Port Blair

Capital of the Andaman Islands and gateway to the archipelago, with the colonial history of the Cellular Jail, harbour islets and snorkelling beaches, plus day trips to the Baratang limestone caves.

Port Blair (officially renamed Sri Vijaya Puram in 2024) is the capital of India's Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Located on the east coast of South Andaman Island, it is the islands' only air gateway for visitors and the ferry hub for resort islands such as Havelock (Swaraj Dweep) and Neil Island. The main draw is its colonial and independence-movement history: the Cellular Jail ("Kala Pani") and its evening sound-and-light show, and the ruins on Ross Island and Viper Island in the harbour. The Samudrika Naval Marine Museum, the Anthropological Museum and Chatham Saw Mill can be covered in half a day. For islands and beaches, take a boat to North Bay Island for snorkelling and sea walking, head from Wandoor to Jolly Buoy or Red Skin Island in Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park, watch the sunset at Chidiya Tapu, or climb Mount Harriet for views over the bay. The classic day trip is to Baratang Island, about 100 km north: join the early-morning convoy through the Jarawa tribal reserve, take a speedboat through the mangroves to the limestone caves, then see the mud volcano. The climate is tropical maritime; Nov–Apr is the dry season and the best time to visit, while the southwest monsoon brings heavy rain in May–Oct and boat services are often suspended. Allow 2–3 days in Port Blair before moving on to Havelock and Neil Island. Getting there: direct flights connect Chennai, Kolkata, Delhi, Bengaluru and other cities; inter-island ferries (government and private fast boats) should be booked in advance. Foreign visitors register at the airport on arrival (RAP permit rules have changed several times, so check the latest policy before you travel). Within the Jarawa reserve, stopping, taking photos and contact with tribal people are strictly prohibited.

Top sights

• Cellular Jail – The 'Black Water' prison where British colonial authorities held Indian independence activists. It is now a national memorial.
• Ross Island (Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Dweep) – The former administrative centre of British Andaman, where the church and official residence ruins are wrapped in banyan roots and deer and…
• North Bay Island – A coral island off Port Blair, good for snorkelling, underwater walks and semi-submersible boat coral viewing. Its white lighthouse once ap…
• Corbyn's Cove Beach – The nearest palm-fringed beach to Port Blair town, good for passing time before a boat or unwinding in the evening, with jet ski rides on o…
• Chidiya Tapu – The 'Bird Island' at the southern tip of South Andaman, ringed by mangroves and forest, and the finest sunset spot near Port Blair.
• Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park (Jolly Buoy Island) – A marine park reached from Wandoor, where the corals and water clarity around Jolly Buoy Island rank among the best in the Andamans.
• Baratang Limestone Caves – A natural limestone cave reached by speedboat through mangrove waterways and then a forest walk. It is the classic day trip from Port Blair.
• Baratang Mud Volcano – One of India's few active mud volcanoes, where underground gas keeps pushing up bubbling mud. It is often visited alongside the Baratang ca…
• Mount Harriet National Park (Mount Manipur) – The third-highest peak in South Andaman. Its summit overlooks the bay and North Bay Island, and the forest offers birdwatching, butterflies…
• Samudrika Naval Marine Museum – A marine museum run by the Indian Navy, showing the islands' geology, corals and shells, indigenous tribes and marine life.
• Zonal Anthropological Museum – An anthropology museum covering the lives, tools and culture of the islands' indigenous peoples, including the Jarawa, Onge and Sentinelese.
• Chatham Saw Mill – One of Asia's oldest and largest sawmills, built in 1883. Visitors can watch logs being processed and tour a forest museum.
• Viper Island – The former prison for exiled convicts and gallows site from before the Cellular Jail was built. It can be reached by harbour cruise boat.
• Wandoor Beach – A quiet beach about 25 km southwest of town, and the jetty for boats to Jolly Buoy and Red Skin islands.
• Rajiv Gandhi Water Sports Complex & Marina Park – A seaside water sports centre in town offering motorboats and banana boats, next to a waterfront park good for evening strolls.

Where to eat

• New Lighthouse Restaurant – An established seafood spot beside Marina Park, where you pick fish, crab and prawns from the display and have them coo…
• Amaya Rooftop Restaurant – A sea-view restaurant on the top floor of the Seashell Hotel, overlooking the Andaman Sea and North Bay Lighthouse; kno…
• Icy Spicy Vegetarian Restaurant – A pure-vegetarian restaurant in the basement at Junglighat, with good reviews for its North Indian food, Indian snacks…

Itineraries

• Andaman Three Islands & Baratang Caves – Connect Port Blair, Havelock, and Neil islands, plus a trip to the Baratang caves, balancing history and beaches.