Andaman Islands Sightseeing Holiday

Our representative meets you at Veer Savarkar International Airport, Port Blair, at your arrival point (airport, railway station or hotel) at the agreed time and takes you to the hotel, about 15 minutes. After lunch (own arrangement) drive to Corbyn's Cove, a palm-fringed beach 8 km from town, for a first swim or a walk; the ruins of Japanese bunkers from the Second World War stand along the road.

In the evening visit the Cellular Jail, built by the British between 1896 and 1906 to hold political prisoners in solitary cells, now a national memorial. Walk the wings and the gallows room before the light-and-sound show, which tells the story of the Kala Pani in Hindi (English shows on fixed days) as darkness falls over the courtyard. Dinner at the hotel.

Overnight: Port Blair

After breakfast board a boat from the Aberdeen or Rajiv Gandhi water sports jetty for Ross Island, the British administrative capital until the 1941 earthquake, now a quiet islet where deer and peacocks wander among the roots that have swallowed the church, the bakery and the chief commissioner's house; a small museum and a light-and-sound show tell its history. Allow two hours.

The boat continues to North Bay, the island on the twenty-rupee note, where a coral reef lies just offshore. A glass-bottom boat ride over the coral is included; snorkelling, a sea walk or an introductory scuba dive can be booked on the spot at your cost. Return to Port Blair by late afternoon, with time for the Aberdeen bazaar. Dinner at the hotel.

Overnight: Port Blair

Check out after an early breakfast and transfer to the Haddo or Phoenix Bay jetty for the morning catamaran to Havelock (Swaraj Dweep), about 90 minutes across calm, open sea with the islands in view. On arrival at the jetty our vehicle takes you to the resort. After check-in drive along the east coast to Kalapathar beach, named for its black rocks against pale sand and clear water, a good spot for photographs and a paddle.

In the late afternoon cross the island to Radhanagar beach on the west coast, a two-kilometre curve of white sand backed by forest that is regularly ranked among the finest beaches in Asia; the sunset here is the day's purpose. Lifeguards are on duty and swimming is safe in the marked area. Dinner at the resort.

Overnight: Havelock (Swaraj Dweep)

After breakfast a speedboat from the Havelock jetty takes you in about 20 minutes to Elephant Beach, where a shallow reef begins only metres from the shore. Snorkelling here is the easiest in the Andamans and suits first-timers; the package includes the boat and a basic snorkel session with a guide, and sea-walking, jet-ski and banana-boat rides are available at extra cost. Return by early afternoon.

The rest of the day is free. Govind Nagar beach beside the jetty is good for a quiet evening walk, and the island's small market has cafes and a few handicraft shops. Dinner at the resort.

Overnight: Havelock (Swaraj Dweep)

Check out and board the morning catamaran for Neil Island (Shaheed Dweep), about an hour. Neil is small enough to cycle around, with vegetable farms instead of resorts and a slower rhythm than Havelock. Check in and drive to Bharatpur beach beside the jetty, where the lagoon is calm and shallow and glass-bottom boats run over the coral.

In the afternoon, timed for low tide, walk out over the rock shelf at Laxmanpur beach number two to the Natural Bridge, a limestone arch standing in the tide pools, with sea anemones and small fish in the pools around it (wear shoes that can get wet). Then Laxmanpur beach number one for the sunset. Dinner at the resort.

Overnight: Neil Island (Shaheed Dweep)

A free early morning on Neil, perhaps at Sitapur beach on the eastern tip for sunrise, then the catamaran back to Port Blair, about two hours. Check in to the hotel and have lunch (own arrangement).

In the afternoon visit the Anthropological Museum, which explains the six indigenous communities of the islands, including the Jarawa and the Sentinelese, with tools, canoes and photographs, and the Samudrika Naval Marine Museum, with its displays of corals, shells and the islands' geography. (Both are closed on certain weekdays; we adjust the order accordingly.) Evening free for shopping at Sagarika, the government emporium, for shell and wood crafts. Dinner at the hotel.

Overnight: Port Blair

A very early start, around 4 am, with a packed breakfast, to join the first convoy through the Jarawa Tribal Reserve on the Andaman Trunk Road; the drive to Baratang is about 100 km and three hours, including the vehicle ferry across the Middle Strait at Nilambur. From the Baratang jetty a fibre boat runs through dense mangrove creeks to Nayadera, from where a 1.5 km walk on a raised path leads to the limestone caves, with stalactites and curtain formations lit by torch.

Return by boat and drive a short way to the mud volcano at Jarawa Creek, a field of small bubbling cones, one of the few in India. Lunch at the simple Baratang eateries, then the afternoon convoy back to Port Blair, arriving by about 5 pm. The day is long but the mangrove boat ride and caves are a highlight for most families. Dinner at the hotel.

Overnight: Port Blair

Breakfast and check-out. If your flight is later in the day, a short visit to Chatham Saw Mill, one of Asia's oldest, or to the Marina Park and the memorial to the Battle of Aberdeen can be added. Transfer to Veer Savarkar International Airport at your departure point (airport, railway station or hotel) two hours before departure.

Overnight: not included (departure)