Andaman & Nicobar Family Travel Tour

Known famously as “kaala pani”, the Andaman and Nicobar islands are definitely misnomered, for it is a  colourful world of picturesque beaches, lush green forests, unique wildlife, and incredible corals and marine life. Although some parts of the islands were devastated by the Boxing Day tsunami in 2004, the Andaman group mostly escaped the damage and is back to its usual lifestyle. The  Nicobar group, however, is usually off-limits for the tourists.

Andaman And Nicobar Island (Photo: Mayank Tripathi)

The Andaman and Nicobar Islands are a group of 572 islands, with a total area of 7950 km2 , of which, only 34 are inhabited by humans. The Andaman Islands are separated from the Nicobar group by the Ten Degree Channel, which is about 150 km wide. These islands are closer to Thailand and Myanmar, than they are to the mainland of India. The best way to reach the islands is to reach the capital city, Port Blair, via air from the mainland. It is also possible to take a ship from Kolkata, Chennai or Visakhapatnam which takes almost 4 days to arrive at Port Blair.

We, a family of 5 people, decided to explore these beautiful islands. Flying from Delhi to Port Blair via Kolkata took us about 5 hours. Upon reaching, we were welcomed by the pleasant weather of mid march, which is said to be the best suited for tourism.

Cellular Jail

Cellular Jail in Andaman

Our first destination was the infamous jail of “kaala paani”. The Cellular Jail, declared a national memorial in 1969, houses the darkest secrets of the history of our struggle for independence. The prison was used by the British especially to exile political prisoners to the remote archipelago. Many notable dissidents such as Batukeshwar Dutt and Veer Savarkar, among others, were imprisoned here. The jail is a vast complex built in the shape of a 7 armed star of which, only 3 stand today, having survived a bombing by the Japanese during the 2nd world war. The Govind Ballabh Pant Hospital was set up in the damaged portions of the Cellular Jail in 1963. A light and sound show is exhibited in the premises to enlighten the visitors about the adversities faced by the prisoners.

Havelock Island

Havelock Island

The 2nd day started with the 3 hour trip to Havelock Island on the government ferry. Later in the day, we visited the Beach No. 7 on the western coast, better known as “Radha Nagar” Beach, which is one of the most popular beaches on Havelock and was named “Best Beach in Asia” by Time in 2004. The day ended with a lovely sunset on the beach.

Before Scuba Diving

The next day, we decided to embark on a little adventure, and what better adventure on an island surrounded by corals. Scuba diving is a very famous recreational activity carried out in water. It allows the diver to experience life beneath the surface of water up close. Corals are stone like formations formed by millions and millions of small organisms called polyps over many years. We saw a diverse variety of colourful corals and marine creatures like star fishes, sea cucumbers, stone fish, banner fish, brain coral, table coral, staghorn coral etc.

MV Makruzz in Andaman

Andaman Sea

The subsequent morning, it was time to say goodbye to the lovely Havelock island. The return journey was on the MV Macruzz, a private luxurious cruise. Our next stop was the main market of Port Blair, the well known Aberdeen Market. The specialty of the market is the different objects made from shells and corals sold here. This was followed by a city tour consisting of 3 museums. The first was the Samudrika Marine Museum  It has five sections dealing with history of Andaman Islands, Geographical information, people of Andaman, Archaeology and finally the Marine life.

The museum houses a wide collections of corals, shells and fish fauna. This museum is a real treasure of worthy marine life, especially that of rare fish species. Next was The Anthropological Museum, dealing with the lifestyle of the 6 indigenous tribes of the region- The Nicobarese, The Onges, The Jarawas, The Sentineles, The Shompens and The Karens. The last was a crossover of a museum and an aquarium, having both live fish and fossils for people to see.

Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park

On the 5th day, we went to the Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park. The park covers 281.5 km² made up of 15 islands and the open sea creeks running through the area. The primary tourist attraction is a chance to spend time on the islands Jolly Buoy and Red Skin. Any one of the 2 islands is open to visitors depending upon the season of visit. These islands boast pristine waters and snorkelling along with glass-bottom boat rides to discover the various corals present here. All five of us participated and found the experience enthralling.

Ross Island in Andaman

Ross Island in Andaman

The next day was reserved to explore a trio of islands established by the British for administrative, recreational and punishment purposes. We started by boarding a ferry  from the Water Sports Complex, which took us first to the Ross Island. Ross Island is situated about 2 km east of Port Blair. It was the Administrative Headquarters for the Britishers, before an earthquake rocked it in 1941, when the headquarters were shifted to Port Blair. We saw the remnants of the officers quarters, the church, the swimming pool, and one of the first electricity production units of the country. The island also houses a museum managed by the Indian Navy.

The next stop was the Viper Island, named after the ship “viper” in which Lt. Archibald Blair came to the islands. The ship is believed to have met an accident near this island. The island is famous for a jail which was used by the British before the construction of The Cellular Jail at Port Blair. Also, many prisoners were hanged here, including Sher Ali, a Pathan of Peshawar, who assassinated Lord Mayo. The final destination of the day was North Bay Island, whose picture can be seen on the back of the 20 rupee note. Interestingly, North Bay is the only place to be printed on an Indian currency note ever. The island is famous for the water sports and activities carried out here.

Mangrove trees

The following day was unique in itself, for it took us beyond only sea water into untouched nature. The journey started early in the morning and went through a forest reserved for a native tribe of these lands, the Jarawas. The tribe used to be hostile to visitors a mere decade ago. Now, they are starting to accept visitors but still choose to live life in their old fashion. After about 3 hours of travelling and having faced the disappointing of not seeing any tribesmen, we reached a point where we left behind our vehicle and embarked a government ferry to Baratang, a small town on the other side of a small stretch of ocean separating the road and the town. From here, we climbed aboard a motorboat for a ride through a tunnel formed by.

Cave

After the boat ride, we walked on a trail to the limestone caves. These beautiful caves are formed by seepage of salts dissolved in rainwater, and their chemical reaction with the atmospheric gases. The whole journey was nothing like any of us had experienced before. On our way back, we were given a pleasant surprise as we got to see a whole family of Jarawas sitting right beside the road. Although the day was well spent, we were very tired and as soon as we reached our hotel, we hit the haystack for the day.

On our last day, we had a small attraction before finally saying goodbye to Andaman. We saw the Chatham Sawmill. The mill, one of the oldest and largest sawmills in Asia, was set up by the British during their reign. The mill is located on a small island close to Port Blair and is connected to it only by a small bridge which was destroyed in the 2004 tsunami but has been since rebuilt.

After having spent about an hour there, we headed for the Veer Savarkar International Airport to board our fight to Delhi. Thus ended one of our most unforgettable endeavors.

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