ENTER THE OCEANS!

Now, how about exploring an island? On the map of India you will find this tiny island in the Bay Of Bengal parallel to Sri Lanka. Though it may be tiny as it seems in the Indian map but it has lot to offer. You may have understood now that I am talking about Andaman and Nicobar islands. The most notorious place during the British rule has now turned into a major tourist destination. Not only from the country but tourists from all over the world flock to this island every year. 

No trains can avail here so only ship and flights can take you to Andaman. The ship takes a duration of nearly 3 days so most people now opt for the flights. Veer Savarkar International Airport is the only airport in this island situated in the capital Port Blair. A minimum of seven days is required to complete the tour and rather than travelling alone my suggestion would be to go through a travel agent.

I hope everyone knows Andaman was called "KALAPANI" during the British rule. It's due to the infamous prison the Cellular Jail in Port Blair. The freedom fighters would be brought here and tortured ruthlessly. The prison is now converted into one of the major historical sight of India. After exploring the jail don't forget to experience the light and sound show of India's freedom struggle and the history of Cellular Jail. If you don't watch it's a major missing. Visiting the ocean and not watching fish? It doesn't looks nice. Now, one cannot dive into the ocean to watch them. So, to solve the problem SSM aquarium is set up in Port Blair with variety of fishes on display. 

                                                CELLULAR JAIL

Do you think only Mauritius or Maldives have the best water sport? No, you are wrong. Andaman gives a tough competition to them. From Port Blair launches can be booked which takes you to some nearby places including a place called North Bay where it halts for around two and a half  hour. For water sport activities this is the best place. In this context let me tell you that we turned out to be lucky when we visited North Bay. The only danger in the waters of Andaman ae crocodiles which sometimes comes out to the beaches. For one such crocodile attack the Bay was closed for some days and opened just one day before of our visit and was closed again on the next day due to another attack. Now if it gets closed because of some such attack then it's your bad luck. Here the most adventurous sport which people enjoys the most is scuba diving. With oxygen cylinder on the back and wearing the divers dress it is a different feeling. A guide stays with you and takes you below the ocean and fishes pass through your body and you can touch the beautiful corals. They have a special type of camera where they click your underwater photo. But, don't try to show your skills here and abide by the saying of the guide. Most of the accidents in scuba diving occurs due to smartness shown by the tourist which can become a life threatening. But by following proper guidelines it's a safe sport. Another water sport taken mainly by the ones who are not confident in waters or not certified for scuba. It's known as sea walking. You will wear the divers suit with the only difference that here there is no case of carrying oxygen cylinders. A transparent helmet is worn with a pipe fitted which goes up so that you can breathe in the atmospheric oxygen and enjoy the underwater scenery. Last but not the least another diving activity is called snorkelling taken up mostly by older tourists. Here you are allowed limited activity and with the help of a mask and breathing tube you can get the underwater experience. Basically it's swimming just under the surface of water. Even if you are scared to do any of these there is solution. The glass bottom boat ride is another form of scuba where you can view the corals by a glass fitted on the bottom of the boat. Also, the dolphin boat ride is somewhat same with the difference that the boat resembles the shape of a dolphin and the look is more sophisticated. But underwater experience from a boat is enjoyed in the semi submarine ride which has a lower glass bottom deck section with inclined windows giving somewhat a diving experience. 

SCUBA DIVING

Now the Port Blair chapter gets over. It's time to explore the rest of the island. One important advice. If you have to buy anything especially medicine do buy it from Port Blair before leaving. As on the other parts there is very least number of stores. 

These parts are visited by ships which are included in your tour package. Mostly two islands are visited named Havelock and Neil. A 2-3 hours cruise takes you to Havelock island. But my request is when on the cruise just don't stay on your seat for the whole journey. The ships have a deck where you can climb and enjoy the beautiful oceans and even spot dolphins and fishes. Music is also played and many people show their dancing skills there. From young boys and girls to senior citizen everyone enjoys it. The journey doesn't seems monotonous.

In Havelock there is nothing much to do in the evening so it's better to go with a team. A beach is present here named Radhanagar beach where you can enjoy and swim in the waters. The main attraction is if you stand in the ocean after covering a certain distance you will be able to see the corals which are submerged in the water. The water is crystal clear allowing the underwater view. You can spend hours swimming there. Another beach is present here named Elephant Beach which is mainly famous for water sports activities. It includes the ones which I have mentioned earlier but scuba diving is not present. In addition to the ones above jet ski, parasailing and banana boat ride is present here. 2-3 days is enough to stay here as except the beaches nothing else is there to see.

                                            RADHANAGAR BEACH

From Havelock only another cruise ship will take you to Neil island which doesn't differentiate much from the previous one. Neil island only differs in the fact that it's more congested and sophisticated than Havelock. People come here on their way back to Port Blair from Havelock. Nightlife goes without saying is restricted to hotels and resorts. The Ramnagar and Bharatpur beach is best for water sports activities and here there is no crocodiles in the water. So, even if you miss North Bay you have a chance here. But the most popular attraction here is the natural rock bridge situated in Lakshmanpur beach. One can also spot interesting sea creatures like sea cucumber, starfish etc. The Kalapani beach is best for spending time in water.

                                      LAKSHMANPUR BEACH

Now, back to Port Blair by a cruise. No wait, the trip doesn't end here. The tribes of Andaman, Jarawas are left to be seen.  How can the trip end without visiting them?

The journey becomes hectic after this. From Port Blair it's nearly a 12 hour car journey to a place named Diglipur. You have to start very early in the morning nearly 3:30-4:00 AM and then also you will not reach Diglipur. You have to halt at a place named Rangat which you will reach by evening. On the way to Rangat you have to pass through a Jarawa belt where all cars maintain a certain speed and goes in a convoy without any halt. It takes nearly 2 hours to cross that belt. Here on the way you can spot the tribes but don't take their pictures or give food packets to them as it's a punishable offence. On the way there are two main spots. One is limestone cave and the other one is the mud volcano the only active volcano in India; both in a place called Baratang. Car is allowed upto a certain place and then by speedboats tourists are taken to the cave and volcano. Then once you reach Diglipur the main spot is the Ross and Smith islands. The 2 islands Ross and Smith are joined together by a sand bar to make them a single group of island. During high tide when the sand bar disappears it seems that the water of two different color; one blue and the other green creates a confluence. All together it's a wonderful experience which cannot be described in words. You will feel as if you are in paradise. But this we weren't lucky enough. From Diglipur jetty speed boats are available which takes you to that island. The water is filled with crocodiles and so they don't even take the slightest risk. The weather condition was bad on the day we reached. In our two day stay at Diglipur the weather showed no sign to improve. So you have to depend somewhat on your luck to experience the view.

                                          ROSS AND SMITH ISLAND

Now, again back to Port Blair and the trip ends. 

The name says Andaman and Nicobar islands. But Nicobar is totally inhabited by the tribes. Tourists or local people are prohibited from entering . So, you can only visit Andaman and not Nicobar.

Once you visit you will see that I haven't exaggerated the beauty of the islands. The trip will end one day but the memories you will create will last forever. 

THANK YOU!😊

HRISHIT BHATTACHARYA