Cities
Port Blair - the laid-back capital of the Andamans and the sole entry/exit point. Spend a day or two here walking around and enjoying fresh seafood and seeing a couple of the nearby sites.
Diglipur - take a road trip to the far north of the island chain, a base for visits to nearby Smith and Ross Islands.
Rangat
Mayabunder
Other destinations
Havelock Island, the most visited of the islands, with the most (although still minimal) infrastructure. Beautiful beaches, great snorkeling and scuba diving.
Rutland Island, is pristine, non-polluted and least visited island. Beautiful Mangrove forest and coral reefs welcomes you to the 274 sq.km island. There is also a 45 acre Totani Resort which has quaint little huts which can be used as a base camp for exploring the island. It is the ideal place for eco-tourists.
Totani Resort
Neil Island, quieter than Havelock with nice beaches and decent snorkeling.
Wandoor, a relaxed destination in it's own right, but known more as the gateway to the Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park.There is a newly setup luxury resort called Sea Princess Beach Resort. Easily reached, and near the Wandoor jetty is Anugama Resort, the newest property there.
Baratang Island, Mud volcano, Limestone caves, and Mangrove creeks in back waters.
Barren Island, an island with the only volcano in all of India.
Long Island, great if you're looking for Robinson Crusoe style camping. Nothing exists here, so you must bring all of your own gear and food.
Little Andaman, once popular for surfing, it was devastated in the 2004 tsunami. Ask around in Port Blair to find out the current situation.
Climate
Mid-January until mid-May sees the best weather, and often the best diving conditions. The days are mostly sunny at this time of year, and the sea sometimes flat enough to reflect the clouds. The monsoon usually hits around late May, lasting until the end of July, and is probably the worst time to visit the islands – strong winds, frequent rain and low visibility underwater. August through November some occasional showers and slightly rougher seas are possible but diving can still be great at this time of year. The weather often takes a turn for the worse for the month of December through early January.
Weather in summer: Normally the summer season of Andaman and Nicobar Islands is continued from end of January to mid of mid-June. Average temperature in summer varies from 22°C to 31°C and some destructive storms hit this territory during this season.
Weather in monsoon: Normally the monsoon season of Andaman and Nicobar Islands is continued for a long term. It starts from mid-May and continues to November. Rain and cloud is very common to this state and it receives more or less rainfalls not only in monsoon but also in all seasons of the UT. The average annual rainfall of the UT is approximately 280 cm.
How To Reach
Airports
There is only one airport in the islands that is Vir Savarkar Airport in Port Blair. And it has scheduled services to Kolkata and Chennai. This airport is under control of Indian Air Force, that is the resone night flights are not allowed.
Rail
-The calcutta is connected on Eastern Railways with various other cities by the trains, which are Howrah-Amritsar Mail; Delhi-Kalka Mail; Mumbai Mail via Allahabad; Rajdhani Express via Gaya /Patna; Poorva (New Delhi) Express via Patna & Gaya-Varanasi.
-And the South Eastern Railways connected with other cities in India by Madras Mail, Mumbai Mail via Nagpur; Gitanjali (Mumbai) Express; Coromandel (Chennai) Express via Cuttack; Tata Steel Express; Ranchi Hatia Express; Puri Express via Cuttack . From Sealdah , Teesta-Torsa Express; Darjeeling Mail; Kanchenjunga (New Jalpaiguri) Express, Jammu Tawi Express.
Transport
-Andaman & Nicobar Islands transports in the islands are well facilitated. A stretch of 240 kilometers between Port Blair and Maya Bunder is covered by bus transport. In between Port Blair and Maya Bunder two islands lie and the buses and passengers are travelled by boats.
Major Languages: Basically the people of Andaman & Nicobar Islands mainly belongs to several linguistic groups like Bengalese (32.65%), Hindi (25.92%), Tamil (17.82%), Telugu (18.93%) and some other languages include Malayalam, English and Nicobarese with less percentage.
Major Religions: The majority of the people in Andaman and Nicobar Islands mainly follow Hinduism. But some other community groups also inhabit infrequently in this territory like Christian, Muslim, Sikh and some native tribes.
Major Festivals: The people of Andaman and Nicobar Islands traditionally practice a rich culture with several attractive religious and cultural festivals. Some festivals are so enjoyable that thousands of traveler journey here to enjoy those festivals.
Cellular Jail - National Memorial
Cellular Jail, located at Port Blair, stood mute witness to the tortures meted out to the freedom fighters, who were incarcerated in this Jail. The Jail was completed in the year 1906 and was made up of individual cells. Hence it acquired the name, “Cellular”. It originally was a seven pronged but was subsequently damaged and presently three out of the seven prongs are intact.
On 3rd May, 1969, the Government of India declared it as a “National Memorial”. Today, it is a place of pilgrimage for all freedom loving people. There is a special cell in which Veer Savarkar was kept prisoned separately. Also there is a Museum, an Art gallery, and a Photo gallery which are open for all.
Light and Sound Show
The saga of the heroic freedom struggle is brought alive in a moving Sound & light show. The show is conducted every evening in the premises of cellular jail which gives us a brief idea about the happenings in the jail prior to the independence.
Fisheries Museum (Aquarium)
Aquarium exhibits species of marine life peculiar to the islands and found in the Indo-Pacific Ocean and the Bay of Bengal. It’s having 350 species of marine life, including live corals, sharks, polyps and starfish.
Anthropological Museum
The museum displays tribal essential and artifacts such as boats, weapons, baskets, clothing, photographs, models and records of exploratory expedition undertaken over the years.
Chatham Saw Mill
The Chatham saw mill, one of the oldest and largest wood mill in Asia. Built on a tiny island, is connected to Port Blair by bridge. It is a store – base of timbers like Padauk, Gurjan, Marble, Satinwood etc. Now logging in the mill is banned and most of wood is imported from Malaysia, Myanmar and Thailand.
Naval Marine Museum (Samudrika)
The Samudrika is run by the Indian navy. The museum gives a good retrospect of the history, shells, Corals marine life, geography and archaeology of these islands.
Gandhi Park
This beautiful park at Port Blair has facilities like amusement rides, safe water sports and nature trail around the lake, garden, restaurant and historic remains like Japanese Temple as well as a bunker. The erstwhile Dilthaman tank, the then only source of drinking water to Port Blair has been developed as Gandhi Park.
Marina Park
Just adjacent to the water sports complex is the new amusement park offering rides for children and adults alike: giant wheels, paratrooper and dragon coaster. There is also a miniature botanical garden and a statue of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose here.
Science Centre
A small centre, situated at Goodwill Estate, provides a thrill and excitement for viewers interested in knowing about the islands, science, etc. It explains the science of oceans. The centre has many corners like Quiz Corner, Fun Science Gallery, etc.
Mini Zoo
Mini Zoo Situated at Haddo (Delanipur - Chatham road), it houses some of the rare species of endemic birds and animals found in these islands.
Corbyn’s Cove Beach
One of the most picturesque, coconut palm fringed beach, is 7 kms away from Port Blair town. Facilities like hotel, restaurant and bar, changing room etc., are available near to the beach. Historical remain like Japanese bunkers can be seen on the way to the beach.
Chidiya Tapu
Chidiyatapu is the southern most tip of South Andaman. As its name this is favorite destination for bird watchers. Its lush green mangroves, forest cover with numerous chirping birds and the Sylvan Sands make it an ideal picnic site. A very beautiful beach named Munda Pahad near by is very famous amongst the local people. There is a forest guest house situated on the top of a hillock providing a fabulous view of isolated islands, breath taking sunset also called the Sunset Point.
Mount Harriet
The summer headquarters of the chief commissioner during the British Raj, this is the Second highest point in Andaman islands, is an ideal place for a photography or a trekking up to Kalapathar, Mount Harriet has a Forest Guest House with lovely huts at a height of 365 mts from the sea level.
Ross Island
Ross Island, the erstwhile capital of Port Blair during the British regime, is a tiny island standing as guard to Port Blair harbour. The island presently houses the ruins of old buildings like Ballroom, Chief Commissioner’s House, Government House, Church, Hospital, Bakery, Press, Swimming Pool, Cemetery and Troop Barracks, all in dilapidated condition.
Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park
It provides a unique view of open sea, beautiful corals, Tropical rain-fed forests, attractive flora and fauna, creeks, marine animals for the eco-friendly tourists. It constitutes 15 small and large islands among which two islands i.e. JOLLY BUOY & RED SKIN is opened for tourists.
Andaman Water Sports Complex
This unique complex offers all possible aqua-sport facilities like weter scooter, Water-skiing, Sail boats, Windsurfing, Speed Boats etc., and safe water sports like Paddle Boats, Row Boats etc. There is a sea water swimming pool and a change room. There is also a Memorial for the Battle of Aberdeen fought between Britishers and Andamanee aboriginals in 1859. Nearby is anAmusement Park with Rollercoaster, Pleasure rides etc. and a children Traffic Park is adjacent to it.
No comments:
Post a Comment