Must-dos at Port Blair & Havelock?

footloose8

Hello everyone,

Apologies for the longish entry but hope to receive some tips .We will be staying in Havelock in the first week of December, 08, with a day before and after at Port Blair.

Could you please suggest the must-do islands/stops? Below are a few questions to give you an idea:-

1. Can we visit the Cinque Islands. Is it very costly to visit it? I was told it would come to 20k to just hire a boat, by an agent. But the beautiful sand bar joining the two islands is something I don't want to miss.

2. If not Cinque how can one visit Ross and Smith Islands from Havelock (we must return to Havelock? -the costs and the process (by road, on a boat...?)


3. What is the North Bay? Is it the same as Wandoor where the Marine National Park is (Jolly Buoy and Red Skin islands). Since we are planning to visit South Button and Elephant beaches at Havelock for snorkelling (beginners, both of us), would we miss out on anything if we skip Wandoor and North Bay?

4. How is ChidiaTapu?

5. What are the other must-dos and we want to visit places that is special to the Andamans only (so, think, can give Viper Islands and Corvyn's Cove a miss). We can't travel to Baratang to see the Jarawa tribes because we won't be at Port Blair early morning on any of the two stops we make there.

We are not keen on a back-packing trip but neither are we looking at a luxury trip with all the creature comforts. Just don't want to miss out any must-dos possible in the brief span we are there.

We will be staying at the Gecko and Megapode Nest and will do 3 days at Havelock and 2 at Port Blair (short, I know , but thanks to miserly offs from work)...

Take care and please reply.

My bests...

Shiver me Timbers

Hi, have a look at the link below (Andamans tips).

I can only really answer question 2 on your list - As an Indian national (I presume) you can visit Smith I think no problem - you have to go all the way north to Digliapur, and get a boat from there. There is an overnight ferry from Port Blair to Digliapur, or else you can take a bus all the way up the Grand Trunk Road - takes all day.

footloose8

Thanks Shivers...I have already gone through your tips and, think, have them memorised by now coz they are very helpful.

But won't be able to go to Smith then, coz we won't have the time to venture out to Diglipur...

Somehow couldn't find answers to my other queries in the existing posts in this forum and hence put them in a separate thread.

Hope people are able to help me with some of the others...

shahronakm

North Bay (For Snorkelling) & Ross Islands (Not to be mixed with Ross & Smith Islands) are a day trip from Port Blair. since you will be going to Havelock you can skip North Bay (For Snorkelling) but Ross Islands (Capital of Andamans during British time) is a must visit place & do use the service of the lady guide over there.

As mentioned by you, can miss Corbyns cove. Cellular jail in Port Blair is a must visit place. You will enjoy snorkelling at Havelock & also give Scuba diving a try.

Ronak.

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footloose8

Okkk...so there are two Ross Islands in question. Thanks Ronak. No wonder I couldn't seem to add up the geography (Ross being near to Port Blair and to Smith...)

But anyone with any experience of visiting the Cinque Islands? And yes, the Barren Islands too...?

What about Jolly Buoy, is that a must-visit or is snorkelling there comparable to Havelock. But thanks for striking out North Bay...one less chioce!

shahronakm

Barren Islands - Strike it out. One less choice. It's like an overnight journey by ship & also don't know if there are regular ships to this place. Also the Volcano over there is not that active. However Barefoot people organise this trips. There was an article on the topic in August or July 08 issue of Outlook Traveller.

If you have time you can visit Jolly Buoy, but it's a full day trip & I doubt you can make their by 9.00 AM consdering you are not going to be in Port Blair early mornings.

Ronak.

trailblazer

Hi there footloose I am planning the same trip late december> can i ask by what means you are getting to Port Blair air or sea? and whats the cost

footloose8

Trailblazr, we will be taking a flight from Kolkata to Port Blair. The tickets came to around Rs.6400 per person one way for a Kingfisher Red flight. Hope this helps.

Thanks Ronak. Yes, I was ruling out Barren Islands, very sketchy to try and get to it in the brief time we will have.

I think we will end up visiting the Cell Jail (already on the list) and maybe Rosss Islands, let's see. If anyone has any other recommendations (which don't require early morning departures from Port Blair), please let me know.

Also, has anyone been on the so-called forest trails in Havelock? Where are these?

Also, how can one go for snorkelling at Havelock? The resorts seem to charge a quite a bit (for us first-timers, over 2k)...we will need a snorkelling guide and equipment...hope to visit South Button coz have heard so much about it...please let me know your snorkelling experiences at Havelock...

Thanks!

shahronakm

While in Port Blair check out Anthropological museums, Mini Zoo, Fish aquarium. Also if you are veg. eat at Icy Spicy rstaurant.

There is one forest trail I am aware of which leads to Elephant Beach which is good for snorkelling. Some foreigners did trek from there & it took around 2 hrs. one side. However we had hired a dunghi (boat) & did snorkelling & also checked out mangroves. I don't recollect the exact cost but it was around Rs. 1200 (Inluding the snorkelling equipment & guide) & we had a full dunghi for two of us. The same was arranged by our rikshaw driver.

Ronak.

Shiver me Timbers

Very easy, there are two great places - one is at the Blue Lagoon at the end of beach #7. The other is at Elephant beach, which is a 30 minutes walk through the forest, off the main road to beach #7. You can rent snorkelling gear easily at any of the dhabas at beach #7.

footloose8

Thanks Conor (noticed, other people calling you that . Will try to fix up a day's snorkelling the day we arrive. When you say, 'the lagoon at the end of #7', is it on the right or the left of the main road to the beach, when you are facing the beach? There is such a dearth of maps of Havelock online...hardly two...

Ronak, we are positively trying to avoid the museums...the Cellular Jail seems worth a dekko (or inspiring interest)though...

But yes, mangroves at Havelock and going there by boat sounds interesting...thanks. Will definitely try that..the same (one dunghi for the two of us) by our resort will come for 2500 rupees, that is if they don't hike the rates by December...

Icy Spicy, better look-out..or for that matter any food stall, veggie or non-veggie, in the islands might as well beware, am sure the islands can only bloat an already legendary appetite (among me friends, hehehe). Thanks Ronak, once again, for the food tip!

Keeping my fingers crossed, as it is this is the first trip I am planning all by myself and that too to a relatively remote (no phone network in Havelock) island...!

theyyamdancer

There are phones on Havelock. Perhaps not everywhere, but I used a phone booth near to the jetty where the boat arrives from Port Blair to telephone abroad and had a first-rate connection.

footloose8

Point noted@ landline phone near jetty. Thanks!

Shiver me Timbers

On the right as you face the sea. It's a big beach, and the lagoon is hidden at the top. You can get there by simply walking up the beach, or else there is a trail that runs through the forest behind the beach all the way up to it.

Here is the Blue Lagoon.

shahronakm

Even there is an internet connection near jetty.

Ronak.