Have you ever travelled in a glass bottomed boat watching stunning corals of every shape and hue? To experience nature at its unspoilt best you must plan a holiday to the Andamans. Thanks to friends of ours who had been posted there recently we spent an unforgettable week in these beautiful islands. The islands of Andaman and Car Nicobar are famous for their panoramic beaches and the remote islands where the Andaman and Nicobari tribes have been living for centuries.
We arrive at Port Blair on a Sunday morning and we drive through the bustling streets of Port Blair along winding roads towards the Cantonment where we have our accommodation. The roads we are driving along are bordered by lush green trees and I can’t wait to get to the beach. Our rooms at Megapode Nest are sea facing with a peaceful ambience. We sit on tree branches that make for a beautiful ringside view of the ocean and watch the play of colours on the water as the sun plays hide and seek with the clouds.
Spectacular Sunset- North Bay Island- Andamans
Our tour the next day takes us through an era of Indian history. Our first stop is the Cellular jail also known as notorious ‘Kaala Paani’ where revolutionaries and the freedom fighters were banished for life, away from their families to undergo torture and unspeakable hardship. The Cellular jail is a national monument that salutes the heroes who fought for India’s freedom. The Sound and Light show at the Cellular jail brings a lump to my throat as voices from the past bring to life the courage and sacrifice of countless Indians.
Sunset at Radhanagar Beach
This is followed by a boat ride to the Viper island that housed the gallows atop a hill and then onward to Ross island which was the British Capital. Ross Island is a treasure trove of ruins. The Chief Commissioner’s house, the spacious ball room, bakery, Church and the Govt house give us a glimpse into the opulent past of the British rulers. The naval museum houses the chronicles of the British at Ross Island. This island bore the brunt of the 2004 tsunami and one of the casualties was a 150 year old turtle that resided in this island. We watch a magnificent sunset paint the ocean in hues of orange and lilac as the steamer ferries us back to Port Blair.
The next day we set off in the super fast Macruzz ferry to the Havelock Islands further north of Port Blair. A blue- green ocean with soft white sands welcomes us as we disembark at Havelock. We drive through tree-lined roads to beach No.5 to our cottage in Symphony Palms Beach Resort just a 100 yards from the beach. We spend the afternoon wading through the blue waters and stretch out on the beach chairs under the canopy of trees.
Swinging on the beach
Scuba Diving in the Andamans
The next couple of days were spent snorkelling, something that I’d never done before. It was exciting travelling on a dingy into the deep waters and floating over beautiful corals of varying shapes and sizes and colourful fish darting through the waters. It was an exhilarating experience. But the best was yet to come. Our Scuba diving experience with the Blue Lagoon divers was just out of this world! I don’t swim and yet I picked up courage to dive 6 meters with the help of an expert diver who shepherded me throughout. I could hear my pulse thundering in my ears but my fear vanished at the sight of the schools of fish that swam past me. I kept pointing excitedly as I spotted fishes both big and small that moved about like flashes of light. One of the fishes came close to peer at me and I am sure he went back with tales of masked creatures in black to regale his friends with. We surfaced to discover that it had begun to rain and the hot samosas provided by the crew tasted delicious!
I enjoyed the time we spent at the Full Moon cafe at the Dive India Resort eating mouth watering pasta and freshly baked cake. The sunset at the Radha Nagar beach was spectacular and I hope my photos do justice to it. The long walks on the tree lined beaches, the lazy afternoons spent snoozing on hammocks by the beach are unforgettable memories that I will always treasure. As we bid adieu I vow to return to these idyllic beaches and until then I shall listen to the sound of the sea on the conch shell that I have brought back with me.
Full Moon Cafe at Island Vinnie
Getting there:
The Islands of Andaman are well connected by air and sea. There are regular passenger ship services for Port Blair from Chennai, Kolkata and Vishakhapatnam.
Kingfisher Red, Indian Airlines and Jet Lite have daily regular flights to Port Blair from Calcutta and Chennai.
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—About our writer:
With a Masters in English Literature and a teaching degree tucked under her belt, Priya spent over 13 year teaching English to High School students. After a brief stint as an Instructional designer she moved to her dream job of being part of the Chillibreeze team and enjoys being a work from home Mom. She is also voracious reader and enjoys listening to classical music. An eternal optimist, her idea of bliss is to curl up in her favourite chair with a good book with her Labrador snoozing at her feet.
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