Attraction · Neil Island
Bharatpur Beach
The shallow, sheltered beach beside the Neil jetty — warm water that stays waist-deep a long way out, and the easiest swim in the Andamans.
Time needed2 – 3 hours
WhereBeside the Neil jetty
WaterShallow and sheltered
Good forFamilies, easy swimming
Also hereGlass-bottom boats
SeasonNov – Apr
About
Bharatpur
Bharatpur lies immediately beside the jetty on Neil, which makes it the first thing most visitors see and the easiest beach on the island to get to. It is shallow, sheltered and calm — the water stays waist-deep a considerable way out and warms through the day, which makes it the best swimming on Neil for anyone who wants to get in without thinking about it, and much the best beach on the island for children. The sand is white and the reef is close enough that glass-bottom boats run from the beach itself. It is not the beach for a sunset, which is what Laxmanpur on the other side of the island is for. What Bharatpur is for is a long, slow, undemanding swim, and it does that better than anywhere else in the Andamans.
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What to See
What to do
Swim, and possibly get into a boat. That is the extent of it and it is enough.
The water
- Shallow, sheltered and calm, staying waist-deep a long way out and warming through the day.
- The easiest swimming in the Andamans and by a distance the best beach on Neil for children.
- The reef offshore, which is what the boats go out to.
On the water
- Glass-bottom boats run from the beach and are the standard way to see the reef without getting in.
- Snorkelling is possible and is better from a boat than from the sand here.
- Jet skis and similar operate at one end of the beach, which is worth knowing if you want quiet.
Around it
- The jetty itself, immediately alongside, where the ferries come in.
- The village road behind the beach, which is the island’s single main road.
- Bicycles, which are the correct way to get about Neil and are hired everywhere.
Getting There
Getting there
It is at the jetty. You will arrive next to it whether you meant to or not.
On Neil
- Immediately beside the ferry jetty, so it is a walk from the point of arrival.
- Auto-rickshaws and hired bicycles cover the rest of the island; Neil is small and flat.
- From most accommodation on the island it is five to fifteen minutes.
Reaching Neil
- Ferries from Port Blair and from Havelock; the Havelock crossing is short.
- Neil was renamed Shaheed Dweep in 2018; tickets use the new name and everyone says the old one.
- Ferries are booked ahead and sell out in season.
At the beach
- Basic facilities and a few stalls behind the sand.
- Boats are arranged on the beach itself.
- There is limited shade; the treeline is set back.
Best Time
When to visit
Morning, before the ferry crowd and while the water is at its clearest.
Time of day
- Early morning, which is quiet and clear and is the best swimming of the day.
- Late afternoon is pleasant but the sunset belongs to Laxmanpur across the island.
- The middle of the day is hot with limited shade.
Tides
- Being shallow, Bharatpur changes character with the tide more than a steeper beach does.
- High tide gives the better swimming; low tide exposes a great deal of flat.
- The tide table is worth a glance and is posted around the island.
Time of year
- November to April is the season, with calm water and good visibility.
- May to September is the monsoon and ferries are disrupted.
- October is a shoulder month and can go either way.
Visitor Intelligence
Visitor intelligence
The easy beach, and the one place on Neil where there is any noise.
Swimming
- It is genuinely shallow and calm, which is why it suits families and weak swimmers.
- Wear something on your feet in the water; there is coral rubble in places.
- Watch the tide rather than the clock if you are swimming with children.
The boats
- Glass-bottom boat trips are arranged on the sand; agree the price and the duration before boarding.
- Jet skis operate at one end. If quiet matters, walk to the other end.
- Snorkelling from a boat is better than from the beach here.
The island
- Neil is small, flat and best covered by bicycle, which is hired everywhere and costs very little.
- Take cash. Card acceptance and mobile coverage are both unreliable.
- Electricity and water on the island are limited; it is a small place and it behaves like one.
Access
- It is the most accessible beach on Neil — flat, close to the road and next to the jetty.
- The sand is soft and there is no made path onto it.
- The shallow entry makes getting into the water easier here than anywhere else in the islands.
Nearby
Nearby
Neil is small enough to cycle end to end.
Good to Know
Frequently asked
It is the best beach in the Andamans for them, and by a clear margin. The water is shallow, sheltered and calm, staying waist-deep a considerable way out and warming through the day, and the beach is flat and immediately beside the jetty. Wear something on your feet in the water since there is coral rubble in places, and watch the tide rather than the clock — being shallow, it changes character with the tide more than a steeper beach does.
Sides of the island and times of day. Bharatpur is on the east beside the jetty and is the swimming beach — shallow, sheltered and calm. Laxmanpur is on the west and is the sunset beach, long and shallow with the natural coral bridge at its northern end. Most visitors do Bharatpur in the morning and Laxmanpur in the evening, which is exactly how the packages arrange a day on Neil.
Small boats that run from the beach out over the reef offshore, letting you see the coral and fish without getting into the water — the standard option for non-swimmers and for anyone travelling with young children. They are arranged on the sand itself; agree the price and the duration before boarding. Snorkelling is also possible here and is considerably better from a boat than from the beach.
Officially it was renamed Shaheed Dweep in 2018 and ferry tickets and government signage use that name, but everybody — operators, drivers and other travellers — still says Neil, and both will get you where you are going. The same is true of Havelock, now officially Swaraj Dweep. It is worth recognising both names when booking ferries, which sell out in season and need reserving well ahead.
By bicycle, which is the correct answer — the island is small and flat, bikes are hired everywhere for very little, and the villages are strung along a single main road. Auto-rickshaws are the alternative. From most accommodation Bharatpur is five to fifteen minutes. Take cash: card acceptance and mobile coverage are both unreliable, and electricity and water on the island are limited.
Some, and it is the one place on Neil where there is any. Jet skis operate at one end of Bharatpur and there are a few stalls behind the sand — which is a fair trade for it being the easiest beach to reach and swim at. If quiet matters to you, walk to the far end of the beach, or go to Laxmanpur instead, which is quiet throughout except at sunset.
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