With the rapid growth
of the travel and tourism industry and the airlines offering competitive and
affordable fares for foreign locations like Thailand, Dubai, Maldives etc.,
Indian citizens often ignore destinations in India and rather go and holiday
abroad.
One such destination
which shouldn't be ignored by any traveller or tourist is the Andamans and as
Carlo Goldoni has rightly said “A wise traveller never despises his own
country."
Andamans has got a
variety of attractions suitable for all; be it a solo traveller or a family
.
.
Port Blair being the
capital city is connected to major cities like Chennai, Kolkata via flights and
even by sea. It is also the starting point of other major attractions like
Havelock Islands and Baratang Islands.
Port
Blair
Port Blair itself has a lot
of places to visit like Cellular Jail, Chattam Saw Mill, Anthropogical Museum,
Naval Museum, Mt Harriet, and Ross Island and not to forget the snorkelling
destination Jolly Buoy and Red Skin Islands.
Cellular Jail - Kaala Paani
- The hellish Jail at one point of time
Located in Port Blair
the capital city of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, this jail was known as Kaala
Paani in the British era when this prison was used by Britishers to imprison
political figures of the Indian Freedom Movement such as Veer Savarkar and
Batukeshwar Dutt.
Post-Independence
this place has become a National Memorial Monument, which gives a detailed
insight into the times of India's freedom struggle and how the prisoners were
tortured and treated in this hell of a prison.
A guided tour is a
history lesson in disguise for each and every one. There is a sound and light
show also held during the evening hours. Overall, it is a Must Visit attraction
in Port Blair. Easily takes 3-4 hours if you explore it properly. |
| Cellular Jail |
Chatam Saw Mill
Chatam Saw Mill is
the oldest and largest Saw Mill in Asia, established in the British Era. One
gets educated about the whole process of obtaining wooden planks. How the
planks are transported, stored, watered, dried can be easily understood looking
at the various boards mentioning the name of processes. The compound also has a
museum where all kind of local woodwork is put on display.
Anthropological Museum
This museum is a must
visit as it gives a detailed insight into the local culture and also about
Jarawas which are the native tribe of the region.
After all it’s always
interesting to get to know more about the local cultural specially when the
natives are tribal and still exist desolated from the ways of life of today's
world.
Naval Museum
This museum
maintained by the Indian Navy is also called Samudrika. One can see a wide
array of corals, shells and skeletons of marine animals. There is an aquarium
as well which have some unique fishes unseen is other aquariums mainland. |
| Whale Skeleton at Naval Museum |
Mt Harriet National Park
Visited this place on
our way back from Baratang Island. Got some lunch packed from a hotel enroute
and headed to Mt Harriet National Park. It is the highest point in Port Blair
and the view from the top is magnificent.
They have made a
couple of huts and watchtowers sort of structures which apart from giving a
good view also enhance the beauty of the park.
There is a 2km trek
as well leading to Kalapatthar beach for all the adventure enthusiasts.
We enjoyed our packed
lunch with strong winds blowing on our faces and later had a long walk on the
premises.
PS: The image on the
INR 20 note is from a point on the road leading to Mt Harriet.
 |
| The image behind the Rs 20 note |
Ross Island
Ross Island was a
British administrative base at one point of time. The whole island has no beach
but old British building ruins and a good garden where one can enjoy a long
walk.Currently it is under control of the Indian Navy which has an office
structure and some guestrooms there.
The perfect outing
includes getting packed lunch and enjoying it in the lush green lawns and
thereafter taking a long stroll and interacting with the deer and occasionally
feeding them as well.
The island can be
reached by ferry’s which ply from Port Blair to Ross and the tickets have to be
pre-booked.Read more about Ross Island here - Wandering through Ross Island in Andamans
 |
| Ruins of British era buildings at Ross Island |
Red Skin Island - The
beauty of Corals
A replacement for
Jolly Buoy Island. We were supposed to go to Jolly Buoy but because of rains it
was closed and we ended up here in Red Skin. We were lucky as we had a local
with us who had given us his snorkelling mask, which proved out to be a
blessing in disguise as my father and me, both were able to do snorkelling on
our known at leisure instead of waiting for the person to take us along with
him in a tube.
The marine life is a
different thing all together and one can only know its true beauty once he sees
it with his own eyes.
The corals are well
protected as this island comes under the Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park.
Even though it was drizzling, snorkelling was a wonderful experience.
Tip: Please wear
sandals or aqua shoes as corals might hurt your feet.
Baratang Islands
A visit to the
Baratang Islands is a must do at any cost primarily because of the journey
(passing through Jarawa Reserve Forest) and destination (Limestone Caves).The
journey is partly by road, and partly by boat. The road passes through a No
Overtaking Zone through the Jarawa Reserve forest area and then a ferry ride to
Baratang Island.
A motorboat takes one
from Baratang Jetty to the limestone caves through Mangrove Creeks which is a
different experience all together.
The motorboat drops
one at a jetty from where the caves are a km or 2 trek through the village.
The limestone caves
are a natural beauty and best time to visit is in the morning hours. One can
see interesting limestone structures and stalactite and stalagmites.
There is also Mud
Volcano which is a km walk from the Baratang Jetty. |
| FAQ - Mud Volcano |
It is an active MUD
VOLCANO and not a lava volcano which we see on TV or in movies. Andaman Islands
does have an active volcano as well (Barren Islands) but it is out of bounds.
It is not worth the
hype and one should properly research about it before going to avoid
disappointments.
Havelock Islands
These islands are
India’s best preserved treasures with neat and clean beaches with pristine
beauty. Havelock Islands are located 2 hours away from Port Blair and the only
access is through the water on MV Makruzz; a 5 star ferry used for transporting
tourists to and fro from Havelock Islands at a very economical rate. The ride
is very bumpy and it is advised not to eat too much before sitting in the boat.
 |
| MV Makruzz |
There is an old world
charm in Havelock and it seems that time slows down. One can see travellers
from all over the globe relaxing in beach shacks and staying for months at a
stretch. Here beaches are numbered like Beach No 7 – Radhanagar Beach, Beach No
5 – where all the resorts are, etc.
 |
| All set for the dive |
Radhanagar beach is
counted among the best beaches in the world primarily because of the white sand
and absolutely no litter on the beach. Unlike Goa, there are no shacks on the
beach, hence no litter. Taking a long walk with waves splashing on your feet is
definitely recommended. There are some shacks which serve good local cuisine
but are located on the road leading to the beach. The nariyal paani is a
delicacy here, with almost a litre of sweet tender coconut water for a bare
minimum of INR 20-30.
Another highlight has
to be scuba diving as there are a lot of good diving spots around Havelock
Islands, with a number of companies offering scuba diving sessions at
competitive costs. Be assured, that it is going to take at least half a day and
is exhausting, but it is totally worth it.
Personally we did
scuba diving at the Lighthouse and it was amazing. Those 40 min underwater
seemed like hours all together. The water actually felt like a portal which
took us to a different world all together.
Post dive, we had
sandwiches provided by the scuba operator on the boat itself and headed out to
Kala Patthar beach to pass some time as we had to board the Makruzz back in
another 2 hours. Kala Patthar is a rocky beach but is good for some relaxing
time as there is hardly any crowd.
One week in the
Andamans created some amazing family memories which will be cherished for life.
