Five nights across the three islands travellers ask for most — Port Blair for history, Havelock for the beaches, Neil for the quiet.
The Andamans sit closer to Myanmar than to the Indian mainland, and the three islands in this trip each do something different. Port Blair carries the history — the Cellular Jail above the harbour is the reason most people come away with more than a tan. Havelock has the sand everyone has seen photographs of, Radhanagar in particular. Neil is smaller, slower and mostly cycled rather than driven.
The ferries between them are the part that goes wrong on a self-planned trip, so they are booked and held for you, along with transfers, hotels and the sightseeing on each island. You cross out to Havelock on day two, drop down to Neil on day four, and come back to Port Blair the day before you fly, which keeps the last morning free of connections.
The essentials
Trip information
Package code
EH06AN001
Pickup
Veer Savarkar International Airport, Port Blair
Drop
Veer Savarkar International Airport, Port Blair
Night count
05 Nights, 06 Days
Travellers
6 pax
Vehicle
Toyota Innova (AC)
At a glance
Itinerary highlights
Day 1Arrive in Port Blair, then evening sightseeing
Day 2Ferry across to Havelock Island
Day 3A full day on Havelock
Day 4Cross to Neil Island
Day 5Return to Port Blair
Day 6Check out and fly home
Your route, day by day
Day-by-day itinerary
Port Blair
The capital of the Andamans and the gateway to the islands — colonial history, museums and an easy first evening.
Day 1
Arrive in Port Blair, then evening sightseeing
You are met at the airport and taken to the hotel to drop bags. The afternoon goes to the Cellular Jail, and you stay on for the light and sound show that runs in the courtyard after dark — it is the best introduction to why these islands matter beyond the beaches.
Starts from Veer Savarkar International Airport, ends at TSG Grand, covering around 37 km in an estimated 6h 15m.
Sightseeing
Corbyn's Cove BeachOpen 6 AM – 7 PMAllow 120 min
The closest beach to the city, lined with coconut palms and calm enough for an easy swim.
Relax on the sand
Walk the palm-lined shore
Photos with the sea and hills behind you
Cellular Jail National MemorialOpen 9 AM – 12:30 PM, 1:30 PM – 4:45 PMAllow 120 min
The colonial-era prison built to hold Indian political prisoners in isolation, and now a national memorial. Three of the original seven wings survive, along with the central watchtower and the gallows.
Walk the surviving cell blocks
Climb the central tower
Stay for the light and sound show
Havelock Island
Officially Swaraj Dweep — the largest of the inhabited islands out here, and the one with the beaches people come for.
Day 2
Ferry across to Havelock Island
An early transfer to the jetty for the ferry out to Havelock. You check in, then head to Radhanagar in the late afternoon, which is when the light is best and the crowd has thinned.
Starts from TSG Grand, ends at Arina Island Resort, covering around 70 km by sea in an estimated 2h 30m.
Sightseeing
Radhanagar BeachOpen 5 AM – 6 PMAllow 150 min
A long crescent of white sand backed by forest on the west of the island, and the beach the Andamans are known for. Swimming is straightforward here, and the sunset is the reason to time your visit late.
Swim off the main stretch
Walk the length of the bay
Stay for sunset
Kalapathar BeachOpen all dayAllow 60 min
A narrow beach on the east coast named for the black rocks along the shoreline, with the road running right alongside it.
Photograph the black rock and turquoise water
Early-morning visit for the light
Day 3
A full day on Havelock
Nothing is scheduled today. Most people take the boat across to Elephant Beach in the morning for the snorkelling, which is the best easily reached reef on the island, and spend the afternoon back on the sand. Scuba diving can be arranged locally if you want it.
Based at Arina Island Resort, covering around 25 km.
Sightseeing
Elephant BeachOpen 9 AM – 4 PMAllow 240 min
Reached by a short boat ride from Havelock jetty, with a shallow reef close in to the shore. The easiest place in the Andamans to see live coral without diving.
Snorkel the shallow reef
Glass-bottom boat ride
Sea walking, if arranged locally
Scuba diving (optional)Open 7 AM – 3 PMAllow 180 min
Havelock is the main dive base in the islands, with schools running introductory dives that need no prior certification.
Try a supervised first dive
Certified reef dives for the qualified
Neil Island
Officially Shaheed Dweep — smaller and flatter than Havelock, with farmland between the beaches and bicycles instead of cars.
Day 4
Cross to Neil Island
A short ferry south to Neil after breakfast. The island is small enough to see in an afternoon — Bharatpur for the water, Laxmanpur for the sunset, and the natural rock bridge in between if the tide is out.
Starts from Arina Island Resort, ends at Reef Valley Resort, covering around 40 km by sea in an estimated 1h 30m.
Sightseeing
Bharatpur BeachOpen all dayAllow 90 min
Right beside the Neil jetty, with shallow clear water and the island's glass-bottom boats working just offshore.
Glass-bottom boat over the coral
Swim in the shallows
Natural BridgeLow tide onlyAllow 60 min
A coral and rock arch on the shoreline near Laxmanpur, reachable on foot across the reef flat — but only when the tide is out, so the timing is set by the sea rather than by you.
Walk out across the reef flat
Look for anemones and small fish in the pools
Laxmanpur BeachOpen all dayAllow 90 min
A wide, shallow west-facing beach that runs a long way out at low tide, and the island's sunset spot.
Sunset over the water
Long walk on the sand flats
Port Blair
Back on the main island, with the harbour sights that were skipped on the first day.
Day 5
Return to Port Blair
The ferry back to Port Blair, then across the harbour to Ross Island — the old administrative headquarters, now half reclaimed by roots and full of deer. Coming back a day early means you are not depending on a ferry on the morning of your flight.
Starts from Reef Valley Resort, ends at TSG Grand, covering around 38 km by sea in an estimated 1h 30m.
Sightseeing
Ross Island (Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Island)Open 8:30 AM – 4 PMAllow 150 min
A short boat ride across the harbour to the ruins of the British administrative centre, abandoned after an earthquake and the Japanese occupation. Church, bakery and ballroom now stand half-swallowed by banyan roots.
Walk the ruins
See the resident deer and peacocks
Light and sound show on the island
North Bay IslandOpen 9 AM – 4 PMAllow 120 min
The coral island on the reverse of the twenty-rupee note, and the main spot near Port Blair for snorkelling and glass-bottom boats.
Glass-bottom boat over the reef
Snorkel off the beach
Sea walking, if arranged locally
Day 6
Check out and fly home
Breakfast, then check out and a transfer to Veer Savarkar for the flight back to the mainland. Flights out of Port Blair tend to leave in the morning, so this is usually an early start.
Starts from TSG Grand, ends at Veer Savarkar International Airport, covering around 4 km in an estimated 20m.
Easy Holiday
