visit for Port Blair is the Cellular Jail Museum and its light and sound show that narrates the story of its close to six hundred inmates consisting mostly of the Bengali patriots that fought for the independence of India. The cellular jail was also visited by Shri Subhash Chandra Bose during Japanese occupation of these islands and hosted the country’s national flag.

So visit Andaman Islands for its lovely beaches and history. Nicobar islands are also famous for its various tribals but however they are strictly protected by the government and avoid any public interference. The government offices are there in Nicobar Islands and only the government officials are allowed to enter the same. One must enjoy the great seafood and the beaches. One may choose the crab and lobster for your curries in most local restaurants.

A word of caution, Andaman and Nicobar Islands are surrounded by sea and one must be careful to swim in the beaches. Many saltwater crocodiles surround the mangrove trees and the beaches specially the Radhanagar Beach in Havelock. The mangrove trees are the breeding place of sea animals like crab, lobster, crocodiles. The beaches though have some boards indicating presence of such predators and one must be careful in observing adequate precautions regarding the aforesaid.