Andaman Family Packages

Andaman Family Tour Packages — India's Tropical Island Paradise

Holiday Vibez curates Andaman family packages across the archipelago's three tourist zones — the South Andaman circuit (Port Blair, Cellular Jail, Ross Island, Corbyn's Cove, Jolly Buoy), the Ritchie's Archipelago (Havelock/Swaraj Dweep and Neil/Shaheed Dweep), and the outer islands (Baratang, Long Island, North Andaman/Diglipur, Cinque Island). Andaman and Nicobar Islands (8,249 sq km, 836 islands of which only 31 are inhabited, population 380,000) is India's only tropical island chain with coral reefs, and one of the few places in the world where the Indo-Pacific coral ecosystem is still substantially intact — the 2004 tsunami that devastated coastal communities actually regenerated large sections of the Andaman coral by removing sedimentation and allowing new coral growth over the rubble. Cellular Jail (Port Blair, 1906, 3km from Port Blair jetty) is one of India's most important National Memorials — it was built by the British colonial administration to confine Indian independence activists and freedom fighters in solitary confinement cells (each 4.5m × 2.7m with a single high window) far from the mainland. The jail held 696 cells in a seven-armed radial design (two wings were demolished post-independence). Notable inmates include Vinayak Damodar Savarkar (imprisoned 1910–1921), Barindra Kumar Ghosh (brother of Sri Aurobindo), and 200+ political prisoners. The Light and Sound Show (7pm Hindi, 8:45pm English, ₹100/person) is one of the most affecting war-memorial experiences in India — the narration moves through the cells and reads out the names of the prisoners while the cells are illuminated one by one. Every family visiting Andaman should attend. Radhanagar Beach (Beach No. 7, Havelock Island/Swaraj Dweep, northwest coast, 12km from Havelock Jetty) was ranked the Best Beach in Asia by Time Magazine in 2004 — the only Indian beach to appear in that ranking. It now holds a Blue Flag certification (the international eco-label for beaches meeting strict standards of water quality, safety and environmental management). Radhanagar is 2km of white sand enclosed by dense tropical forest on both sides, with gentle waves (safe for children), no rocks in the water, no fishing boats, and a sunset view unobstructed by any development. The government bus from Havelock Jetty (₹30, 45 minutes) stops 200m from the beach. Elephant Beach (northwest coast of Havelock, 40-minute walk through tropical forest, or ₹400 speedboat) is the best snorkelling spot in the Andaman Islands accessible without a dive boat — the reef starts 10m from the shore, in 0.5–3m of water, with visibility of 10–15m on a good day. Children 5+ can snorkel here with a life jacket and guide. The coral is predominantly staghorn and brain coral, with schools of parrotfish, triggerfish, and occasional sea turtles. Neil Island / Shaheed Dweep (the "vegetable garden of Andaman" for its paddy and coconut cultivation) has three beaches in 45 minutes walking distance from each other — Bharatpur (clear water, water sports), Sitapur (sunrise beach), and Laxmanpur (Natural Bridge / Howrah Bridge — a natural limestone arch in the sea, best seen at low tide). Baratang Island (Middle Andaman, 150km from Port Blair, accessible only via the Andaman Trunk Road through Jarawa tribal reserve by government convoy at 6am) has the only mud volcanoes in India accessible to tourists (10 small mud volcanoes in a jungle clearing, 1km walk from the jetty — they bubble and pop slowly) and the most dramatic limestone cave system in the islands (accessible by speed boat 10 minutes up a mangrove creek, then 1km forest walk to the cave entrance; inside: 30-foot stalactite formations, white limestone floors, bat colonies). Ross & Smith Islands (North Andaman, Diglipur, connected by a natural white-sand sandbar that appears at low tide creating a twin-island formation) is one of the most visually dramatic natural formations in the archipelago — the sandbar is 200m long and 10m wide at low tide, with clear water on both sides. Jolly Buoy Island (Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park, 30km from Port Blair, accessible October–May only, seasonal coral protection closure June–September) is the best-condition coral island accessible from Port Blair — glass-bottom boats show the reef, and snorkelling directly off the beach with masks and fins accesses brain coral, sea fans, and clownfish within 5m of shore. Water visibility 15–25m. Entry: ₹500/person Indian nationals.

Getting there: Fly to Port Blair (IXZ): Kolkata 2 hrs (from ₹4,000), Chennai 2 hrs (from ₹4,500), Delhi 3.5 hrs (from ₹5,500). By ship: MV Akbar/Nicobar from Kolkata, Chennai, Vishakhapatnam (3–4 days, ₹3,000–5,000 bunk class, scenic but slow). Ferry notes: Port Blair → Havelock: Makruzz/Green Ocean private ferries ₹1,200 (2.5 hrs, book ahead online). Port Blair → Neil Island: 1.5 hrs. Best seasons: October–May — clear sea, good visibility for snorkelling and diving, all islands open. June–September — monsoon, rough seas, most ferries reduced/suspended, Jolly Buoy and Cinque Island closed for coral protection. November–January: best water clarity; December–January has slight swell. Permit note: No Inner Line Permit required for Port Blair, Havelock, Neil, Baratang, or North Andaman. Restricted Area Permit required for some outer Nicobar islands (not tourist destinations).