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Andaman and Nicobar

Vinayaraj · Ruins of British colonial building overgrown with roots, Ross Island, Andaman · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)

Region · India

Andaman and Nicobar

Three islands most travellers see, a ferry timetable that decides the order, and a sea that is the whole point.

Best seasonNov – Apr
Ideal length5 – 7 nights
Main gatewayPort Blair (IXZ), by air only
Getting aboutInter-island ferry
PermitsNone for Indian travellers; foreign nationals register on arrival
SuitsBeaches · diving · slow travel
Overview

Why the Andamans

A chain of more than five hundred islands in the Bay of Bengal, nearer to Myanmar than to the Indian mainland, of which travellers realistically see three. What they come for is the sea — white sand, reef within swimming distance of the shore, and some of the best diving in South Asia — and what shapes every itinerary is the ferry between the islands rather than the distance on the map.

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Islands & Places

Where to go in Andaman and Nicobar

Port Blair to arrive, Havelock for the beaches and diving, Neil for the quiet. Ferries decide the order.

Havelock Island
Havelock Island
Neil Island
Neil Island
Port Blair
Port Blair
Highlights

What the Andamans are for

A sea worth crossing the country for, and a colonial prison that explains why anyone came here at all.

RadhanagarThe long white beach on Havelock that most photographs of the Andamans show, backed by jungle and shelving gently into the sea.
Diving and snorkellingReef close inshore off Havelock and Neil, with dive schools at Havelock. Visibility is a seasonal and daily condition rather than a guarantee.
The Cellular JailThe radial colonial prison at Port Blair, built to hold political prisoners at the far end of the empire and now a national memorial.
Ross IslandThe administrative headquarters of the settlement until an earthquake and a war ended it, and now strangler-fig roots growing straight through the ruins.
The quiet islandNeil is small enough to cycle, has three named beaches and very little else, and is the reason people extend a trip rather than shorten it.
When to go

When to visit the Andamans

A tropical maritime climate with one long dry window and one long wet one, and the sea state matters more than the temperature.

Nov – FebThe main season. Driest, calmest sea, most reliable ferries and the busiest weeks around Christmas and the new year. Book accommodation and ferries well ahead.
Mar – AprStill dry and increasingly hot and humid. Quieter than the peak, and usually the last dependable window for the crossing.
May – SepThe south-west monsoon. Heavy rain, rough sea and ferry cancellations that no operator can plan around. Green, cheap and unreliable.
OctThe shoulder as the rain eases. Improving, but the sea takes longer to settle than the sky does.
Getting around

One pass, the whole region

There is no rail and no road from the mainland. You fly in and you take a boat between the islands.

Getting there

  • Port Blair (IXZ) is the only airport, with flights from Chennai, Kolkata, Delhi and Bengaluru. It is the arrival point for every trip.
  • Passenger ships from Chennai, Kolkata and Visakhapatnam exist and take several days. They are a journey rather than a transfer and are not how a package trip arrives.
  • Indian nationals need no permit. Foreign nationals are registered on arrival, and parts of the territory — the tribal reserves and the Nicobar group — are closed to visitors entirely.

Between the islands

  • The inter-island ferry is the whole logistics problem. Private fast catamarans and government ferries both run Port Blair – Havelock – Neil, and sailings, fares and booking windows vary by operator and season.
  • Book the ferry before the hotels. Sailings sell out in the dry season and a missed crossing costs a night, not an hour. Every itinerary on this site is built around the ferry rather than around the beaches.
  • Rough weather cancels crossings, and the monsoon cancels them often. An Andaman trip should never be planned tight against an onward flight.

On the islands

  • Port Blair has taxis and autos. On Havelock and Neil the usual arrangement is a scooter, a bicycle or an auto; distances are short and the roads are few.
  • Mobile coverage and card acceptance both thin out beyond Port Blair. Carry cash for the smaller islands.
Suggested itinerary

How long the islands need

Nights 1–2

Port Blair

The Cellular Jail and its evening sound-and-light show, Ross Island and North Bay by boat, and the museums. One night works; two is unhurried.

Nights 3–4

Havelock

Radhanagar for the beach, Elephant Beach for snorkelling, and a dive day if you are certified or want to be. This is where most of the nights should go.

Night 5

Neil

Small, flat and cyclable, with Bharatpur, Laxmanpur and the natural rock bridge. One night is the minimum and two is better.

Last night

Back to Port Blair

Return to the gateway the day before flying. Doing it on the morning of the flight is how travellers miss aircraft when a ferry is cancelled.

FAQ

Common questions

Five to seven. A four-night trip covers Port Blair, Havelock and Neil but spends a great deal of it on boats; six or seven allows two nights on Havelock and two on Neil without any day being a transfer day. Anything shorter than four nights is not worth the flight, because the islands are a long way from anywhere on the mainland and the ferry consumes half a day each time you move.
Indian citizens need no permit for the islands normally visited. Foreign nationals are registered on arrival at Port Blair rather than applying in advance for the main tourist islands. What is genuinely closed is closed absolutely: the tribal reserves, including North Sentinel, and the Nicobar group are not open to visitors on any basis, and no operator can arrange access to them.
November to April, and within that November to February is the most reliable. The distinction that matters is not rain but sea state: the south-west monsoon from May to September brings rough water and ferry cancellations that no itinerary can absorb, and the sea takes longer to settle in October than the sky does. Christmas and the new year are the busiest fortnight of the year and need booking months ahead.
By ferry, and it is the single thing that shapes an Andaman itinerary. Private fast catamarans and government ferries both run the Port Blair – Havelock – Neil route, and their sailings, fares and booking windows vary by operator and season. Book the crossings before the hotels: services sell out in the dry months, a missed sailing costs a night rather than an hour, and rough weather cancels them outright.
Havelock, for most travellers. It has Radhanagar — the beach the islands are known for — the dive schools, the widest choice of accommodation and the reef at Elephant Beach. Neil is smaller, flatter and quieter and rewards a second night rather than a first. Port Blair is the gateway and the history, and one night at each end of the trip is usually the right amount.
Plan

Plan your Andaman journey

Tell us how many nights you have and we will build the ferry crossings first and the beaches around them.

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