By road
~1,370 km by air from Chennai (about 2-2.5 hours)
Bay of Bengal islands · Andaman & Nicobar
Andaman Islands, Andaman & Nicobar
Turquoise water and island time · ~1,370 km by air from Chennai (about 2-2.5 hours)
Getting there
By rail
Not rail-connected; the islands are reached only by air or sea
By air
Veer Savarkar International Airport, Port Blair — the only airport serving the islands
Best time to visit
November to April — calm seas, best visibility for diving
Don't miss
Radhanagar Beach
Cellular Jail light-and-sound show
Ross Island ruins
Things to do
Scuba at Havelock
Snorkeling Elephant Beach
Sea-walking
Where to eat
Sources: open-meteo, wikimedia, Photo: Dr. K. Vedhagiri · CC BY-SA 3.0
What to pack
Reef-safe sunscreen, water shoes, dive certification if you have one
A quieter corner
Bioluminescence kayaking in Havelock's mangroves on a new-moon night
Questions travellers ask
When should I visit the Andaman Islands?
November to April, when the seas are calm and the visibility is best for diving.
How do I get to the islands?
By air or sea only — there is no rail or road access. Port Blair is the one airport serving the islands, about 1,370 km and two to two and a half hours from Chennai.
What should I pack?
Reef-safe sunscreen, water shoes, and your dive certification if you have one.
What is the most unusual thing to do?
Bioluminescence kayaking through Havelock's mangroves on a new-moon night.
Which beaches are worth the time?
Radhanagar for the beach itself, Elephant Beach for snorkeling, and Havelock as the base for scuba.
About Andaman Islands
- Island
Where it is
The Andaman Islands are an archipelago in the Bay of Bengal, forming the northern part of the Indian union territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, whose capital, Sri Vijaya Puram (formerly Port Blair), lies on South Andaman.
History
The islands have been home for thousands of years to indigenous peoples such as the Great Andamanese, Onge, Jarawa and Sentinelese. After the uprising of 1857 the British set up a penal settlement at Port Blair, where the Cellular Jail was built in 1896–1906 to hold political prisoners; Japan occupied the islands during the Second World War, and they became part of independent India.
People
Most islanders descend from settlers who came from across India in colonial times and after, especially Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Malayali and Hindi-speaking families, and Hindi and Bengali are widely spoken. The indigenous Andamanese peoples, including the Jarawa and the Sentinelese, live in protected tribal reserves.
Known for
- Radhanagar Beach on Swaraj Dweep (Havelock)
- Scuba diving and snorkelling on coral reefs
- The Cellular Jail in Sri Vijaya Puram
- Ross Island's colonial ruins
- Mangrove creeks and limestone caves of Baratang
Did you know?
Barren Island, east of the main Andaman group, is the only active volcano in India.
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.