Travelling In The Andaman Islands

A lot people traveling to the Andamans are headed straight to one of it's beautiful islands, out of which Havelock is one of the most popular. However, the only airport of the Andaman is the one in Port Blair. So even if your destination is Havelock, you have to go to Port Blair first. You will note that I will refer to this union territory of India as the Andaman, although its full and proper name is Andaman and Nicobar. Andaman and Nicobar comprises of a group of small islands. However, no tourists are allowed on the Nicobar islands. Only a special permission can got you there and then only if you have a legitimate purpose for making the trip. The Nicobar islands are a protected territory and the indigenous people do not welcome outsiders. So for all purpose, anyone going to the Andaman and Nicobar is only going to the Andaman part of it. The only way of transportation between the islands of Andaman is by boat and crossing the sea. This is done with the help of ferries and...

Which ferry service to take? Now, strangely enough, or maybe not, people have a preference about which of these boats they take. The reasons vary. For me, I prefer Makaruzz because they are more organised and offer a more refined experience of traveling the waters. The boats are faster, modern and their service more professional. For others, who tend to get sea sick, claim that they feel better traveling on the government ferry, while the next choice is Green Ocean ships. The reasons is that those boats pitch about to a lesser degree than Makaruzz, especially if the waters are choppy. The government ferry is an impressive boat. It is an all metal ship and rides the water in a staid calmer manner. It cuts through the water with its nose and heavy weight. It is also slower so that adds to the calmer ride. Green Ocean boats are similar but not as solidly built as the government ferry. Makruzz on the other hand are modern fibre boats with twin hulls. It is arguable that these boat...

Port Blair has a quaint, small airport. It has a relaxed feel about it, something that will take you by surprise if you are used to flying from the metro city airports. If you want to visit the Andaman Islands in India, this is the airport you need to fly to.  As of now, no direct international flights can land there. You have to come via a connecting city within India. View from the plane window on approach to Port Blair. There are few main routes if you want to travel to Andaman islands from anywhere in India. You can find flights from many major cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Madras and Calcutta, to name a few. If you are traveling from inland India, your flight will most likely have a layover in one of the coastal airports like Madras or Calcutta. There are a few direct flights from Delhi and Mumbai to Port Blair. Actually just one. At the moment in Air India flies a single non-stop flight to Port Blair from Delhi. Go Air flies a similar one from Mumb...