Happiness comes in Waves-Best of Andamans

- Mayank

Now that we have started controlling the covid pandemic to some extent, travelers might be eager to tour domestic destinations. Andamans have been one of my favorite holiday destinations. In this article, I have tried to give travel tips and suggested the itinerary at the end. Wherever I have mentioned places to visit, I have ensured to mention them in my order of preference.

Cutting the long story, short:

The Andaman Islands is an archipelago of 572 islands out of which only 38 are inhabited. This is a wonderful place for those who:
1. Love beautiful beaches
2. Want to indulge in water sport activities like snorkeling, sea bed walking, scuba diving, etc.
3. Love to know, see and appreciate marine life
4. Appreciate the freedom struggle and sacrifices made by freedom fighters during the British era
There are many islands to visit but generally, a 6-7 day trip is sufficient to visit important islands like Port Blair, Jolly Buoy, Neil, Havelock and Baratang. Other islands which I researched but did not cover due to lack of time were Ross, North Bay, Viper and Diglipur. A 10-11 day trip would be good for those who want to explore most of the places in the archipelago.
The best time to visit, as told by many, is December and January but I have a slightly different take here. During the months of December and January, there will be a lot of rush due to two reasons-firstly, it is the marriage season in India and this is one of the most sought-after destinations for honeymoon couples. Secondly, the working people would like to exhaust their leaves at the end of the year. However, if you visit during February or March, especially during the board exam time in India, you might avoid the rush. If you have kids along with you and you are fond of swimming, the end of March, after the exam season ends might still be a better option than December-January as the water will have a comfortable temperature for your family to dive in at any time of the day.
The places become living and lively if you take a guide, especially in Cellular Jail, Chatham Saw Mill, Natural Bridge (Neil). I would highly recommend taking an authentic guide at any place you get an opportunity because they multiply your pleasant experience of any place at a minimal charge. Most of my knowledge of local places is also gained from these local guides, drivers, hawkers, though I also traveled on cycles to villages to know about their daily lifestyles, problems and their source of enjoyment.
It is advisable to book your itinerary by an agent (or at least get into a hotel and book by the travel desk) because the itinerary would generally require buying tickets of a ferry, taking permits, etc. which the locals can comfortably do. However, if you book it yourself you might get it slightly cheaper (by cutting the margin of a middleman of around 5-10%) but that will require your time and effort, which ideally you would like to spend on exploring places and knowing people. A customized 6-7 days trip may cost around 35,000 INR for a single person including flights, hotels, sight-seeing and activities (in the year 2021)
Must-do activities here are:
1. Exploring the marine life either by Glass Bottom ride/ Snorkeling or the more adventurous ones can try Sea Bed Walking/ Scuba Diving
2. Visiting the Cellular Jail (with a guide) and the Sound and Light show
3. Natural Bridge in Neil Island during low tide

Travel Tips:

Taking the early morning flight would be advisable as you would be able to make more use of the first day.
One inherent thing that comes with this group of islands is that you would have to hop from one island to another and that would require you to start early in the morning and reach the ferry at the reporting time on the days when you do so. At times, I found these travel times between islands to be futile, though you can’t avoid it.
One might have to travel in ferries frequently to hop between islands and these ferries have various categories of tickets. A nice idea would be to take the most expensive ticket on the ferry once, as you approach the end of your tour- The taste of luxury adds the icing on the cake for your family or friends.
You might have to ‘Check-in’ and ‘Check-out’ several times in this journey, hence for this trip, it is specifically advised to carry luggage that is as light as possible. The luggage trolleys do not function properly and there are limited porters available at ports.
Taking a cycle on rent and meeting the locals have always been my favorite activity, try if you can manage to get an insight into their day-to-day activity in this manner by conversing with them.

Adventurous Water activities:

Unlike other beaches in India, these islands are especially known for their water activities and the marine life visible in these islands. This is something which should definitely be tried by anyone visiting the Andamans. The tour operators might sometimes give you a complimentary ride of these water activities but that is just a glimpse to allure you. But I must say that the complete paid ride for each of these is worth the time and effort you and your family have invested for the trip! Among the water activities, glass-bottom boat rides in Jolly Buoy are ones that will give you a complete idea of marine life without jumping into the water. Among the three –Snorkeling, Sea Bed walk and Scuba Diving, Snorkeling is the one which can be tried by almost anyone without the so-called ‘risk’. Sea Bed Walk and Scuba Diving should be tried with experts but here again, knowing how to swim is NOT essential. The only thing you need to do is listen to your instructor and follow him like a good student. Sea Bed walk will allow you to walk on the sea bed but while going down you need to equalize pressure in your ear frequently. My favorite among all of these was Scuba Diving as it was a more engaging and enriching experience. Most of these activities should be done in clear waters which are available during the early morning and during high tides. For the first-timers, there are bound to be butterflies in the stomach before you start any of these activities but the thrill is worth the risk. Let me know if you want an elaboration on these experiences and I would be happy to help you.

Food and Lifestyle:

You will comfortably find food of your choice if you are from Eastern India and specifically if you are a non-vegetarian. Though the Vegetarian and Continental options were slightly limited, I still found it to suit my palate. The only drawback that I found for people traveling from cities is that shops, restaurants, theaters close by 9:30 pm and you have nothing much to do after evening. The data and voice connection is also very poor. So for those who believe in – “HOME is where the heart is, but today, the PHONE is where the Heart is!!!” – by Rachitha Cabral, will have a difficult time. Alternately, it can be looked at as Remedy Center for those who are attached to the mobile for most of the time during their day.You can get enough time in the evening for yourself/ your partner or try things like renting a two-wheeler. I took a cycle on hire in Havelock island, went to a village which was close-by and spoke to local people. Most of the local people earn their livelihood by working in the tourist industry or by engaging themselves in farming. In my conversations with them, I discussed the things they do in their leisure time, hardships they face, the after-effects of the Tsunami of 2004 but this article may not be the appropriate place to elaborate on those enriching conversations.

Suggested itinerary:

• You would have to keep at least the first night and the last night in Port Blair as the main airport is in Port Blair. Utilize these days in the local sight-seeing of Port Blair.
• The Cellular Jail is the most fascinating and unique place in Port Blair. Taking a guide and watching the Light and Sound show is a must if you want to hear the stories behind those closed walls. The pain, sacrifices and the torture faced by our freedom fighters might make you truly realize their strong will and stubbornness to gain freedom for our country- it might even fill you with mixed emotions of sorrow, astonishment and pride all at the same time. (At times, I even did not feel like clicking a photograph and felt that this might be a wrong place for a romantic holiday for honeymoon couples)
• The other places worth visiting in Port Blair are Fisheries Museum, Naval Marine Museum, Chatam Saw Mill, Kalapani Museum and Anthropological Museum. To understand marine life, identifying their names and unique characteristics, one must visit the Fisheries Museum before going for activities like snorkeling, sea bed walking or scuba diving. Again Chatham Saw Mill and Kalapani Museum should be visited with a guide who will make the models speak for themselves. I found the collections in Kalapani Museum exhaustive (it is relatively new), but found the entry fee to the museum to be higher- Your agent might try to avoid this destination because of this reason. Chidiya Tapu, which was one hour drive from the city of Port Blair, is one place that can be avoided by relaxed travelers as it didn’t have anything exceptional to offer.
• Jolly Buoy is a must-see island because of the abundance of marine life. The boat takes you to this island and returns on the same day. They give just sufficient time to do a glass-bottom ride and snorkeling. Ensure that you don’t carry plastic bags to this island as carrying plastic bags is restricted. The water which you carry should be in non-plastic bottles and these are available on rent near the port. This island and Red Skin island alternately remain open for 6 months and probably this is the reason why the marine life gets enough time to flourish in both these islands.
• Neil island is famous for its clear waters and you can try water sports on Bharatpur beach. I found the Natural Bridge on this island to be the most under-rated but once you explore this place with the help of a guide you might be able to get a closer look at sea cucumbers, sea urchins, live corals, starfish and watch a variety of marine life very closely. Our guide was good enough to share details of marine life and allowed us to explore them comfortably.
• Havelock island is specifically known for Radhanagar beach and the Sun kissing the blue ocean here was breath-taking to watch. I did not appreciate other places in the trip known as ‘Sun-Set’ points because the Sun virtually vanished in the clouds before touching the horizon or maybe I was unlucky that day. Elephant beach can be visited from Havelock island and this is a place which can be taken by small boats and you can spend about 3 hours there. You can enjoy the water sport activities on this beach. Kalapathar beach is another beach that has stones by the shore but this can be avoided by relaxed travelers.
• Baratang island has fascinating Limestone Caves which were discovered after the Tsunami when the water receded. The cave is a unique place in the islands and you get to travel through the forest area and catch ferries to reach this place. The journey to the cave also has a 1.5 km walk through the wilds but a person with average physical fitness should be able to complete it without much discomfort. The journey to Baratang also includes witnessing mud volcanoes but most of them have very few traces of mud coming out from the ground. While passing through forests to reach Baratang, you might be lucky to spot the Jarawas, the original tribal people of Andamans. This complete trip begins at 3:30 am in the morning and even at your fastest speed you cannot come back before 3 pm hence this can be avoided by relaxed travelers. However, the Limestone Caves are a must-see if you are ready to take the pain of traveling.

• There are other islands that I didn’t visit but my secondary research suggested these were not worthy enough to fit in a 6-7 night tour. I heard that Ross and North Bay also had nice beaches to visit. Viper island has ruins of British Jails and certain historic monuments. Saddle Peak, situated near Diglipur in North Andaman is the highest point of the archipelago in the Bay of Bengal but traveling to Diglipur from Port Blair requires approximately one-third of a day.

The last word:

During the trip, there were moments when I was mesmerized by the multiple colors of clear waters, felt sympathetic for our freedom fighters in the Cellular Jail, appreciated the diversified marine life by engaging in adventure rides, got enough time to interact with local people and introspect within myself. Hence, highly recommended for people of all moods and ages.

From the Dummywriter:

I have visited many tourist destinations within India and a few outside India but I must say this one was extraordinary. The experience in this destination encouraged me to tell people about this wonderful place. In case, there is something else you would like to share regarding these Andamans or have any query please let me know in the comments below.

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