Andaman Islands

Beaches are the reason most people come. Swaraj Dweep, still widely called Havelock, is the place to stay: Radhanagar Beach is a long arc of fine white sand backed by tall forest, and it is sheltered enough for easy swimming on calm days. Elephant Beach and Kalapathar on the same island add shallow reef water and quieter shores. Smaller Shaheed Dweep, or Neil, has gentler, village-paced beaches such as Bharatpur and Laxmanpur, where the water is very shallow and coral shows at low tide.

The sea is warm all year, around 28°C, and clear from about November to April. The southwest monsoon from late May to September brings heavy rain and rough water, and many beaches are unsuitable for swimming then. Port Blair's own shore is mostly for strolling. Saltwater crocodiles live in some creeks and mangrove coasts, so swim only where the beach is signed as safe.

Eating here is simple and centred on the sea. Grilled fish, crab, lobster and prawns are fresh and good, often cooked in Bengali or South Indian styles brought by settlers from the mainland, with fish curries, rice thalis, dosas and masala chai the everyday staples. Port Blair has the most choice, from local eateries near Aberdeen Bazaar to hotel dining rooms. On Swaraj Dweep and Shaheed Dweep, food means beach shacks, village cafés and resort restaurants with similar menus. There is no real island cuisine of its own, little wine, and alcohol is only served in licensed places.

The heritage here is short but strong, and it belongs to the colonial penal settlement. The Cellular Jail in Port Blair, a radial prison where Indian freedom fighters were held, is a national memorial with a small museum and an evening sound-and-light show about its history. Ross Island, a short boat ride from Port Blair and renamed Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Dweep, holds the ruins of the old British administrative headquarters, with a church, bakery and officers' houses half swallowed by fig roots and roamed by deer.

After that, the list is modest: the Anthropological Museum on the islands' indigenous peoples, the Samudrika naval marine museum, and the Chatham Saw Mill, one of the oldest in Asia. Two days in Port Blair cover it.

There is essentially no nightlife. Evenings are a sunset at the beach, dinner, and perhaps a drink at a resort bar on Swaraj Dweep or a hotel bar in Port Blair, where alcohol is only sold in licensed places. Most of the islands are quiet soon after dark, and early starts for ferries and dives keep it that way.

The best of the islands lies underwater. Swaraj Dweep is the diving and snorkelling base, with coral gardens, reef sharks, turtles and big schools of fish at sites a short boat ride out, and calm, warm water for learning to dive. North Bay near Port Blair and the reefs of the Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park at Wandoor add more snorkelling, and sea kayaking through mangroves is popular on Swaraj Dweep.

On land, dense tropical forest covers most islands. Mount Harriet above Port Blair has forest trails and views over the straits, and Baratang, a long day north by road and boat, has mangrove creeks, limestone caves and small mud volcanoes. The best months are November to April; the monsoon makes boats and trails difficult.

Outings here are island hops rather than visits to other towns. From Port Blair, boats go to Viper Island with its ruined gallows and to North Bay for its lighthouse and reef. From Swaraj Dweep, Shaheed Dweep makes an easy day by ferry, though most people prefer to stay a night. There are no other towns of interest, and the indigenous reserves on many islands are off limits to visitors.

Families come for calm water and slow days. Shallow beaches on Shaheed Dweep and parts of Swaraj Dweep suit small children, and glass-bottom boats and easy snorkelling at North Bay and Elephant Beach show them the reef without diving. The islands feel safe and Indian families are a large share of visitors.

There is little else made for children: no aquarium, theme park or play areas worth planning around. Ferry crossings can be rough, the heat is constant, and healthcare outside Port Blair is basic, so families with very young children should plan carefully.

Almost every visitor flies into Port Blair. Passenger ships also sail there from Chennai, Kolkata and Visakhapatnam, but the voyage takes several days and few travellers choose it. From Port Blair, ferries link the main islands: the faster catamarans reach Swaraj Dweep or Shaheed Dweep in about one to two hours, while the slower government boats take nearer two and a half to three hours to Swaraj Dweep. Seats need booking well ahead in the busy months, and sailings can be cancelled when the sea is rough, so leave slack in any plan.

On the islands themselves, visitors get about by autorickshaw, hired car or scooter on narrow roads, and Shaheed Dweep is small and flat enough to cycle. Anything north of Port Blair, such as Baratang, means long, slow road journeys.

Shopping is minimal. Port Blair's Aberdeen Bazaar has everyday market stalls, and government handicraft emporia sell cane and bamboo work, wooden carvings and pearl jewellery. On the beach islands it is little more than souvenir stalls. Taking coral or shells out of the islands is prohibited, so skip them.

The islands cost far more than mainland India but are moderate by Western standards. Local meals, autorickshaws and simple beach huts are cheap, and government ferries are good value. The comfortable resorts on Swaraj Dweep, the fast catamarans, dive courses and the flight in add up quickly, and rooms on the beach islands are scarce and dear in the peak months around December and January.

There is next to nothing to attend. Port Blair holds an Island Tourism Festival each winter with cultural performances and some hotels host occasional music, but there are no theatres, concert halls or live-music venues to plan an evening around.

The islands rest you by their pace rather than their spas. Days on Shaheed Dweep in particular have a slow village rhythm, with little traffic and early nights. Resorts on Swaraj Dweep offer massages, Ayurvedic treatments and some yoga, but there is no bathing culture and few dedicated spas, so wellness here means quiet and hammocks rather than treatments.