Top 20 Places You Must Visit In Andaman and Nicobar Islands
In the list of Hawaii, Bahamas and others, Andaman and Nicobar has a prominent place. This group of islands with white beaches, crystal bluish green waters, lagoons and unparalleled environment attracts numerous tourists every year. Starting from beach activities to the unique cuisine of the land, every element of these islands have been an exotic experience to any beach or nature lover.
This article has handpicked just 20 out of the numerous attractions in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, for those who are planning to visit Andaman and Nicobar for the first time. Since gigantic water bodies cover the islands, the rainy season in these islands is rough. The best time to visit this group of islands is anytime but the rainy season. The tourism season starts in October and ends by June.
1. Radhanagar Beach
Location: Havelock Island
What to Enjoy: Beach, Lush Vegetation, Clear Water and Serene Nature
Top Activities: Snorkeling, Scuba Diving, Picnicking, Beach Walking, Sun Bathing and Swimming
In 2004, Time Magazine choose Radhanagar Beach to be the best beach in the world. Still, the beach is one of the top spots to visit in this group of islands. If you are someone who loves underwater activities, you ought to visit this beach. This beach lies on the west coast of the island and is famous for the white sand and clear water. You can always find people picnicking in the beach.
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2. Ross and Smith Beach
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Location: Ross and Smith Island
What to Enjoy: Lush Vegetation, Clear Water, Sunset and Calm Surrounding
Top Activities: Boat Ride, Sun Bathing, Scuba Diving, Swimming, Snorkeling, Picnicking, Beach Walking and Photography
A little away from Diglipur Jetty lies a serene and small island, Ross and Smith. The beach is famous for a greenish blue tinted water body, small strip of beach and most importantly, the shallow water. This shallow water allows many underwater activities. Spotting tropical fishes underwater is very common in this region. This is a haven for those who want a leisure and lazy afternoon.
3. Laxmanpur Beach
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Location: Neil Island
What to Enjoy: Long Beach and Mild Vegetation
Top Activities: Beach Strolling, Picnicking, Swimming and Sun Bathing
Though the beach is aesthetically pleasing, the beach is rarely filled with tourists. This is due to the proximity of the more famous Bharatpur beach. The Laxmanpur beach is larger and longer than Bharatpur beach and thus, this silent beach has become a haven for honeymooners. You can always find couples picnicking here. If you are on a romantic vacation, you ought to visit this beach. Not many water activities are available in this beach area.
4. Lalaji Bay Beach
Location: Long Island
What to Enjoy: Mangrove Creek, Clean Water, Ferry Sighting and Serene Nature
Top Activities: Ferry Rides, Sun Bathing, Beach Strolling, Snorkeling, Swimming and Picnicking
Although the island is named as Long Island, this beach in particular is very small and can be scaled on foot. The top activities to enjoy here are focused on the shallow waters in this region. Riding on a ferry to reach this place is the best activity for those who are traveling with children. The place is also famous for lush vegetation. There are a few restaurants near the beach, which allow tourists to enjoy long picnics here.
5. Wandoor Beach
Location: Port Blair
What To Enjoy: Coral Forests, Marine National Park, Natural Caves And Mini Islands Surrounding The Main Beach Like Alexandra, Tarmugli, Jolly Buoy And Others.
Top Activities: Coral Diving, Boating, Swimming, Snorkeling, Scuba Diving, Photography And Others.
Wandoor is a small village located near the southern point of the South Andaman. This village is filled with accommodation options and is famous for the beach and small islands near the beach. The main attraction in the beach is the national park. From the national park, you can get access to nearby islands. Boat can be hired here. Forest permits for forest walks and strolling are also available in the park. Jolly Bouy is a small island near the beach, which is famous for sponge corals, red corals, blue corals and many tropical species. You can find many zebra fishes here where snorkeling. Snorkeling near Red Skin Island is also very famous activity. If you are not a fan of snorkeling, you can hire a glass-bottomed boat to watch the corals and fishes and you row.
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6. Aamkunj Beach
Location: Rangat
What to Enjoy: Eco Park, Beach, Log Sofa, Turtles And Vegetation
Top Activities: Spotting Turtle Nesting or Turtle Walk, Visit to Eco Park, Swimming, Snorkeling, Sunbathing, Beach Picnic and Jetty Ride
Jetty ride from Cutbert Bay to the beach is the first attraction to enjoy. The eco-park in the beach provides a great experience to the tourists. It is a vast beach with dark sand. It is a shallow water beach and thus, snorkeling and swimming are very common here. There is a tree house in the eco-park that attracts people to get a panoramic view of the whole beach. If you visit during the right season (December and January), you can spot turtles walking towards the water after hatching.
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7. Merk Bay Beach
Location: North Passage Island
What to Enjoy: Uninhabited Island, Lush Beach Vegetation, Guitar Island And Others
Top Activities: Adventure Strolling, Camping, Scuba Diving, Snorkeling, Sunbathing and Others
Out of the hundreds of uninhabited islands, this is the best. If you are an adrenaline-pumping enthusiast, this is the best beach to be on. Due to the shallow waters, you can easily spot tropical fishes while swimming. Many tourists, camp overnight here for the thrill factor. Forest trekking is strictly a game for iron hearts. This island is accessible only during low tide. If you are visiting during early winter season or rainy season, this beach cannot be reached. You can find jetty rides to this island from Long Island.
8. Butler Bay Beach
Location: Little Andaman
What to Enjoy: Concave Beach, Good Tides, Vast Beach and Beach Vegetation
Top Activities: Surfing, Jungle Trekking, Elephant Rides, Camping, Boat Rides, Sun Bathing, Swimming, Beach Picnicking And Others.
Located at a distance of 134 km from Port Blair, this beach is a huge spot for surfers. The beach is also very close to a waterfall. During tourism season, you can hire elephants to ride along the beach. If you are an avid photographer with underwater lens, this beach is a heaven for you. There are many resorts near the beach and thus, luxury vacation is possible in this beach. Mosquito repellent is essential if you are visiting right after the rainy season. Boat and jetty rides are available to the island from Port Blair. The journey stretches for 6 hours.
9. Cellular Jail
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Location: Port Blair
What to Enjoy: Old Jail Cells
Top Activities: Light and Sound Show, Photography and Exploration
Andaman was a dreadful jail spot during British rule. Freedom fighters were sent to Andaman jail during the struggle. Today, it stands as a heritage spot and as a reminder of the independence struggle. The spot is open from morning 9 to evening 5. English and Hindi based light and sound shows are organized for the tourists to educate about the struggle and the history of the place. The jail is closed during Mondays and all government holidays.
10. Havelock Beach
Location: Havelock
What to Enjoy: Beach, Water, Corals, Serene Nature and Others
Top Activities: Scuba Diving, Swimming, Snorkeling, Underwater Photography, Boating, Sun Bathing, Picnicking and Others.
It is one of the very famous beaches in the place. If you love scuba diving, you ought to visit this place. There are spots for professional divers to enjoy and there are numerous places where training for amateur divers is provided. Certification courses are also available. This place has a rich coral forest and the most wonderful underwater life. If you love underwater photography, this place is a paradise for you.
11. Mount Harriet
Location: Port Blair
What to Enjoy: National Park, Elephants, Mountain, Photogenic Sceneries and Exotic Fauna
Top Activities: Safari in The Park, Trekking, Elephant Ride, Bird watching And Others
The first main attraction in Mount Harriet is the national park. Elephant safari through the park is an important attraction here. Top animals to spot here are Asian elephants, deer, ferals and others. This place is best for birdwatching. Top birds to spot are Andaman wood pigeon, Andaman scops owl, Andaman drongo, white headed starling, Andaman treepie, Andaman boobook and others. Other common fauna are field frog, turtles, lizards and others. Top aquatic fauna are eel, snakehead, sleeper, gobies and others.
The next main attraction of Mount Harriet is the trekking trail from the mountain to Madhuban. If you love trekking, you ought to visit this spot. This trekking trail stretches for 16 km and you can spot a lot of animals and trees during this activity. You can also hire elephants to cover a considerable distance in the trail.
12. North Bay Beach
Location: Near Port Blair
What to Enjoy: Light House, Beach, Reef, Octopus Garden, Tropical Fishes And Nature
Top Activities: Scuba Diving, Snorkeling, Underwater Photography, Sea Walk, Boating, Swimming, Trekking, Jungle Trekking and Others.
Many island cruise trips cover this beach. This beach is very famous among tourists and during tourism season, the crowd is inevitable. The snorkeling, sea walk and others will be closed to tourists during rainy season. Boating in a glass-bottomed boat is recommended during winter season to spot the corals. It takes four hours to scale the whole island and enjoy all activities. Hindi guides are available in the island. There is always boat facilities available from and to Port Blair. Trekking to the lighthouse in the island and jungle trekking are famous land activities here.
13. Diglipur
Location: North Andaman Islands
What to Enjoy: Crocodile Sanctuary, Turtle Nesting Spots, Natural Caves, Diglipur Church, Banana Groves and Pathi Level Beach
Top Activities: Trekking, Spotting Turtles, Nature Sightseeing, Exploration and Others
Diglipur has the only river in the group of islands. The Saddle Peak in this area is the highest point in North Andaman. The place is famous for turtle walk and nesting. If you are visiting between December and February, you can watch hatched turtles walking towards the ocean. Bird nest soup is very common delicacy in this region. One can trek through the Saddle Peak national park after obtaining permission from forest department.
14. Chidiya Tapu
Location: Port Blair
What to Enjoy: Sunset, Birds, Beach and Nature
Top Activities: Bird watching, Sunset Spotting, Trekking, Ferry Ride
Chidia Tapu is for adventure lovers. The place is filled with forest and a thin line of beach. The Black Mountain in the region is famous for trekking and spotting birds. People visit this place during afternoon to catch sunset. Ferry ride to and from the place is also exciting. The ChidiaTapu is also called as the Bird Island and sunset point. The best time to visit the place to spot birds is summer.
15. Viper Island
Location: South Andaman
What to Enjoy: Ancient Buildings, Hilltop Gallows, Beach, Ferries and Others
Top Activities: Cellular Jail, Ferry Ride, Picnicking, Photography, Exploration and Others.
Cellular jail of Andaman is located in this island. Apart from this, this island’s beach are very famous for ferry rides and picnicking. If you are an adventure seeker, there are a lot of ancient building that are rumored to be haunted. You can explore those, if desired.
16. Great Nicobar Island
Location: Nicobar district
What to Enjoy: Beach, Lighthouse, Indira Point, Rivers, Biosphere Reserve, Campbell Bay and Others
Top Activities: Ferry Ride, National Park Walk, Sightseeing, Photography and Others
This is the largest island in the Nicobar district. There are many rivers in this region, which enrich exotic flora and fauna here. This island is recognized as a biosphere reserve and has many rare species to spot like edible nest swiftlet, long tailed macaque, leatherback sea turtle, Nicobar tree shrew, reticulated python, coconut crab, Malayan box turtle and others. Trekking to Indira point lighthouse is an important activity. Campbell bay is an important spot for wildlife photographer for clicking crabs, birds and others.
17. Elephant Beach
Location: Havelock Island
What to Enjoy: Birds, Beach, Ocean, Forest and Corals
Top Activities: Snorkeling, Swimming, Picnicking, Scuba Diving, Sea Walking, Jet Skiing, Banana Boat, Glass Bottom Boat and Others
Among the beautiful beaches of Havelock Island, Elephant beach is an important attraction too. Boat ride to the beach is the first attraction. Do not miss the lighthouse while on a ride. Trekking through the forest is an important activity here. It would take around 50 minutes to complete the trekking. The water here is clear and shallow that allows tourists to spot many corals. The place is slightly crowded during the tourism season. You can spot a few elephants playing in the beach too.
18. Corbyns Cove Beach
Location: Port Blair
What To Enjoy: Winding Road Routes, Mesmerizing View, Souvenir Shopping Spots, Coconut Palms, Bluish Green Water, Islands, Corals And Others
Top Activities: Surfing, Swimming, Speed Boating, Boat Ride, Scuba Diving, Sunbathing, Picnicking and Others
This coconut palm filled beach is famous for all sorts of water activities. People also visit Snake Island from this beach on a motorboat to spot tropical fishes. If you walk along the beach, you can find bunkers that were used by Japanese army during the World War II. Apart from these, many cliché beach elements here attract many tourists. Flora and fauna of this place are enriched during winter and summer season.
19. Cinque Island
Location: Port Blair
What to Enjoy: Shallow Water, Fishes, Greenery, Ferries, Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park and Others
Top Activities: Spotting Marine Life, Boat Ride, Fishing, Camping, Bird Watching, Snorkeling, Diving and Others
This island is famous for the shallow water and the marine park, which gives a good view of marine life to the tourists. Apart from this, the island has many beach based water activities that are common around Andaman and Nicobar islands. The sand bars here are the main attraction for the tourists. During tourism season, tourists are allowed to fish, eat and party in the beach. Some cruise packages cater to this island too. Many rocky isles surround this island.
20. Ray Hill
Location: Mayabunder
What to Enjoy: Elephants, Beaches, Forests and Others
Top Activities: Swimming, Strolling, Elephant Safari, Rock Climbing, Trekking, Angling, Forest Trekking And Others.
This eco-spot suits tourists who want to enjoy adventure activities. Fishing is a seasonal activity that is found during tourism season. You are allowed to explore the forest region. The water is slightly deep and corals are not found here. Other water activities are common here.
These are just the top 20 spots to visit in this group of islands. Hundreds of islands are found in this group and each island has its own set of attractions. Apart from beach and water activities, there are a lot more to enjoy in Andaman and Nicobar islands. According to environmentalists, with the current global warming situation, this group of islands might not survive for many decades on the face of earth. Enjoy this paradise before ocean reclaims them.
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