Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Corbyn's Cove Beach


Corbyn's Cove Beach, near Port Blair, is another attraction for the adventure-seeking kid in every one of us- with water sports facilities. Witnessing the sun-rise here is an eternal bliss! Another spot, the North Bay is so captivating with its coral beaches and pristine waters.

Friday, June 18, 2010

Cellular jail


Cellular jail is an echo of the patriotic days of the century long Indian freedom struggle. It took the Britishers 50 years (1850 – 1906) to build this star shaped, 696-celled cellular jail - with 7 wings – each with 3 storey. They used it to imprison those freedom fighters who revolted against the colonial rule. The jail, now a national monument, has an “independence museum” within its premises. And the ‘watch tower view” which enables a bird’s eye view of the Island is a must-see highlight of this towering monument.

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Port Blair – in & around


Taking a tour in & around Port Blair is like travelling inside a kaleidoscope by itself – be it the historic Cellular jail, Anthropological Museum, Samudrika (Naval Marine Museum), Chatham Saw Mill (Asia's oldest and biggest saw mill) and Fisheries Museum. Around Port Blair, Ross Island and Corbyn’s Cove Beach are a must.

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Best Season to Visit Andamans


The best season to visit the Andamans is September to June, while it is a different sort of enjoyment during the monsoons. A general instruction is to have lower expectations in terms of food & accommodation in certain parts here, as the infrastructure is under-developed.

Andaman is like a prolific writer – keeps to itself, delivers a lot seasonally, never-buckling, calm n cool, yet entertaining & enlightening to the core. All you have to do is to reach out!!

At Port Blair, the hot seat of the tourism industry in the Andamans, there are quite a few of tours & travel operators available to help an unfamiliar tourist. Local guides are aplenty, providing you info on whichever way you want to take on Andaman – calm or storm!

And yes, as a matter of fact, the Andamans did get drenched in the 2004 Tsunami – with the Nicobar islands hit worst . Yet, the indomitable spirit of the Andamans resurged into its normal self at the fastest.

Monday, June 14, 2010

How to reach..


The capital is well connected to mainland India. Kolkata in the East of India and Chennai in the south of India serve as primary gateways.

You can either fly or sail down to Port Blair from these cities, leaving your hurried life amidst these ever-bustling cities. For the ones who want to fly down to here, the options are aplenty: domestic airlines shuttle between Chennai or Kolkata & Port Blair. A normal flight from here takes 2 hrs & odd to fasten your seat belts and land into Port Blair.

But, if you are one of those exclusive few wanting to fly on a Private Jet into Port Blair, that too is possible. The best way is to touch down at Bangkok or Singapore and scurry into a Private Jet.

Sailing to Port Blair is facilitated through ships, from three of the major ports that dominate India’s east coastline – Chennai, Kolkata & Vishakapatnam. The normal sailing time is 60 hours. However, the ideal way is to fly down.

For the elitest of the elite, yachting into the Andamans is a cozy way to tour the islands. Of course, entry formalities like getting the Indian visa are to be considered & taken care of.

Saturday, June 12, 2010

About Andamans!


Andaman Islands are a group of 572 Islands, 36 inhabited. They are islands, islets and rocks located in the South East of India, in the Bay of Bengal. They lie along an arc like a long and narrow broken chain, approximately north-south over a distance of nearly 800 kms.

Port Blair is the capital of this union territory, with almost representative populace from each of the Indian states.