Page 628 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - India

626  SOUTH INDIA

7 Ritchie’s
Archipelago
The group of islands lies between 20
km (12 miles) & 40 km (25 miles) E of
South Andaman. g from Port Blair &
Rangat Bay (Middle Andaman), Long
Island: 6:15am Mon, Wed & Sat from
Port Blair, 7:15am Tue, Thu, Sun return
to Port Blair. Travel permits: required
for the Andamans (see pp734–5).
This cluster of tiny islands is for the
most part protected as a national
A boat gliding across the glass-like surface of a lagoon, Andamans park to preserve its remarkable
biodiversity. Only three islands
5 Chidiya Tapu some of the best snorkelling and are open to visitors, and they are
scuba diving in the Andamans. connected to Port Blair by ferry
South Andaman Island. 25 km (16
miles) S of Port Blair. @ g from Port The sandy shores are also among daily; note that ferries to Long
Blair. Taxis available from Port Blair. the last refuges of the hawksbill Island do not operate on
and green sea turtles, which nest Thursdays and Sundays.
The fishing village of Chidiya Tapu here annually in their hundreds. Neil Island, 42 km (26 miles)
(“Bird Island”), at the southern- northeast, is the closest to the
most tip of South Andaman Environs capital and is inhabited by settlers
Island, is an hour’s drive from Tiny groups of from Bengal. The
Port Blair. Its white beaches, islands known as interior is lush with
skirting a large bay, make it a the Sisters and the paddy fields and
popular day trip with visitors. Brothers, lying 12 km plantations; the
Forest trails through the (7 miles) and island is the region’s
surrounding tropical under growth 32 km (20 miles) main producer of
are a bird-watcher’s delight, as south of Cinque fresh fruit and
they teem with a vast variety of respectively, can be vegetables. The
species, including rare sunbirds, visited only with a beaches offer
kingfishers, woodpeckers and professional diving superb snorkelling
eagles. Its beaches, especially group. Large tracts A hermit crab digging opportunities.
the picturesque Munde Pahar of the remote a temporary home Havelock Island,
Beach, are excellent for southern island 69 km (43 miles)
snorkelling, and there are good of Little Andaman, 120 km northeast of Port Blair, is the
camping facilities as well. The (75 miles) and eight hours most popular among visitors. MV
forest department is setting up by ferry from Port Blair, are Makruzz (www.makruzz.com) runs
a biological park, to house the a reserve for the 119 surviving a daily catamaran to the island,
animals from Port Blair’s zoo members of the Onge tribe. It is which is well equipped, with
(see p622). not advisable to try and make guesthouses and a well-stocked
contact with them. Part of bazaar. Coastal cruise (www.
northern Little Andaman is coastalcruise.in) also offers boats.
6 Cinque Island open to visitors. Try out the tented accommodation
on Radhanagar Beach, at the
Cinque Island. 39 km (24 miles) S of
Port Blair. g motor boats from Port Little Andaman western tip of the island, where
Blair & Wandoor, ferries from Chiriya g check website for schedule. dolphins, dugongs and turtles
Tapu. Travel permits: required for the ∑ www.and.nic can be spotted from the long
Andamans (see pp734–5). Only day
visits are allowed.
The volcanic Cinque Island is
perhaps the most beautiful of
the entire Andamans group,
as it has had little human
interference over the years
and is mostly uninhabited.
Comprising two islands, North
and South Cinque, connected
by a sand bar, it was declared
a sanctuary in 1987. The
surrounding reefs of rare
coral and varied marine life offer A colourful sea fan and a grouper fish
For hotels and restaurants in this region see p703 and p718

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