There are many ways to reach the Andamans – by sea or air – and a number of choices of cheap and expensive travel. Find out about all of them here.
On of the best parts of traveling is planning time. The whole plan, performed solo or with your fellow travelers, can be very exciting. It builds anticipation of the fun times you are about to experience and helps you start a countdown for your holiday. The one thing that sweetens the experience is if you land a great travel deal – one that helps save time and money. The cherry on the cake is customized packages and value-added services and a helping here and there that can make it a ‘perfect’ holiday.
Now that you are planning to visit Andaman Islands, here are the things you should keep in mind.
Your landing point in Andaman is the city of Port Blair. You can get there by air and sea.
Coming from other parts of India to Andaman
Fly to Andaman
Indian’s have no permits restrictions on Andaman. The fastest way to reach Andaman is in flight. There are direct flights to Andaman from Kolkata, Bangaluru and Chennai approximation of 2.5 hours travel time. Connecting flights to these destinations are available from most other cities. Flights from Delhi fly from Chennai or Kolkata and take about 5 hours.
As per the current schedules, there are several flights going from Chennai to Port Blair every day. Flights from Chennai are available 05:00 to 12:00. If you land in between, you have a few hours to spend in Chennai airport, so grab along a film on your mobile phone or a good read on your Kindle.
Well Andaman by ship
Passenger ships to Port Blair ply from Chennai, Kolkata and Vishakapatnam. The schedules are announced a month in advance, so you will need to keep an eye on it. The Andaman government website is where you can see. Here is the link: http://www.andaman.gov.in/latest-updates
Also remember that this is a regular passenger and not a cruise ship, so you will not have entertainment or super luxury. There are about 3 or 4 departures every month and ship docs at Port Blair and the journey takes about 50-60 hours.
Coming from out of India to Andaman
If you are a foreign tourist, you must get a permit from the immigration authorities when you land. Permissions can also be obtained from Indian Missions Overseas, Foreigner’s Registration offices at Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Calcutta and immigration authorities at airports in Delhi, Mumbai, Calcutta and Chennai. Your first residence permit lasts for 30 days, while you can get it extended for another 15 days.
The regular license covers South Andaman Island, Middle Andaman Island and Little Andaman Island (except tribal reserve), Neil Island, Havelock Island, Long Island, Diglipur, Baratang, North Passage and islands in the Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park (excluding islands – Boat Hobday , Twin, Tarmugli, Malay and Pluto). Besides covering day stop in South Cinque Island, Ross Island, Narcondum Island, Interview Island, Brother Island, Sister Island and Barren Island.
Flying in a private plane to Andaman
For those with a penchant for the better things in life, a private flight to the Andaman allow you to give a miss to connecting and lay overs and travel as per your own schedule.
You must connect with a local expert who can organize flying permits, permits from various authorities pitches, ground handling services, customs, immigration clearances, hotel accommodations and transportation. Read more about this here
Visiting Andaman as part of your Cruise ship shore excursion
You can also get to the Andaman via a cruise ship if have a few days stopover on the island. The cruise ship usually associate with an expert local agency that organizes the cruise ship shore excursions in Andaman Islands.
Visiting Andaman during your yacht sailing trip
A sailing adventure really does not match in his excitement. Yacht sailing to the Andamans from as close as Thailand for as far as you can think. These trips should be well stacked and require admission, arrival formalities, departure formalities, docking, transfers to various tourist spots, hotel stays, supplying fuel and other allied services required for the yacht. If you are planning to sail to Andaman, be sure to connect with an experienced Yacht agency like Andaman Holidays, who can take care of all formalities for you in a jiffy.
Quite a few options out there to reach the Andamans. Some may be financially dependent on the time you book. Others may save you time and help you have an enjoyable experience.
Wondering where to start Andaman Tour ?
Connect with Andaman Holidays expert today who not only can customize your package, but extend a range of customized services, special offers and discounts.