Updated on: 18th October 2019
Andaman and Nicobar (especially Havelock island) had been on our radar for long. In one of the Spicejet sale, we saw that the Chennai- Port Blair return was costing ~Rs.11500 for all of us (2 adults and 1 child). We grabbed the opportunity and tickets were booked for Sep 2015.
Planning for it started almost 6 months before the actual travel. We read reviews on Tripadvisor, followed many travel blogs to settle upon the hotels and activities we wanted to do. We also got some quotations for Andaman tour packages, to see what they cover and how much they charge. Since the time we have started travelling with our son, we do most of our bookings in advance to avoid any inconvenience. We wanted to make sure this was a memorable holiday.
Our itinerary for 6N/7D was:
Day 1: Chennai to Port Blair by flight
Day 2, 3 and 4: Havelock Island
Day 5, 6: Port Blair, Ross Island
Day 7: Port Blair – Chennai- Hyd
We choose to travel in the off-season since the rates are low and the crowd is less. Andaman tourism picks up in Oct and Sep was the perfect time to travel. We decided the hotels based on the activities we wanted to do and convenience from kiddo’s point of view. 6 days was less for a place like Andaman, but we didn’t want to plan very hectic.
Accommodation/ Hotels in Andaman:
Day 1, Port Blair: Hotel Sentinel. We chose this based on the hotel reviews on Tripadvisor. Our criteria was to be close to the Phoenix Bay Jetty (where Havelock ferries start), close to the Cellular Jail (since that was the first place we wanted to visit) and kiddo-friendly (pool and garden area).
Day 2, 3, 4 in Havelock island: Dolphin Resort. This booking was a tricky one. No. 1 on TripAdvisor was Barefoot and some friends gave a great review about it too. But it was too costly. We didn’t want to spend so much on hotels. We were oscillating between Silver Sand Resort and Dolphin (which is promoted by Andaman tourism). Dolphin is a Govt property so we assumed service would be non-existent. Reviews said the view was fantastic but the beach in front was rocky. The rooms in Silver Sand that face the Vijay Nagar beach were too expensive and the rest of the rooms were on the other side of the road, so we finally settled for Dolphin Resort. Glad we booked Dolphin resort finally.
Day 5, 6 in Port Blair: The only resort that had beach access in Port Blair was Peerless Sarovar Portico. It was little far from the attractions, but beach access was our criterion for choosing it.
Bookings for the hotel:
We booked Sentinel and Sarovar Portico online through yatra.com. We got good deals during holiday sales. Do check out online deals before booking the hotels. Also, if you have time in hand, wait for festivals. MakeMyTrip, Yatra, Cleartrip, Travelguru etc have deals during festivals. Don’t be too greedy, though. If you wait too long and a better deal, you may not get any deal. 50% off, Rs.1500 off per night etc are good deals to grab.
Tip 1: Flat Rs.1500 off etc are on the total booking amount. So book the hotels for individual nights in different names (could be your name on 1st and 3rd night and your spouse’s on the 2nd). This would ensure you get the max benefit. Mail the hotel later to tell them they are all your bookings and you want to continue in the same room for all nights.
Tip 2: When doing online bookings, ALWAYS mail the hotel to make sure your bookings are confirmed. Send the hotel voucher(s) in the mail. If they don’t reply, call them. With these huge discount deals online, there is a small chance hotel may not honour them. Also, carry a print out of the booking vouchers.
Tip 3: If you have any loyalty cards like JP Miles Card etc., carry them. I did not carry my JP Miles card since we were not travelling by Jet Airways but Sarovar Portico had a 10% discount for Jet customers. They finally gave me the discount with only the number, but many might not.
Dolphin Resort: Booking this property requires patience. Their official website is http://aniidco.and.nic.in/dolphin-resort.php. You can either book online or call up the Andaman Tourist Info Center at Port Blair on 03192- 232694/ 03192-231664/ 03192- 232380 / 03192-282066 and/or mail them at accomodation6@gmail.com or dolphin.aniidco@gmail.com. Check their website for latest room rates.
Travel Ticket Bookings:
Hyd – Chennai: By Train. The available flight was at 5:45 am, and we didn’t want to take a flight that early. Decided to visit relatives in Chennai and then proceed to Port Blair.
Chennai – Port Blair: Spicejet flight at 11:45m. Reached Port Blair at around 1:45 pm.
Port Blair – Havelock island: The only way to go to Havelock is by ferry.
If you are on budget or are looking for an adventure; you can take a cruise ship from Kolkata, Chennai or Vizag. It takes almost 3 days. We met backpacker Shawn Pady in Auroville who did exactly this for his Andaman Trip. Check out his youtube channel https://www.youtube.com/user/TaxiMotionPictures and his Andaman videos playlist here.
Ferry from Port Blair to Andaman:
Coastal cruise: Private operator. They do not sail in the off-season , though. We went in September end and they were not sailing.
Makruzz: Private operator. We took this for our Port Blair – Havelock leg. They have 3 categories -. We took the Deluxe Class which had upper deck seating and complimentary breakfast. The Deluxe class has only the side view from glass windows. Captain’s cabin is on the upper deck so front view is completely blocked. The Royal class is on the upper deck towards the back and has a huge glass window at the back. The lower deck has a better view because of the side windows as well as front window. It’s more crowded though.
MV green ocean: It’s also a private operator. We didn’t take it since the timings were not comfortable for us.
Govt ferry: Unless you have no other option, don’t opt for this. You may get lucky with the seats, but if you are stuck in a cabin where AC is not working, your day is ruined. We took the govt. ferry for our Havelock- Port Blair travel and got a seat in the lower deck where AC was not working. The cabin was stuffy with insufficient number of fans positioned badly. Ticket is priced at Rs.400 per person and the booking starts 4 days in advance. Booking for 27th for eg. will open on 23rd. And you have to stand in queue to get it. Its much better to get this done through an agent or your hotel. Most of the hotels get it done for their guests. Hotel Sentinel charged us Rs.100 extra per seat and got it done.They got it sent to Silver Sands Resort in Havelock and we collected it when we were in Havelock.
Ferry schedules are as follows (as on March 2019):
Ferry Schedule for M.V Makruzz
| Sector | Departure | Arrival |
| PORT BLAIR-HAVELOCK | 08:15 | 09:45 |
| HAVELOCK-PORT BLAIR | 10:15 | 13:15 |
| PORT BLAIR-HAVELOCK | 14:00 | 15:45 |
| HAVELOCK-PORT BLAIR | 16:00 | 17:30 |
(Thursday: 02.00 pm, 10.45 am Makruzz do not sail)
Ferry Schedule for M.V.Coastal Cruise
| Sector | Departure | Arrival |
| HAVELOCK–NEIL | 15:15 | 16:00 |
| PORT BLAIR – NEIL | 07:30 | 09:00 |
| NEIL -HAVELOCK | 10:30 | 11:15 |
| HAVELOCK–NEIL | 09:30 | 10:15 |
| NEIL -PORT BLAIR | 16:15 | 17:45 |
Ferry Schedule for M.V.Green Ocean
| Sector | Departure | Arrival |
| HAVELOCK-PORT BLAIR | 09:30 | 12:00 |
| PORT BLAIR-HAVELOCK | 12:30 | 14:45 |
| HAVELOCK-PORT BLAIR | 15:00 | 17:45 |
Ferry timings for Government Ferry
| Sector | Departure | Arrival |
| PORT BLAIR-HAVELOCK | 06:20 | 09:00 |
| PORT BLAIR-HAVELOCK | 11:00 | 13:30 |
| PORT BLAIR-HAVELOCK | 13:00 | 15:30 |
| PORT BLAIR-HAVELOCK | 14:00 | 16:30 |
| HAVELOCK-PORT BLAIR | 09:00 | 11:30 |
| HAVELOCK-PORT BLAIR | 14:45 | 16:30 |
| HAVELOCK-PORT BLAIR | 16:15 | 19:00 |
| PORT BLAIR-NEIL | 06:30 | 09:00 |
| PORT BLAIR-NEIL | 11:00 | 12:45 |
| PORT BLAIR-NEIL | 13:00 | 14:45 |
| NEIL – PORT BLAIR | 08:45 | 10:45 |
| NEIL – PORT BLAIR | 16:00 | 18:00 |
| HAVELOCK – NEIL | 14:45 | 15:45 |
| NEIL – HAVELOCK | 13:00 | 14:00 |
Contacts for Andaman ferry bookings:
Coastal Cruise: coastalcruise@ymail.com / http://coastalcruise.in (The site seems to be suspended now, but they did revert on our email query)
MV Makruzz: mvmakruzz@gmail.com / http://makruzz.com/
MV Green Ocean: support@greenoceancruise.com/ http://greenoceancruise.com
Govt Ferry: Check with your hotel or travel agent to book tickets. Some online travel agents like https://trip.experienceandamans.com/ferry/government-ferry.html seem to sell tickets too. No personal experience with them, though.
Travel inside Port Blair and Havelock Island:
Port Blair: Autos are available in plenty in Port Blair. We spoke to the auto guy who dropped us from Cellular Jail to Sentinel on the first day and took his number so he could be with us through our Port Blair stay. His name is Partho and his number is +91 9474243638/ 9679532110. Very friendly guy from Kolkata and charged us very nominal too. Cellular Jail to Sentinel was Rs.30, Sentinel to Phoenix Jetty was Rs.50. When we returned from Havelock, we called Partho again at Phoenix Jetty. We stayed at Peerless Sarovar Portico which was quite far (by Port Blair standards) from the jetty. He dropped us there and went back. Again came back in the afternoon and took us to the Water park side and dropped us back around dinner. For this, he charged us Rs.500, which was very fair. Last day also we called him in the morning at checkout and he stayed with us until 2pm, even took care of our luggage when we were site-seeing or dining; and charged us Rs.850.
Havelock Island: Autos are available in Havelock. There are buses too from jetty to Radhanagar beach. If you are planning to stay in Havelock for more than a day and can drive, hiring a two-wheeler is the best option. Scooty and bikes are available at Rs.300/ 24hrs and petrol is Rs.70/litre (Update May 2017: I am told the tariff has now increased to Rs.400 – Rs.500). We hired a scooty from the shop outside Dophin resort. It was called Bappa Travels and their number is +91-9474222180/ 9679532542. There are small shops where petrol is available. Even the supermarket stocks it. Auto charged Rs.100 to the Dolphin resort. Most of the resorts are in the same stretch and auto fares are similar; except for Barefoot which is towards the Radhanagar beach. Our auto driver’s name was Bidhan and his number is +91-9476004046. His rates are same during off-season and season. Charges Rs.500 from resort to Radhanagar beach and back. He charges Rs.400 from resort to Kala Pathar beach and back. The rates almost double for foreigners.
Travel:
We reached Port Blair at 2 pm. Port Blair airport is very small and becomes very chaotic if more than 2 flights land around the same time. They have only 2 conveyor belts for checked-in baggage and everyone crowded around them. Same with the restrooms. Its super crowded. There is a small tourist help centre in front of the conveyor belts where you can book prepaid taxi and get some basic info. Prepaid to Sentinel was Rs.120 and we booked it.
Hotel Sentinel is located quite centrally and is a well-maintained place. We were very hungry and to our relief, lunch was available even at 3 pm. Veg Meal for 2 (1 curry, 1 dal, 1 rice, few rotis) at Sentinel costs close to Rs.600.
We had heard and read stories about the role of Andaman in India’s freedom struggle and it was only fitting to start the travel by visiting Cellular Jail.
Cellular Jail is open from 9 a.m to 5 p.m except on Mondays. The ticket is Rs.30 per person and is available until 4.15 p.m. We went on the World Tourism Day and entry to the jail and museum was free.
Hindi light and sound show is at 6.15 p.m and English at 7.15 p.m. Ticket for the light and sound show are available from 5.15 pm for Hindi show and 6.15 pm for English show. The duration is 55 mins and seats are first come first so be sure to get in the queue early.
Tips for Cellular Jail light and sound show:
- There is a separate ladies queue, which is usually shorter.
- Carry mosquito repellents.
- If you have kids along, carry some time pass activities for them. They get bored waiting, first at the ticket counter, then in the entry line and finally waiting for the show to start.
- Use of camera or camcorders is strictly prohibited.
- The ticket is priced at Rs.50 per seat. If you want a separate seat for your kiddo, buy a separate ticket. The seats are limited and even on a weekday, the show is houseful.
The show could have been better, given the subject.
Sun sets by 5.15 p.m and it usually gets dark in Port Blair by 6 p.m. The water sports centre is close by and the Children’s park there is open until 7 pm. They have a traffic park, slides, swings etc. Good time pass for kids. Water sports, however, closes by 5 pm. We visited the park again after our return from Havelock.
Day 2:
Travel to Havelock by MV Makruzz was quite pleasant.
Havelock is rightly called the Pearl of Andamans. The moment you step into Havelock, you can see the crystal blue sea, white sands and friendly people. We had booking at Dolphin Resort which is a govt. owned property.
Dolphin Resort is best located to see the beautiful sunrise at Havelock. Its heaven if you are a morning person. We booked a super-deluxe room. There are 8 super deluxe rooms, all of which have the sea view. However, 4 of them are reserved for VIPs. Some of the deluxe rooms also have sea view, but one can never be sure which room would be booked for you. Some deluxe rooms are also reserved and do not get booked for tourists.
It is best if you can book a super deluxe room. It has a kettle, fridge and intercom. And an LCD TV (yes, other rooms have CRT TV it seems). Though there is a kettle, there are no tea bags, sugar etc. We had read in one of the TripAdvisor reviews that they charge Rs.50 for that so we carried our own. These things are easily available in the shop outside Dolphin.
They serve buffets for all 3 meals. Breakfast is Rs.75, lunch Rs.150 and dinner Rs.150. They didn’t charge anything for our 4 yr old kiddo, but otherwise the charges are same for kids. All meals are very home-like. Breakfast usually has poori bhajia, toast and 1 more dish (upma/ idly etc). Lunch and Dinner are 2 veg curries, 1 dal, 1 sweet, papad, rice and chapatis. There are some ala-carte dishes available (veg and non-veg), but you need to tell them in advance if you need them. We read in reviews that you need to tell in advance if you want to have buffet too. However, we never saw anyone being denied meals because they didn’t tell in advance. We ourselves had 2 breakfast and 2 lunches without informing them earlier. The only room service available is Bed Tea (chargeable).
One cannot swim in front of the beach in front of the resort. It is not all rocky, though. The portion in front of the super deluxe rooms is rather pleasant to walk in low tide. It has live corals and you can see sea cucumbers and some small fishes too if you walk patiently and quietly! The beach in front of the deluxe rooms is rocky.
Sunrise happens at around 4:30 am in Andamans. Its worth waking up though 🙂
Attractions at Havelock:
- Radhanagar Beach: This is one of the most talked about beaches in Havelock. Its in the west and crowd usually gathers there to watch the sunset. When we went there, the beach was not that clean. Though its shallow and one can easily go inside the water and play, the waves are big.
The green sphere like thing is a Swiss Dome at Radhanagar Beach. 2 of them are let out to tourists by the Andaman Govt (booking process is same as Dolphin resort). However, the place is secluded and there is nothing to do after dark. There are no restaurants closeby. If you fancy staying with the sound of the crashing waves, this might be a good accommodation for you!
Kiddo had more fun with his beach toys since the waves were big and lot of foliage was coming with the waves.
The beach is around 12kms from Dolphin Resort. The roads in Havelock are very narrow and it takes around 30mins to reach the beach. Sun sets at around 5 pm, so we started at 3 pm so we could spend some time playing on the beach too.
- Kala Pathar Beach: This is one of the less talked about beaches in Havelock. That has its own advantages – less crowd and cleaner. Its on the east coast so no sunset view. But the waves are low and its easy to play with kids. Its around 5kms from Dolphin Resort towards the south. We were so impressed with Kala Pathar Beach that we went on both 3rd and 4th evening. Kiddo had fun in his swimming ring and forgot his beach toys 🙂
- Market@ Havelock: Evening market at Havelock is good if you want to have some snacks. Its like a mini-Kolkata 🙂 You get good Pani Puri, Samosa (I heard someone calling Samosa ‘Singhada’ after ages), Chaat etc.
- Island tours: Island hopping to Elephant beach is another activity available in Havelock. The tour usually costs Rs.150 per person. Unfortunately, the tour was not available on the day we went because of the weather.
- Scuba Diving: There are many Scuba Diving Centers at Havelock. Most of them like Dive India, Ocean Tribe, Barefoot Scuba etc offer diving courses as well. They have their own basic accommodations as well for people opting for long term courses. We inquired with Dive India and Ocean Tribe. Dive India has 2 packages – Rs.3500 for 25min which includes training as well and Rs.4500 for 60min dive excluding training. Ocean Tribe has 40min dive excluding training at Rs.3500. All of them give a CD with photos and 1 min video. We felt Ocean Tribe was better and went with them one morning. Since we do not know swimming, we could go only as deep as 8-9mts. Kids above 8yrs are allowed to dive. There was something called Bubble play also for kids above 8 yrs of age.
- Vijay Nagar Beach: Silver Sands Resort is on the Vijay Nagar beach. Its away from the rocks and corals in front of Dolphin Resort and is maintained beautifully. Its a private beach of the resort. We went to get our tickets for Govt. ferry and went to the beach too. I don’t think they allow outsiders, but you can dine with them and use the beach I guess.
- Sea Walking: Sea Walking is somewhat similar to Scuba Diving. In Sea Walking, you need to wear a helmet and oxygen is pumped inside the helmet. You can breathe normally and walk on the sea bed. The difference from SCUBA is that you cannot move your head. So you see fishes that come in front of the helmet. You can feed the fishes so they come close to you. Also, they have a vast net inside which the fishes are there. In Scuba, you are free to move around. The charges are Rs.3200 per person and kids above 7 yrs of age can do it. It was closed for monsoons when we went.
Dining options in Havelock:
There are many restaurants in Havelock and almost all are priced at-par. Veg Meal for 2 (1 curry, 1 dal, few rotis/ rice) would cost around Rs.600. A non-veg meal would close to Rs.1000.
- Anju Coco: It’s on the main road and close to most of the resorts. It has a good seating area and ambience is also good. The food was one of the best we had in Havelock. We tried it on 2 nights – Chinese on one night and South Indian the other, both were good.
- Fat Martin: Close to Anju Coco. The place is small but decent. We had only Pizza there, which was good. We wanted no spices for the kiddo on the pizza, but the Margarita came with pepper. Make sure they take instructions properly. Condiments were also not provided for take-away.
- Full Moon Cafe: This one is also close to Dolphin resort. Its inside the Dive India premises. We ordered take-away since kiddo was very tired. Food was surprisingly quite good. Dahi Baigan masala is worth mentioning 🙂
- Welcome Restaurant: This one is in the market area. Some local guy suggested it and we went with high hopes about the food. We didn’t expect much in terms of ambiance and we were right. It was like a small dhaba. Food was great disappointment though. We ordered Dal, Bhindi Masala, Chapathi, Rice and Dahi. Nothing was up to the mark. Even chapathis were very thick. Pricing is similar to other restaurants though. They had Italian and Arabic food also on their menu, maybe they are popular for that.
- Dakshin: Dakshin restaurant is maintained by Barefoot Group. It’s at the Havelock jetty. We had to take the 9 am government ferry so we decided to have breakfast there. The food was quite good, ambience is okay.
There were some today’s special items too.
Most of the resorts in Havelock have a restaurant too.
Accommodations with beach access in Havelock:
Most of the resorts in Havelock have a beach access; the key is to have sea view. All resorts on the east side of the island, have direct access to beach. Some part of Govind Nagar beach is rocky. Vijay Nagar beach is very good, with turquoise water and less wind. Silver Sands Resort is located very strategically with private access to Vijay Nagar Beach, but none of their rooms have sea view. Even the best rooms they have face each other instead of facing of beach. Most of their rooms are on the other side of the road and don’t have direct beach access.
Munjoh Ocean resort, Emerald Gecko and Wild Orchid are also on Vijay Nagar beach.
Day 5, 6: We returned back to Port Blair on the Government Ferry. The journey was as uncomfortable as it can get. ACs not working, fans positioned wrong. It was very stuffy inside and many passengers spent their time on the deck.
After we reached Phoenix Jetty, Port Blair, Partho picked us up and dropped us at Peerless Sarovar Portico. It has direct access to Corbyn’s Cove beach.
Rooms are comfortable with all amenities, and our room had the sea view. The beach in front of Sarovar Portico is on the east and sunrise happens around 4:45 am.
We had our lunch at Corbyn’s Delight, the in-house restaurant at the hotel. The food was good, though expensive. Veg Meal for 2 is close to Rs.1000. Room service is available too. There is a KTDC restaurant “The Waves” at the beach itself. It was reasonably priced, though we did not get a chance to try it (Meal for 2 would have costed close to Rs.400).
Things to do in Port Blair:
- Cellular Jail: We had been to the Light and Sound Show on the first day of our trip, but did not have enough time to see the museum and the jail. So we proceeded to the jail after lunch.
- Children’s Park: This is walkable from Cellular Jail and Water Sports Complex. We went to the park after Cellular Jail. It is open until 7 pm and has traffic park, slides, swings, lawn etc. On the lane behind the park, cultural program was scheduled at 6pm. This program happens on 2 Sundays of the month. It has a yoga program by children and bengali songs. Local people put up stalls selling snacks, toys etc.
- Andaman Water Sports Center: We went to Sports complex in the morning on 6th day. Plan was to finish water sports and then proceed to Ross Island. Sports complex is at Aberdeen Jetty from where Ross Island ferry goes. It is maintained by a private operator and has water sports activities priced atrociously high. There is a water slide which looks interesting. However, since the slide is high, you come down at a very high speed and get inside the sea. It can get scary though you are wearing life jacket. We did that but didn’t get on the slide (was a waste of Rs.350 per person for 45min). There is a bumper boat which costs Rs.200 per person for 7mins.
- Ross Island: Ross Island has to be visited from Abredeen ferry. It takes hardly 10 min to reach there. There are govt ferries at specific times ( the last ferry is at 2pm from Port Blair) and private operators too. Ferry costs Rs.100 per person and the entry ticket to the island is Rs.30 per person. We went by the 12:30 ferry. You need to come back by the same ferry after 2 hrs.
There is a small shop on the inland which sells chips, cold drinks etc.The place is full of ruins, which look amazing. It takes an hour and a half to walk. Elderly might find it difficult to visit some places which need a climb. There is a small children’s park, which is not much to talk about. Our 4yr old kiddo’s got little bored, for him only attraction were the animals. There are rabbits and squirrels and deer in plenty,who are not scared of visitors.
- Science Center, Port Blair: This was a surprise discovery for us. Its on the way to Sarovar Portico. Since our flight was at 2:25p.m and we had time to kill in the morning, we decided to visit it. We could not attend any show since all are in the evenings. But the center itself was very interesting, especially for young kids.
- Corbyn’s Cove Beach: The beach less than ordinary to say the least. Its a small beach and the water is dirty. The beach is clean though, free of plastic wastes etc. Water sports also happens here. Its also away from the main city area so you need to have your own vehicle or keep the auto for the entire duration of your stay.
There are other attractions like Chidiya Tapu, Wandoor Beach, Marine Museum etc; but we wanted a relaxed holiday so skipped them. Scuba Diving and Sea Walking happen at Port Blair also.
Restaurants in Port Blair:
The ones we dined at-
- Ananda Restaurant: Its near the clock tower in the Abredeen Bazaar. Good and economical food. Veg Thali is Rs.180, non veg thali Rs.230. Ambiance is okay.
- Annapurna Hotel: Decent option in the market. Its a vegetarian restaurant. Curries are priced in the range of Rs.120-130 and meal for 2 would be close to Rs.500. They have Indian and Chinese.
- Corbyn’s Delight: Its a fine-dine restaurant inside Sarovar Portico. Food is good, though its expensive. Veg meal for 2 would be around Rs.1000 and non veg would be close to Rs.2000. Ambiance and service are good though. Since we stayed at Sarovar Portico, we had breakfast as well; which was decent.
- Restaurant inside Hotel Sentinel: Good ambiance, nice food, friendly staff. Veg meal for 2 would be around Rs.600 (1 curry, 1 dal, few rotis/ rice).
- Ocean Blue, Abredeen Jetty: It delivers too.
Tips for travelling to Andaman:
- Carry umbrella all the time, it starts raining all of a sudden (and stops all of a sudden, too!). We had a 12:30pm ferry ticket for Ross Island. It started raining heavily at 11am and we were thinking of cancelling Ross Island plans. But it suddenly stopped raining at 12:25 pm 🙂
- Carry cash. There are not many ATMs in Port Blair, and not many hotels/ restaurants swipe cards. Though Sarovar Portico had swiping machine, their was no connectivity and we had to pay by cash. There was no ATM closeby. Most of the ATMs are in Abredeen Bazaar. In Havelock, there is one SBI and one Axis Bank ATM. We never saw the Axis Bank ATM open though. Nobody in Havelock accepts card payment.
- Forget connectivity: Airtel and BSNL have phone connectivity at Havelock. However, there was no signal inside Dolphin resort. Rarely any resort/ restaurant has wifi (Anju Coco has). Even if wifi is there, net is pathetically slow. At Port Blair, all phone networks work. But internet connectivity is bad. Some hotels have wifi in their lobby/ restaurant, but again very slow.
- Take Map: Buy Port Blair map from the airport tourist information center at Rs.10. It helps, given there is no net connectivity on phone/ tab.
- Take print of all tickets/ hotel vouchers: Given that we don’t even need to carry print tickets at airports these days, we hardly print any tickets. But that does not work in Andaman since internet is not available.
- Buy Ross Island ticket and Cellular Jail ticket as soon as you reach: Ross Island ferries have limited capacity so buy your ticket as soon as you reach (for whichever ferry you want to take). Same goes for Cellular Jail light and sound show.
Breakup of our expenses during Andaman trip:
| Expenditure Item | Total Amount (in INR) |
| Tickets – Hyd to Chennai (2AC train for 2 adults, 1 child) | 3036 |
| Tickets – Chennai to Port Blair Return (Spicejet flight – economy -2+1) | 11600 |
| Tickets – Port Blair to Havelock Return (MV Makruzz and Govt Ferry) | 3450 |
| Tickets – Chennai to Hyd (flight – economy : 2 + 1) | 3330 |
| Hotel Sentinel @PB on Day 1 | 2617 |
| Hotel Dolphin Resort @Havelock Day 2-4 | 13008 |
| Hotel Sarovar Portico @PB Day 5-6 | 7524 |
| Food bill for 7 days | 8000 |
| Scooter Rental at Havelock (including petrol) | 850 |
| SCUBA Diving (2 adults) | 7000 |
| Attraction tickets (Science Center, Cellular Jail – Light & Sound show tickets) | 135 |
| Rides @ Andaman Sports Complex | 1100 |
| Ross Island Ferry Tickets + Entry tickets | 290 |
| Taxi and Auto fares in Port Blair and Andaman | 1780 |
| Airport taxi at Hyderabad | 900 |
| Taxi in Chennai | 400 |
| Tips at various hotels etc | 400 |
| TOTAL | 65420 |
Our trip overall was good and relaxing. However, if we had more number of days, we would have planned to visit Neil island, Wandoor Beach, Bartang Island, Chidiya Tapu too. There is an active volcano at Barren Island too, but it takes a night journey by ship to reach there and tourists are not allowed on the island. The ship takes a few rounds and returns.
A second visit to Andaman is not ruled out 🙂 Especially after looking at Shawn’s Andaman adventures and his visit to Indira Point; I am inspired to visit the beautiful archipelago again!
If you have been to Andaman and feel I have missed out on something, please leave a comment and I will add them with due credit 🙂
If you think someone can use this blog post in planning their Andaman holiday, do share the post.
Thanks a lot. The amount of time and effort you would have taken to recollect all this, write it and organize it, awesome. Am planning a trip and was searching for these useful bits like time lines etc.
Glad it helped Rahul. The post is little old so some info; esp prices might have gone up.
Enjoy your trip:)
Priyanka
A detailed account of the main issues are covered beautifully.thanks for the effort.
very much helpful. Thanks for writing.
Hey priyanka… m planning to go der wid my wife and a 3 year old daughter so my question to u is where did u leave ur kid while u both were doing scuba diving???
We did SCUBA one at a time. Our son was in the boat with us.
Dear Priyanka, We are planning a visit to andaman in last week of July with visit to port blair, Havelock, neil and ross island. I have booked all the hotels but still I could not book the ferry as the online booking is available only on Makruzz website and it is the expensive. Also I read that Makruzz cruize gets frequently cancelled during rains. So can you please suggest whether we should wait and reach port blair and do the booking as I will reach at 11 AM on first day and I need the cruise tickets from the second day to Havelock and 4th day to Neil and so on. Thanks in advance.
Hi Vinod,
You can ask your hotel to book tickets for you in the govt ferry. They run everyday and the tickets are reasonable compared to Makruzz. However, they can get little uncomfortable depending on the seats you get 🙁 We also had to opt for govt ferry while returning from Havelock because Makruzz was not available on that day. The hotels usually charge Rs.100 more per ticket, but getting the tickets at the counter one day in advance could be risky.Also, you can visit other places in Port blair in the time you save by not standing in the ticket queue.
Hope this helps!
Priyanka
Hi priyanka
Thanks for such informative blog. I m also planing to visit andman in last september .
So i m worrying about weather in september .
In mansoon activity like scuba diving and sea walk are open or not .
Should i carry umbrela from home or available in rent .
For 7 day tour how many days minimum for havelook stay and others island .
I have discounted air ticket and gov hotel at port blare so can you suggest accordingly my travel plan as i m not a frequently traveler
Thanks
Hi Indrajeet,
September is still monsoon in Andaman so some water activities may not happen depending on the weather at that time. We did SCUBA, but sea walking was closed. Also weather has been little unpredictable in the last few years and it’s difficult to say anything. Usually rain in Andaman last for few mins and then stop, so unless you hate being out in rainy season you should be fine.
For a 7 day tour, 1 full day in Port Blair should be enough. 3 days should be good in Havelock and 1-2 at Neil.
Hope this helps!
Priyanka
Thank you Priyanka for writing with so much details. we did all bookings by own and i and my wife had a wonderful time at andamans. Thank you again.
just to update: hotel number of Dolphin Resort is 03192-282066
Thanks Anand for posting a comment after your trip:) I am glad the post was useful and you had a wonderful time. I have updated the blog with latest info you provided.
Narrative is simple and well organised with visuals. Your travelogue is helpful, specially online booking tip to earn maximum discount in a deal.
Thanks Pralay. Some of the prices would have gone up because we visited few years back.
We planning trip to andaman next mont April 2019. We have a lady in our group 7 month pregnant. How safe it would be for her – like ferries and crusie?
Please check with her doctor if she can travel at this stage.
Yes she can till week 28. Only worried about how safe ferries are? Are they bummpy?
Ferries go fast so yes they are little bumpy. But pregnancy differs from person to person in terms of nausea and sea-sickness so am not sure if I can advise on anything. In my case I was travelling till the end without any issues. That is why I recommend you check with the doctor specifically if she can make this trip.
Hope it helps!
Priyanka
Hi priyanka,
I had read tht there was a cyclone during 3-4 jan 19 also there was an earthquake on 16 th jan 2019 ..as i m visiting andaman from 23-28 jan 19.m bit worried…
Hi Raj,
You will have to check with your hotels for the current situation and how safe it is to travel now. You can also post on TripAdvisor forum (https://www.tripadvisor.in/ShowForum-g297583-i9941-Andaman_and_Nicobar_Islands.html) where tourists/ residents who are there or travelled recently can reply back.
Hope it helps!
Priyanka
I am planning a trip to Andaman in April this year. Would you suggest I go ahead? It’s a trip for 2 and I am expecting expenses of about 40k-45k inclusive of EVERYTHING, for 4 days.
Hi Payal,
Major part of your expense will be travel tickets and hotels. If you let me know what these 2 are amounting to, I can help you with the total budget. 45K all inclusive looks little less to me though!
Regards,
Priyanka
Hi Priyanka , I had a great time reading your adaman blog. It would be great if you could address my below queries :
1. Trip to Ross Island : One has to pre book or you can reach there and book . If yes , how?
2. Cellular Jail : We can book the tickets on the same day from the spot?
Thanks Sijo. Some of the prices will be outdated because we went couple of years back. Please keep that in mind when planning.
To answer your questions:
1. Trip to Ross Island : One has to pre book or you can reach there and book . If yes , how? You do not need to pre-book. You can reach there and take next available ferry. They run every 2 hrs I guess. If you are particular about timing, they go little earlier. The afternoon ferries usually get full an hr in advance.
2. Cellular Jail : We can book the tickets on the same day from the spot?: Tickets are available outside the museum. Ticket for the light and sound show are available from 5.15 pm for Hindi show and 6.15 pm for English show. The duration is 55 mins and seats are first come first so be sure to get in the queue early.
Hope it helps!
Priyanka
You have written such a nice blog with complete information. Thanks a lot for the same. I have already booked my trip with Sucheta from yestourismindia.com and we are traveling in Nov 2018. It was through a reference and franky saying your blog helped a lot to bargain. Well their website seems to be new but their online reviews are great. I hope I can share my reviews when i come back.
great blog @Priyanka. thanks for the guide and the cost details.
hi Rini, we are planning for the sep end trip for 5N 6days. I have been enquiring with different vendors and there is no even single vendor gives the best quote. most of them are over priced. would like to know how much did a yestourismindia.com vendor charged you. it will help bargaining to the best.
How do we book for ocean tribe ? Is it on the spot or prior booking.Also is it in a place called nemori ?
Thanks in advance priyanka !
You can book Ocean Tribe by visiting their center. You need to book a day in advance because dives usually happen in the morning. It is near Govind Nagar Beach (search for Ocean Tribe Scuba, Andaman and Nicobar Islands) on Google Maps. I am not sure where Nemori is…is it a resort on Havelock??
Hope it helps!
Priyanka
Hi Priyanka,
Excellent blog i must say.to be frank i am following your plan to the T.The issue is i am just 2 months away for my andaman trip.All the hotel and flight prices are very high.How would you advice us to go ahead with booking.
All the prices you mentioned,the same ones cost 3 fold more.
btw i am also from hyderabad.Would like you to guide us.
Regards,
Vidya
Hi Vidya,
October is peak season for Andaman. All resorts have discounted prices till Sep end and then the prices increase almost 2-3 times. I can see that the Dolphin resort rates are 4700+tax, which is still not that high compared to their usual rates. But their rooms are booked well in advance. We went in off season and booked our fight tickets almost a year in advance, so were kind of lucky. Its not possible to get low fares in such a short time,but you can wait for offers around 15th Aug. You can put an alert on cleartrip and book when the fares are in your budget.
Hope it helps.
Priyanka
Hello ! It is indeed a very very informative blog. Congratulations… Pl guide whether it is suitable to take active parents above 80 plus there ? What kind of difficulties we may face? Pl guide. I am planning to visit in November 18 with my old mother .
Thanks Rupal. Andaman experiences retreating monsoon during November and many activities in Nov are weather dependent. If it rains/is stormy, ferries do not ply. I remember reading about cyclone in Nov 2013 and tourists had to be evacuated. You may want to reschedule if you are travelling with your mother, if you still have a choice.
If the weather is fine, Port Blair / Havelock are good with active parents. You may want to take the phone no. of taxi driver/ auto drivers and call them when you need to go somewhere, because finding an auto as soon as you come out of hotel may not happen. Havelock did not have Airtel/Vodafone connectivity when we went. We were told only BSNL works there. Except for Cellular Jail and Ross island, not many places require lot of walking. Cellular jail has some steps but you can cover it in your own time. Ross island ferries require you to come back by the same ferry after 2 hrs (though its not strictly followed if the crowd is less). There is decent walking required on the island, but we saw elderly waiting in a shaded are while their family explored the island.
Hope it helps!
Priyanka
I have gone through lot of posts and comments , I must say this blog is the best one…Really Informative..I am planning to visit in the first week of December and don’t want to stay in Port Blair, Want to spent time in Havelock only….Would like to know your opinion on this. Would it be hectic or manageable ?
Hi Sunny,
Glad the post helped 🙂 December would be a good time to visit Andaman. Staying in Port Blair is mostly required because of ferry tickets and timings. You can check the timings in the blog. If you are reaching Port Blair at a time when you can directly go to Havelock, you can definitely do that. Also, you may have to get the ferry tickets online or through some agent because Dec could be crowded.
Hope it helps!
Priyanka
Hi Priyanka,
I must say this is amazing blog, I am planning a trip for my parents in march 2019 mostly first or second week, mostly for 5 or 6 days. Do you think it is good to travel in March?
Hi Tasneem,
March is dry but hot and humid (though its humid through the year). Most of the activities will be operational, so yes its a good time. If you can make it in Jan, it would be little better.
Hope it helps!
Priyanka
GIve me some Itenary for 5 days. How is january month for visiting this place?
Hi Fahad,
January is usually good. You plan an itinerary based on your interests and post it here. I can suggest if that is feasible.
Regards,
Priyanka
Very nice description..can u tell me when and how you book tickets for ferry? as i am planning tour in September end and makruzz schedule is not open for it.
Hi Shubhanshu,
Its too early to book ferry tickets for Sep end. Makruzz site is http://www.makruzz.com. You can mail them and check when they will open the bookings. If online booking is not happening / they do not reply; it is best to ask your hotel to do the booking for you. Most of them do this and charge a nominal fee per ticket.
Hope it helps!
Priyanka
very well written and informative blog post!
Thank you Garima 🙂
Wonderful description of your outing. In giving out so detailed a description of all the aspects of your journey: the places you stayed at, the places where you ate and all the beautiful sights that you saw, you have helped us a lot. May you travel more and share with the world. More power to you
Glad it helped Amit! Thats a very sweet comment 🙂
Wow! The post is very informative and exactly what i was looking for, since I am planning a visit in the 3rd week of August. Would like to know your opinion on an August visit. Is the weather ok during that time?
Hi Saranya,
I am glad the post helped :)Some of the prices may be outdated though because we visited couple of years back.
Regarding August, I know a few friends who have travelled to Havelock and Port Blair in Aug. The main issue in August is some of the private ferries are still closed and you may have to take the govt.ferry which is not very comfortable choice. It is still monsoon so you may encounter some rain. However, most of the time the rain is not continuous and stops after a while.
Enjoy your trip:)
Priyanka
Hi Priyanka,
Is it worth traveling in June 1st week with family. How is the weather in june … any help will be appreciated.
June is monsoon season in Andaman. Monsoons are getting unpredictable with every passing year and I won’t take a risk going there in peak monsoon. Usually Port Blair should be okay, but ferry services to other islands may stop during heavy rain. Kerela may be a better option in Monsoon.
Hi Varun
Try the services of Discover Andaman Holidays, a local tour operator based in Port Blair.
You may contact Ms.Prithi on 7063955900. Hope that helps. All the best.
Hi Priyanka, Like you i got a deal on tickets and i am planning to go for my honeymoon on Andaman’s, I am really confused about the agencies and scared about doing it by my own.Its my first trip with my fiance(now). I have booked tickets on august 17-21, 5 day 4 nights.
Can you please suggest a plan including the hotels, water activities, 2 wheeler contacts? I don’t have big pockets so i am not planning to make it luxurious on hotels, mostly i would like to enjoy the feel of Andaman.
Hi Varun,
Aug is still monsoon season in Andaman and the weather can be very unpredictable. The prices are less because its low season. However, SCUBA diving and some water sports are closed during Aug. Also, private ferries to Havelock and Neil are closed so you will have to rely on govt.ferry. If you want to go for tour operators, I can’t help you much because we do all the planning ourselves.
I would suggest you go for Dolphin Resort or Silver Sand in Havelock and Peerless Sarovar Portico in Port Blair. Peerless has sea view and water sports happen on that beach so it would be convenient for you as a honeymoon couple (don’t forget to mail them in advance to check for honeymoon freebies/ discounts).I have listed contacts of auto, 2-wheeler, hotels etc in the blog post; that should help you.
Feel free to reply if you need any specific detail. And do involve your fiance in the planning.
Happy planning 🙂
Priyanka
Hi Priyanka
Thanks a lot for such a detail description.It will be great if you kindly give me some details like:-
1.I f i am planning thorugh any travel agency and they are asking for 19500 per head for 7 days including scuba diving,snorkelling etc, so will that be worthy ??
2.If i am planning in Mid of december for 1 week,so at that time does the cost increase?
Hi Debojyoti,
1. If you let me know the inclusions in the package (airfare/ferry tickets/hotel/meals/ activities etc), I will be in a better position to suggest if its worth it.
2. Private hotels increase the cost during peak season (Dec is considered peak). However, Dolphin resort’s tariff is fixed. Also, activities like island hopping/ snorkelling etc may be slightly expensive. However, if you know the correct prices and can bargain, that should not be much of an issue.
Hope it helps.
Regards,
Priyanka
Thanks priyanka!.
hi debojyoti patra
can u give travel agency name which is good .I am planning for trip in June
Hi Gokulraj,
We did not use the services of any travel agency. As you can read, we planned it all ourselves. Will be glad to help if you need any help in planning.
Regards,
Priyanka
Thanks a lot Prinyanka.Your detailing is great and I am waiting for such details .I wished you would have visited North Bay Island and Jolly Buoy Island .Beacause in other blogs ,there was very little info on those.
Appreciate your help
Hi Priyanka,
I have one query like what are the means of transport from Port blair to Havelock and Niel Island vice versa and which will be the convenient mode in terms of Cost and Quality
Hi Vishal,
The only way to go from Port Blair to Havelock or Neil island is by ferry. There are 4 ferries available – Coastal Cruise, MV Makruzz, MV Green Ocean and Govt ferry. Depending on your budget and time preferences, you can book any of these. Govt ferry would be the least recommended- one because it is very basic and inconvenient and 2nd because it cannot be booked online. Please go through the timings on this link – https://coveringmiles.com/andaman-holiday-havelock-port-blair/#andaman-havelock-ferry-schedules. I have also written about our experience with MV Makruzz and Govt ferry in the blog. You can check them out and decide which suits you best.
Hope it helps!
Priyanka
Thanks a lot for your help Priyanka !!!!!!!
thanks for writing this! very much useful
Glad it helped Sagar 🙂
Hi Priyanka,
I have booked Dolphin resort with Cottage room and made payment as well, do i need to send any emails to anyone for confirmation ?
Hi Gary..
I stayed at Dolphin resort this month. You should receive your booking voucher by mail from Andaman tourism department. You need to present this voucher at the time of check in at resort reception.
Hi Gary,
You must have received a confirmation mail from tourist information Center confirming receipt of the DD. You will need to carry a print of that. 14% tax needs to be paid at the resort. Also carry cash because no one in Havelock accepts cards. There is one ATM but with recent cash crunch you can’t be sure if it would have enough cash.
Enjoy your trip!
No need to read any more blogs, complete details in a single blog..thanks…
Glad it helped Manish 🙂
very rare and very informative. much help .. Thanks priyanka!
Well explained . I have already booked my tickets to Andaman for December . This blog has helped me in planning. Very detailed.
Thanks ! Your blog is very detailed and helpful. I have done a fair bit of research for our forthcoming Andamans & Havelock holiday and your inputs are indeed valuable.
I am very impressed by your blog. Thanks for adding up the details with pictures. Frankly speaking, i took a diary and a pen to write down things you mentioned. Very qualitative description. Thankyou.
Glad you liked it and hope it helps you in planning your trip 🙂
Thanks a lot. I am planning a trip. I am sure these tips are handy and valuable. Nicely written. Good photos
Very helpful and informative for those planning an Andaman trip..!! Thanks for sharing.
Nice Explanation on each and everything, I used the tip given for bookings and it worked.
Thanks a lot for sharing.It was very well written.
superb!!!!
Firstly thank you for providing us each and every detail bit about the trip as even i was planning to go Andamans on Jan 26(my bday)..
Great !!!! Nicely Written. I am Also planning to go ANdaman On 25Dec’2015.
Brilliant. We’ve been planning for an Andaman trip with our 3 yr old kid and this is exactly what we’re looking for. Very detailed and full of useful information.
Much appreciated. Many thanks!
Amazingly detailed and very informative too. Thanks for sharing…