India Travel
Arrival and information in The Andaman Islands
Port Blair has two jetties: boats from the mainland moor at Haddo Jetty, nearly 2km northwest of Phoenix Jetty, arrival point for inter-island ferries. The Director of Shipping Services at Phoenix Jetty has the latest information on boats and ferries, but you can also check the shipping news column of the local newspaper, the Daily Telegrams, for details of forthcoming departures. Advice on booking ferry tickets appears in the box.
The smart new airport terminal is 4km south of town at Lamba Line. Entry permits are issued to foreigners from the immigration counters as you enter the arrivals hall. Taxis are on hand for short trips into town (Rs40-50), but if you have booked a room in any of the middle- or upper-range hotels or do so at the counter in the airport, you should find a shuttle bus waiting outside.
The counter at the airport hands out a useful brochure, but the main A&N tourist office (Mon-Sat 10am-5pm) is situated in a modern building, diagonally opposite Indian Airlines on the southern edges of the town. Unless you want to book accommodation in an ANI-IDCO hotel or a seat on one of their tours (such as to Wandoor), it’s hard to think of a reason to go there; they don’t keep transport timetables or any useful information about the rest of the archipelago. North of the centre on Junglighat Main Road, the Government of India Tourist Office (Mon-Fri 8.30am-5pm) is little better.
Road names are not used much in Port Blair, with most establishments addressing themselves simply by their local area. The name of the busiest and most central area is Aberdeen Bazaar, where you’ll find the superintendent of police (for permit extensions), the SCI office for onward bookings by sea, and the State Bank of India (Mon-Fri 9am-lpml Sat 9-1 lam). Some hotels will change travellers’ cheques, but you’ll get faster service and better rates at Island Travels (Mon-Sat 2-5pm), which has a licence to change money, and is just up the road from the clock tower in Aberdeen Bazaar. You can email or use the internet for Rs60 per hour at Kembu’s Net joint on Moulana Azad Road near Jagannath Guest House. There is also a Net cafe in the Hotel Blair complex..
Related Properties from Gurgaon
Port Blair in The Andaman Islands
PORT BLAIR, a characterless cluster of tin-roofed buildings tumbling towards the sea in the north, east and west and petering into fields and forests in the south, merits only a short stay. There's little to see here - just the Cellular Jail and a few small museums - but as the point of arrival for the islands, and the only place with a bank, tourist offices and hotels, it can't be avoided. If you plan to head off to more remote islands, this is also the best place to stock up on supplies and buy necessary equipment.
Details of Other islands
The remaining islands open to foreign tourists in the Andaman group are ail hard to get to and, with the exception of Little Andaman - where a vestigial population of Onge tribespeople have survived a massive influx of Indian Tamils and native Nicobars - uninhabited. Two hours' boat ride south of Chiriya Tapu on South Andaman, Cinque Island offers superlative diving, outshone only by distant Barren Island, whose volcanic sand beds teem with marine life.
Getting to the Andaman Islands
Port Blair, on South Andaman, is served by Indian Airlines flights from Calcutta (daily except Wed & Fri) and Chennai (Mon, Wed, Fri & Sun); Jet I Airways now runs a daily flight from Chennai, which means that availability is a lot easier than it used to be on that sector. Tickets for the two-hour flights remain expensive though, at around 5200 one way, unless you qualify' for a discount. It's also possible to get to Port Blair by ship. Services to and from Chennai have stabilized and can now be reasonably relied upon to leave in each direction every Friday.
Around Port Blair in The Andaman Islands
At some point, you're almost certain to find yourself killing time in Port Blair, waiting for boats to show up or tickets to go on sale. Rather than wasting days in town, it's worth exploring the coast of South Andaman which, although far more densely populated than other islands in the archipelago, holds a handful of easily accessible beauty spots and historic sites. Among the latter, the ruined colonial monuments on Viper and Ross islands can be reached on daily harbour cruises or regular ferries from the capital. For beaches, head southeast to Corbyn's Cove, or cross South Andaman to
Moving on from Mayabunder in The andaman Islands
Until the last strelch of the Andaman Trunk Road and a bridge across the narrow strait to North Andaman Island just west of Mayabunder are completed in 2002, the shortest crossing is the ferry ride to Kalighat (2 daily; 3hr). The first departure of the day leaves at 9.30am, on a boat that's hopelessly small and cramped, so come prepared for hours of relentless sun (or torrential rain in the monsoons). That said, the journey is very memorable, especially towards its latter stages when the mangrove-lined sides of the creek close in as you approach Kalighat. The other boat leaves
Inter-island services in The Andaman Islands
Buses connect Port Blair with most major settlements on South and Middle Andaman, mainly via the Andaman Trunk Road. From the crowded, disorganized bus stand at the bottom of town, one daily government service at 5am runs via Rangat (6hr) as far as Mayabunder (9hr), from where you have to catch a boat across the straits to Kalighat on North Andaman in order to press on north to Diglipur and Ariel Bay. There's another daily service to Rangat at 6am. Several private companies including Geetanjali Travels (tickets at Tillie teashop by the bus stand) and the cheaper Ananda run deluxe
South Andaman: Port Blair and around
South Andaman is today the most heavily populated of the Andaman Islands - particularly around the capital, Port Blair - thanks in part to the drastic thinning of tree cover to make way for settlement. Foreign tourists can only visit its southern and east central reaches - including the beaches at Corbyn's Cove and Chiriya Tapu, the fine reefs on the western shores at Wandoor, 35km southwest of Port Blair and the environs of Madhuban and Mount Harriet on the east coast across the bay from the capital. With your own transport it's easy to find your way along the narrow
Details of The Andaman Islands
The ANDAMAN ISLANDS, comprising India's most remote state, are situated 1000km off the east coast in the middle of the Bay of Bengal, connected to the mainland by flights and ferries from Calcutta, Chennai and Vishakapatnam. Thickly covered by deep green tropical forest, the archipelago supports a profusion of wildlife, including some extremely rare species of bird, but the principal attraction for tourists lies offshore, around the pristine reefs ringing most of the islands. Filled with colourful fish and kaleidoscopic corals, the crystal-clear waters of the Andaman Sea feature some of the world's richest and least spoilt marine reserves —
State tourist offices in Calcutta
The most useful of the many tourist offices representing other states in Calcutta are those that cover trie northeastern states, and issue whichever permits may be necessary (details of permit requirements can be found on p.1043), and that of the Andaman and Nicobar islands. Andaman and Nicobar, 3A Auckland Place; Arunachal Pradesh, 41B Chowringhee Place; Assam, 8 Russell St; Manipur, 26 Rowland Rd; Meghalaya, 9 Russell St; Mizoram, 24 Old Ballygunge Rd; Nagaland, 11 Shakespeare Sarani; Orissa, 41 Lenin Sarani; Sikkim, 5/2 Russell St;
Islands north of Port Blair in The Andaman Islands
Printed on the permit card you receive on arrival in the Andamans is a list of all the other islands you're allowed to visit in the archipelago. The majority of them are north of Port Blair. Given the great distances involved, not to mention the often erratic connections between them (and the time limit imposed by the one-month permit), it definitely pays to know where to head for as soon as you arrive rather than drift off on the first promising ferry out of Phoenix Jetty. The best way of doing this is to talk to fellow travellers arriving back
Genarl Information of Middle Andaman
For most travellers. Middle Andaman is a charmless rite of passage to be endured en route to or from the north. The sinuous Andaman Trunk Road, hemmed in by walls of towering forest, winds through miles of jungle, crossing the strait that separates the island from its neighbour, Baratang Island, by means of rusting flat-bottomed ferry. The island's frontier feeling is heightened by the presence on 'the buses of armed guards, and the knowledge that the impenetrable forests west of the ATR are the Jarawa Tribal Reserve. Of its two main settlements, the more northerly Mayabunder is slightly more appealing
Little Andaman is the furthest point south in the archipelago
Little Andaman is the furthest point south in the archipelago you can travel to on a standard one-month tourist permit. Located ten hours by sea from Port Blair, most of the island has been set aside as a tribal reserve for the Onge and is thus off limits. The only areas you're allowed to visit lie on either side of the main settlement, Hut Bay, which sits halfway down the east coast. The northern part of this stretch has been mercilessly clear-felled, leaving a stark wasteland flanking the main road to the largest beach at Butler Bay, 16km from Hut
North Andaman
Shrouded in dense jungle, North Andaman is the least populated of the region's large islands, crossed by a single road linking its scattered Bengali settlements. Timber extraction is proceeding apace here, despite a promise by the Island Development Authority to phase out logging by the year 2000, but the total absence of motorable roads into northern and western areas has ensured blanket protection for a vast stretch of convoluted coastline, running from Austin Strait in the southeast to the northern tip. Cape Price. Even if it were physically possible to reach this region, you wouldn't be allowed to, but it's
Mayabunder of Middle Andaman
About two hours further north by road, perched on a long promontory right at the top of the island and surrounded by mangrove swamps, is MAYABUN-DER; springboard for the remote northern Andaman Islands. The village, which is home to a large minority of former Burmese Karen tribal people who were originally brought here as cheap logging labour by the British, is more spread out and more appealing than Rangat, but again there is little to hold your interest for long. At the brow of the hill, before it descends to the jetty, a small hexagonal wooden structure houses the Forest
Practicalities of Boats leave Port Blair for Little Andaman
Boats leave Port Blair for Little Andaman around twice a week; the service to aim for is the one that continues south to Car Nicobar, capital of the Nicobar Islands, as the ferry is larger and marginally more comfortable. Both arrive at the main jetty (specially enlarged for the full-on logging operation still under way here), a 3km plod from the bazaar, where you'll find the island's only established accommodation. Before leaving Port Blair, it's worth making a reservation at head office for the APWD Rest House 1km north of the shops behind the hospital, which has clean and spacious
Moving on from Port Blair in The Andaman Islands
Port Blair is the departure point for all flights and ferry crossings to the Indian mainland; it is also the hub of the Andamans' inter-island bus and ferry network, Unfortunately, booking tickets (especially back to Chennai, Calcutta or Vishakapatnam) can E>e time-consuming, and many travellers are obliged to come back here well before their permit expires to make reservations, before heading off to more pleasant parts to kill their remaining days.
From Calcutta to Andaman Islands in Calcutta
Alliance Air (Indian Airlines) fly to Port Blair five times a week but if you want to take a ship (leaving every two weeks) you'll need to book through the Shipping Corporation of India. 13 Strand Rd. Although theoretically you need a permit before buying your ticket, the Foreigners Regional Registration Office at 237 AJC Bose Rd has informed travellers to get their permits on arrival in Fort Blair; check in advance. There are four classes starting with bunk beds (from around Rs1000) to a/c dorms and cabins; the journey takes three to four days, so bring plenty to read
Local transport and tours in The Andaman Islands
Walking is tiring and time-consuming in hilly Fort Blair - even taking into account the minimal amount of sightseeing the place offers - making transport essential .Yellow-top taxis gather opposite the bus stand. They all have meters, but negotiating the price before leaving is usual practice. Expect to pay Rs50 for a trip from the centre of town to Corbyn's Cove. In 1999 the islands received their first fleet of auto-rickshaws, but they tend to charge almost as much as taxis. Local buses run infrequently from the bus stand in central Port Blair to Wandoor and Chiriya Tapu, and can be
Corbyn’s Cove and Chiriya Tapu in The Andaman Islands
The best beach within easy reach of the capital lies 10km southeast at Corbyn's Cove, a small arc of smooth white sand backed by a swaying curtain of palms. There's a large hotel here, but the water isn't particularly clear, and bear in mind that lying around scantily clothed will bring you considerable attention from crowds of local workers. For more isolation, rent a moped or take a taxi 30km south to Chiriya Tapu ("Bird Island"), at the tip of South Andaman. The motorable track running beyond this small fishing village leads through thick jungle overhung with twisting creepers to a
Arrival and information in Himachal Pradesh
State-ran buses from Manali, Mandi, Pathankot, Kangra and Delhi pull into the bus stand in the very south of the lower town, though some continue after a short stop all the way up to McLeod Ganj - the usual arrival point for private and deluxe buses from Delhi and Manali. The nearest point of arrival for trains from Delhi, Punjab and Jammu Tawi is Pathankot - the narrow-gauge train linking Pathankot to Jogindernagar also stops at Kangra and at Nagrota. Dharamsala's airport, 11km to the south at Gaggal, has three Indian Airlines' flights a week to Delhi. The tourist office (Mon-Sat