Andaman Itinerary: Castaway on India’s Beautiful Andaman Islands

In this post, we share our 10-day Andaman itinerary and highlights from one of the most offbeat destinations in India: the beautiful, far-flung tropical archipelago of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Tucked between the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea between India and Myanmar, a cluster of little-heard-of islands makes up the remote and beautiful Andaman and Nicobar archipelago.

There are around 570 islands in this ocean-bound outpost, though less than 10 per cent of them are inhabited. Even fewer of the islands are open to tourists, and those are only in the Andaman cluster.

These far-flung stepping stones between continents have drawn people from across the region and beyond for more than 50,000 years. Today, some of the scattered islands are still home to uncontacted stone age tribes, while others blend Asian and subcontinental cultures, and some bear the traces of a more recent European colonial past.

Despite decades of outside influence, and beyond the walls of the upscale resorts, the islands that can be visited by tourists are still mostly low-key destinations, with limited tourist infrastructure.

In that regard, there’s still a sense that the Andamans are flying largely beneath the tourism radar. That said, judging by the extensive building works going on in some of the places we visited, things are changing.

For now though, if you’re looking for a little piece of rustic paradise off the beaten track, where time moves more slowly, life is simpler, the food is delicious and the sunsets sublime, then the Andamans are calling.

Planning an Andaman Nicobar Trip

There’s plenty to think about when considering Andaman travel. Two key questions though are how long you have, and what kind of holiday you’re after.

Despite there only being a handful of Andaman islands that can be visited by tourists, getting around and between them can be time consuming, challenging and prone to sudden change. The more time you have, the more broadly you’ll be able to travel. With less time, you’re better off focusing on one or two islands.

Our Andaman itinerary spans 10 days and three islands: South Andaman Island (home to the capital, Port Blair), Havelock Island and Neil Island.

We should note this itinerary is based on our ideal plan rather than our actual trip: for us, sudden severe weather led to lastminute ferry cancellations which kept us in Port Blair longer than planned, and very nearly scuttled our trip to Havelock and Neil altogether.

Fingers crossed you luck out with perfect weather and smooth transport for your Andaman Nicobar trip. We recommend being as flexible as you can though, and ready to change your itinerary if you need to.

How do you get to the Andaman Islands?

To get to the Andaman Islands, most people fly into the capital, Port Blair, from the Indian mainland.

There are several flight hubs, including Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad. Our Delhi to Andaman flight took around five hours.

Hardier souls than us might consider reaching the islands by sea. It’s a crossing of three to four days from Chennai, Kolkata or Visakhapatnam.

Interested in other destinations in India? Check out our Rajasthan Road Trip post from India’s north, and our Adventure in Kerala post from the south.

When is the best time to visit Andaman?

The best time to visit Andaman is between October and May, over the northern winter and spring. Summer heats things up from around April.

The Monsoon season sets in between May and September. You can still visit Andaman, but it’s less than ideal as the rains are heavy and often, and the seas can be big, which in turn means unpredictable travel schedules.

That said, this is the tropics and the weather will do whatever it likes, whenever it likes. We visited in October and experienced the ragged edge of a cyclone to the north, which drenched part of our stay and forced us to be more nimble with our plans. That’s travel!

How do I get between the Andaman Islands?

Realistically, the best way to get between the Andaman islands is by passenger ferry. There are Government ferry services and private services run by ferry companies Makruzz and Green Ocean. Government services are significantly cheaper than private services, but tickets only become available a couple of days in advance and have to be purchased at the ferry ticket offices.

With limited time, we wanted to try and gain a bit of certainty by booking our tickets online ahead of time. We did so through Makruzz.

Then bad weather led to a number of ferry services, including ours, being cancelled on the day we were supposed to travel from Port Blair to Havelock. We found ourselves in a chaotic scene at the Port Blair ferry terminal as unhappy passengers from various services converged in an attempt to board later ferries.

After multiple trips between the ferry terminal and the Makruzz offices in an effort to organise passage on another boat, we finally managed to board a ferry the next day before services were cancelled again. We were incredibly lucky, but as we’d lost a day of Havelock time, and nearly weren’t able to get to Havelock at all, it was a solid reminder that it helps to have a backup plan if things don’t go as they should.

Our Suggested 10-Day Andaman Itinerary

Days 1 & 2: Port Blair, South Andaman Island

We suggest two nights in Port Blair at the start of your trip, and one more night at the end before your flight (in case there are ferry delays between the islands). 

You only need a couple of days here as there are only a handful of places to visit in Port Blair. Of course, you may wish to stay longer if you’re basing yourself here for some further explorations of South Andaman.

It’s a good spot to get oriented though, and to organise onward ferry travel to and from our next islands: Havelock and Neil.

Places to visit in Port Blair

This rough and tumble port town rises and falls over hills to the waters’ edge in bright, flaking paint and rusty corrugated roofs fringed by lush green tropical vegetation.

The British Raj set up a penal colony at Port Blair in the mid-19^th century, and the remnants of this colonial period are still starkly visible, at the grim Cellular Jail, and on nearby Ross Island, both of which are must-sees.

One of our fave ways to take in the town, while enjoying some very tasty cuisine, was from the rooftop restaurants at the Light House Residency near the Netaji Stadium, and the Hotel Lalaji Bayview. When wild weather rained all over our plans to explore further afield on South Andaman, we retreated to these spots to marvel at the storms and rework our itinerary.

Top Places to Visit in Port Blair

Cellular Jail

Port Blair’s Cellular Jail was the British Raj’s response to Indian rebellion against their rule. It was built to house political prisoners, ensuring the country’s most prominent activists were locked far away, out of all reach.

The original jail, built over ten years from 1896, had seven long wings radiating out from a central tower, and filled with nearly 700 individual cells where prisoners were kept in solitary confinement.

Today, three of the uninviting wings remain and the Celullar Jail is a national memorial to India’s fight for independence.

There’s a nightly sound and light show that tells the story of the jail. We’d love to be able to say whether it’s worth the ticket price but we were rained out of the experience.

Ross Island

This is our favourite site in Port Blair and a must on an Andaman itinerary. A fifteen-minute ferry ride from town, Ross Island is worth at least half a day of rambling to explore and reimagine its haunting, vine-clad ruins.

Ross Island was once an administrative HQ for the British Raj in the Andamans, and a brutal penal colony for political prisoners. It was their forced labour that hacked out and built a settlement on the forested island. The island community had houses, admin buildings, even a church and a cemetery, all connected by pathways.

Ross was abandoned following an earthquake in 1941 and the arrival of the Japanese with WWII. Ever since, nature has been reclaiming her island and today, the ruins of Ross are webbed with tree-roots as the jungle swallows them whole.

Zonal Anthropology Museum

In any other place, we would probably give this flaking, faded storehouse a wide berth.

But the collections it houses, and the stories they tell about the long history of the Andamans and its people, make the Zonal Anthropology Museum an important stop on an Andaman Nicobar trip.

The Andaman and Nicobar archipelago is still home to some of the last uncontacted stone age tribes in the world – uncontacted for their survival, but also by their choice. Visiting the islands where they live is strictly prohibited, though people have tried – even recently – to their terrible detriment.

We found just being in the vicinity of such ancient culture an intriguing aspect of our visit to the Andamans. This museum is really the best way to learn about the archipelago’s Indigenous people, as well as the more recent waves of people who have brought their cultures and traditions to the islands.

Exploring South Andaman beyond Port Blair

With more time upfront or at the end of your visit, you might consider arranging a driver or a tour to some of the other key sites in and around South Andaman. These include:

• Red Skin Island and Jolly Buoy Island in Mahatma Gandhi National Park, around 45 minutes southwest of Port Blair. These gorgeous tropical islands and their crystal clear waters are alternately open to day visitors for 6 months each, giving the other island time out to recuperate. Entry is by permit only.
• Chidiya Tapu Beach – Around half an hour south of Port Blair, this is a popular little gathering place by the water. We spent our last afternoon of Andaman sightseeing here, hoping for one of the epic sunsets the beach is renowned for. If we’re honest though, compared to other Andaman beaches, we found this one a little underwhelming. Plus there are crocodiles in the water, so swimming is off the cards. Still, it’s a nice enough spot to settle back for an hour or two of people watching with a chai.

Should you visit Baratang Limestone Caves?

Baratang Limestone Caves are around 110km north of Port Blair on Middle Andaman, and are touted as a popular day trip from the capital. Tour descriptions say it involves a very early start from Port Blair, a long, bumpy ride through the interior jungle of the island and a boat trip through mangroves to the caves.

Baratang was originally on our Andaman itinerary before heavy rains ruled it out. On investigating further, we weren’t disappointed.

The tour to Baratang involves travelling along the Andaman Trunk Road, an illegal route carved right through the middle of the tribal lands of the Jarawa people.

India’s Supreme Court ordered the road closed back in 2002, to limit the increasing exposure of the Jarawa to the outside world and to minimise the risk of disease, exploitation and abuse. Unfortunately, the road remains open, and while there are efforts to minimise contact by tourists and workers passing through, there are plenty of references online to this part of the journey being like a ‘human safari.’

For the sake of the Jarawa and their health, wellbeing and dignity, we recommend skipping Baratang and any other sites requiring passage along this road, until there’s a legal, considerate alternative route available.

Days 3 – 6: Havelock Island

We spend four nights on Havelock, travelling to the island by ferry from Port Blair.

Havelock Island is the most popular tourist island in the Andamans, and while there are plenty of Havelock Island resorts, it’s still low-scale enough to feel like tourism hasn’t got a solid foothold yet. There was plenty of construction underway when we visited though, so it’s really just a matter of time before it does.

There are just two main roads on Havelock. Even so, we found it very easy to leave the busy main stretch behind and go zipping through the hinterland on hired mopeds, called ‘scooties.’

Havelock boasts some superb beaches and – along with Neil Island – serves up spectacular sunsets, some of the most impressive we’ve ever seen.

There are pretty beaches to laze on and turquoise waters to snorkel. For the adventurous, there’s the jungle trek to Elephant Beach. And for scuba junkies, it’s said there’s some of the best diving in the world. In fact, it was scuba diving that first put the Andamans on our bucket list.

There’s plenty to fill four days on Havelock, but if you’re just here to chill, choose your beach and settle in.

Here are some of the main things to do in Andaman’s Havelock Island.

Havelock’s East Coast Beaches

Havelock’s main road runs along the east coast, and there are a couple of lovely beaches backed by jungle, where early risers can greet the sunrise.

Really though, even if you like a sleep in, the pearly white sands and crystal waters of Vijay Nagar Beach and Kala Pathar Beach are perfect for sunbaking at any time of day, though swimming is best left for when the tide is in.

As we discovered, the tides go way, way out on this side of the island, leaving skies that go on for absolutely ever.

Sunset at Radhanagar Beach

A vast swathe of white sand on Havelock’s west coast, backed by vivid green forest, Radhanagar Beach is renowned for its sunsets. And by renowned, we mean this is one secret that’s well and truly out. Radhanagar is one of the most popular places to visit in Andaman.

We made our way here one afternoon and found the beach absolutely heaving with people. Still, it’s large enough that you can wander away from the masses, who tend to crowd directly in front of the beach entrance.

A meander north brings you to pretty Neil’s Cove, while part way along the beach, a pathway into the trees pops out at the upmarket Barefoot at Havelock resort. We dropped in for a drink at the hotel bar here while we waited for the sun to drop a little lower.

Trek to Elephant Beach

The secret retreat of Elephant Beach is on Havelock’s northwest coast, a stunning stretch of white sand and clear water. It’s only accessible via a 2km hike along an elephant logging trail. The trackhead is signposted off Road 4, which crosses the island to Radhanagar Beach.

It isn’t a long hike to Elephant Beach, but take note of the weather before you go. We set out on the trek but were forced to turn back thanks to serious bogs created by recent rains. We persisted until we were covered in mud and couldn’t move without slipping or being sucked into quagmires. It was a laugh, but hard and messy work at the time.

If you plan to do the hike, be prepared – take a hiking pole if you can and wear shoes you don’t mind being caked in mud.

Scuba Diving Havelock Island

Word is the Andaman Islands have some of the world’s best dive sites, and it was this endorsement that first had us considering an Andaman Nicobar trip.

Diving is also offered on Neil Island, but we opted to do a couple of days’ diving from Havelock. There are around 25 dive sites scattered around the island, with macro diving a highlight.

Unfortunately for us, a trifecta of temporary restrictions on Andaman boat diving combined with churned up waters from the recent cyclone to the north and a stormy second day, meant our dives were limited to sites close to shore in less than stellar conditions.

Our dive guides were outstanding though and did their absolute utmost to give us the best experience they could.

It’s definitely worth doing a couple of dives while you’re here. If you’re a more experienced diver, we recommend contacting the dive centres ahead of time for more information about the sites and opportunities available.

We search out diving experiences wherever we can. Check out some of our other global diving adventures here.

Days 7 – 9: Neil Island

We spend three nights on Neil Island, travelling to the island by ferry from Havelock.

Tiny, low-key Neil Island turned out to be the highlight of our Andaman itinerary. Slow-paced, rural, rustic and remote, it was here that we felt like true castaways.

We spent our days chilling on the beach, paddling and spotting iridescent manta shrimp in crystal clear waters, sampling delicious Indian curries, and cruising through the emerald green countryside on scooties.

Without fail, the end of the each day found us on the western shore with cameras and tripods. The sunsets here are without compare.

Our Highlights on Neil Island:

Sunset Point, Laxmanpur Beach

This curving stretch of white sand and rocky shoreline points to the horizon on the northwestern tip of Neil. Fittingly named Sunset Point, it’s a magnet for just about every tourist on the island come the end of each day. It’s a beautiful spot at any time though, and good for swimming and snorkelling.

As the only Western tourists on the beach, we attracted plenty of attention too when we visited, and spent much of the final hour of daylight chatting with locals and taking part in selfie group shots.

Laxmanpur II Beach

Tucked around the corner from sparkling Laxmanpur Beach, the rocky shoreline of Laxmanpur II stretches away to the south, accessible only at low tide. It turned out to be our favourite spot on Neil Island.

Speckled with deep rockpools full of fascinating sea creatures, backed by green jungle, and split by a soaring natural rock arch, Laxmanpur II is much more than just a great spot to watch the sun go down.

But it goes without saying, the sunsets are truly spectacular. Just be sure to check the tides so you don’t end up stranded.

Sitapur Beach

This was our local beach during our stay on Neil Island: an eye-catching bay on the east coast with interesting rock formations, turquoise water, and a lush, jungley backdrop. Huge kapok trees fringe the coast here, making for lovely forest wanders.

While it’s a great beach for whiling away the hours at any time of day, Sitapur Beach is also Neil Island’s most popular spot for watching sunrise. We made our way down here each dawn, bought a freshly brewed chai from the local pop-up chai guy, and settled in to greet the day.

Exploring the countryside

While you can cover Neil Island pretty quickly by scootie or bicycle (the island is less than 14 square kilometres), getting out each day for a ride through the lovely green landscape was a highlight for us.

It also gave us a chance to search out roadside restaurants, and we ate some of our best meals in these little family-run establishments.

We also enjoyed heading into town in the evenings to visit the small but bustling market (Neil Island grows most of the region’s fruit and veg), and stop for a snack of chai and gulab jamun (Indian donuts).

Day 10: Return to Port Blair

It’s good to have some extra time to get back to Port Blair, just in case there are ferry delays.

We had no problems for the return journey, and arrived back in Port Blair in the early afternoon.

So we took the opportunity to hire a car and driver for one last stint of Andaman sightseeing: a trip to Chidiya Tapu Beach in the island’s south (see our entry on this spot under Days 1 & 2 above) and a final Andaman sunset.

The next day, we farewelled this unique little Indian archipelago, and flew back to Delhi.

Check out our 60-second snapshot of things to do in Andaman:

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Got questions about visiting the Andaman Islands or planning an Andaman itinerary? Ask us below!