Places to Visit Near Port Blair, Andaman (2026 Guide with Timings, Fees and Day Trips)

Port Blair's official name is Sri Vijaya Puram since 2024. Boarding passes may show the new name, airport boards show either, drivers and hotels still say Port Blair, so we're using Port Blair here.

Most people keep just one night here, between landing and the Havelock ferry. Ok if you're short on days, but there's two days of stuff to do in and around town. Two mistakes we see all the time: landing up at Cellular Jail on a Monday, and reaching North Bay after lunch when water activities are already shut. This is what we tell clients when we plan their Andaman trip.

In Port Blair city

1. Cellular Jail National Memorial

Most people start here. It's on the slope above Atlanta Point, few minutes from Aberdeen Bazaar, so 10-15 minutes by auto or cab from most hotels in town.

British-era jail, built for freedom fighters, solitary cells. Everyone queues for Veer Savarkar's cell on the upper floor. Also go up the central tower, you can see the harbour and Ross Island from there and it helps you figure out where everything else in this list is.

Timings 9 am to 12:30 pm and 1:30 pm to about 4:45 pm, Tuesday to Sunday. Closed Mondays and national holidays. Entry ₹30 for Indians, camera is extra. Budget 1.5 hours, two hours if you read all the boards.

Go in the morning. The corridors are cooler before noon, and after 2 pm the courtyard gets hot and school groups start coming in.

The light and sound show is in the evening inside the jail compound, projected on the building itself. First show is at about 5:50 pm and there are more shows after it. Most shows are in Hindi. English shows run on some evenings only, so check the language before you pay. Adult tickets are around ₹300 on the official Andaman e-tourist portal, tourism.andamannicobar.gov.in. Hotels and agents also sell tickets but add a margin. In December and January the seats get booked days in advance, so book as soon as your dates are confirmed.

If you are doing the show on day one, plan to be back at the jail by 5:30 pm. There is a queue at the gate before each show, so don't arrive at the last minute.

2. Corbyn's Cove Beach

This is the only beach you can reach from town in 15 minutes. It's 6-7 km from the centre and close to the airport, so it's useful on arrival day if your flight lands at 8 am and hotel check-in is at noon.

It is a small town beach, not like Radhanagar on Havelock. There is a strip of sand with coconut trees, a promenade, some food stalls and jet ski operators. Swimming is okay when the sea is calm. Entry is free. Jet ski and other rides are charged separately, settle the price before you start.

On the coast road you pass old Japanese bunkers from the Second World War. Ask your driver to stop for a minute, most of them will. One hour at the beach is enough, two if you want to sit with a tender coconut.

3. Samudrika Naval Marine Museum

This one works well for families with kids, and adults who don't usually like museums also find it useful. The Indian Navy runs it, it's near Delanipur, about 10 minutes from Aberdeen Bazaar.

Inside there are shells, coral, a small aquarium, and panels on the tribes and geology of the islands. If you do this before your first snorkel, you will know what you are looking at under the water.

Timings are 9 am to 12 noon and 2 pm to 5 pm. Closed on Mondays and public holidays. Adults ₹50, children ₹25. One hour is enough. There's a blue whale skeleton outside, people take photos there, no charge.

Note the lunch gap from 12 to 2. If you reach at 11:45 you will be rushed, so either go at 9-10 am or after 2 pm.

4. Anthropological Museum

From outside it looks like a regular government building. The galleries cover the Jarawa, Onge, Sentinelese, Great Andamanese, Shompen and Nicobarese, with their tools, canoes, baskets and a lot of photographs. If Baratang is in your plan, visit this museum before it. You will understand the Jarawa reserve drive much better.

Timings are 9 am to 1 pm and 1:30 pm to 4:30 pm. Closed on Mondays and government holidays. 45 minutes is enough.

It's close to the other town sights, so it fits easily on the same day as Cellular Jail or Samudrika. Just remember that all three are closed on Monday, so a Monday in Port Blair is better used for a boat or a drive.

5. Chatham Saw Mill

Chatham is a small island joined to Port Blair by a short bridge, 10-odd minutes from the bazaar. The British started the mill in 1883 and it still works. You walk through the sheds where padauk and gurjan logs are being cut, then into a small Forest Museum with carved wood and a section on how timber from the islands was used.

Timings are 8 am to 2:30 pm. It is closed on Sundays, not Mondays, so don't mix it up with the other museums. Entry is around ₹20 per person. Keep one hour.

Reach before 11 am. The machines run in the morning, and if they are off you only see the empty sheds.

Chatham jetty is also where the vehicle ferry to Bamboo Flat leaves for Mount Harriet, so the saw mill and Mount Harriet can be done together in one morning.

Day trips from Port Blair

6. Ross Island (Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Dweep)

Ross Island was the British headquarters for the Andamans. After the 1941 earthquake and then the Japanese occupation, it was left empty. What you see now is a short walking route past a church, a bakery, officers' bungalows and a cemetery, with banyan roots growing through the buildings. It was officially renamed Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Dweep in 2018, but boatmen and drivers still call it Ross.

Boats leave from the Rajiv Gandhi Water Sports Complex at Aberdeen Jetty. The island is 2-3 km off the eastern shore of the town, so the crossing takes 15-20 minutes. The boat costs around ₹300 to ₹500 return, depending on the boat and whether you take a combo ticket with North Bay. There is a separate entry fee on the island, ₹50 for adults and ₹25 for children. Keep 1.5 to 2 hours on the island.

Spotted deer and peacocks walk around freely. Don't feed them, the forest staff will stop you and it's not allowed.

Important: the boat ticket counter closes early in the afternoon, and boat timings change with weather and season. Be at the jetty by 8:30-9 am with photo ID, and ask your hotel the night before whether boats are running the next day.

Ross also has its own evening light and sound show. It needs a separate boat booking, the boat leaves at roughly 4 pm and you come back after dark. Do it only if you have already seen the Cellular Jail show and want another one, otherwise skip it.

The walk on Ross is mostly flat but it's in the sun for long stretches. Carry a cap and water. There are a few small stalls near the jetty, but don't depend on them for a full lunch.

7. North Bay Island (Coral Island)

For most first-time visitors, this is the first place they see coral. It's across the harbour from the same Aberdeen Jetty, and almost everyone does North Bay and Ross together as one combo.

The lighthouse you see when the boat comes in is the one printed on the back of the old ₹20 note.

Snorkelling here is short, about 15 minutes in the water, for roughly ₹500 per person. The sea walk is around ₹3,500 to ₹4,000, and you don't need to know swimming for it. Glass bottom boat and semi-submarine rides are priced by duration, and the rate is fixed at the counter on the spot. Scuba try-dives are also available, but if your trip includes Havelock, keep your scuba budget for there, the diving is better.

The main rule: water activities at North Bay run in the morning and mostly close by noon. So go to North Bay first and Ross after. If you do Ross first, you can reach North Bay when the sea walk counter is closing, and you will have paid ₹500 for the boat with nothing to do.

Wear your swimsuit under your clothes, carry a towel and a change of clothes, and keep cash. Card machines on the beach don't always work.

If someone in your group doesn't want to get in the water, the glass bottom boat is the option for them. They can see the coral without getting wet.

8. Chidiya Tapu and the Biological Park

Chidiya Tapu means bird island. It's the southern tip of South Andaman, 25 km from town, about 45 minutes by car through villages and mangroves. People go for the sunset, it's the best sunset point near Port Blair. Next to it is Munda Pahar beach, with a forest trail that ends at a sea viewpoint.

The Chidiya Tapu Biological Park comes 5-10 minutes before the sunset point. It has saltwater crocodiles, Andaman wild pigs and local birds in enclosures. Timings are roughly 9 am to 4 pm, closed on Mondays, and entry is under ₹100.

To fit in both, leave town at about 2:30 pm. Do the park first, then reach the beach by 5 pm. Sunset here is early, often before 5:30 pm in winter. Many people coming from Delhi or Mumbai reach at 5:45 and miss it.

Carry mosquito repellent, there are a lot of mosquitoes near the mangroves in the evening.

The road back is dark and has no street lights in parts, so use a local driver rather than a self-drive scooter if you are new to the island.

9. Mount Harriet (Mount Manipur National Park)

This is for people who prefer forest over beach. Mount Harriet is the hill across the harbour. From the top you can see North Bay, Ross and the town. The British Chief Commissioner used it as a summer residence, and it's a few degrees cooler than sea level.

There are two ways to go. By road it's about 55 km via Ferrargunj, around 1 hour 20 minutes. Or take the vehicle ferry from Chatham jetty to Bamboo Flat, about 15 minutes on the water, then a short drive up. We suggest the ferry, it's cheaper and quicker.

Timings are around 7 am to 5 pm. Entry for Indian adults is in the ₹25 to ₹50 range. Keep half a day including the ferry.

There is also a forest trek from Mount Harriet down to Madhuban, a few hours long. Do it only in the dry months, only with a guide, and carry extra water.

10. Wandoor, Jolly Buoy and Red Skin Island

Wandoor is a fishing village 25 km from town and the entry point for Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park. Forest department boats from Wandoor go to either Jolly Buoy or Red Skin Island. Jolly Buoy has better coral and clearer water, and it is normally open from November to mid-May. In the other months, boats go to Red Skin.

Two things to know. You need a permit from the forest department or tourism office, usually a day or two in advance, with photo ID, and in peak season permits run out. Jolly Buoy is also plastic-free, bags are checked at the jetty and plastic bottles are not allowed. Carry a steel bottle.

This trip takes the full morning and part of the afternoon. Boats depend on the weather, so keep a backup plan for the day, like Chidiya Tapu in the evening or the town museums.

11. Baratang Island

Baratang is about 100 km north of Port Blair and the full day trip takes 10-12 hours. For most people it's worth doing once.

The road north, the Andaman Trunk Road, goes through the Jarawa Tribal Reserve. Vehicles can only go through in a convoy from the Jirkatang check post, and the first convoy leaves at around 6 am. Convoy timings have changed more than once, so confirm the current timings with your driver, not from an old blog. To make the first convoy you leave the hotel between 3 and 4 am. Carry photocopies of Aadhaar or another ID for the entry form.

Inside the reserve the rules are strict: no photos, no videos, no stopping, and nothing given out of the windows, no food, no gifts. Breaking these rules can mean fines and possibly jail. We explain this to every guest before the trip.

After the reserve, a vehicle ferry crosses the Middle Strait to Nilambur jetty. From there a speedboat goes up a mangrove creek to Nayadera, and then it's a walk of about 1.2 km to the limestone caves. Inside the caves it's dark and wet underfoot, so wear shoes with grip, not slippers.

The mud volcano is the second stop. It's a short ride from the jetty and then 160 m up a rocky path. Shared jeeps cost about ₹200 per person. The mud volcano is small, so don't expect much.

Parrot Island is where thousands of parakeets come back to roost at dusk. The boats return after the last convoy has left, so you have to stay the night in Baratang to see it. Only plan this if you are interested in birds.

Pack breakfast and water the night before, because you leave before hotels serve food. Lunch is usually somewhere simple near the Baratang jetty.

How to get to Port Blair

Airport is Veer Savarkar International, code IXZ, 15 minutes from most hotels. Chennai has a few flights daily, around 2 hrs 15 min non-stop. Kolkata is the busiest route, 2 to 2.5 hrs. Bengaluru around 2 hrs 40 min. Delhi is 3.5-4 hrs when there's a non-stop, otherwise you connect via Chennai or Kolkata.

Try to get a morning flight. Land at 3 pm and day one is basically gone in reaching the hotel and checking in.

Best time to visit

November to April. Sea is calmer, Ross and North Bay boats run on time, Jolly Buoy is open. December-January is peak, most crowded and most expensive, book ferries and the jail show early. October and May are ok, fewer people. June to September is monsoon, rough sea, day boats get cancelled a lot. We don't plan water days in Port Blair in those months.

A sample 2-day Port Blair plan

Day 1 (check it's not a Monday): Morning flight, check in or drop bags. Samudrika late morning. Lunch. Cellular Jail in the afternoon slot. Corbyn's Cove for an hour before sunset, then back to the jail for the 5:50 pm show. Dinner in Aberdeen Bazaar.

Day 2: At Aberdeen Jetty by 8:30. North Bay first for snorkelling or sea walk, then Ross till early afternoon. Quick lunch in town. Drive down to Chidiya Tapu, biological park, then sunset.

Third day: Baratang, or Wandoor and Jolly Buoy if it's the season. Chatham Saw Mill and Mount Harriet fit in one extra morning.

If your Havelock ferry is on day 3 morning, don't do Baratang on day 2. You'll be back late and tired and ferry reporting is early.

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