DISTANT SHORES- ENCHANTED ANDAMAN AND NICOBAR ISLANDS

Spending a couple of days on the Andaman and Nicobar islands has been an unforgettable experience for me! The stunning beauty of the island captured me. Andaman and Nicobar islands were once a settlement for penal punishment and now it’s popular as a tourist destination.

We started our trip by visiting Corbyn’s Cove Beach. The beach was serene and quiet and was surrounded by the lovely green coconut palms. This beach is the closest (nearly 8 km) from the main city (Port Blair) and was at a stone’s throw from our hotel, Peerless Sarovar Portico Resort (only beach resort in the city).

In the evening, we went to visit the cellular jail, also popularly known as “kala pani”. The well constructed building with the greenery around it is quite a contrast, to the stories of atrocities and tortures done here on the freedom fighters. Anyone visiting this place cannot leave without watching the spectacular light and sound show which is based on the history of the prison.

Next day, we checked out early morning to the port where our luxury passenger cruise-vessel called MAKRUZZ was waiting for us. We headed to Havelock island and reached their by afternoon. After sumptuous lunch at the hotel itself, we hired bikes and were all set to explore the nearby beaches.On our way to the beach, we gulped free fresh air, enjoyed the silence and the scenic beauty around us. We felt truly in the lap of nature. The moment we entered Radhanagar beach (Also known as beach no. 7) - we knew we were in for a treat!


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The white sand beach is an amazing place to spend some quiet and quality time with family and friends. It is also bestowed as Asia’s best beach by time magazine.

Havelock island is home to many picturesque beaches. A visit to elephant beach is a must if you love to do adventure water sports. This beach offers various adventure activities like scuba diving, snorkeling, sea walking etc. When we reached the beach on speed boats, I was amazed by the people who got up so early morning to do water sports! I went through all the options and kept rejecting them by giving an excuse of being a non swimmer. The guides there suggested me to do sea-walk. The word ‘sea walk’ gave me goose bumps. But I gathered up some courage when I got to know that’s it the most easy and simple activity and there was no training and swimming skills required. The action began when our motor boat took us to the designated spot, we were given transparent helmets for oxygen supply , and then we went inside the water through a small staircase, scuba divers accompanied us and we spend an awesome breathtaking 20 minutes gaping at the corals and the beautiful and colourful fishes on the sea bed. The whole experience was divine and thrilling.

When we were leaving for home the next day, the only thought that lingered on my mind was when we are coming back at these islands to explore many more untouched and unexplored beauty hidden here.

QUICK FACTS:

- Besides beach activities, tourism highlights include mountain trekking.
- A visit to Port Blair, can include stops at the Anthropological Museum, Chatham Sawmill, Marine Museum etc .
- Excursions to the beautiful islands of Wandoor, Jolly Buoy, Ross, Niel etc are also recommended as well as a trip to the bird sanctuary at Chiriyatapoo.
- The best time to visit Andaman and Nicobar islands is from December to March.