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Andaman Essential Information

Andaman Attractions

General Information

The Andamans and Nicobar Islands are this and much more. As much a visual delight as a naturalists wonder, the archipelago of 572 islands, islets and rocks, is brimming with options for adventure, relaxation, nature walks or cultural feasts. 
Situated in the Bay of Bengal, about 1000-km off the East Coast of India, they stretch across more than 700 km from North to South with 36 inhabited islands.

The archipelago is believed to have been part of a mountain range that extended from Burma to Indonesia. It still retains its original topography of hilly terrain with dense tropical forests. Supporting nearly 2000 species of plants (more than 200 endemic species) and more than 250 species of birds. The islands were shrouded in mystery for centuries before they were first colonised by the British in 1789. Being cut off from the rest of the world, the social and cultural development of its inhabitants was also in complete isolation and the entire population consisted of aborigines.

For those without chartered flights and private yachts, getting there is difficult in the best of times, flights are filled by government officials, the ship schedules are as erratic as the rain. Moreover, you can practically see very little of the 700 Km. island group as most of them are uninhabited and there is no way you can get there unless you have your own yacht. If you are an ordinary mortal, the unwieldy bureaucracy makes its presence felt at every step. You need a permit for virtually every thing that you do around here but the inviting lagoons and the long beaches more than compensates for all the trouble.

People of Andaman

The People

The aborigines can be classified into two main groups. The tribes of Andamans of Negrito origin and the tribes of Nicobar of Mongoloid stock. Great Andamanese, Onges, Jarawas, and Sentinalese reside in the Andamans while only two tribes the Nicobarese and Shompes live in Nicobar. Due to the interaction of some of these tribes with the mainlanders, and the ensuing diseases contracted, they are at a risk of being exterminated. To save these tribes, the government of India has set up protected areas where they can live their original life styles. A couple of tribal groups, especially the Sentinelese (in North Sentinel Island) are even now hostile towards outsiders! However their numbers do not exceed even a few hundreds and they live in protected areas where no one would ever volunteer taking you to.

Recent History

The Andaman and Nicobar Islands were colonised by the British in the 19th century, for use as a penal colony. Freedom fighters were transported to the dreaded `Kala Pani` to serve their sentence. Since then, a large number of people have made it their home.

Andaman Today

Today, most of the 300,000 people on the Andamans are mainlanders or their descendants and live in South Andaman. They have come from all across India, especially Tamil Nadu and West Bengal. Port Blair, the capital city of Andaman and Nicobar Islands in South Andaman has a truly cosmopolitan texture with people of all religions, castes and cultures, living in peaceful coexistence. And for this reason, the Andamans and Nicobar Islands are also called mini India.

The island has a lot to offer to an avid tourist. Out of the total area nearly 50% comprises Tribal Reserves, National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries. Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park exhibits a variety of corals, coloured fish, sea turtles and other sea animals. Site seeing tours, scuba diving, snorkelling, trekking, island camping and relaxing are some of the other activities one can indulge in.

Getting There

The Andaman and Nicobar group of Islands are in the Bay of Bengal and Port Blair, is almost equidistant from Chennai and Calcutta.

By Air
The only airstrip in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands is at Port Blair. There are regular flights for Port Blair from Calcutta and Chennai. The flight takes about 2 hours from either of these two cities.
Indian Airlines and a couple of private airlines fly on these routes a couple of times each week.

By Sea
Calcutta, Chennai, and Visakhapatnam are the entry points by sea. Ships set sail about 4 times every month from Chennai and Calcutta and once every month from Visakhapatnam. The journey takes 60 hours from Chennai, 66 hours from Calcutta, and 56 hours from Visakhapatnam.
Bookings begin one month in advance and the tickets are issued 3 days before sailing. The ships are organised and managed by the shipping corporation of India.