India’s best preserved secret....

We were here at this Beautiful place almost 4 years ago.... the city called "Port Blair" capital city of Andaman Islands.

This chain of Indian islands is located in the eastern Bay of Bengal – quite far from the Indian mainland and closer to the coasts of southern Burma and Western Thailand.

Located in the Bay of Bengal and measuring 700 kms from North to South is a sprinkling of 572 alluring Islands of which only 36 are inhabited. Part of the Indian Sub- Continent and known as the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

After years of isolation, the Government has in the past decade or so begun to allow environmentally conscious tourism in the Andamans. However the Nicobar Islands remain inaccessible and tourists (both Indians & Foreign nationals) are strictly not allowed to visit this group of Islands.

We arrived in Port Blair on a flight from Chennai. we were escorted to a beautiful & pleasant resort.  Having arrived towards the end of the tourist season and the beginning of the monsoon rains, we found a quiet tropical paradise.

The highlight of the trip was snorkeling in the warm waters and discovering the coral reefs and tropical fish which are abundant here. Not surprisingly, this is a popular destination for divers. These islands have a rich flora and fauna, and is also the home to six indigenous tribes.

  

Our guide Raj (Actually he is our chauffeur, Guide and care taker) took us to the most breathtaking locations of the Islands along with the most historic locations on the islands. Its been a great enjoyable and memorable experience visiting the Islands.

Many other places which I breifly remember that we visited are     The Cellular Jail,  Ross Island,   Sippighat,  Viper Island,  Chidiya Tapu,  Madhuban,  Chatham Island & Sawmill,   Mount Harriet, Havelock Island .... and many more... the week long trip was the most memorable of my life.

The administration is keen on protecting the islands’ biodiversity. Only some of the islands are open to visitors. Foreigners need a special permit which is valid only for certain islands and a maximum period of one month. The permit also clearly states that photographing tribal peoples is a criminal offense.

Being so far east from the Indian mainland but still observing Indian Standard Time, the days have their own rhythm: the sun goes down by 5pm and is up again at 4am the next morning. we also witnessed the onset of the monsoon rains with heavy showers happening mostly in the early mornings. We never thought to experience rain on a holiday and enjoy it, but after an exceptionally long and hot summer, the rain was more than welcome!