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| Havelock Island beach |
The picture postcard Andaman Islands
are devilishly hard to find on the map. This is a good thing. Picture postcard islands are not meant to be found, and overrun. Sprinkled over a corner of the Indian Ocean, the islands are part of India
but geographically closer to Myanmar and Thailand. They are not easy to get to but then the fun is all in the journey, right? The arrival is pretty spectacular too - especially after you've pulled out most of your hair trying to confirm bookings on
Indian Airlines or Jet Airways from Kolkata or Chennai. A journey
by ship takes 48 hours from Chennai or 56 hours from Kolkata. That's
a lot of hair. Here's an official Andamans site that can make things a lot easier to figure out. Jet Airways flies in to Port Blair, the main city, from Kolkatta and Chennai, while Indian Airlines does the flight from Chennai. Economy fares will be anywhere from US$270 up from Chennai (the closest mainland city).
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Even though the islands
are far to the east of India, local time is still based on Indian
time, which means it gets dark at 5.30pm and daybreak is at 4.30am. Flights land at Port Blair.
Immigration formalities are conducted at a makeshift desk and chair
where foreigners get special permits to visit the islands. This
is accomplished with ease. Permits are valid for 30 days but tourists
are not allowed to visit any of the Nicobar group of islands. Foreigners wishing to travel to the Andaman Islands by sea will need to get a 30-day permit in advance from the Ministry Of Home Affairs in New Delhi or from the Foreigners Regional Registration Office located in Mumbai, Chennai, Delhi, Kolkatta (and at the immigration department at Delhi, Mumbai, Calcutta and Chennai airports.
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| Havelock beach sunrise |
The places covered by this permit for overnight stays are: South Andaman Island, Middle Andaman Island and Little Andaman Island (except the tribal reserve), Neil Island, Havelock Island, Long Island, Diglipur, Baratang, North Passage and islands in the Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park (excluding islands Boat Hobday, Twin, Tarmugli, Malay and Pluto). Overnight stay in the Park is with permission only. Day trips are allowed to the South Cinque Island, Ross Island, Narcondum Island, Interview Island, Brother Island, Sister Island and Barren Island.
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Permits can be obtained at the airport but it is preferable to obtain these
through overseas Indian embassies whilst applying for a visa. Permits
are also issued at the Ministry of Home Affairs in Delhi, or at
the Foreigners' Registration Office in Delhi, Mumbai, Calcutta or
Chennai.
In Bombay, registration is at Annex 2, police commissioner's office, D N Road, near Crawford
Market, tel: [91-22] 22610446, 2268222, open 10am 1pm Monday to
Friday. In Calcutta try the foreigners' section, deputy commissioner
of police (security control), 237, AJC Bose Road, tel: [91-33] 22473300.
In Madras, it's at 9 Village Road, Nungabakkam, tel: [91-44] 2478210.
Foreign visitors
can stay overnight in South Andaman, certain places in Little Andaman,
Middle Andaman, Neil Island, Havelock, and only in Diglipur on North
Andaman. Day trips are permitted to the islands of Viper,
Ross, Interview, Jolly Buoy, Red Skin, Cinque, Narcondum and Brother
and Sisters. It's all deserted islands with pristine white beaches,
diving, and an exploration of the unique culture, rituals and geography
of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
Our journey to Port Blair had taken us years to organise from
conception to execution. Delhi-based Mandip Singh Soin, explorer,
eco-warrior and zany adventurer hit upon the idea of climbing a
volcano in 1978. I was invited along. It was hard to refuse. I'm
his wife. A team of nine members from the UK, USA, Spain and India
was assembled as part of the International Eco Tourism and Volcano
Expedition sponsored by the Ministry of Tourism and the Andaman
administration and we set off.
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| Rainforest near Wandoor |
One of the prime
objectives was to climb a remarkable marine volcano on Barren
Island, three kilometres long, 351 metres high and a 135km
haul from Port Blair. After being obligingly quiet for almost two
centuries, it had woken up in 1994. As we now trudged up slowly
and carefully, in step with Paul Deegan, an accomplished climber
from Britain, the ash was deep underfoot and the air heavy with
sulphurous fumes. Nearing lip of the crater, the air bristled with
menace and beauty while the ground baked our feet. But we had arrived.
Visitors can get to Barren Island aboard their vessels but are not
allowed to disembark as the island has been declared off-limits.
The Andaman group
of islands lie between India and Myanmar - more than 372 of them
extending over 750km north to south and many of them unexplored
until today. There is more virgin beach here, all of it spectacular,
than anyone could possibly enjoy in a lifetime. Marco Polo visited
these Islands in the 13th century and in the 19th century the British
took control of the islands to use them as a penal colony. The Cellular
Jail, as one of the former holding camps was called, runs an occasional son
et lumiere.
A 20-minute boat
ride departs from Phoenix Bay, Port Blair, every
day except Wednesday (8.30am, 10.30am, 12.30pm and 2pm.) taking
travellers to Ross Island, the administrative centre
of the British, till an earthquake in 1941 destroyed the elegant
buildings and wide roads. Present day Ross Island showcases remnants
of what were an opera house, a library, and a bakery. Port Blair
has an interesting Anthropological Museum with fascinating displays
of photos of indigenous tribal people, their native dress, and tools.
Admission is free.
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| Port Blair houses |
During the 18th
and 19th centuries, missionaries from Europe arrived on the islands
to convert the locals. Things didn’t go well for either side:
the tribes were faced with diseases that they had no immunity against
and many were wiped out while missionaries had to abandon the islands
due to lack of water and mystery illnesses.
The Andaman Islands
are a land of immense natural beauty - forests lead down steep hillsides
to rocks, hard-packed beach, white sand, or, in sheltered areas,
small mangrove forests. Along the shores are fringing coral reefs
where the ocean depths show their wealth of sea life. This is diving
and snorkelling paradise.
If you plan to snorkel, it is a good idea to bring your own equipment
though it is available on hire as well. There are several dive centres.
Samara in the Hotel Sinclair's Bay View, charges US$60 for a few
dives around Port Blair; US$75 for other areas. You can take the
PADI course for US$200 and the PADI Open Water Course (five
days) for US$300.
Port Blair
Underwater (tel: 285389), in the Peerless Resort at Corbyn's
Cove, is PADI accredited. Andaman Adventure Sports (tel: 230295), near the Anthropological Museum in Port Blair, charges
less. The owner is an expert, but not PADI registered. The Andaman’s Water Sports Complex situated near the Cellular Jail, hires out rowboats, paddleboats, water scooters, glass-bottomed boats, kayaks, bumper boats, surfboards and other equipment. You can also hire equipment and boats from them and try your hand at some water-skiing as well. There’s a swimming pool, should you want to paddle about a bit. Within the Andamans, other areas which are suitable for water sports include Havelock Island, Corbyn’s Cove (for windsurfing and swimming) and Cinque Island, which is known for its stunning coral reefs – perfect for snorkelling. The Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park is also recommended for keen snorkellers. The Andaman Scuba Club in Port Blair conducts training courses in scuba diving and snorkelling.
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| The historic building housing the jail |
Andaman
and Nicobar Scuba Diving Society (tel: 232881), Bay Island
Hotel on Marine Hill in Port Blair, runs good courses. To dive in
the MG National Park, visitors must pay an extra US$20. Diving is world class. Because of the almost total absence of commercial
fishing and industrial pollution, sea life is extraordinary healthy.
You can swim in vast schools of snappers or jacks. Other species
are mantas; tunas, grey reef and silver-tip sharks as well as turtles,
dolphins and occasionally whale sharks.
Havelock
Island's beach number 7 (beaches are numbered rather than
named) or "Radhanagar Beach" is a long, curved sweep of
sugar-white sand, lapped by turquoise water and rimmed by forest.
Inland, it is like a piece of rural India, cast adrift in the sea.
Boats depart on the four-hour journey from Phoenix Bay Jetty in
Port Blair to Havelock on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. The government ferry leaves Port Blair for Havelock Island, at 1.30pm and arrives at Havelock Island at 3.45pm. The ferry leaves Havelock Island at 2pm and arrives in Port Blair at 6pm.
Andaman Islands resort and hotel choices
are fairly simple. Andaman Islands boasts nothing more than a few
good eco resorts like the Fortune Bay Island in Port Blair
or the Barefoot at Havelock, Silver Sand, and Wild Orchid at Havelock (ranging from US$40-$135
for an air-conditioned room depending on the season). The sea-facing
government-run Dolphin Resort is also an option
(tel: [91-1382] 282411). Most others are "just to sleep"
sort of hotels. An eco resort or basic guest house will be under
US$60.
There is nothing
that can be really termed "Andaman cuisine". The food,
like the people, is eclectic. The natives were originally tribals,
but Indian immigrants from the mainland now out-number the original
inhabitants.
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| No. 7 Beach at Havelock |
In North Andaman,
we travelled by ship to Diglipur. The impressive Saddle Peak at 725 metres, the highest peak in the Andaman
Islands, is worth the long day's hike. We crossed the sandy beach
at Kalipur for an hour-and-a-half and began our trek up the thick,
rich forest of tall trees for over four hours. A permit needs to
be obtained from the Forest Officer at Arial Bay and the only place
to stay is the well-located (but basic) government-run Turtle
Resort, at Kalipur.
Mayabunder, 160km by sea from Port Blair in Middle
Andaman was our next halt. There are several islands in the bay.
Part of the village, is home to a large number of Burmese Karens
who were originally brought here as cheap logging labour by the
British. It is a vibrant, now Christian, community.
Mayabunder can
be reached by the daily bus from Port Blair (nine hours). There
are several daily buses to Rangat and Karmateng. To get to North
Andaman Island, you take a ferry to Kalighat (two
hours, daily around 9am) or Arial Bay, from where you can catch
a bus to Diglipur. Private boats leave early in the morning
to Kalighat as well. The Government rest house, occupying a prime
spot above the jetty, is large and very comfortable, with a pleasant
garden and gazebo overlooking the sea, and a dining room serving
good set meals.
We returned to
Port Blair and left towards Cinque Island. Dr Laurent
Montels of Surmai Fishing Club (tel: 235446, fax: 246232.
e-mail: surmaifishing@hotmail.com)
takes professional fisherman to battle with line and bait (on a
catch and release basis) to haul in trevally jack, skipjack, giant
kingfish, garoupa, great barracuda, king mackerel, sailfish, marlin
and tuna.
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| Ruins on Viper Island |
Cinque, a great
place to snorkel, is uninhabited, and visitors are allowed to visit
only for day trips. Cinque actually comprises two islets, joined
by a spectacular sand isthmus, with shallow water either side that
covers it completely at high tide. The main incentive to come here
is the superlative diving and snorkelling around the reefs. Although
there are no ferries to Cinque, it is possible to arrange dinghies
from Chiriya Tapu village on the mainland. The two dive centres
in Port Blair also regularly come here with clients.
Car Nicobar,
270km from Port Blair was the highlight of our trip. These are ancient
lands and peoples. Immigrants from Malaysia, Indonesia, Burma, greater
India and China, later settled here, integrating with the indigenous
people of the island. Many voyagers once referred to Nicobar Islands
as the 'Land of the Naked', or Nakkavar. In 1957, the Government
of India declared Nicobar Islands an Aboriginal Tribal Reserve Area.
Even Indians require a special tribal pass to land here.
Should anyone be lucky to
get a permit, Car Nicobar is a 16-hour journey from Port Blair by
sea and ship schedules and reservations need to be made in advance
at the Shipping Office at Port Blair. One has to rely on government
guesthouses at Car Nicobar and reservations should be made well
in advance.
The 11th island
on our expedition route, was the magical sounding, Little
Andaman or Eyubelong as it is called by its inhabitants,
the Onges - a tribe, who, seem closely akin to the Jarawa tribe. The island also has the tribes of Nicobarese migrants. Little
Andaman offers a perfect mix of white sandy beaches bewitching waterfalls,
creeks, mangroves, rainforest, elephant safaris and surfing. Four
of the world's seven species of sea turtles nest on the island's
beaches.
It is a fragile
eco-system and visitors must bear this in mind. The Jarawa and Sentinelese have been on the Andamans so long, it is easy to think of them as
part of the ecosystem, equally in need of careful conservation.
Leave your footprints in the sands but tread carefully.
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