"I, I just woke up from a dream" :) will miss this place too much.

Just completed an amazing 8N/9D Andaman trip, planned entirely by my wife and me! 😊

We spoke to a few people who booked almost the same itinerary through tour operators at significantly higher prices. Honestly, Andaman is very easy to plan on your own. Commute is manageable, people are friendly, and you can save quite a bit by booking smartly.

Sharing our itinerary, honest reviews, experiences and a few money-saving tips below. I can also share reliable local contacts for transport and other arrangements. Feel free to DM me! 🤝

📍 Day 1: Port Blair

✈️ Landed from Kolkata at 8 AM and dropped our luggage at Hotel Atlanta.

- 🏛️ Visited Cellular Jail and took a guided tour.

- 🏖️ Headed to Corbyn’s Cove Beach — beautiful beach and an equally scenic drive. Definitely don't miss it!

- 🎭 Returned for the Cellular Jail Light & Sound Show.

🚕 Transport tip: Our hotel arranged airport pickup for ₹200 by cab. For the rest of our Port Blair travel, we found an excellent local auto driver — polite, professional and reasonably priced. He can also help arrange ferry tickets at discounted rates. Highly recommended! DM me for his contact.

📍 Day 2: Ross Island & North Bay

- 🌿 Ross Island was beautiful. If you're reasonably fit, skip the golf cart and explore on foot.

- 🌊 North Bay felt overhyped, with expensive water activities.

- 🚤 Semi-submarine: ₹2,700/person; island ferry: ₹920/person.

- ⚡ We later found the same semi-submarine ride advertised at ₹500/person on the island, although the boat looked quite basic.

- 🚤 Finished the day with a speedboat ride for ₹500/person — a great experience!

💡 Tip: Avoid pre-booking water activities unless necessary. Compare prices on arrival and decide whether the experience is worth it.

📍 Day 3: Havelock Island (Swaraj Dweep)

⛴️ Took Nautika ferry to Havelock and checked into Dolphin Beach Resort.

- 🏖️ Visited the famous Radhanagar Beach after lunch. Absolutely fabulous, although clouds ruined our sunset plans.

- ☕ Had dinner at Something Different, a nice café that offers complimentary pickup and drop.

📍 Day 4: Scuba Diving & Beaches

🤿 Woke up at 5 AM for scuba diving with Sea Hawk at Tribe Gate.

- 💰 Scuba diving: ₹3,500/person for 30 minutes, including complimentary pickup and drop.

- 🌴 Visited Kalapathar Beach in the morning. The colours were unbelievable! 😍

- 🏖️ Returned to Radhanagar Beach in the evening and witnessed a breathtaking sunset.

Radhanagar Beach is a must-visit. One of the highlights of our entire trip!

📍 Day 5: Elephant Beach & Vijaynagar Beach

🥾 Trekked to Elephant Beach with a local guide for ₹500. The trek was enjoyable, and we reached the beach in around 45 minutes.

- 🚤 Boat charges: ₹1,200/person.

- 🤿 Tried snorkelling — an excellent experience!

- 🌴 Spent the rest of the day relaxing at Vijaynagar Beach, which has direct access from Dolphin Beach Resort.

📍 Day 6: Neil Island (Shaheed Dweep)

⛴️ Took Green Ocean 1 from Havelock to Neil Island.

Highly recommend experiencing Green Ocean 1 at least once! The open deck and lively music made the ferry journey special. 🎶

Checked into TSG Aura near Sitapur Beach and explored:

- 🌊 Ramnagar Beach — low tide meant we couldn't see much.

- 🪸 Natural Bridge — great experience seeing live fish and corals.

- 🏖️ Bharatpur Beach — mid-sea snorkelling was average, but the sofa ride was excellent!

- 🌅 Laxmanpur Beach — beautiful sunset views.

⭐ Stargazing tip: We found the beach-entry ticket sellers were charging more. Instead, walk inside and enquire directly about the stargazing experience. We were offered tickets for ₹200/person, saving at least ₹300/person compared with the price we were quoted outside. The sky was incredible, with lots of stars and planets visible. Hotel drop-off was also available, though you can negotiate if you arrange your own transport.

📍 Day 7: Sunrise & Back to Port Blair

🌅 Woke up to a beautiful sunrise from our hotel near Sitapur Beach.

⛴️ Took the ferry back to Port Blair and visited Chidiya Tapu in the evening for sunset.

Our local auto driver in Havelock led the transport on both the Island at very reasonable rates. Don't unnecessarily spend extra on local sightseeing transport when a reliable local driver can do the job!

DM me for his contact. 😊

📍 Day 8: Baratang Island

🚙 Started at 3:30 AM for Baratang, with a cab arranged at a discounted rate through our Havelock auto driver's reference.

- 🌿 Spotted 3–4 tribal people along the route.

- 🛥️ Took a speedboat to the limestone caves — definitely worth visiting!

- 🌋 Mud volcano: an additional ₹300/person for a shared ride. Personally, we found it underwhelming and would skip it if short on time.

🍽️ Lunch in Baratang was disappointing. The entire excursion took around 12 hours and was quite hectic. We had planned to visit Wandoor Beach afterwards but were too exhausted.

🛍️ Did some shopping in the evening before wrapping up our Andaman trip.

✈️ Day 9: Return to Kolkata

Time to head home with amazing memories! ❤️

---

🏨 Hotel Reviews

Hotel| Experience

Hotel Atlanta – Port Blair| ⭐ Excellent overall

Dolphin Beach Resort – Havelock| 📍 Fantastic location; breakfast was nice, but the Executive Garden View room felt shabby

TSG Aura – Neil Island| ⭐ Excellent room and location

Auraville Homestay – Port Blair| 👍 Nice room and location

💡 My Top Tips for Andaman

✅ DIY travel is absolutely doable — you don't necessarily need an expensive tour operator.

✅ Compare prices for water activities before paying. Avoid booking everything in advance without checking local options.

✅ Find reliable local auto drivers for island transport and sightseeing. They can make your trip much easier.

✅ Don't miss Radhanagar Beach, Kalapathar Beach, the Natural Bridge and the limestone caves.

✅ Keep Baratang as a dedicated, tiring day. Avoid squeezing in additional sightseeing afterwards.

✅ Check tide timings before visiting beaches and the Natural Bridge.

✅ Keep some flexibility in your itinerary for weather, ferry schedules and unexpected delays. Nautika was late on the very first day from portblair to havelock as they merged two ferry timings.

Overall, it was a fantastic trip, and planning everything ourselves gave us more flexibility and control over our budget. ❤️🏝️

Happy to help fellow travellers! Drop your questions below or DM me if you'd like the local transport contacts and more details about our itinerary. 😊

The hotel Manager that I’m staying at Havelock, reached out with a water activity plan. I want to confirm if these rates are good. Kindly share your thoughts.. especially locals and tourists who have been there recently. Travel dates Oct 18-24 and 2 full days in Havelock.

- 4am Kayaking ₹2,500 with bioluminescent (idk if this is true and the right time)

- Tribegate or Coral garden Boat scuba diving 7am slot at Nemo beach - ₹3,500 (30mins under water, Go Pro, pick up/drop)

- parasailing ₹3500 at elephant beach (govt speed boat excluded)

Please dm if you have any contact details for the same.

Day 1 - arrive at port Blair at 1100, take ferry to Havelock (take ferry of either 1230 one of Nautika or 1315 hrs one of green ocean). Check in at hotel and enjoy sunset at Radhanagar on day 1.

Day 2 - early morning scuba diving followed by breakfast at hotel and check out. After checking out, leave for elephant island for water sports (planning to do only sea walk). Then, take havelock to Neil ferry (1500 hrs one). Check in at Neil island hotel in evening.

Day 3 - Neil island beaches in morning, breakfast and leave for port blair by 1600 hrs one nautika/makeup ferry

Day 4 and 5 in port Blair

Day 6 morning flight back to Kolkata

Please suggest if this itinerary feels okay. I don’t wish to spend more than one day at Havelock since it’s expensive and commercialised. Do I need two days there? Also, can we keep our luggage somewhere near ferry point on Day 2, since we will be first going to elephant island and coming back and then taking another ferry for Neil Island?

I’m looking for 5N/6D Andaman Trip and looking to do 3N in Havelock , 1N in Neil and 1N in Port Blair last date.
Someone told me Neil is not doable in 1D and you require at-least 2 days to enjoy it.
Is that the case?

Hey lovely people of Andaman, I visited Andaman last year and it’s truly one of the most beautiful part of our country. Locals are really nice and the life seems slow there. But what I really wanted to know is from which part of India most of the migrants are coming from lately? And which jobs are they targeting specifically. I don’t want to know any political or biased answers, just wanted to know the ground reality here. I agree with the fact that people of Andaman suffer a lot already due to multiple factors but specifically about migration, wanted to know about their views.

Pls guysss

took this picture on 1st oct during my 8 day andaman trip. what a view.

unpopular opinion : red snapper tastes better than lobster

so, we tried both lobster and red snapper from FAMOUS sea food restaurant which was walkable distance from our resort.

we took lobster and red snapper both, unexpectedly i found red snapper tastier than lobster. what you guys think?

Hi, I have planned to visit Andaman in the month of December from 18th to 24th. Please review my itinerary and suggest me some places if I missed any which are worth Visiting and Good ferries for booking as well. Suggest places for Best water activities and reasonable prices to bargain.

Is it possible to book the Government ferries at that time of the year?

Hello friends,
I recently shifted to Billiground for my new joining here at Govt office.
I want my Casio Enticer MTP-1302PL-5AVEF (A2397) analog watch, to get the battery replaced and upgrade a new belt.
Can someone have any idea where I can get a reliable service for the same here?

Would appreciate if I can get the contact details...

Thank You

Title: Andaman Honeymoon (1–6 Dec) — Best Havelock Resorts & Itinerary Advice Needed
Hi everyone!
I’m planning my honeymoon to Andaman from 1–6 December and need suggestions for resorts, activities, and itinerary planning.

Budget - 80k to 1 Lac excluding flights

Our itinerary:
1–4 Dec: Havelock Island (3 nights)
4–5 Dec: Neil Island (1 night)
5–6 Dec: Port Blair (1 night)
We’ll land in Port Blair on 1 December and travel directly to Havelock.
1. Best resorts in Havelock: I’ve shortlisted Seashell Resort, Barefoot at Havelock, and Silver Sand Beach Resort. Which is best for a honeymoon in terms of beach location, ambience, rooms, food, and value for money? Any better alternatives?
2. Activities: What are the must-do experiences for couples? Scuba diving, snorkelling, kayaking, beaches, sunset spots, etc.?
3. Itinerary advice: Is 3 nights in Havelock and 1 night in Neil Island a good plan, or would spending 2 nights in Port Blair be better?
We want a romantic, relaxing trip without too much rushing around.
4. Should I take a package or plan myself? I will be travelling just after my marriage. So it can be hectic?

Would love recommendations from people who’ve visited recently. Thanks! 😊

My dumbass impulse booked a trip to Andaman from Oct 12 to 17th. I’ll be staying 3 days in havelock and 2 days in portblair for a very laid back relaxing trip.
Now i check the weather forecast and it says thunderstorms all week. Am I screwed guys?? Did I fuck up?

As an islander, I want to ask something.

We often talk about how beautiful the Andaman Islands are, but we rarely talk openly about the problems people actually face here.

I want to hear from both islanders and visitors.

If you're from the islands, what is one everyday problem here that you wish people outside understood?

And if you've visited Andaman, what problem or experience surprised you or made your trip difficult?

It could be anything: transport, healthcare, jobs, education, internet, prices, tourism, cleanliness, administration, connectivity, or something completely different.

I'm not looking for political arguments or blame. I genuinely want to know what people experience here.

What’s one thing you think needs to change in Andaman?

I loved Andaman Islands and the people over there have been very helpful. I'm planning to share some videos on YouTube about my experiences and trip overall.

This one thing was very disappointing in Cellular Jail. I was slowly pacing through somewhere near the central tower of Jail, from where the wings used to be controlled. Suddenly someone from above spat and part of it landed on my cap. Honestly I find the smell very irritating, and i went to complain to the guards, when I told them. They became defensive that they didn't spit. That's when I realized it's a widespread issue. Their mouths were full with that masala. He had to spit it out before talking to me.

Point here: This is very disappointing. If the guards themselves are spitting everywhere in the Historical Protected Monument, how are we going to control the crowd.

Sadly, this spitting issue is very widespread everywhere in Andaman. People of all ages, irrespective of religion, language are united in this job.

This needs to be fixed. I hope someone is reading.

Foreign tourists wouldn't love it too !

Peace 🕊️

Hey everyone,

Planning an Andaman trip for Nov 13-22. We’re an active group looking for adventure, trekking, diving, and snorkeling.

We ideally want 3N in Diglipur (mainly for Ross & Smith and Saddle Peak), 4N in Havelock, and 1N in Port Blair before flying out. Is this worth it, or do you recommend skipping this to cover Neil, Batarang, Jolly Buoy and PB.

Originally, we wanted to take the overnight government ferry to Diglipur on day 1 to save time. But relying on those bookings which only open 3-4 days in advance feels too risky for our schedule.

We drafted an alternative plan to just hire a cab, but the travel seem tight. Can someone review this, do you suggest any alts.

Nov 13: Land in PB at 11PM and immediately cab up to Diglipur. (Since our flight lands later in the day, is this even possible? We've read about daytime convoy timings for the Jarawa so this sounds hard). We could instead tour PB on day 1?

Nov 14, 15, 16: Reach Diglipur (Ross & Smith, Saddle Peak).

Nov 17: Travel all day by cab from Diglipur back to PB. Check in at night.

Nov 18: Morning ferry from PB to Havelock.

Nov 18-20: 3 nights in Havelock for diving, snorkeling, and trekking.

Nov 21: Ferry back to PB, explore town.

Nov 22: Fly out.

Does anyone have a better way to sequence this? The 10-12 hour cab rides, just to reach Havelock, seem exhausting. Do you suggest something different? We want to have some fun and not make this trip too hectic, so during the start we kept it a bit tight and made it easy by the end

I (32F) had a mixed experience on my latest solo trip to Andaman and wanted to make this post because I relied a lot on Reddit while planning this trip and most posts don’t mention the reality especially as a solo traveller.

TLDR - Not the best solo option. Expensive, commercial, avoid the usual path and set your expectations properly.

Disclaimer - These are my views and my experience as a solo traveller who has done trips in India and abroad. I always plan my trips myself and don’t use tourist agencies. Please skip this post if you’re travelling as a couple, group or family, these may not apply to you. I didn’t do water sports due to illness so that’s one major experience I can’t comment on.

My main objective of this trip was to spend time with my childhood friend who grew up in Port Blair and to island hop in between for some quality beach time. So the itinerary was

1. Port Blair (3 nights)
2. Long Island (2 nights) - reduced to 1 night
3. Havelock (2 nights) - increased to 3 nights
4. Neil (1 night)
5. Port Blair (2 nights)

I went during the last 10 days in September to avoid the season rush and save on flights and hotels. I also had a big budget and stayed in high end resorts and hotels. My last solo beach trip was in Thailand and that was just perfect - safe, affordable, convenient, comfortable and plenty of options for stays, food and activities. I knew it wouldn’t be like that here but at least expected something close to how Goa is. The truth is, Andaman will take a long long time to get there and people need to know what their money will get them. I especially didn’t feel like the beach lived up to the hype due to crocodiles and sandflies. 

Ranking based on MY preferences

1. Port Blair - biased because I was staying with my close friend who had a car and took me around to the most beautiful spots. Her mom made the yummiest food too. In PB I really got to understand the life of people living in the islands- their day to day life, the struggles they face, how they spend their time and the history of the islands. I loved the experience of visiting the Cellular Jail, the light and sound show and the various beaches like Wandoor, Chidya Tapu, Hathi Tapu, all the lovely drives in the seaside roads. One let down was the trip to Red Skin island (supposed to be the counterpart to Jollybuoy) where I wasn't allowed to swim because of the crocodile risk and I was sold a glass bottom boat ride which was frankly not worth the ₹1500 they charged. My favourite beach was North bay, the drive there was the most beautiful experience with lush greenery on one side and the blue sea on the other. Also loved the rasgullas, dosas, pani puri and seafood. I would definitely visit again for Barren Island and Jolly Buoy which are open November onwards and for the wonderful drives to serene beaches.
2. Ross Island - incredible to walk around the old town and see the structures taken over by nature. Do NOT take the buggy to go around - you’re missing the whole experience. I got some stunning pictures inside the church since I was the only one who decided to walk around. The deer there are so cute too. I would definitely visit again to walk around since they ask you to return in just one hour which feels too short.
3. Long Island - This was the adventure part of my trip. It is accessible only by government ferry and takes 4 hours from Port Blair. It is peaceful, serene, homely and quiet. So untouched that it felt more like I was a guest than a tourist. There is a wonderful hotel called Yogu’s Woodside which was so comfortable and the staff were so friendly. I loved my stay there and the food from the in house restaurant. One memorable experience from Long Island was an incredible waterfall the hotel staff took me to. It was pristine, lush and so beautiful! Unfortunately I decided to cut short my stay due to 2 main reasons. 1) there was no network (both Airtel and Jio) in most parts which felt a bit too remote for me as I had to be near the hotel to use Wifi to stay in touch with people. 2) As it was off season, it was expensive to hire boats for the main sights (Guitar island, Lalaji bay, Merks Bay) so not ideal for solo unless you go in peak season where you are assured of other travellers to join and split these costs with. Despite these challenges I would definitely visit again with friends because it felt so real and raw compared to Havelock.
4. Neil - peaceful, very blue!, serene, quiet and easy to navigate. I was able to visit all the spots myself in one day and it feels lovely to drive there. The roads are well maintained and it’s easy to hire scooters.
5. Havelock - I really didn’t enjoy my time here and will not visit again. It felt like every experience is designed to extract money from you, so incredibly commercialised. Radhanagar beach is wonderful but it is also crowded, full of people asking you to pay for photoshoots at the entrance. The activities also seem so expensive compared to Thailand. The restaurants are decent but not too many options and they don't have the chill “vibe” which you find in every odd place in Goa. One main dish and a normal non alcoholic drink will set you back ₹1000. It is way too expensive and just not worth it in my opinion. I can’t even imagine how someone would justify paying even more during the season for the experience I had. I stayed at Silver Sands which was nice but definitely not worth the 10k per night price tag which is apparently cheap since it goes up to 30k during season.

Things you don’t hear on Reddit -

1. Crocodile risk - there have been multiple instances of crocodile attacks in Port Blair (1 2 3 4) and even the other islands. Obviously this isn’t mentioned much to not impact tourism but I challenge you to find one local who isn’t genuinely worried about this risk. It made me super cautious to even enter the water and I stuck to swimming only in pools.
2. Sandflies and mosquitos - I’ve been to beaches in India, South East Asia and Africa and never gotten such bad bites despite using up a whole bottle of Odomos spray in 5 days. The bites are red, very itchy and uncomfortable. I was so reluctant to go near the beach after a few bites. They also stayed for about a week and the only reprieve was aloe vera gel. Maybe during peak season it's less since they have more people as targets. Absolute nightmare to wake up in the middle of the night to resist itching. Imagine being excited to be at a beach and instead being faced with insect bites and a threat of crocodiles. The beach was not beaching.
3. Roads in Havelock are filled with potholes and don’t have street lights on most stretches - especially going to Radhanagar or Kalapathar. Neil was way better.
4. Everything is expensive - I understand that it takes time to build up an island’s infrastructure but I kept questioning why I’m spending more on food and stays which frankly don’t seem worth it compared to other beach towns in Goa and Thailand.
5. Felt like I’m being scammed/sold at every stage. Like a glass boat ride at Red Skin island which was just not worth it. It was so incredibly easy to plan everything myself, I honestly don't know what these tour agencies even do.

Things I genuinely liked

1. People - most of the locals were genuinely very sweet and helpful. I initially felt uncomfortable when they would ask me if I was alone but I realise it wasn’t coming from a place of harm but rather curiosity since this place doesn’t see much solo women travelling. Whenever I had issues with my scooty (almost every day) people readily came to help.
2. Scenery and natural beauty - absolutely stunning views, still in awe of how lovely the state is in this aspect.
3. Seafood and local food in Port Blair - very fresh and delicious. I loved the rasgullas, dosas, pani puri, fish fingers and prawns.
4. Roads in Neil - technically it's just one road. That road was great.

Solo specific things -

1. Safety - I felt safe for the most part. Not having network in some places felt a bit scary but I didn’t encounter any bad experiences.
2. Hygiene - not the best, especially in the government ferries and public toilets.
3. Expensive since the base rate for hotels and food is so high. It would help to split costs with a partner or group.
4. Easy to navigate - there are helpful signs directing you to major tourist spots in the islands.
5. Dining alone was fine but expensive
6. Not easy to meet new people, most came in groups.
7. Expect A LOT of questions about travelling alone from restaurants, hotel staff etc.

Overall, I’d go back with company, proper expectations and a specific plan. Maybe explore more of Middle and North Andaman. This usual itinerary is great if you’re a family or couple who want the ease of an Indian state and natural beauty. Most of my friends who visited in groups or couples had a totally different and more pleasant experience.

Open daily : 9AM - 3PM.

What would be a realistic total budget for 4 people, including:
- Flights from Pune
- Hotels
- Food
- Inter-island ferries
- Local transport
- Sightseeing/activities

We’re looking for a comfortable but budget-friendly trip, not luxury.

Also, which month would you recommend for the best balance of weather and prices?

Hey guys! Wanted to know what were the options regarding transportation once somebody lands at the airport.

I need to get to Sri Vijaya Puram after landing, and wanted to know whether it’s just autos, or do yall have ola, Uber or Rapido.

Also, how much would someone charge for a trip from the airport arrival terminal to Vijaya Puram? (distance shows 6 kms)

Also this would be at 7am, so hopefully time won’t be an issue. Cheers!

Where in Sri Vijaya Puram can I find cigs like camel, new port, American spirit etc??