For the maverick traveller

Beaches and More

With 86 per cent forest cover, protected tribal reserves and endemic flora and fauna, this archipelago of 572 islands is a priceless jewel of India. We decided to first explore the smaller of its two major islands of Great Andaman and Little Andaman.

Little Andaman is one of the more remote islands of the Andaman archipelago and perhaps, of the world. It’s the closest one can get to the exotic but cordoned off Nicobar Islands. Entry into Nicobar is restricted to the Nicoabarese people (tribes of Malay/ Mongoloid origin now integrated into mainstream Indian society. Most of them have now converted to Christianity. Some continue to practice indigenous animistic religion), government officials, licensed traders and research scholars with special permits. With its proximity to the Nicobar Islands, we did meet quite a few Nicobarese settled in Little Andaman. It is also home to the Onge tribe whose numbers have dwindled to a mere 100, approximately.

There are erratic helicopter charters to Little Andaman, but the most reliable way to get there is by sea. We got on to the almost antediluvian marine vessel, Dering, which was on its last voyage. Two hours into the journey, the vessel slowly crawled by the stunning Cinque Islands that inevitably features in any travel brochure of the Andamans. A huge sparkling sand bar connects the north and south islands. Both the islands have green cover and the beaches are fringed with what looked like palm trees from afar.

The captain of M V Dering informed us, “A few years back, you could hire boats to ferry you to the island where you could spend your day scuba diving. It has an excellent coral reef and rich marine life. You could even do an overnight stay if lucky. But they stopped issuing permits now because of the hostile Sentinelese tribe that occupies the nearby North Sentinelese Island and consider Cinque as part of their territory. It’s quite dangerous to go there now,” he ended prosaically.

The Sentinelese aggressively avoid contact with outsiders and are known to attack contact parties. With the ship lumbering along, it takes about an hour to pass the island. The mystique enveloping the islands makes even looking at it from a distance a thrilling experience.

We spent most of our time on deck by the captain’s cabin, spotting hundreds of flying fish at the ship’s bow in the ink black waters of the Andaman Sea. We even saw a dozen young dolphins frolicking a few feet away from the ship. A pleasant eight hours later, we reached Hut Bay in Little Andaman. Before the tsunami, the government had earmarked it for tourist development. But, as the Nicobar Islands and Little Andaman were the worst affected by tsunami, tourist traffic has been at an all time low, except the occasional maverick traveller wanting to experience its almost comatose pace of life. It is a pity really because the island is resplendent.

The town is on the east coast and is a kilometre away from the jetty. It is a remarkable little setting made up of a string of tiny shops, ramshackle houses and a few tired looking guesthouses. You have to head north on a single stretch of road to reach any and all of the island’s three attractions.

About 14 km away from the jetty is the Butler Bay Beach. It is long, sun-drenched and stunning. With barely a handful of tourists at any given time on the island, there is hardly a soul on the miles and miles of pristine beach that is backed by a lush green jungle.

Occasionally, we could spot fishermen lazily casting their nets into the water or an occasional cowherd go by into the winding paths of the forest. Three kilometres before Butler Bay is the Kala Pathar (black rock) or Netaji Nagar Pebble Beach. The giant black rocks with foliage rising from the sea make this beach just as spectacular as Butler Bay.

These rocks turn the beach into a small-protected enclave; it is possible to do coral walks about 50-100 metres into the sea at low tide. You can wade through ankle-deep water and gaze at sea life. The beaches are fantastic to laze around and sun bathe. What you can also do is explore the jungle, swim and go crocodile spotting in the swamps by the road, located on the other side of the beach.

Just a couple of kilometres away from town is the White Surf waterfall. When we got there, it was completely deserted, except for an aged caretaker. We had the rejuvenating crystal clear cold water pool just under the fall, all to ourselves. It is supposed to be the only waterfall in all of Andaman and although not breathtakingly beautiful, its location in the middle of tropical greenery makes it worth a visit.


Travel tips

* You can hire a motorbike or use the
island’s primary mode of public
transport — privately-owned jeeps.
* If you don’t wish to lodge at any of the guest houses, arm yourself with a hammock, mosquito net and insect repellent. If it’s not during the monsoons, you can camp out by stringing up your hammock in the jungle and the entire beach can be your oyster for days.
* All foreigners need a permit to visit the Andaman’s. The permit is issued on arrival in Port Blair, Andaman’s capital city. Permits are issued for 30 days and can be extended for another 15 days. Additionally, all tourists, both Indian and foreign, need permits to visit national parks/ some islands. These can be obtained from the Andaman and Nicobar tourism office on Kamraj Road in Port Blair. No special permit is needed to visit Little Andaman.