How long to spend on the Islands?

batbanana

Hi forumsters!

I am currently in Delhi, and I'm planning a trip to the Andamans in February.
I am trying to figure out how long to spend there... I have a fairly open schedule, so I could potentially stay for the full 30/45 days the permit allows.

I love snorkelling and walking and just taking it easy, but will a whole month in paradise start to feel stale? I know everyone can stand a different amount of lazing about in the sea and sand - but I would still like to hear about your experiences...

How long did you stay, if you have been to the islands? How long *should* you have stayed? (legaly )

Also, are the towns/settled areas on the developed islands fun for exploring?
Thanks!

Batbanana

edwardseco

If you put Andaman islands into the title you will draw up a bunch of links at the botton of the page. The guidebook tells you the length of the permit and extensions are apparently becoming limited and may involve staying in Port Blair. For illegal stays you might want to visit an Indian jail first..

kalbarri

i stayed a month only but i should have done the extra 2 weeks. i only left because i was debating leaving india to return to australia. i had a time limit.
there are a lot of different parts of the islands to see, so i doubt that you would get bored. you go to get the extension a few days before the end of the month stay.
the food trip was not great on the islands, also, apart from fish, which was very good.

Shiver me Timbers

Like Kalbarri, I also stayed for the 30 days, and also could have done with the extra 2 weeks. My friend stayed for the 45 days, and didn't want to leave.

kalbarri

there was a group, from the committee for the developement of the andamans, staying at the tourist guesthouse when i was there and i suggested that the stays should be longer. she replied, quite tersely, that, then they would want to stay forever!!
she also said they wanted the tourist situation in the andamans to be along the lines of the maldives. they were on neil to consider developemant of a resort/resorts, near a lake there.

vandy

Hey Kalbarri,

I hope you put my name down for a Part time Barman
Position. or maybe
a Sun Tan Lotion Sprayer Operator.

Cheers !!!

vandy

kalbarri

no, vandy, i warned them not to let you do those jobs!
you devil,you

batbanana

Cool, thanks for all the replies. I'll see if flights are flexible/changeable, but otherwise I will go for the 30 days. Here I come, palm trees! Goodbye dusty delhi!

kalbarri

you won't regret it, i can assure you

redddis

We've been to Andamans in May 2008.
I wonder if they will let me in in February-March 2009. Another question is if I have only a one-way ticket - is that okay? Or can I buy the tickets for the whole 45 days period?

edwardseco

No definitive info on this. One person said they were tightening up on the permit extension. It could just be one person's experience..

martinez

After the scenario in Mumbai at the end of November the authorities in Port Blair decided to scrap the fifteen day extension. How long this will last ,nobody knows.
Travelers arriving by ship are being given a fifteen day permit that can be renewed for a further fifteen days or as near to the ship sailing date. It is most unadvisable to overstay even by one day. Travellers arriving by air are having various expieriences. Some are being given 30 day maximum permits upon arrival and some only 15 day renewable for another 15 days or the date of the return leg of the trip. I do have a sneaky feeling that appearences play a part in these last choices.
The practical implications are that to renew a permit it´s neccesary to take a boat to Port Blair(a first rate shit hole)and usually having to stay the night.Plus the added bonus of having to suffer the boat ticket stampede whilst the rest of the world pushes in front of you in a rediculously stuffy shed in baking temperatures. If the Andaman authorities want to promote turism they should begin with a easy and civilised ticketing system.

kalbarri

this might be the beginning of their ploy to make the islands more expensive and exclusive, perhaps. they would have to upgrade most of the resorts though.

martinez

I imagine you are quite correct Kalbarri. Not only do they have to upgrade the resorts, they need to get rid of all the rubbish strewn all over the place,get rid of the packs of ownerless dogs and put some comfortable facilities in place for boat ticket purchases. Resort owners also need a stock of spare mattresses so as some can air between use,or even build beds that facilitate this basic principle. All things considered i think their are so many top class resorts in locations other than the Andamans that it may be a long long time before the Andamans get a slice of the cake.. Some decent boats for diving purposes would not go amiss either. The game fishers appear to have access to good boats..

kalbarri

one good thing about the dogs on neil island was that they are very friendly but definitely too many of them and some were in very poor condition.
i was amused that the 'committee for the development of the andamans' had to pass 2 shops, just up from the jetty, on neil island, that were surrounded by the worst mess i saw around shops, anywhere in india and nothing was said or done about it. you will know the ones i mean, martinez, i am sure.
the price of land went up, because of land being bought for tourist structures about 3 years ago, so that the locals now, cannot afford to buy land on their own island