Blog Insights
Apart from the beaches, the best natural wonders in Andaman are:
The easy part of an island holiday is the beaches. You come, you sit, you swim. The interior, and the more distant islands, ask a little more of you: an early start, a boat trip, a short trek. And you get something far less crowded and far more memorable in return.
The Andaman and Nicobar chain is one of the richest biodiversity zones of India. Thick evergreen forest, reefs of coral, and mangrove belts lie side by side, and much of the land is protected. Many travellers who book Andaman tour packages just tick off Radhanagar and Elephant Beach and then wonder why the trip felt a bit repetitive. A couple of well-chosen detours cure that.
After a boat ride through narrow mangrove creeks, there is a short forest walk and then the caves. Guides shine torches on the shapes of stalactites, and stalagmites have formed over thousands of years. It is a long day from Port Blair so starts early.
Not a dramatic eruption, more a slow strange bubbling of mud and gas through small vents. It is one of the few such sites in India and is quite different from anything else on the islands.
At low tide, a rock arch carved by waves sits above tide pools at Laxmanpur Beach. Check tide timings before you go as the formation is almost entirely submerged at high tide.
Two small islands near Diglipur in the north are joined by a thin sandbar that appears and disappears with the tide. It is visited by few travellers, which is why it feels untouched.
This forested hill is a short drive and trek from Port Blair and offers sweeping views of the coastline. Birdwatchers do well here in the morning.
It is the only active volcano in South Asia. You can’t land there, but you can take boat trips and see it from the water. Availability is subject to weather and local regulations, so check before you plan on it.
On very dark, moonless nites the water can glow blue when disturbed by plankton. It’s not a sure thing on any given nite, so look at it as a bonus, not the plan.
If you are from Gujarat the logistics are easier than people think. Flights to Port Blair’s Veer Savarkar Airport typically connect through a major hub such as Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai or Kolkata. Timetables change frequently, so check current options before you book. Many city travellers compare Andaman trip packages from Ahmedabad as bundled flights, ferries, and transfers save a lot of back-and-forth planning.
When comparing packages, be sure to look closely at what the itinerary actually includes. A plan that includes four days on beaches and one hour in the caves is not really about nature. Ask whether Baratang, Neil Island and day trip to Ross and Smith are included in the plan or are priced as extras.
A good Andaman tour is a balance of one or two beach days and two or three nature days. Don't rush. Spread them over Port Blair, Havelock, and Neil. Seven to eight days is a comfortable amount of time and allows for the weather delays that sometimes occur with island travel.
Book ferries early in peak season and allow for one flexible day; ask your operator about tide-dependent excursions. Local guides are worth the money here. They know when the rock bridge is exposed and where the birds congregate, things a brochure will never tell you.
The beaches will always be the headline, but it's the caves, creeks and volcanic mysteries travellers talk about afterward. Head for the water. Stay for the wild side.