The Andaman Islands: India’s far flung string of pearls

The long emerald necklace of the Andaman Islands – an archipelago lying over a thousand kilometres out in the Bay of Bengal – is unlike anywhere else in India. Here you’ll find some of India’s most stunning beaches, invariably fringed by thick forest, and the only substantial coral reefs in the country. Today, the Andaman Islands still receive relatively few visitors and this stunning archipelago is a highlight on any itinerary.

The information in this article is inspired by the Rough Guide to India, your essential guide for visiting India.

Your first port of call: Port Blair - the capital of the Andaman Islands

The only point of entry is the capital, Port Blair, named after an eighteenth-century English lieutenant. Most people fly in from Chennai or Kolkata but it is also possible to make the rather arduous three- to the five-day boat crossing from those same two mainland ports.

Upon arrival by either means, the requisite free special permit is granted, which delineates the areas and islands you are allowed to visit. The first thing you are liable to notice is a much fresher, greener aroma instead of the unmistakable smell associated with urban India.

The town is a bit of an anomaly, however, with a mishmash of concrete and corrugated iron buildings draped over verdant hills that dip down to the surrounding water. It says a lot about Port Blair that its main tourist attraction is the Cellular Jail, a sombre reminder of its punitive past.

A boat tour of the small islets in the bay, namely Viper and Ross, is also worthwhile, or perhaps a trip further afield in South Andaman to the Mahatma Gandhi National Marine Park at Wandoor, but most people head for more rewarding destinations after a night or two.

Where to stay in Port Blair:

• For central location: Hotel De Pebbles
• For price and quality: SeaScape Port Blair

Find more accommodation options to stay in Port Blair

Beautiful top view of the city of Port Blair against the sea. Andaman Islands, India © diy13/Shutterstock

The honeypots: Havelock Island and Neil Island

Some visitors forego the dubious pleasures of Port Blair altogether and make a beeline on the first available vessel to Havelock, the Andamans Islands' prime tourist destination. This 12km-long mixture of hilly forestation, verdant farmland and golden white sandy beaches is the largest of Ritchie’s Archipelago and only a couple of hours from the capital on a fast catamaran.

It has grown exponentially in twenty years from a complete backwater with a smattering of backpacker beach huts to a fairly busy place that is home to over sixty accommodations, several of them top-notch resorts. These mainly service the growing number of wealthy Indian vacationers and honeymooners from the mainland.

Although some would say Havelock is on the verge of becoming spoilt, it remains the only island to offer a wide range of accommodation and eating options – try the Red Snapper restaurant at Wild Orchid – plus it has the majority of diving operations.

It also boasts the splendid arc of Radhnagar (aka #7), backed by towering mowhar trees and still home to Rajan, the legendary but now retired swimming elephant, who can be visited at Barefoot Resort. Havelock’s diminutive neighbour, Neil, has started to take some of the overspill from its big sister and is preferred by many for a longer stay.

Where to stay on Havelock Island and Neil Island:

• For Havelock Island: Sea Shell Resort & Spa, Havelock
• For Neil Island: Blue Lagoon Resort, Neil Island

Find more accommodation options to stay on Havelock Island and Neil Island

Elephant walking on the beach. Andaman Islands, India © TOWANDA1961/Shutterstock

The long road north: the Andaman Trunk road

Many make the mistake of confining their visit solely to Havelock and maybe Neil, but there are a lot more places to be explored that will give you a real sense of being off the beaten track. The controversial (because it bisects the Jarawa tribal lands and is technically illegal) Andaman Trunk Road runs up from Port Blair through the three largest islands of South, Middle and North Andaman.

Although the main settlements along the road are rather forlorn, ugly places, they are the access points for more splendid and much quieter beaches, most noticeably Kalipur in the far north, which can also be reached by taking a boat to Arial Bay. Ferries also stop at Rangat Bay and Mayabunder, home to many Karen people. From the latter, you can arrange a visit to pristine Interview Island, a wonderful nature sanctuary.

The isolated escape: Long Island

For those who fancy a more relaxed, romantic and relatively isolated refuge, one of the best options is Long Island. On the boat route from Havelock north to Rangat, it contains a low-key little bazaar, just one or two accommodations, principally the convivial Blue Planet, and the possibility of a fine hike across to the island’s best beach, which you are likely to have entirely to yourself.

Long island, Andaman Islands India © diy13/Shutterstock

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The laidback option: Little Andaman

Best of all is Little Andaman, the southernmost island in the group and paradoxically quite large. Reminiscent of Havelock in the nineties, it is just establishing itself on the traveller trail. Much of the island is reserved for the Onge tribe and thus off-limits, but a sizeable chunk of the northeast is included on your permit.

There are now around half a dozen small guesthouses and extremely laidback, inexpensive beach hut operations strung along the coast between Hut Bay and Netaji Nagar, behind a magnificent 8km strand. You can also admire the tranquil White Surf Waterfalls, whose name gives away the fact that Little Andaman boasts excellent surfing conditions.

National Parks in the Andaman Islands

Most people take a cruise around the fifteen islets comprising the Mahatma Gandhi National Marine Park, which boasts one of the richest coral reefs in the region. From the jetty at Wandoor, the boats chug through broad creeks lined with dense mangrove swamps and pristine forest to either Red Skin Island or, more commonly, Jolly Buoy.

The latter, an idyllic deserted island, boasts an immaculate shell-sand beach ringed by a bank of superb coral. The catch is that the boat only stops for around an hour, which isn’t nearly enough time to explore the shore and reef. While snorkelling off the edges of the reef, beware of strong currents.

Mayabunder is the jumping-off place for Interview Island, a windswept nature sanctuary off the remote northwest coast of Middle Andaman – if you’ve come to the Andaman islands to watch wildlife, it should be top of your list. Large and mainly flat, it is completely uninhabited save for a handful of unfortunate forest wardens, coastguards and policemen posted here to ward off poachers.

Meet Bengals, birds, monkeys, leopards and more on an amazing wildlife extravaganza visiting India's famous national parks on this tailor-made Indian Wildlife Safari. Experience the countryside by rail, soak up some culture at the Taj Mahal and Rantahnbore Fort and finish with some shopping and sightseeing in the bustling capital, Dehli.

Indigenous tribes

Quite where the indigenous population of the Andaman islands originally came from is a puzzle that has preoccupied anthropologists conducting their famous fieldwork among the Andamanese at the beginning of the twentieth century.

Asian-looking groups such as the Shompen may have migrated here from the east and north when the islands were connected to Burma, but this doesn’t explain the origins of the black populations, whose appearance suggests African roots.

The survival of the islands’ first inhabitants has long been threatened by traders and colonizers, who introduced disease and destroyed their territories through widespread tree-felling. Thousands also died from addiction to the alcohol and opium that the Chinese, Japanese and British exchanged for valuable shells.

Many have had their populations decimated, while others like the Nicobarese have assimilated to modern culture, often adopting Christianity. The indigenous inhabitants of the Andamans were divided into eramtaga (those living in the jungle) and ar-yuato (those living on the coast), traditionally subsisted as hunter-gatherers, living on fish, turtles, turtle eggs, pigs, fruit, honey and roots.

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