5D / 4N
19% OFF
Andaman Family Holiday For 4 Nights 5 Days
- Hotel
- Meals
- Sightseeing
- Transfers
₹23,574
₹18,990 /pp
Andaman vs Maldives: A Quick Comparison Before You Book
It comes down to one honest trade-off. Andaman is the cheaper, visa-free, adventure-and-culture pick for Indian travellers, while the Maldives is the higher-spend luxury-and-honeymoon destination built around overwater villas. That single sentence answers most searches for andaman vs maldives or maldives vs andaman. The detail is where the decision actually gets made, so below we lay out real 2026 costs, the visa rules for Indians, the activities each does best, the beaches, the seasons, and a straight verdict for honeymoon, family and budget trips. There is also a section on whether you can sensibly do both on one holiday.
Key Takeaways
- Andaman needs no passport or visa for Indians. You fly domestic to Port Blair (IXZ) on a government photo ID. The Maldives is a foreign country, but Indians still get a free 30-day visa-on-arrival.
- Budget the trip, not the flight. A 5-day Andaman holiday for two runs about Rs 40,000 to Rs 70,000. The same trip in the Maldives starts around Rs 1.2 lakh and climbs past Rs 2.5 lakh, roughly two to three times more.
- Go for variety, pick Andaman: scuba, sea walking, island-hopping, bioluminescent night kayaking and colonial history. Go for a switch-off luxury escape, pick the Maldives.
- Time it right. Andaman is best October to May; the Maldives is best November to April. December to March suits both if you want to combine them.
- Honeymoon leans Maldives for villa privacy, family and first-timers lean Andaman for range and value.
Best Time
October - May
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Andaman vs Maldives at a Glance
If you read only one thing, read this table. It is the whole comparison in a single view, with the numbers a 2026 trip actually turns on.
| Factor | Andaman & Nicobar | Maldives |
| Location | Indian union territory, Bay of Bengal (domestic) | Sovereign nation, Indian Ocean (international) |
| Entry for Indians | No passport, visa or permit. Govt photo ID only | Passport (6+ months) + free 30-day visa-on-arrival |
| Getting there | Direct flights to Port Blair from Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru, Delhi (seasonal Mumbai) | Fly to Male, then speedboat, seaplane or domestic flight to the resort |
| Stay style | Beach hotels, resorts and homestays on inhabited islands | Private-island and overwater-villa resorts |
| Return airfare from India | ~Rs 12,000-17,000 | ~Rs 25,000-35,000 |
| Room per night | ~Rs 3,000-8,000 (mid-range) | ~Rs 15,000-35,000+ (resort) |
| 5-day trip, 2 people | ~Rs 40,000-70,000 | ~Rs 1.2-2.5 lakh+ |
| Best season | October to May (avoid Jun-Sep monsoon) | November to April (dry season) |
| Signature experience | Reef snorkelling, scuba, sea walk, island-hopping, colonial history | Overwater villas, house-reef diving, luxury seclusion |
| Star beach | Radhanagar, Havelock (TIME Best in Asia 2004; TripAdvisor #5 Asia 2025) | Powder-white sand and a house reef off most resorts |
| Best for | Budget, adventure, families, first-timers, culture | Honeymoon, luxury, privacy, serious divers |
| Ideal trip length | 5-7 days | 4-6 days |
The Verdict: Choose Andaman If, Choose Maldives If
Most people arrive at this comparison already leaning one way and want a nudge to commit. Here is the honest split.
Choose Andaman if
- Cost matters. A comparable trip lands at roughly one-third to one-half of the Maldives spend.
- You are Indian and want zero paperwork. A voter ID or Aadhaar gets you on the plane.
- You want to do things: scuba, snorkelling, sea walking, kayaking, the Cellular Jail, limestone caves and island-hopping in one holiday.
- It is a family trip or your first island holiday, and you want easy logistics with room to move.
Choose Maldives if
- You want the overwater-villa honeymoon: your own deck, steps into the sea, and real privacy.
- You are paying for polish: resort-grade service, spas and fine dining on a private island.
- You are a keen diver or snorkeller and want a house reef off your villa.
- You want to switch off completely for a few days and not plan a thing.
Cost and Value: Which Gives You More for Your Money?
Andaman is not just cheaper. It stretches further. That distinction matters, because the real question a buyer asks is not which sticker price is lower, it is which trip gives more holiday per rupee.
Take a straight fare-and-room comparison. Return flights to Port Blair start at about Rs 12,000 to Rs 17,000, against roughly Rs 25,000 to Rs 35,000 to Male. Mid-range rooms run Rs 3,000 to Rs 8,000 a night in Andaman, versus Rs 15,000 to Rs 35,000 and up for a Maldives resort. Put together, a 5-day holiday for two costs about Rs 40,000 to Rs 70,000 in Andaman and Rs 1.2 lakh to Rs 2.5 lakh or more in the Maldives.
Now read it as value, not price. The same money that buys three Maldives nights buys five to seven Andaman nights, and those nights come with more to do: dives, sea walks, island-hopping and history rather than a single resort. If your budget is fixed, Andaman simply gives you a longer, fuller trip. If the experience you are buying is villa privacy and seclusion, the Maldives premium is the point, and there is no cheaper way to get it.
There is a genuine budget-Maldives route worth knowing. Instead of a private-island resort, you can base yourself in a guesthouse on a local island like Maafushi and reach it by the public ferry from Male, which brings nightly costs down to a fraction of resort rates. It is the honest counter to “the Maldives is always unaffordable”, though even then Andaman usually stays the lower-cost trip for an Indian traveller.
| Cost line | Andaman | Maldives |
| Return airfare from India | Rs 12,000-17,000 | Rs 25,000-35,000 |
| Room per night (mid-range) | Rs 3,000-8,000 | Rs 15,000-35,000+ (resort) |
| 5-day trip, 2 people | Rs 40,000-70,000 | Rs 1.2-2.5 lakh+ |
| Visa cost for Indians | None (domestic) | None (free visa-on-arrival) |
Planning a specific budget? Our team can put real 2026 numbers against your dates on Andaman tour packages.
Beaches, Stays and Activities: Reef Adventure vs Overwater Villa
This is where the two destinations feel most different, and where most people actually decide.
Andaman: range in a single trip
Radhanagar Beach on Havelock (officially Swaraj Dweep) was named TIME’s Best Beach in Asia back in 2004 and still sat at #5 in Asia on TripAdvisor’s 2025 list. But the reason Andaman wins on activity is variety. You can dive or snorkel the reefs off Havelock and Neil (Shaheed Dweep), do a sea walk at North Bay Island, where you walk the seabed in a fed-air helmet with no swimming needed, and snorkel or ride a glass-bottom boat at Elephant Beach. Jet ski, parasailing and banana-boat rides are all on the menu at North Bay and Elephant Beach too. Then there is the history no beach destination usually offers: the Cellular Jail and Ross Island.
Andaman also answers the Maldives’ most famous natural spectacle. On the right moonless nights you can kayak through bioluminescent water near Havelock, where each paddle stroke lights up the sea with a blue-green glow. It is Andaman’s own version of the Maldives “Sea of Stars”, and you get it as a two-hour night activity rather than a resort you have to book around.
You stay in beach hotels, resorts and homestays on inhabited islands, and ferry between them, so a single trip can string together three or four islands.
Maldives: seclusion, done to a very high standard
The Maldives works the opposite way. Each resort has its own island, so the experience is private and self-contained: an overwater villa with the house reef a few steps off your deck, a spa, fine dining and near-total quiet. The diving and snorkelling are world-class. If you want to go beyond your island, that is where the atolls come in. Baa Atoll is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, and its Hanifaru Bay is famous for seasonal manta rays and whale sharks; Ari Atoll is another whale-shark and manta hotspot. And if the resort price tag is the problem, Maafushi and other local islands offer guesthouse stays and day-trip excursions at a fraction of resort cost. The trade-off is simple: less to “do” in the Andaman sense, far more to switch off from.
For villa-style stays, see Andaman honeymoon packages for the closer-to-home version, or browse Maldives packages for the overwater option.
Getting There, Visa And Best Season Compared
Access and visa
Andaman is domestic for Indians. You need no passport, visa or permit, just a government photo ID, and you fly direct to Port Blair (IXZ) from Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru and Delhi, with seasonal service from Mumbai. The Maldives is international but genuinely easy: Indian passport holders get a free 30-day visa-on-arrival, provided the passport is valid 6+ months, you hold a return ticket, and you have completed the IMUGA pre-arrival form online. You fly to Male, then reach your resort by speedboat, seaplane or a short domestic flight depending on distance.
Best season
Andaman is at its best from October to May; skip the June to September monsoon when seas are rough and ferries get cancelled. The Maldives runs on a November to April dry season. The good news for anyone weighing both is that December to March works well for either, which is also the window to combine them.
Are Andaman And The Maldives The Same Place?
No. They are two separate destinations that get confused because both are tropical island groups. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands are an Indian union territory in the Bay of Bengal, east of the Indian mainland. The Maldives is an independent country in the Indian Ocean, southwest of India and Sri Lanka. They sit on opposite sides of the subcontinent, and you cannot travel from one to the other directly. Any “both” trip routes back through an Indian metro in between.
Honeymoon, Family or Budget: Which Wins For You?
- For a honeymoon: the Maldives is the classic for overwater villas, privacy and romance. Andaman is the strong, much cheaper alternative that still delivers beautiful beaches plus things to do together.
- For a family trip: Andaman wins on variety, easy domestic logistics and family-friendly pricing. Beaches, water sports and history keep every age occupied. Maldives resorts are lovely but expensive and better suited to couples.
- For a budget trip: Andaman, comfortably, thanks to lower fares, lower room rates and no visa cost. The budget-Maldives guesthouse route on Maafushi narrows the gap but rarely closes it.
- For luxury and serious diving: the Maldives, for resort polish and house-reef diving off your villa.
Can You Visit Both? How to Plan the Trip
Yes, and December to March is the window where both seasons line up. Because you route through the Indian mainland in between, the cleanest plan is to treat it as two legs. Here is the order that works.
- Decide your priority for each leg. Budget, adventure and culture point to Andaman; luxury, privacy and diving point to the Maldives.
- Pick the season. Aim for December to March so both destinations are in their dry, calm window.
- Sort entry needs. For Andaman, carry a government photo ID. For the Maldives, check your passport is valid 6+ months and complete the IMUGA form before you fly.
- Book the flights as two legs. Fly to Male for the Maldives leg; fly to Port Blair for the Andaman leg. Both connect through a metro like Chennai or Bengaluru.
- Choose the right stay for each. An overwater or beach villa in the Maldives, a beach resort on Havelock or Neil in Andaman.
- Combine the legs. Do the Maldives first, return to an Indian metro, then add 4-5 days in Andaman (or reverse the order).
- Lock it in. Confirm transfers, seasons and inclusions, and customise the day count for your group size.
How We Compared
This is not a copied spec sheet. Every figure on this page was checked the same way you would check it before booking. We pulled live 2026 return fares to both Port Blair and Male, compared mid-range beach-hotel rates in Andaman against resort and guesthouse rates in the Maldives, and read the current Maldives visa-on-arrival rule straight off the government IMUGA portal rather than a third-party summary. Prices are shown as ranges because real fares move with the season and how early you book, and we would rather give you an honest band than a single number that is wrong by the time you read it. Where we run trips, we still tell you when the Maldives is the better answer. This page is refreshed on a regular cadence so the costs and rules stay current.
The Bottom Line
Andaman and the Maldives both give you clear water and white sand, but they answer different briefs. Andaman is the affordable, adventure-rich, visa-free choice that gives an Indian traveller more days and more to do for the money. The Maldives is the premium, private, switch-off escape you pay a real premium for, and it is worth it when villa seclusion is the whole point. If you are still weighing it up, tell us your dates and budget and we will price both against your trip. Start with Andaman tour packages or read the full Andaman travel guide.
FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions: Andaman vs Maldives
Neither is universally better; it depends on your trip. Andaman is better for budget, adventure, families, culture and visa-free travel for Indians. The Maldives is better for honeymoons, luxury, privacy and serious diving, at roughly two to three times the cost.
Yes, by a wide margin. A comparable Maldives trip costs about two to three times more than Andaman because of international resort rates and seaplane or speedboat transfers. A 5-day trip for two is around Rs 40,000-70,000 in Andaman versus Rs 1.2-2.5 lakh or more in the Maldives.
For Andaman, no visa is needed; it is domestic, so a government photo ID is enough. For the Maldives, Indians get a free 30-day visa-on-arrival with a passport valid 6+ months, a return ticket and a completed IMUGA pre-arrival form.
No. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands are an Indian union territory in the Bay of Bengal, east of the mainland. The Maldives is an independent country in the Indian Ocean, southwest of India and Sri Lanka. They are on opposite sides of the subcontinent and you cannot travel between them directly.
Andaman is easier and cheaper. You fly direct to Port Blair with no visa. The Maldives needs an international flight to Male plus a speedboat, seaplane or domestic-flight transfer to your resort.
The Maldives is the classic honeymoon choice for overwater villas, privacy and romance. Andaman is a strong, much cheaper alternative that pairs quiet beaches with activities you can enjoy together, from snorkelling to a bioluminescent night kayak near Havelock.
Andaman, in most cases. It offers the variety families want, beaches, water sports, sea walks and history, plus easy domestic logistics and family-friendly pricing. Maldives resorts are more couple-focused and considerably more expensive.
Andaman is best from October to May; avoid the June to September monsoon. The Maldives is best from November to April in its dry season. December to March works for both, which is the window to combine them.
Both are excellent. The Maldives is world-renowned for house-reef diving and marine life off the villa, with atolls like Baa and Ari famous for manta rays and whale sharks. Andaman offers superb, far more affordable scuba and snorkelling at Havelock and Neil, plus the sea walk at North Bay. The Maldives has the diving edge; Andaman wins on value and variety.
Yes. Route through a mainland hub like Chennai or Bengaluru, for example the Maldives first, back to India, then 4-5 days in Andaman. December to March suits both seasons. Our team can merge the two into one customized itinerary.
It is possible if you skip the private-island resorts. Base yourself in a guesthouse on a local island such as Maafushi, reach it by the public ferry from Male, and take day trips to sandbanks and reefs. That brings a short Maldives trip within reach of roughly a lakh for two, though Andaman still usually costs less for the same days.
Not for everyday use. Resorts and guesthouses in the Maldives bill in US dollars and take international cards, and the local currency is the Rufiyaa, so carry USD or a card rather than rupees. In Andaman you spend in Indian Rupees exactly as you would on the mainland, which is one more small way it is the simpler trip for Indians.
