Travel Guide · Andaman & Nicobar
An honest, first-hand shortlist of the places, beaches and experiences worth building an Andaman trip around — from the sunset at Radhanagar to the pre-dawn convoy into the Baratang caves.
The Andaman and Nicobar Islands are a 572-island archipelago in the Bay of Bengal — closer to Myanmar than to mainland India, and blessed with some of the clearest water and softest sand anywhere in Asia. Most travellers touch just three: Port Blair (the historic capital), Havelock / Swaraj Dweep (beaches, resorts, scuba) and Neil / Shaheed Dweep (quiet, farm-fringed, natural bridges). This guide picks the ten experiences we send every guest to — the ones worth planning around.
01 — Places to Visit
Havelock (Swaraj Dweep)
Ranked among Asia's best beaches — a 2 km curve of powder-white sand backed by mahua trees, with shallow turquoise water perfect for a sunset swim.
Local tipArrive by 4:30 PM to catch the sun drop behind the horizon; the light between 5–6 PM is unreal.
Port Blair
The colonial-era Kala Pani prison where India's freedom fighters were held in solitary confinement. The evening Sound & Light Show narrates their story against the original stone walls.
Local tipBook the 6:00 PM English or 7:15 PM Hindi show ticket at the counter itself — it sells out.
10 min ferry from Port Blair
Once the administrative HQ of the British Andaman — now a haunting ruin of a ballroom, bakery and church slowly being reclaimed by ficus roots and spotted deer.
Local tipCombine with North Bay Island on a single ferry ticket; go morning to beat the afternoon swell.
Off Port Blair
The lighthouse featured on India's ₹20 note. Live coral gardens sit a few metres off the beach — the easiest place in the Andamans to try snorkelling, sea walking or a glass-bottom boat.
Local tipNon-swimmers should ask for the sea walk over scuba — you walk the reef floor in a weighted helmet.
1 hr cruise from Havelock
A slow, farm-fringed island with three signature beaches — Bharatpur for its lagoons, Lakshmanpur for sunsets and the Natural Bridge, a coral rock arch exposed at low tide.
Local tipTime the Natural Bridge visit to low tide; the tide chart is posted at the jetty each morning.
100 km north of Port Blair
A full-day expedition through the Jarawa tribal reserve, a mangrove creek ride and finally a walk into vast limestone caverns lit by sunlight leaking through the roof.
Local tipThe convoy leaves Port Blair at 3:30 AM — pre-book with your operator; independent travel isn't allowed through the reserve.
Havelock
A 30-minute jungle trek or short speedboat ride away — Havelock's water-sports hub for parasailing, jet-ski, banana rides and beginner scuba dives right off the shore.
Local tipWear reef-safe sunscreen; the corals here are shallow and fragile.
Havelock
A quiet black-rock beach on Havelock's east coast — best at sunrise, when the sky burns orange behind the palms and the sand is empty.
Local tipRent a scooter from your resort; it's a 15-minute ride from Radhanagar.
25 km south of Port Blair
The southern tip of South Andaman — Munda Pahad viewpoint delivers the archipelago's most talked-about sunset, with a biological park and mangrove trail on the way.
Local tipPair with a seafood dinner at the small shacks near the jetty on the drive back.
Port Blair
A compact, honest museum on the Andaman tribes — the Jarawa, Onge, Sentinelese and Great Andamanese — followed by a coconut-lined beach 15 minutes away for evening tea.
Local tipClosed on Mondays and public holidays; keep it for a Tuesday–Sunday slot.
02 — Best Time to Visit
The best time to visit Andaman. Calm seas, clear skies and reliable cruises — ideal for beaches, scuba and island hopping.
Peak season. Cool, dry, calm seas — book hotels 6–8 weeks ahead.
Warm and sunny, best underwater visibility for scuba divers. Slightly cheaper.
Monsoon. Fewer crowds and green landscapes, but cruises to Havelock/Neil can cancel on rough-sea days.
03 — FAQ
Sunset at Radhanagar Beach, the Sound & Light Show at Cellular Jail, snorkelling at North Bay, the Baratang limestone caves, sunrise at Kalapathar and the coral gardens off Elephant Beach are the ten experiences most travellers rank highest.
6 nights / 7 days is the standard — 2 nights Port Blair, 3 nights Havelock, 1 night Neil Island. Anything shorter forces you to skip either Baratang or Neil.
Yes — Havelock and Neil Island are built for it: private beach resorts, sunset cruises, candlelit dinners on the sand and some of the calmest turquoise water in India.
Indian nationals need no permit. Foreign nationals get a free Restricted Area Permit on arrival at Port Blair airport, valid 30 days for most tourist zones.
Radhanagar Beach on Havelock — repeatedly ranked among Asia's best — for sheer scale and sunsets. Bharatpur (Neil) wins for shallow snorkelling, Kalapathar for sunrises.
Ready to go?
Every attraction on this page — Radhanagar, Cellular Jail, Havelock, Neil, Baratang — is stitched into our 6 nights / 7 days Andaman package with cruises, transfers and hotels included.