Vidit Goyal · Cellular jail aka Kalapani 2.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)
Port Blair
The islands’ only gateway, and the colonial prison that explains why the settlement is here.
Port Blair
A working port town that every Andaman trip passes through twice — and the one place in the islands with a history rather than a beach.
Explore Port Blair on the map
City locations, drawn from our published destination data. Attractions, hotels and restaurants are not mapped yet.
Beyond the temples
One major monument, two islands in the harbour, and the museums that explain both.
The Cellular Jail
- Built between 1896 and 1906 as a radial prison of seven wings around a central tower, so that no cell faced another. Three wings survive and the complex is now a national memorial.
- It held political prisoners from across British India, and the names on the walls are the reason most Indian travellers come to the Andamans at all.
- The sound-and-light show in the evening is the standard way to end the first day. It runs in Hindi and English on alternating schedules, so it is worth checking which on the day.
Across the harbour
- Ross Island — officially Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Dweep — was the administrative headquarters of the settlement until an earthquake in 1941 and the Japanese occupation ended it. What is left is a church, a ballroom and a bakery with strangler-fig roots growing straight through them, and a population of deer.
- North Bay is the snorkelling and glass-bottom-boat island, usually combined with Ross in one boat trip from the Rajiv Gandhi Water Sports Complex.
- Both are short crossings and both depend on the sea; a rough morning cancels them.
In the town
- The Samudrika Naval Marine Museum is the best introduction to the reef and the islands’ ecology, and worth an hour before you go diving.
- Corbyn’s Cove is the town beach — pleasant enough for an evening and no substitute for Havelock.
- Chatham Saw Mill, on an island joined by a bridge, is one of the oldest in Asia and has a small forest museum.
How long to give it
Arrive and the Jail
The flight lands in the morning from most mainland cities. The Cellular Jail in the afternoon and the sound-and-light show after dark.
Ross and North Bay
A half-day boat to the two harbour islands, and the Samudrika museum or Corbyn’s Cove afterwards. Weather permitting.
The ferry north
Havelock is the next stop on every route, and Neil beyond it. Both crossings leave from the town.
Arriving & getting around
Fly in, boat out; taxis in between.
Getting there
- Veer Savarkar International Airport (IXZ) is the only airport in the territory, with flights from Chennai, Kolkata, Delhi and Bengaluru. The runway is close to the town.
- Passenger ships run from Chennai, Kolkata and Visakhapatnam and take several days. They are an experience, not a transfer.
Onward and about
- The ferry jetties for Havelock and Neil are in the town, and the crossings should be booked before the hotels — sailings sell out in the dry season.
- Taxis and autos cover the town and the airport. Distances are short and the traffic is light by Indian standards.
- Card acceptance and mobile coverage are better here than anywhere else in the islands. Draw cash before taking the ferry.
When to visit
The sea decides the season here more than the rain does.
Driest and calmest, with the most reliable ferries. Christmas and the new year fill the town and need booking months ahead.
Hot and humid, still dry, and quieter. Usually the last dependable window for the crossings.
Heavy rain and rough sea. Ferries are cancelled with little notice and the boat trips to Ross and North Bay often do not run.
Improving, but the swell settles later than the rain stops. Cheaper and a genuine gamble.
How to be a good guest
A settler town of mainland communities, on islands whose first peoples are not part of the itinerary.
Who lives here
- The population is overwhelmingly from the mainland — Bengali, Tamil, Telugu and Punjabi families descended from convicts, guards, refugees from Partition and later settlers — and Hindi and Bengali are what you will hear.
- The islands’ indigenous peoples, including the Great Andamanese, Onge, Jarawa and Sentinelese, live in protected reserves. Those areas are closed, photographing or approaching their members is prohibited, and no operator can arrange contact. It is stated here only so that nobody arrives expecting otherwise.
Eating here
- Seafood is the reason to eat out — grilled fish, crab and prawn, cooked Bengali or south Indian rather than in any distinct island style.
- Almost everything else is shipped from the mainland, which is why produce is limited and prices are higher than they would be in a comparable coastal town.
Insider tips
- Book the ferries before the hotels. Everything in an Andaman itinerary hangs off the crossings, and they sell out in season.
- Come back here the night before you fly. A cancelled ferry from Havelock on the morning of a flight is how people miss aircraft.
- Draw cash in Port Blair. ATMs and card acceptance thin out on the smaller islands.
- Check which language the Cellular Jail sound-and-light show runs in on the evening you are there.
- Do not plan on reaching tribal reserve areas. They are closed, and that is not negotiable by any operator.
- Who should come: everyone flying to the Andamans — there is no other way in. Who should skip a second night: travellers whose trip is short and whose priority is the beaches.
Nearby
Where Port Blair leads next.
Related to Port Blair
Journeys that include Port Blair — each one visits the city as part of its itinerary.
Common questions
Plan your journey
Our travel designers turn knowledge and inspiration into a journey crafted entirely around you.
Plan My Journey →