The Andamans are the closest thing India has to a proper tropical island escape, and you do not need a passport to get there. Because the islands are Indian territory, Indian citizens can simply fly in from Chennai, Kolkata, Bengaluru or Delhi with a regular ID - no visa, no foreign exchange, no roaming headaches. What you get in return is water so clear you can watch fish circle your ankles, and beaches that regularly beat the ones people fly abroad for.
Most first-time visitors follow a simple three-island circuit: land in Port Blair, ferry out to Havelock (officially Swaraj Dweep), hop across to Neil Island (Shaheed Dweep), and loop back. Six to seven days covers this comfortably. This guide walks through that route, how the ferries actually work, and when to go.
The classic circuit: Port Blair, Havelock, Neil
Port Blair is the entry point and the administrative hub, not the beach paradise - treat it as a one-night stop on each end of the trip. Use your first evening for the Cellular Jail and its light and sound show, then catch a morning ferry out.
Havelock (Swaraj Dweep) is where you will spend the bulk of your time - two to three nights is right. It has the best beaches, the dive schools, and the widest spread of stays from backpacker huts to premium resorts. Neil Island (Shaheed Dweep) is the slower sibling: smaller, quieter, cycle-around-it-in-an-afternoon sized. One or two nights there makes a lovely wind-down before you ferry back to Port Blair for your flight home.
- Day 1: Arrive Port Blair, Cellular Jail light and sound show in the evening
- Days 2-4: Ferry to Havelock - Radhanagar beach, scuba or snorkelling, Kalapathar beach
- Days 5-6: Ferry to Neil Island - Bharatpur and Laxmanpur beaches, natural rock bridge
- Day 7: Morning ferry to Port Blair, fly out (keep a buffer before your flight)
Radhanagar and the beaches worth planning around
Radhanagar beach on Havelock is the headline act - a long, wide sweep of white sand backed by forest, with a gentle slope into the sea that makes it lovely for swimming. Go for sunset; it faces west and the light show is genuinely special. There are changing rooms and food stalls near the entrance, but carry water and cash.
Beyond Radhanagar, Kalapathar beach on Havelock is a pretty sunrise stop, Elephant beach is the snorkelling hub (reachable by boat or a short jungle trek), and on Neil, Bharatpur beach has the calmest, clearest water for swimming while Laxmanpur is the sunset-and-rock-bridge beach.
Good to know: Beaches here have no artificial lighting and sunset is early - around 5 to 5:30 pm most of the year. Plan your beach time for mornings and late afternoons, and keep evenings for meals.
Scuba and snorkelling for complete beginners
You do not need to know swimming to do an introductory scuba dive in the Andamans - the popular 'Discover Scuba' style sessions pair you one-on-one with an instructor in shallow, calm water. Havelock has several established dive schools, and a beginner dive typically costs somewhere in the range of Rs 3,500 to Rs 6,500 depending on the site and whether photos or videos are included; check current rates when you book.
If diving feels like too much, snorkelling at Elephant beach or a glass-bottom boat ride gets you most of the coral-and-fish spectacle for far less money and zero training. If you are keen on a proper certification, budget three to four extra days on Havelock for an open water course.
Good to know: Book scuba for early in your Havelock stay, not the last day - you should not fly (or take a long ferry in rough seas) within about 18-24 hours of diving, and an early slot leaves room to reschedule if weather cancels a session.
Ferries: private vs government, and why you must book early
Inter-island travel runs on ferries, and this is the part of an Andaman trip people most often get wrong. Private catamarans (operators like Makruzz, Nautika and Green Ocean have run these routes for years) are air-conditioned, faster - roughly 90 minutes to two hours Port Blair to Havelock - and bookable online in advance. Government ferries are much cheaper but slower, and seats are harder for tourists to secure since counter sales favour islanders and open close to the travel date.
For most travellers the private ferries are worth the premium. As of 2026, expect roughly Rs 1,000 to Rs 2,000 per person per sector depending on operator and class, but verify current fares before booking. In peak season (December-January) boats sell out days or even weeks ahead, so lock your ferry tickets the moment your flights are confirmed - your entire itinerary hangs on them.
- Book ferries immediately after flights - they are the scarcest resource in peak season
- Match ferry timings to flights with generous buffers; seas can delay sailings
- Carry ID for check-in; boarding closes early, so reach the jetty 45-60 minutes ahead
- Prone to seasickness? Take a tablet 30 minutes before sailing and sit mid-boat
Best time to visit: October to May
The Andaman season runs October to May. December to February is the sweet spot - dry days, calm seas, best underwater visibility - and also the most expensive and crowded window. October-November and March-April offer nearly as good conditions with thinner crowds and softer hotel prices. May gets hot and humid but is workable.
Avoid June to September: the southwest monsoon brings heavy rain and rough seas, ferries get cancelled at short notice, and water activities largely shut down. If a monsoon deal looks tempting, remember that the things you are going to the Andamans for are exactly the things the monsoon takes away.
Cellular Jail and a practical Port Blair evening
The Cellular Jail is not a filler sightseeing stop - it is one of the most sobering monuments in India, the colonial-era prison where freedom fighters served brutal sentences in solitary cells. Walk the wings and the gallows room in daylight if you can, then stay for the light and sound show, which narrates the jail's history after dark. Shows run in Hindi and English on a schedule that changes seasonally; buy tickets in advance online or early the same day, as evening shows fill up fast in season.
Around the jail, Port Blair's Marina Park and the Samudrika museum fill out a half day. Keep in mind the islands run on early rhythms - restaurants wind down by 9:30-10 pm, and ATMs and card machines can be unreliable, so carry more cash than you think you need before leaving Port Blair.
Good to know: Mobile data is patchy across the islands and often unusable on Havelock and Neil. Download offline maps, keep bookings saved as screenshots, and warn family that you may be slow to reply.
What it costs
Flights are usually the biggest line item - Port Blair fares from mainland metros swing widely by season, so book early for December-January travel. On the ground, as of 2026 a comfortable mid-range trip works out to roughly Rs 4,000 to Rs 8,000 per person per day covering hotel, ferries, scooter or cab hire, food and one or two activities; backpackers can do it leaner and premium resorts on Havelock can push it well past that. A realistic all-in budget for a 6-7 day trip for two, including flights, lands somewhere between Rs 70,000 and Rs 1.5 lakh depending on season and hotel class - treat these as planning ranges and price your specific dates before committing.
