Andamans is a group of around 572 islands of which 34 of them are inhabited. You can easily reach Andamans in couple of hours by taking a flight from Kolkata or Chennai. The beaches here are quite kid-friendly and hence, you must never miss out on this trip. Given below are top things to do in Andaman when you are here with family:
Scuba Diving
Best Diving Time: December to April
Andamans is one of the best places to learn and enjoy scuba diving in India. Scuba Diving, one can enjoy turquoise waters, the rich sea life as well as fascinating corals. Here, the best places for scuba diving are Barefoot Scuba and Dive India (both PADI certified dive centers) in Havelock Island. Other famed scuba diving sites of Andaman Islands are: Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park, Cinque Island, Rutland Island (for training) , and Bala Reef. Whether you are an experienced scuba diver or just a starter, there are several options that are offered at the scuba diving centers along with the necessary gears.
Snorkelling
Best Time : December to April
Andamans is one of the best places in India for snorkeling. The colourful corals, huge variety of large and small marine life makes this a must do activity in the placid blue waters of Andaman. Even if you have never tried snorkeling before , nothing to worry the ”Discover Snorkeling’ programs at Havelock and expert trainers at Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park will make it a cake walk for you.
Sea Walking
Best Time : All year through except monsoons
This offers an exhilarating experience while in Andaman and is a must try once in a lifetime activity. One can enjoy the tropical fishes and walk on the seabed. Here, the activity of seabed walking is very simple as compared to scuba diving. No swimming skills are required for indulging in this activity. One can get some very good views of shell fish, star fish, sea anemones and orange clownfish swimming around.
Visit Cellular Jail Memorial
Best Time to Visit: All Year Through
Although this sounds very depressing and dark, you will never regret visiting it. Earlier, it was termed as ‘Kaala Paani’ and was used for political prisoners as a colonial prison. This is a very significant memorial for understanding the fight of India for independence. It is closed on Mondays and on rest of the days, the timings are from 8.45am to 12.30pm. one just has to pay around Rs.10 for getting in. For using cameras, a fees of just 25 has to be paid.
Trekking at Saddle Peak
Best Time to Visit: November to April
It is situated on North Andaman Island and is considered to be the island’s highest peak. It has the Saddle Peak National Park around which is a major attraction. Take your hiking boots and go trekking the trail through this forest. You will get to view spectacular flora, perennial water streams as well as lost temples throughout this trail. After reaching the peak, one would definitely enjoy the breathtaking views of the island.
Enjoy beach of Radha Nagar
Best Time to Visit – November to April
This is the best beach in the world and is counted among the top 10 beach destinations of the country. You can take a ferry ride from Port Blair to reach Havelock island, where this perfect white sand beach lies. It is known for azure waters and pristine white beaches. Chosen as “Asia’s best beach” and “7th best beach in the world” by Time Magazine time spent at the Radha Nagar beach, can make you forget the world outside.
Chatham Saw Mill
This is renowned as being the largest and oldest sawmill of Asia. You can surely not miss out on the Chatham Island. This was set up in the year 1836 by the British. In this forest museum, you will find some masterpieces made out of Andaman wood and also several forest activities. There is a Sagarika Emporium here, which is perfect for shopping.
Trekking at Madhuban
Best Time – November to April
This is a very good trekking route in India. It is known for its exotic fauna and flora. A ferry can be taken from Port Blair to Chatham Harbour. This is an enchanting land and is covered in woodlands which houses various wild creatures and exotic plant species. One can start from Mount Harriet to Madhuban and trek through the jungle covering about 16 Kms. Exotic endemic birds, butterflies are interesting sights of this wilderness trek.
Water Sports
Best Time : November to April
If you are an adventurous and a gutsy person, you can get a good adrenaline rush here. There are many islands here offering variety of water sports. There is a huge complex in Port Blair which is especially for water sports and is named as Andaman Water Sports Complex. Here, you can enjoy wind surfing, water skiing, parasailing, rowing, speed boating, kayaking’, angling , glass bottom boating and much more. Apart from this complex, there are places like Neil Island , Havelock Island, Jolly Buoy Island etc. that offer several opportunities for scuba diving and snorkeling.
Enjoy Bird Watching at Chidiya Tapu
Best Time : October to May
Here, there are several species of birds. It lays 25kms from Port Blair and is a small village. If you like bird watching, this is surely not worth missing. Here, one can spend some hours in peace listing to chirping of birds like sea eagles, emerald doves and parakeets. This place is also one of the best points to see the sunset in Port Blair. Chidiya Tapu is a lovely beach and it takes ab0ut 45 minutes by a car to reach there from Port Blair.
Visit the Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park
Best Time : November to May
This is located 29kms away from Port Blair is a combination of 15 large and small islands as well as open sea creeks. The population of this place is just 3000. The main aim of creating the park was preserving the sea turtles and corals. Here, one can get to experience underwater marine life and spectacular corals through snorkeling and diving.
The Andaman and Nicobar Islands are an archipelago of islands that are famed for their palm-lined white-sand beaches, rain-forests and mangroves. Surrounded with stunning coral reefs that supports a plethora of colourful marine life this is one of the best destination in India for scuba diving and snorkeling. Andaman is one of the best beach holiday destination in India. There are many things to do in Andaman islands holiday specially if you love windsurfing, paragliding, sea walking or just camping by the ocean.
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