How to Reach Andaman and Nicobar Islands

Andaman and Nicobar groups of Islands are famous for the pristine water, white beaches, tropical rainforest, exotic water activities and much more. This is the perfect place for water or a beach-based vacation.

Are you planning to visit Andaman and Nicobar Islands? The best time to visit is from October to June. Which is the best way to visit these islands? Although Andaman and Nicobar Islands fall under the democratic rule of India, they are not connected with the mainland of India. These Islands are located to the east of the country in the Bay of Bengal.

By Air

Among the options of transportation, the best way to visit Andaman is via air travel. The closest airport is located in Port Blair. You can find direct flights from many Indian inland regions like Delhi, Chennai, Bangalore, Mumbai, and others. From Chennai and Kolkata, it would take around 2 hours to reach Port Blair.

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From Delhi and Mumbai, it would take around five hours. There are no helicopter rides from the mainland to Andaman and Nicobar Islands. However, after reaching Port Blair, you can choose to hire helicopters to visit the other islands.

By Ship

From any major port regions on Bay of Bengal in inland India, you can find cruise ships to reach Andaman. Kolkata, Chennai, and Visakhapatnam are the top portal regions from where you can find ships to Andaman. The ship services are available only three or four times per month and it would take around 60-65 hours to reach Andaman via water travel.

Some cruise ships might take even longer. Ticket price ranges between INR 2,000 to INR 10,000.

By Train

Andaman is not connected via railway with any part of the world.

By Road

There are no roadways connecting Andaman with any part of the world.

How to Reach Andaman and Nicobar Islands From Mumbai?

The distance between Mumbai and Port Blair is 2278 km. If you are choosing air travel, you can find many airlines like Air India, SpiceJet, GoAir, IndiGo and others providing direct flights to Port Blair. The travel time can vary from 5 hours to 12 hours, based on the airline.

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If you are choosing to visit Andaman via train from Mumbai, you can reach up to Chennai via train and from Chennai, you can choose between ship and flight to reach Andaman. You cannot reach Andaman via train.

You can find many direct trains from Mumbai to Chennai like Chennai Express, LTT Chennai, HUMSAFAR, CSMT Chennai and others. It would take 24 to 26 hours to reach Chennai via train.

If you wish to travel to Andaman from Mumbai via water, you cannot directly find ships from the Mumbai port. You need to travel to any port region in the Bay of Bengal. Top port regions in the Bay of Bengal are Kolkata, Chennai, and Visakhapatnam.

How to Reach Andaman and Nicobar Island from Delhi?

You can find direct flights from Delhi to Port Blair. There are numerous airlines providing direct flight services like Air India, Jet Airways, IndiGo, SpiceJet and others. The duration of flight can vary from 5 to 10 hours, depending on the route and airlines.

If you wish to reach Andaman via ship from Delhi, you need to reach Kolkata, Vishakhapatnam or Chennai and from there, you can choose ships to Port Blair.

If you are planning to visit via train, the closest you could reach via train is up to Chennai. There are many direct trains from Delhi to Chennai like Duronto Express, Tamil Nadu Express, GT Express, and others.

On the other hand, you can reach Kolkata from Delhi and aboard a ship from the port of Kolkata.

Suggested Itinerary of Andaman & Nicobar:

How to Reach Andaman and Nicobar from Kolkata?

You can find direct flights and ships from Kolkata to Port Blair. Port Blair is 1299 km away from Kolkata. If you wish to travel via train, the closest you could reach Andaman via train is Chennai. From Kolkata, you can find direct trains to Chennai like Coromandal Express, Hwh Mas Mail and others.

How to Reach Andaman and Nicobar Islands from Kochi?

Although Kochi is located in the South of India, you cannot find direct flights from Kochi to Andaman. The best option is to reach Chennai via bus, cab, train or flight and from Chennai, one can find a ferry, flight or other options to reach Port Blair. If you fly to Chennai and from Chennai catch a flight to Port Blair, the minimum travel time would be five hours, without considering the time gap between flights.

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Some airlines might advertise direct flight options. However, it would include a pit stop at Chennai, where you need to wait and board another flight to Port Blair. This even includes a considerable transit wait time. There is no direct cruise from Kochi or any part of Kerala to Port Blair. You need to reach Chennai via in-land and then board a ship or cruise to reach Port Blair.

How to Reach Andaman and Nicobar Islands from Bangalore?

Bangalore is 1655 km away from Port Blair. Although you could find flights from Bangalore to Port Blair, they are no direct flights. You need to stop at Chennai after 30 minutes of flying and wait for a couple of hours before catching the next flight from Chennai to Port Blair.

On the other hand, one can reach Chennai from Bangalore via train, bus or cab and then choose to board a cruise ship from the port of Chennai to Port Blair. Some flights like Spice Jet, GoAir and others offer seasonal direct flights from Bengaluru to Port Blair. The availability of those flights depends on demand.

How to reach Andaman and Nicobar Islands from Pune?

There are no direct flights, buses or trains to reach Andaman from Pune. The best option is to reach Chennai via flight and then take flight or ship to reach Port Blair. The distance between Pune and Andaman is roughly around 2163 km. If you fly to Chennai and from there to Port Blair, it would take 9 hours, without considering the transit wait time.

If you are choosing to take a train, you can reach Mumbai via train and find a direct flight from Mumbai to Port Blair. The entire journey would take more than 12 hours.

You can also find flights, trains, and buses from Pune to Delhi, Kolkata, Visakhapatnam or Chennai and from any of those destinations, you can board a flight to reach Andaman.

How to Reach Andaman and Nicobar Islands from Patna?

The best option is to fly from Patna to Kolkata, which would take a little more than three hours. From Kolkata, you can take a cruise ship or flight to Port Blair.

On the other hand, you can fly to Visakhapatnam and from there to Port Blair. The overall distance between Patna and Port Blair is 1881 km. If you are looking to reduce the cost of traveling, board the Patna Junction train that reaches Perambur of Chennai.

From Chennai, you can find ferries that would take you to Port Blair, which would take at least four days. The fastest way to reach Port Blair is to fly to Chennai and from Chennai to Port Blair. The entire journey would take just five hours.

How to Reach Andaman and Nicobar Islands from Chennai?

Ships from Chennai Port to Andaman would take 50 to 60 hours of travel. There are only three to four ships from Chennai port to Andaman, every month.

Thus, tourists usually do not prefer this option unless they are looking to reduce the cost of travel. A ferry ride from Chennai Port to Andaman is the cheapest option. The most convenient and fastest option to reach Port Blair from Chennai is to take the flight.

Flights are available throughout the week and it would take around 2 – 3 hours to reach Port Blair. There is no train route or road route between Andaman and Chennai.

How to Reach Andaman and Nicobar Island from Chandigarh?

As mentioned before, flights are available only from Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, and Visakhapatnam. You can find many flights from Chandigarh to these destinations. From these destinations, you can board flight or ship to reach Andaman.

The fastest option is to fly to Chennai and from Chennai to Port Blair. If you are looking for cheaper options, board train from Chandigarh to Chennai. From Chennai, you can find ferries from the Chennai port to Port Blair.

Tips for Reaching Andaman and Nicobar Islands

No passport or visa is required for Indian citizens. The rest of the travelers should hold a valid passport and an Indian visa.

Every traveler including Indians should procure a special permit to visit many restricted regions like Redskin Island, Jolly Bouy Island, Cinque Island and, others.

The airport in Port Blair is called Veer Savarkar International Airport. There are plans to add direct flights from international destinations to Port Blair along with immigration facilities. Until then, foreigners cannot enter Andaman directly. They have to reach India mainland and from there to Andaman.

The cheapest way to reach Andaman is ferry or ship. However, the frequency and time span of the travel are not favorable for all. Ships are available four times a month and it would take four to five days of travel on the Bay of Bengal to reach Andaman.

The fastest option is flying to Andaman from India mainland. This is, however, the most costly option too.