The Andaman Islands has some of the best tropical beaches in the
world. Its deep sea coral reefs are full of colour and beauty. Andaman
has pretty green beaches lined with coconut palms and offers serenity
with pleasure. Various sports facilities like snorkeling, boat rides
and deep sea diving are available for the tourist.
Among the best sites to visit are Corbyn's Cove near Port Blair,
Snake Island and Chiriya Tapu a tiny fishing village with beautiful
beaches and mangroves. Other tourist sites to travel to are Cinque
Island that is rich in corals with unspoilt beaches where one
can go for snorkeling. Havelock Island
on the other hand offers white
sand
beaches, turquoise waters and good snorkeling where one can see
stunning coral reefs with colorful marine life including dolphins,
turtles and many fishes.
One can also take day excursion trips from Wandur head for the exotic
islands of Grub, Red Skin and Jolly Buoy through mangrove creeks.
One can observe the marine life and amazing corals, hire glass bottom
boats and snorkeling equipment or laze around on these unspoilt
beaches. A fragile nature of the ecosystem here has prompted the
government to declare this area as a Marine National Park encompassing
15 major islands and several islets.
The
Andaman Islands offer some excellent diving sites at Cinque Island,
North Passage Island, Wandoor, Rutland Island and Snake Island.
The greatest range of options is on Havelock Island where sites
include Mac Point, Aquarium, Barracuda city, Turtle Bay, Seduction
Point, Pilot Reef and Minerva Lodge. Snorkeling is popular with
tourists and is therefore snorkeling gear is available at most hotels.
To
travel to Andaman and Nicobar Islands and its beaches one needs
a special permit from Government of India. These permits allow day
trips to Jolly Buoy, South Cinque, Red Skin, Ross and some other
islands. There are daily flights from Chennai to Port Blair. One
can also travel by sea from and to Port Blair and Chennai or Kolkatta.
Accommodation
and travel on the Andamans is no problem with availability of good
hotels and transport systems ranging from bicycles, motorcycles
and scooters and also ferries.