Beaches in Andaman Islands, India

Beaches in Andaman Islands, India

It doesn’t take a genius to decipher that the Andaman and Nicobar Islands are a beach lover’s paradise! Surrounded by turquoise water on all sides, the tropical islands are home to some of the best but secluded beaches in the world. Here are some of the popular ones;

Ramnagar Beach:

Ramnagar is a beautiful stretch of white sandy beaches dotted with palm and coconut trees. The place is located north of Diglipur and is connected by boat from Mayabunder and Port Blair. Boat services from Mayabunder operate daily and twice a week from Port Blair. This is a great dive site; you can sign up with one of the many water sport activity management companies that can arrange for scuba diving, snorkeling, sport fishing and other activities.

Radhanagar Beach:

Popularly known as Beach 7, this is one of Asia’s best beaches. This is one of the two popular attractions of Havelock islands (the other being Vijaynagar Beach). Sea water swimming is the favorite sport of tourists here. If you’re lucky enough, you can swim alongside beautiful tropical island fishes. Other activities commonly undertaken here include snorkeling, diving, etc And if none of these are to your satisfaction, grab a bottle of your sun tan and bask in the warmth of the sun.

Corbyn’s Cove:

Corbyn’s Cove is a wonderful beach surrounded by lush green palm and coconut trees. This is one of the closest beaches from Port Blair- just 4kms from the airport. In fact, this is one of the most popular as well; hotels, resorts, and water sport activity centres are located here. And on the way to the beach, do not forget to check the Japanese bunkers. As for scuba diving, the Snake Island located across the beach is ideal.

Karmatang Beach:

There’s not much to enjoy at Karmatang beach, but it is very popular as a nesting place for turtles. So, if you’d like to explore and learn more about your reptile friend, a visit to this place should be must in your itinerary. This place is also ideal for you if your idea of bliss is to relax by the beach on a hammock reading a book and enjoying the cool breeze that blows. There are several huts and benches that provide a perfect evening setting. Karmatang is a secluded beach which means it is ideal for a small beach party as well. As for families with children, there’s a small park close by. But besides this, there’s not much entertainment.

Laxmanpur Beach:

This beach is on Neil Island and is famous for its awesome sunset view. There are plenty of dead corals and sea shells lying on the beach. It is fairly large and even on a peak day, couples can manage to find their spot of privacy.

A word of caution though!!

Did you know that white pristine sand is made so because of the corals and shell particles on the beaches? The ocean waves act upon the shells and the corals break them into smaller particles resulting in beach sand. When you visit a beach, by all means play with these shells and corals, but return when you are done. The more shell and coral debris that you leave- the whiter is the sand! This way you help you re-mineralize the water.

Ross Island

ROSS ISLAND
Ross Island from distance Ross Island is another beautiful Island near Port Blair. If you stand at the Marine Park, PB, you can see the island. It is a lovely place to spend few hours and learn about the historical importance. Some ruins on the Island Ross Island is located very near to Port Blair City.

The small island with its treasure of ruins in it become the hot tourists spot in the territory. While visiting to this island, we desire to know more and more about Ross Island. Before the independence, the island is the seat of British power and capital of these Andaman Islands from 1858 until 1941 and also the base for the British Administrator of the penal colony in Port Blair In 1941, the Japanese converted the site into POW camp, and built war installations, remnants of which can still be seen. It now stands as a ruin of the bygone days with the old structure almost in debris and the few signs of its colonial glory, such as the Chief Commissioner's house and the Anglican church, are dilapidated and overgrown. A small museum named 'Smritika' holds photographs and the other antiques of the Britishers relevant to these islands.

About Andaman And Nicobar Islands

About Andaman

The Andaman and Nicobar Islands were shrouded in mystery for centuries because of their inaccessibility. These are the paragon of beauty and present a landscape full with scenic and picturesque extravaganza. These islands shimmer like emeralds in the Bay of Bengal. The dense forest which cover these islands and the innumerable exotic flowers and birds create a highly poetic and romantic atmosphere. "Here the white beaches on the edge of a meandering coastline have palm trees that sway to the rhythm of the Sea. The beat of tribal drums haunt the stillness and technicolor fish steer their way through crystal clear water." The scenic beauty of Andaman & Nicobar Islands, would create a sense of dissatisfaction and the human mind would rebel against "the whole mass of the motley facts of life".

The Andaman & Nicobar are a group of picturesque Islands, big and small, inhabited and uninhabited, a total of 572 islands, islets and rocks lying in the South Eastern Part of the Bay of Bengal.They lie along an arc in long and narrow broken chain, approximately North-South over a distance nearly 800 kms. It is logical to presume a former land connection form Cape Negris at South part of Burma to Achin Head (Cape Pedro) in Andalas (Sumatra). The flora and fauna of these islands, however, indicate that this land connection if it existed, should have been prior to the development of their present life form.

The HistoryA clear history of the Andaman & Nicobar Islands can be had only from a British Survey of these islands conducted in 1777. The Andaman & Nicobar Islands remained the abode of the Negritos and the Mongoloids respectively, who occupied the Islands for centuries. These islands remained secluded from the mainland till the end of the 18th Century when people from the outside world first arrived. In the Second Century, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands were located in the maps prepared by the great Greek astronomer, mathematician and geographer, Claudius Ptolemaeus, which possibly is the earliest reference to these islands. The early history of Nicobar is not well known although these islands were familiar to traders in ancient times, the islands being situated close to the trade route to the Far East. Though little is known about Portuguese activities in these islands, it is evident that the Portuguese missionaries started preaching Christianity among the islanders. The Nicobarese language also reflects a few Portuguese words.

The British RegimeThe history of the British in the Andaman and Nicobar islands began in 1788 when Lord Cornwallis, the then Governor General of India, thought of colonizing the islands and instructed Lt. Archibald Blair and Lt. R.H.Colebrook of the Royal Navy to Survey the islands and submit a report on their suitability for a British Colony. According to the recommendation of these two officers the first British settlement was founded in 1789 on Chatham Island , near Port Cornwallis (Now Port Blair). After the First War of Independence in 1857, the British Government thought of establishing a penal settlement here. In March 1858, the first penal settlement was established, with 200 prisoners, mostly rebels from the Indian Army. Initially the convicts were kept in a jail at Viper island, which is about 15 minutes boat ride from Port Blair. The island had a jail, gallows, Kutcheri, Doctor's residence, etc. Subsequently, this Jail was abandoned and the Cellular Jail at Port Blair was constructed. During the time of successive Superintendents, E.H.Man, General Steward, and Col. Cadell, the number of convicts increased and they were subjected to inhuman tortures at the hands of the British jailors. The foundation of the famous Cellular Jail was laid in 1896. The building was completed in 1906. Many changes, both in policy and practice, took place during Colonel Ferrar's time, which, inter alia, included concession to the convicts, mainland visit, etc.

The Japanese RegimeWorld War II brought another series of changes in the life of the Andamans. During the War, the Japanese occupied Andamans on March 21, 1942 and kept the region under their effective control till October 8,1945 . Initially the Japanese behaved cordially towards the locals, but became harsh and suspicious after instances came to their notice of some locals maintaining contacts with the British. As a result a large number of innocent people were killed. One such place where the massacre occured is Humfreygunj. But one good result of the Japanese occupation was making the Andamans self-sufficient, at least in food production. The naval blockade created an acute food crisis and the Japanese compelled the local people to bring more land under cultivation. They also constructed roads. Netaji Subash Chandra Bose arrived in Port Blair on December 29, 1943 and was given a ceremonial welcome. He hoisted the National Flag at Port Blair on 30th Dec. 1943 for the first time during the British regime in India . On October 8, 1945 , the Japanese surrendered to the South East Asia Command at Port Blair. The Government quickly restored normalcy in the area and started rehabilitation work.

Port Blair, the capital City of Andaman & Nicobar Islands Port Blair is the capital of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, a union territory of India. It lies on the east coast of South Andaman Island and is the main access to every part of Andaman & Nicobar Islands. Port Blair is a Headquarter of Andaman & Nicobar Andaman and Nicobar Administration.