How To Get To Havelock Island From Port Blair
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 small ships that run all day.
The number of ferries running depends on which island you happen to be and where you are headed. For example, maximum ferries ply between Port Blair and Havelock island. The same number may not be available to go to Neil Island. Similarly, there might not be as many ferries connecting the Havelock and Neil islands. This is not a problem as there are still a couple going everyday.
It is fairly common for travelers to head straight to the docks from the airport to catch one of the several ferries and small ships plying between the beautiful islands of Andaman.
This is because there are prettier beaches and more natural beauty to immerse yourself in. There are also more activities to enjoy on the islands, the mainstay of which are water sports and other marine related activities like scuba diving, snorkeling, island hopping etc.
I’ll tell you why. We did not get out tickets in advance. When we landed we called up the offices of the companies that run the ferries and went to get the tickets done. While the tickets were available, they were having some issues with server downtime that did not get resolved even after waiting for an hour or so.
One of the ferry companies, Green Ocean, told us to head to the docks as we would easily get the tickets there from their agent on the field when the ships arrived. Well, we did get the tickets and there was plenty of space on the ferry, but we did have our share of uncertainty and confusion when we went about getting the tickets. The porter who helped carry our luggage helped us get the tickets as well.
Traveler’s tip. Get a porter and ask him if he will be with you all the way to where the ship docks. It’s a very long walk.
Know that the porter will only carry your luggage from the main road to the main gate of the dock.
After came the security check and the porter abandoned us. I’m not sure till date whether he was not allowed inside or he made a quick buck from us.
It is a different deal coming back to Port Blair though. You will find porters as soon as you disembark the ship and they will take you all the way to the main road where you can catch a taxi. The walk is shorter as well, or atlas it seemed like it because our luggage was being carried for us on a rickshaw :)
Traveler’s tip: Travel as light as you can. You will have to wield your luggage on many occasion when traveling especially when taking the ferries.
1) Makruzz.
2) Green Ocean.
3) Government Ferry.
Makruzz are the most modern of the ferries with lighter and faster fibre boats. Green Ocean and the government ferries are older ships that look like regular small ships. Here are a few pictures to give you an idea of what I'm talking about.
Makruzz takes about 2 hours to get you to Havelock from Port Blair. The other ships can take anywhere from 2.5 to 3 hours.
Apart from the quicker traveling time the voyage experience differs from Green Ocean to a quiet an extent. I did not travel on the government ferry so I cannot add that in the comparison. I recommend Makruzz but like I said, people have their preferences about which boat to take. Read this post on the the best ferry to take on the Andamans.
These are the links for online booking for Green Ocean and Makruzz ferries.
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 small ships that run all day.
The number of ferries running depends on which island you happen to be and where you are headed. For example, maximum ferries ply between Port Blair and Havelock island. The same number may not be available to go to Neil Island. Similarly, there might not be as many ferries connecting the Havelock and Neil islands. This is not a problem as there are still a couple going everyday.
It is fairly common for travelers to head straight to the docks from the airport to catch one of the several ferries and small ships plying between the beautiful islands of Andaman.
This is because there are prettier beaches and more natural beauty to immerse yourself in. There are also more activities to enjoy on the islands, the mainstay of which are water sports and other marine related activities like scuba diving, snorkeling, island hopping etc.
The best way to get your tickets for the ferry is probably online.It’s a long walk along the docks of Port Blair to reach the ferry connecting you to the other islands. It’s a long walk from the main road to the entrance gate of the docks, and then once inside the gate, it’s an even longer walk to the ship.
I’ll tell you why. We did not get out tickets in advance. When we landed we called up the offices of the companies that run the ferries and went to get the tickets done. While the tickets were available, they were having some issues with server downtime that did not get resolved even after waiting for an hour or so.
One of the ferry companies, Green Ocean, told us to head to the docks as we would easily get the tickets there from their agent on the field when the ships arrived. Well, we did get the tickets and there was plenty of space on the ferry, but we did have our share of uncertainty and confusion when we went about getting the tickets. The porter who helped carry our luggage helped us get the tickets as well.
Traveler’s tip. Get a porter and ask him if he will be with you all the way to where the ship docks. It’s a very long walk.
Know that the porter will only carry your luggage from the main road to the main gate of the dock.
After came the security check and the porter abandoned us. I’m not sure till date whether he was not allowed inside or he made a quick buck from us.
It is a different deal coming back to Port Blair though. You will find porters as soon as you disembark the ship and they will take you all the way to the main road where you can catch a taxi. The walk is shorter as well, or atlas it seemed like it because our luggage was being carried for us on a rickshaw :)
Traveler’s tip: Travel as light as you can. You will have to wield your luggage on many occasion when traveling especially when taking the ferries.
3 Ship Companies - Makruzz, Green Ocean and the Government Ferry
There are mainly 3 different kinds of ferries you can take to get to Havelock from Port Blair.1) Makruzz.
2) Green Ocean.
3) Government Ferry.
Makruzz are the most modern of the ferries with lighter and faster fibre boats. Green Ocean and the government ferries are older ships that look like regular small ships. Here are a few pictures to give you an idea of what I'm talking about.
The older and conventional Green Ocean ferry that takes you to and fro between Port Blair and other islands.
The modern Makuzz boats that ferry people between the Andaman Islands.Both Makruzz as well as Green Ocean can be booked online but not the government ferry. You can also go to the offices of Makruzz and Green Ocean to get your tickets. Makruzz is the most expensive of the above option and for the reasons that they are most modern of the boats and faster. Even the service varies. Makruzz, I feel, is more organised and a more refined experience.
Makruzz takes about 2 hours to get you to Havelock from Port Blair. The other ships can take anywhere from 2.5 to 3 hours.
Apart from the quicker traveling time the voyage experience differs from Green Ocean to a quiet an extent. I did not travel on the government ferry so I cannot add that in the comparison. I recommend Makruzz but like I said, people have their preferences about which boat to take. Read this post on the the best ferry to take on the Andamans.
These are the links for online booking for Green Ocean and Makruzz ferries.
Safe travels!
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