Andaman Islands, one of the most beautiful islands of India, can be reached either by sea or air. By air, one can reach the place in a few hours from Chennai and Kolkata.
The best time to visit Andaman is between September and May but personally, I feel the second or third week of May is the ideal time as this is when the monsoon sets in.
We took a flight to Port Blair from Chennai. The pleasing, inviting and extremely soothing breeze at the Veer Saavarkar Airport, Port Blair, takes one to a different world altogether.
Andaman is a haven for shoppers as one can get a number of items here like shell key chains, shell earrings, bracelets, chains, pen stands, divine idols and even the purest forms of red corals and pearls.
There are a lot of places to visit in the Andaman so one needs to plan his or her trip accordingly. A few important tourist attractions here are — Baratang Forest, where one can see the tribal life of the native inhabitants of Andaman; Havelock Island, Ross Island, Mount Harriet — the highest peak in Andaman; Karbonn Beach, Chidiyatapu Beach (which has the best sunset), Cellular Jail, Rajiv Gandhi Water Sports Complex and Samudrika Naval Marine Museum.
The historic Cellular Jail, which is situated in the heart of the island, is one of the most popular tourist places here and has 693 cells. We then headed to Rajiv Gandhi Water Sports Complex, which is situated right below the Cellular Jail and offers jet skiing, sofa ride, scuba diving, banana ride and speed boat ride.
Our next destination was Ross Island. Beautiful, wonderful, serene, calm and clean, the small island attached to Andaman is a treat to the eyes. Deer, peacocks, rabbits and ducks roam around freely without any fear here. Natural cave formations are another attraction of the place. The printing press, church and lodges of the Britishers can still be seen here.
We then went to Mount Harriet, which is located at a height of about 365 metres above sea level. From here, you get the best view of the Andaman Island. The place is covered with dense and semi-evergreen forests and is outstandingly beautiful.
The next place we went to was Chidiyatapu Beach, which is known for its sunset and is a 30 km drive from the heart of Andaman.
The seating, which consists of natural wooden logs, is also very unique. One has to keep an entire day reserved for Samudrika Naval Marine Museum.
Housing 20 types of rare species of fish like parrot fish, lion fish, star fish, stone fish, bat fish, the place also has an excellent collection of original sea extracted shells and coral reefs, ranging from the smallest possible size to the biggest. So, chalk out a plan and head to the Andaman Islands to discover heaven on earth.
