Emerald Isles Trip Report - South Andamans (Part 1)

In my mind the picture of Andamans has been that of a touristy beach destination whose indigenous tribes would rather be left to themselves. Yes, the turquoise blue waters, silver strands of hidden beaches, verdant forests have always looked inviting but I stayed away from exploring the emerald isles all these years as I thought it had little to offer other than typical stays at touristy beach places and water sports. But of course, I was wrong!

With several Outdoers loyals enquiring about trips to Andamans, I decided it was time to research and explore the possibility of curating walking holidays in the islands. Also, Pankaj Sekhsaria's book, 'The Last Wave' had a lasting impression on me. To somebody who didn't have much idea of the region, it gave a pretty good insight into the topology of the place, the environmental issues, the struggle of the indigenous tribes, the continuous exploitation of the place by the powers that be - all these packaged into a highly-readable novel. Obviously, Pankaj was my first port of call while researching the places to visit and people to meet in the islands.

Since there's so much to share, I am splitting this trip report into several parts. In this one (the first part), I'll cover my sojourn in South Andaman - i.e. basically Port Blair and nearby places.

Port Blair is pretty well connected to the mainland now-a-days. There are daily direct flights from all major metros. If you are lucky and the weather is clear, you will get splendid views of the archipelago as you approach Port Blair - emerald blue waters dotted with several islands - some tiny and some large - all completely forested, barring silvery strips of beaches. The weather was humid as is expected in equatorial climes. Since this was in January, it wasn't terribly hot.

If you only have one day for sight-seeing the places to visit, in my opinion, are most definitely Zonal Anthropological museum and Cellular Jail.

Zonal Anthropological Museum

The museum gives a good insight of the culture of the native tribes. Sadly no photography is allowed inside the museum, so all I have to share is the interesting mosaic motif on the facade.

Some of the tribes have chosen not to join the mainstream and still continue to live as people of the forest. Some of the tribes such as Jarawas and Great Andamanese are negrito (these people are black-skinned and have negroid features) and the others such as Shompen and Nicobarese are mongoloid (they are lighter-skinned and have mongoloid features). Somehow the indigenous tribes and the mainstream can't seem to co-exist. Of course, the museum does not highlight the gory details of the friction between the tribals and the administration and their struggles.

Cellular Jail

Cellular jail should definitely feature on your must-see list. The light and sound show is excellent (albeit the volume is a bit too high at times) and gives you sordid details of the atrocities committed by the English on political prisoners who were imprisoned here during the pre-independence era. Plan to visit the jail towards evening so that you can get a tour of the place before the sound and light show.

Other Places of Interest in Port Blair

Chatham Saw Mill - if you are a conservationist, you may want to stay clear of this place - why would you want to visit what used to be one of the largest saw mills in Asia?! In any case, it's just passable - there's a little museum showcasing the history and economy of the Andamans and a Japanese bunker from the second world war times.

Corbyn's Cove - the most famous beach in Port Blair. Unless you have no plans to visit other parts of Andamans, there is no good reason to visit this passable beach in the city.

Samudrika Museum - this is a little, well-maintained museum run by the Indian Navy. It showcases the culture of the native tribes and the islands' ecosystem.

Rajiv Gandhi Water Sports Complex - if water sports such as jet skiing and parasailing interest you, this is the place to visit.

Ross Island - a small island which can be reached via ferry from the water sports complex. This was the administrative capital of the English. I believe there are well-preserved Victorian heritage structures that are worth visiting the island for. Unfortunately I couldn't visit Ross as the ferry was cancelled due to heavy winds on the day I was planning to visit.

Chidiyatapu

If you have another day in Port Blair, I would highly recommend an excursion to Chidiyatapu, about 30 km to the south of Port Blair. If the endemic flora and fauna of the Andamans interest you, the biological park at Chidiyatapu is the place for you - especially if you have no plans to venture beyond the usual tourist circuit of Port Blair, Havelock and Neil islands. The conservation area has a good number of specimens of the gentle giants of the forests of Andamans - the towering padauks, thetpoks, gurjans, chuglams, dhoops etc. are a sight to behold.

The park also has enclosures for indigenous species such as salt water crocodiles and crab eating macaques. One can also spot wild pigs and spotted deer. The park is an excellent place for birdwatching too. The aviary, butterfly house and insectarium are still a work in progress.

Hike to Munda Pahad Lighthouse -

About 3 km away from the biological park is Munda Pahad beach. The beach is famous for amazing sunsets. However it's not a great beach for swimming because of the rocky bed. The 2 km hike from the beach to the lighthouse passes through an undisturbed forest with lovely tall evergreen trees.

Occasionaly, you can enjoy lovely views of the sea through a filigree of tree trunks.

The stunning view point beyond the lighthouse is on a cliff jutting into the sea and is surrounded by water on all three sides. The views are sublime on a clear day.

If you have more than two days in Port Blair, I would suggest doing an excursion to Wandoor, about 30 km southwest of Port Blair. Wandoor has a pretty good, long silvery beach but it is advisable to stay away from the waters lest you become lunch or dinner of the salt water crocodiles there!

From Wandoor one can do half-day snorkelling trips to Jolly Buoy or Red Skin. Both places are part of Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park

This brings me to the end of this post. I intend to cover the rest of the trip in 3 more posts - one for Neil and Havelock islands, one for middle Andaman and another for North Andaman. Stay tuned!

For offbeat trips and responsible travel, check out Outdoers India.