Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India

Natural beauty of Andaman

Andaman and Nicobar Islands has some of the best beaches you’ll ever see in your life. The water is so crystal clear that at the shore it’s practically invisible, making everything underneath visible to the naked eye. You can easily spot tiny fishes, crabs, and sadly, even human waste in the water. The contrast between the natural beauty of sea creatures and how we humans are spoiling it is quite evident.

Journey

We kicked off our trip from Bengaluru and caught a flight to Port Blair (IXB). It’s the capital city of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and also happens to be the largest military base outside the mainland. The airport is shared with the Indian Air Force, just like in my hometown (IXC). Port Blair is now officially called Sri Vijaya Puram, and you can reach here either by water or air.

We stayed here for a night on our way to Swaraj Deep (Havelock) islands, and were totally amazed by the rich history of the city. People here can speak multiple languages but mainly converse in Hindi. Since it was a melting pot for all the freedom fighters, it has become a mini-India outside of India.

The next morning, we enjoyed a lovely breakfast at the rooftop of our guest house, and then headed to Swaraj Dweep island on a jetty that took about 1.5 hours from shore to shore. We chilled here for the next 3 days before taking the boat back to Sri Vijay Puram to catch our flight to Bengaluru.

Kal Paani (Kal - Time of death; Paani: Water)

Andaman also has a history dating back to the British Raj. India was under British rule for over 150 years, and they used these islands to build a fortified jail where all the revolutionary freedom fighters were sent from various states of India. They were packed off to this place because keeping them in regional jails wouldn’t reduce their influence on local freedom movements.

The British made sure that once a freedom fighter reached here, there was no way out of this island. Since travel to and from the island was under strict British control, even those who completed their sentences couldn’t leave the island.

Hence the name “Kala Pani” - Since these freedom fighters couldn’t return to their homes until their final journey, and as the jail is on an island, all they could see was water all around them till their death.

Jungle

We stayed at Swaraj Dweep in one of the finest resorts - The Barefoot. It has its own private beach which is part of Radha Nagar Beach. This beach is ranked 7th in the world for its natural beauty. I’ve been to many beaches around the world but what I’ve never seen before is a jungle right on the beach. Oh my goodness! It was both scary and fascinating. These trees have been standing tall for centuries.

It was a truly humbling experience for me, as I’ve always felt trees are a symbol of patience and strength - two essential qualities needed for long-term goals. Walking in the jungle among these ancient trees scared me a bit initially, but became quite relaxing once I got used to it. We’d walk through the jungle to reach the beach multiple times a day.

Dawn breaks around 5 AM in the morning here, which is a bit earlier compared to 6:10 AM in Bengaluru. Birds announce it to the entire jungle and all early birds head to the beach. I was a bit lazy and would reach there by 7 to greet the clear ocean.

Elephant beach

We took the scenic jungle route to reach Elephant Beach and hired a guide to help us through. Honestly speaking, had we not taken a guide along, we would have turned back after just 100 meters!

The ocean

Just imagine - wake up, walk 200m and boom - you’re in Paradise! My wife and I would spend hours sitting on the beach soaking up the sun, occasionally taking a dip in the water. Since I can’t swim, I mostly stayed close to the shore. The best part for me was to grab a mat, put my cap over my face and just doze off! Nothing beats waking up to the sound of waves crashing on the shore!

In the mornings, you’d find only a handful of people here and there. You can sit in total silence and just soak it all in!

Slow down!

Life slows down here. There is no Zomato, BlinkIt and Amazon. It takes 15 - 30 days to get an item online, so the way of life is not just a click away! People make their living by tourism. Even though it is listed as one of best places in Asia, it is yet to get the crowd(a blessing in disguise). Folks from different regions of Andaman come to Swaraj Dweep to make a living. It is rare for them to go to mainland India to earn money.

High speed internet and good cellular coverage came to the island in 2019 and before that people used to rely on their luck to get a connectivity to outside world.

Honest and Humble

The locals on the island are super friendly. I chatted with many of them while trekking, sitting at the bar, and during meals! All of them were humble, happy to talk, and gave me the best suggestions. I definitely want to visit this island again! I’m not in a hurry to cover everything in one go and look forward to meeting these wonderful people once more!

Close this place for tourist!

This place is nothing short of a paradise! One that nature has built over thousands of years. But the hospitality that tourists demand requires lots of resources like electricity, motor vehicles, and food (which isn’t produced on the island).

• Electricity: There’s no proper way to generate it here. Diesel is the main source of energy for most of the island. The pollution will totally destroy this place in the coming years!
• Food: This place cannot produce enough food to feed all the hotels and restaurants. Most food is imported from the mainland and is quite expensive for the locals.
• Litter: I feel ashamed as a tourist and fellow Indian to see how we’re destroying this place. We’re just careless people who can’t be bothered to dispose of our trash properly. We seem to think everything except our own home is a dustbin.