Andaman And Nicobar Islands

By ajaychaudhary2nd

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Havelock Island

Totani Resort

Andaman and Nicobar are a large group of nearly 600 islands in the Bay of Bengal. Though they are a part of India, geographically, they are closer to Myanmar and Thailand than to the Indian mainland. They are grouped here with Southern India. They were just north of the epicenter of the "Boxing Day" quake of 2004, and were the site of dozens of aftershocks. The Nicobars were badly hit the by the resulting tsunami, while the Andamans escaped with a few bruises. With the exception of Little Andaman Island and the Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park, the rest of the tourist destinations are back up to speed.

Andaman and Nicobar islands are located in the Bay of Bengal. These islands are one of the few amazing islands in world, which has lots of hidden natural beauty on land as well as in deep sea also. Best time to explore the deep sea beauty in Andaman and Nicobar is from October to May. Water is clear at these beaches, which gives a very good visibility.

Places of interest :

*Havelock Island - the most visited of the islands, with the most (although still minimal) infrastructure. Beautiful beaches, great snorkeling and scuba diving.

*Rutland Island - is pristine, non-polluted and least visited island. Beautiful Mangrove forest and coral reefs welcomes you to the 274 sq.km island. There is also a 45 acre Totani Resort which has quaint little huts which can be used as a base camp for exploring the island. It is the ideal place for eco-tourists.

* Neil Island - quieter than Havelock with nice beaches and decent snorkeling.

* Wandoor - a relaxed destination in it's own right, but known more as the gateway to the Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park which closed after the 2004 tsunami. It has re-opened since then and Jolly Bouy, Red Skin and Cinque island are due to be opened to visitors after October 2007. There was a lot of talk about all the corals there having been destroyed, but this isn't the case; there's still plenty to see. A good source of info would be the Anugama Resort which one passes before reaching the Wandoor Jetty.

* Baratang Island - Mud Volcano, Limestone Caves, and Magrove Creeks in back waters.

* Barren Island - a volcano island and the only volcano in all of India.

* Long Island - great if you're looking for Robinson Crusoe style camping. Nothing exists here, so you must bring all of your own gear and food.

* Little Andaman - remote and currently devastated by the 2004 tsunami, it was once popular for surfing. Check to see if things have reopened.


By Air :

For now the only way to reach the Andamans by air is from the Indian mainland to Port Blair. There are talks of opening up flights from Bangkok, which could drastically change the situation in the islands, but as of 2009 these remain just plans. Flights can fill up in peak season and immigration doesn't look kindly on people arriving without confirmed flights back, so book a return ticket and change the flight date if you decide to hang around longer.

* Indian Airlines fly from Kolkata and Chennai. They charge a much higher rate for foreigners than Indian residents.

* JetLite now flies from Chennai to Port Blair, and from Delhi via Kolkata.

* Kingfisher Red, formerly Air Deccan, flies daily from Kolkata and Chennai and is often cheapest way to get to the islands. One-way fares start from around Rs 6000.


By sea :

It is still possible to take a ship from Kolkata, Chennai or Visakhapatnam which takes almost 4 days to arrive in Port Blair. However, with the arrival of the Kingfisher Red flights that allow foreigners to fly for the same rate as Indians, and cost about the same as the boat, there is little reason to spend 4 days at sea unless you're in it for the experience. Apparently at the same time of the new flights arriving the ship operators stopped letting foreigners into the most basic budget class, which would actually make this more expensive than flying. Facilities are basic and, in a bizarre incident in 2003, an Israeli tourist was stabbed to death by the ship's cook.

http://wikitravel.org/en/Andaman_and_Nicobar




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