How to reach Andaman Islands

There are many ways to reach Andaman Islands – by sea or air – and an array of options on cheap and expensive travel. Find out about all of them here

On of the best parts of travelling is the planning time. The whole plan, done in solo or with your co-travelers, can be very exciting. It builds up the anticipation of the fun times you are about to experience and helps you begin a countdown for your vacation. 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 getting customized packages and value added services and a freebie here and there that can make it a ‘perfect’ vacation.

Now that you are planning to visit Andaman Islands, here are the things you need to keep in mind.

Your landing point in Andaman will be the city of Port Blair. You can get there by either flight or sea.

Coming from other parts of India to Andaman

Flights for Andaman

Indian’s have no permit restrictions for Andaman. The quickest way to reach Andaman is by flight. There are direct flights to Andaman from Kolkata, Bangaluru and Chennai approximating at 2.5 hours of travel time. Connecting flights to these destinations are available from most other cities. Flights from Delhi fly via Chennai or Kolkata and take around 5 hours.

As per current schedules, there are several flights going from Chennai to Port Blair every day. Flights from Chennai are available from 5 am to 12 pm. If you land in between, you’ll have a few hours to spend at the Chennai airport so grab along a movie on your mobile or a good read on your kindle.

Reach Andaman by ship

Passenger ships to Port Blair ply from Chennai, Kolkata and Vishakapatnam. The sailing schedules are announced a month in advance so you’ll need to keep a look out for it. The Andaman government website is where you can look. Here is the link: http://www.andaman.gov.in/

Also keep in mind that this is a regular passenger ship and not a cruise liner so you won’t have entertainment options or super luxuries. There are around 3 or 4 sailings every month and the ship docs at Port Blair and the voyage takes about 50 – 60 hours.

Coming from out of India to Andaman

If you are a foreign tourist, you’ll need to get a permit from the immigration authorities when you land. Permits can also be obtained from: Indian Missions Overseas, Foreigner’s Registration Offices at Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Calcutta and the immigration authorities at the airports at Delhi, Mumbai, Calcutta and Chennai. Your initial permit lasts for 30 days while you can get it extended by another 15 days.

The regular permit 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). In addition, it covers day halts at 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 Andaman will allow you give a miss to connecting flights and lay overs and travel as per your own schedule.

You’ll need to connect with a local expert who can organize flying permit, permissions from various authorities, ramp services, ground handling services, customs, immigration clearances, hotel accommodations and transport. Read more about this here

Visiting Andaman as a part of your Cruise ship shore excursion

You can also come to Andaman via a cruise ship whose has a few days stop over at the Island. The cruise liner normally connects with an expert local agency that organizes cruise ship shore excursions in Andaman Islands.

Visiting Andaman during your yacht sailing trip

A sailing adventure really matches non in its thrills. Yacht ships sail to the Andamans from as close as Thailand to as far as you can think. These trips need to be well chalked out and require entry permissions, arrival formalities, departure formalities, docking, transfers to various tourist spots, hotel accommodation, supplying fuel and other allied services required for the yacht. If you plan to sail to Andaman, make sure you connect with an experienced Yacht agency like Andaman Holidays who can take care of all the formalities for you in a jiffy.

Quite a few options out there to reach Andamans. Some can be economical depending on the time you book. Others can save you time and help you have an enjoyable experience.

Wondering where to start?

Connect with an Andaman Holidays expert today who can not only customize your package but extend an array of customized services, special offers and discounts.