Must See Andaman & Nicobar Islands
Islands of the Indian Ocean - The archipelago of more than three hundred isles, makes the chain of these islands one of the less explored places of the world, with tourism only increasing recently in this territory of India.
One of the most scenic places to visit in India is Andaman and Nicobar Island. If the picture of India that you have in your head is composed entirely of hot plains and ancient, rustic monuments, then you couldn’t be further from the truth. While that is certainly a part of India, and lots of tourists restrict themselves to seeing no more than this part, the wonderful thing about India is that India is made up of more than 1 kind of terrain. You can also have a spectacular beach vacation in India by going down to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
A Union Territory of India with more than 500 islands out of which only 37 are inhabited and only a few open to tourists, these islands are a little piece of paradise with a small corner all their own on the East Indian coast. Port Blair, the capital of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, will lead you through ferries and cruises to other islands with stunning beaches, blue waters, and a unique history of British colonialism and Japanese occupation during the Second World War. Here are all of the places you must visit if you want to vacation in and explore the Andaman and Nicobar Islands on your visit to India.
It wouldn't be wrong to say that Andamans and Nicobar Islands are indeed the emerald jewels shining bright in the deep blue waters of the Indian ocean.
Beautiful beaches with waters in the unseen shades of blue, and the good company of clear sky and tropical forest views; saying this is actually an understatement while expressing these natural wonders located somewhere in the deepest and the most gorgeous side of the ocean.
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Andaman Islands
The Andaman Islands are a set of a number of islands, an archipelago located on the southern part of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Andaman Islands are the ones witnessing rising popularity in the whole archipelago, among travellers from India and abroad, with most of the place’s attractions located around this part of the territory.
Some of the prettiest beaches of the place are located on North Bay Island, located in the south of the archipalago, with a chance to dive right into the clear waters of the Anadaman sea, getting a close glimpse of beautiful corals and marine life of the place. The Andamans is also home to mangrove forests and limestone caves located on one of its islands named Baratang, which is also the native place of the regional tribe, called the Jarawa tribe of the Andamans, one of the largest tribes of the islands.
Besides, the capital of the South Andaman district, Port Blair, has enough attractions for a day’s tour, with a Marine Park Museum and a prison from the colonial times located at its center. Port Blair has many nearby islands with natural reserves and tropical forests, which can be visited from the abundant facilities available in the island’s capital itself.
World’s Best Beaches
Elephant Beach in Havelock Islands, Andaman
Most tourist attractions of the Indian archipelago are located solely on the Andaman islands, with world renowned and some of the best beaches of Asia. Radhanagar Beach is one of the blue flag beaches of India, making it in the list of the eight blue flag beaches around the country.
Located in the south of the Bay of Bengal, the Havelock and Neil islands are some famous places for scuba diving and glass boat ride through the reefs, with their pristine white sand beaches, many of which generally observe very few crowd of tourists.
Sea walking and diving are popular activities in these islands of Andamans, with many of the world's best beaches located on this part of the island. One of the other famous places of the Andamans is the Redskin Island, known for its Marine National Park, wildlife and glass boat tours with exquisite visuals of colourful corals.
The hundreds of kilometres long archipelago has Andamans to its north and Nicobar to its south. Most of the tourist attractions and known beaches lie on the north side of the Andamans, with the areas of Nicobar and Great Nicobar in the south being off limits to outside public.
Must see places in Andaman & Nicobar Islands for Tourists
Havelock Island
Havelock Island, officially known as Swaraj Island since 2018, is one of the largest and most popular islands in Andaman and Nicobar Islands and is one of the main tourist attractions of the Islands. With gorgeous white sand beaches, deep blue shimmering waters, rich coral reefs, and lush, dense forests, the island is quite a picturesque place to spend your vacation in. Elephant beach, Kalapather beach, Radhanagar beach, and Vijaynagar beach are some of its most popular beaches. Apart from the beautiful view you’ll get to see at all times while at Havelock Island you can also have a fun adventure there with scuba diving, snorkelling, and deep sea diving.
Little Andaman
The fourth largest island of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Little Andaman is also a popular tourist destination. Apart from its pretty beaches with white sand and blue waters it is also famous for the rainforest surrounding it, the many mesmerizing waterfalls found on it, and a rare species of marine turtle. Some popular activities to do on the island are boating, elephant safari, and especially surfing, which has become 1 of the most popular activities on the island, so much so that there’s a surfing school also that has opened on the island.
Barren Island
Barren Island is fascinating because in it is located India’s only active volcano and because of the possibility of volcano eruptions it is mostly uninhabited. You cannot sightsee around the island, although citizens of India can visit it by obtaining permission from the Forest Department, but foreign nationals are not allowed to land ashore and can only see it from a distance from a boat on the sea. But even from a distance, this is 1 of the most unique things you could see in a lifetime, and it’s a mystifying sight too, with the island’s purple-black sand and the blue waters. The island is somewhat of an unexplored mystery and seeing it, albeit from a safe distance, would be quite an interesting experience.
Viper Island
What makes Andaman and Nicobar Islands interesting is that they are not just made up of scenic beaches but there are also things like an active volcano on 1 of the islands and other islands that are stamped with reminders of colonial times. Viper Island, for instance, though it’s quite beautiful, cannot be separated from its history as a place used by the British (the name of the island also comes from the name of the vessel in which the British came to the island) to imprison Indian freedom fighters to keep them far away from the Indian mainland and who were often subjected to inhuman treatment. It was later occupied by the Japanese during the Second World War. Its beauty when combined with the history that is trapped there makes for a very interesting visit there. Its historical buildings are still being restored and if you are interested in Indian colonial history you should definitely visit this island.
Cellular Jail
This is another 1 of interesting places in Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Standing in Port Blair, the capital of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Cellular Jail or Kala Pani was a colonial jail used by the British. Built like 7 spokes of a bicycle, this 3 storied jail was the first of its kind to be constructed in India with 693 cells built for solitary confinement where none of the prisoners could communicate with each other. There is also a jail hospital there and the place that served as the gallows for execution. Many Indian freedom fighters were imprisoned in this jail. It is a national memorial monument today, showcasing the Indian freedom fighters, and has exhibition galleries and a library on the freedom movement. There is Light and Sound show organised in Cellular Jail. It’s quite a fascinating yet disturbing place to visit.
Untouched by Man
The North Sentinel Island, one of islands in the Andaman archipelago, is the home of Sentinelese people, the indigineous tribe of the region who are believed to have never experienced any human contact from the outside of the island.
The Sentinelese tribe, residing in both the North and South Sentinel Island, have voluntarily secluded themselves from any human interaction, seemingly since forever. The Island is one of the heavily protected areas by the Government, with the Sentinelese tribe being considered as the last contacted people of the earth!
Nicobar Islands
Car Nicobar Island
The Nicobar Islands located on the south of the Bay of Bengal, are a set of islands separated from Thailand by the Andaman sea on the west. Islands of Nicobar are the secluded territories and uninhabited places, with only the access allowed to tribes and natives of the region.
Car Nicobar, the capital of Nicobar Islands, though is a developed place with basic amenities available but the islands of Nicobar have remained off limits to any person from India or abroad. The Nicobarese people are one of the primitive tribes of India, and the process of adapting to the outside world by its people is still in progress with various Government restrictions considering any activity on this part island territory
Andaman Islands, with its perfect beaches and activities make up for a fun-filled vacation spot in all seasons, although the best season to visit the place lies in the months of October to May. Exploring the less known parts of the islands or visiting the popular places, both are a way of observing the breathtaking views with a picture perfect memory to take back home.
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Indian Tourist eVisa can be utilised to travel to Andaman and Nicobar Islands for meeting friends, meeting relatives in India, attending courses like Yoga, or for sight-seeing and tourism.
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