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Beyond the Tourist Trail: Hidden Secrets of Andaman
The biggest secret of the Andaman Islands is how little of them you actually see. Of 572 islands, only about 36 are inhabited, which leaves roughly 94% of the archipelago unexplored — including India’s only active volcano, its only mud volcanoes, and beaches where bioluminescent water glows after dark. Below are 14 genuine secrets of the Andaman Islands, from colonial-era island names and a near-extinct native language to a wartime Japanese occupation. After them come the best offbeat places and hidden gems you can actually visit, each with how to reach it and the right season to go.
Secrets of Andaman
Andaman
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Andaman Secrets At A Glance
Discover the hidden gems, unique experiences, and lesser-known attractions of the Andaman Islands. From untouched beaches to thrilling adventures, explore the secrets that make this island destination truly special.
- See a live volcano: Barren Island, about 140 km off Port Blair, is India’s only active volcano and last erupted in September 2025. You can view it by charter, not land on it.
- Go where crowds don’t: The far north (Diglipur, Ross & Smith, Long Island, Little Andaman) is the quietest Andaman, reached by 6 to 10 hour government ferries or road convoys.
- Time it right: The offbeat season runs roughly October to mid-May. December to April is calmest for boat-only islands; November to March is turtle season.
- Carry the right permits: Baratang (Jarawa convoy, photo ID), the marine-park islands (Forest Dept permit), and Ross & Smith (Diglipur permit) all need paperwork before you travel.
- What you get: Havelock and Neil bioluminescence, walkable sandbar islands and four-species turtle beaches are the payoff for going one ferry further.
14 Secrets Of The Andaman Islands
Each of these is a genuine Andaman curiosity, not a travel-brochure line. Read them as the backstory to the offbeat places that follow.
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The Islands Are Named After British Officials
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India's Only Active Volcano Sits Offshore
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The Andamans Have India's Only Mud Volcanoes
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There Is A Sea That Glows In The Dark At Havelock
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Ross And Smith Are Really One Island
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Ross Island Shielded Port Blair From The 2004 Tsunami
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The Sentinelese Still Refuse All Contact
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The Chola Chronicles Called Them The 'Impure Islands'
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The Native Andamanese Language Is Nearly Extinct
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Japan Occupied The Islands In World War II
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There Is A Rumoured Secret Tunnel From Ross Island To Port Blair
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The Andamans Were Once Tied To Burma, And A Coco Island Went To China
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India's First Commercial Seaplane Launched Here
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The Cellular Jail Light-And-Sound Show Has A Voice You Know
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01
The Islands Are Named After British Officials
Ross, Havelock, Neil, Outram, Henry Lawrence: most famous Andaman islands carry the names of 19th-century British officers. In a quiet act of decolonisation, the Government of India renamed the three best-known on 30 December 2018. Ross became Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Dweep, Havelock became Swaraj Dweep, and Neil became Shaheed Dweep. Locals and ferry timetables still use both names interchangeably.
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02
India's Only Active Volcano Sits Offshore
Barren Island, about 140 km northeast of Port Blair, is the only confirmed active volcano in India and South Asia. It erupted as recently as September 2025. You cannot land on it, since it is an uninhabited protected zone, but you can see the smoking cone from a chartered boat or scuba liveaboard, weather permitting (Geological Survey of India, Barren Island volcanic record).
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03
The Andamans Have India's Only Mud Volcanoes
Near Baratang, low cones of cool grey mud bubble up from the earth, the only active mud volcanoes in India. They are modest in size but geologically rare, formed by gases escaping from deep sediment, and sit a short walk from the Baratang limestone caves.
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04
There Is A Sea That Glows In The Dark At Havelock
On dark, new-moon nights the water around Havelock (Swaraj Dweep), and sometimes Neil, lights up blue-green when disturbed. The glow comes from bioluminescent dinoflagellates and is best seen on a guided night kayak between roughly October and April. It is condition-dependent and never guaranteed, which is exactly why so few travellers catch it.
05
Ross And Smith Are Really One Island
Off Diglipur in the north, the twin islands of Ross and Smith are joined by a natural sandbar. At high tide the sea covers the bar and they look like two separate islands. At low tide the water recedes and you can walk dry-foot from one to the other (North & Middle Andaman administration).
06
Ross Island Shielded Port Blair From The 2004 Tsunami
When the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami struck, the small island off Port Blair’s coast absorbed much of the wave’s force, sparing the capital the worst of the damage that devastated other low-lying parts of the archipelago.
07
The Sentinelese Still Refuse All Contact
The Sentinelese of North Sentinel Island are among the most isolated uncontacted peoples on Earth. After the 2004 tsunami, when the government sent relief helicopters to check on them, the tribe fired arrows to drive the aircraft away, their way of confirming they had survived and wanted to be left alone (survival and anthropological record).
08
The Chola Chronicles Called Them The 'Impure Islands'
Medieval Chola-era records refer to the archipelago as Timaittivu, ‘the impure islands’, a name tied to fearful accounts of cannibalism on the islands. These were almost certainly exaggerated reports of fiercely defensive tribes that mariners learned to avoid.
09
The Native Andamanese Language Is Nearly Extinct
The Great Andamanese languages, once spoken by thousands, now survive with only a handful of fluent speakers. An epidemic that swept the islands around two centuries ago, after contact with outsiders, collapsed the native population, and the tongue has been fading ever since (Great Andamanese linguistic record).
10
Japan Occupied The Islands In World War II
Japanese forces occupied the Andaman & Nicobar Islands from 23 March 1942 until the formal handover back to the Allies on 7 October 1945. In 1943 the islands were symbolically handed to Subhas Chandra Bose’s Provisional Government of Free India, who renamed them Shaheed and Swaraj, the first ‘Indian’ soil to fly the tricolour.
11
There Is A Rumoured Secret Tunnel From Ross Island To Port Blair
The Japanese built more than 300 bunkers across the islands, several of which still stand on Ross Island. One persistent local legend says a bunker there opens into a tunnel running under the sea to Port Blair. It is atmospheric, but there is no evidence it ever existed.
12
The Andamans Were Once Tied To Burma, And A Coco Island Went To China
The islands sat administratively close to Burma for long stretches of their colonial history. The Coco Islands, at the archipelago’s northern edge, ended up in Myanmar’s possession and are widely reported to host a Chinese-linked facility today, a strategic footnote most visitors never hear.
13
India's First Commercial Seaplane Launched Here
‘Jal Hans’, India’s first commercial seaplane service, was launched in the Andaman Islands, briefly linking Port Blair with Havelock by air-and-water before regular operations ended. It remains a quirky aviation first for a remote union territory.
14
The Cellular Jail Light-And-Sound Show Has A Voice You Know
Every evening the colonial-era Cellular Jail in Port Blair stages a light-and-sound show telling the stories of the ‘Kala Pani’ freedom fighters imprisoned and tortured there. In the original production, the central peepal tree that witnessed it all was voiced by veteran actor Om Puri, a moving end to a Port Blair day.
Best Offbeat Places & Hidden Gems In Andaman To Visit
If the secrets above are the lore, these are the places you can actually go. The Andamans’ real hidden gems sit beyond Havelock and Neil, reached by long government ferries, escorted road convoys, or forest permits, which is exactly what keeps them quiet. Each spot below comes with how to reach it from Port Blair and the best season to go. For the full island guide, see our places to visit in Andaman master list.
Baratang – Limestone Caves & Mud Volcano
Baratang hides India’s only mud volcanoes and a chamber of natural limestone caves reached by a short boat ride through mangrove creeks. Getting there is half the adventure. The road from Port Blair (about 100 km, roughly 3 to 4 hours’ drive, longer with convoy waits) runs through the Jarawa Tribal Reserve in a government-escorted convoy that departs at fixed morning slots, so photo ID is mandatory and photography inside the reserve is strictly banned. Go between October and May.
Ross & Smith Islands – The Walkable Sandbar
This is the far north’s headline gem, two islands joined by a walkable sandbar at low tide, ringed by some of the clearest water in the archipelago. Diglipur is about 300 km / 8 to 10 hours from Port Blair by road or a long ferry, and Ross & Smith needs a forest permit from the Diglipur Forest Office (around ₹50 for Indian adults). It draws far fewer crowds than Havelock. Aim for November to April.
Long Island & Merk Bay – Car-Free Silence
A tiny car-free island reached via a 6 to 9 hour ferry to Rangat and then a short local hop. Long Island is the launch point for Lalaji Bay’s empty white sand and the dazzling shallows of Merk Bay. There are no big resorts here, just a handful of guesthouses, forest paths and silence. Come between October and April.
Barren Island – India’s Only Active Volcano
You can’t land, but a chartered boat or scuba liveaboard from Port Blair gets you within sight of the smoking cone, a genuinely rare thing to see in India. Trips run in the calm-sea months and require operator permissions. The calmest seas, and your best window, fall between December and April.
Saddle Peak – The Highest Point In The Andamans
Rising about 732 m above the north near Diglipur, Saddle Peak is the archipelago’s highest point and the centre of a national park. The forest trek to the top rewards you with views over untouched rainforest and coastline that almost no package tourist sees. Trails are driest, and the trek easiest, from November to April.
Cinque Island – The Mini-Maldives
Two islets linked by a sandbar inside the Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park, with water so clear it is nicknamed the mini-Maldives. Reached only by private charter from Port Blair or Wandoor with a Forest Department permit, there is no public ferry, which is why it stays pristine. December to April is the window.
Guitar & Avis Islands – Marine-Park Secrets
Guitar Island (named for its shape) and the palm-fringed Avis Island are quiet marine-park spots reached by chartered boat with a Forest Department permit. Expect near-empty reefs and sandbanks rather than crowds. Plan it for December to April.
Kalipur Beach – Turtle Nesting In The North
Near Diglipur, Kalipur is one of very few beaches in the world where up to four sea-turtle species nest: Olive Ridley, Green, Hawksbill and the giant Leatherback. The Forest Department runs a hatchery and guided night-watches. Turtles nest here roughly between November and March.
Karmatang Beach – Mayabunder’s Quiet Nesting Coast
A long, almost empty beach near Mayabunder in the middle Andamans, Karmatang is another protected turtle-nesting site and a window into island life well off the tourist trail. Time it for November to March if you want the nesting; the beach itself is good from October to May.
North Bay Island – The Lighthouse On The ₹20 Note
Just 15 to 20 minutes by boat from Port Blair’s Aberdeen / Rajiv Gandhi jetty, North Bay Island has a hidden claim to fame. Its lighthouse is the very one printed on the back of the Indian ₹20 currency note, and it is a snorkelling and sea-walk spot too. October to May is the time to go.
Little Andaman – Surf, Waterfalls & Empty Roads
A 6 to 9 hour ferry south to Hut Bay opens up Little Andaman: jungle waterfalls, palm plantations and India’s most underrated surf. It is a real escape for travellers who don’t mind the journey. Go between November and April; the monsoon brings rough seas and ferry cancellations.
Chidiya Tapu – The Sunset Point Locals Love
Around 25 to 30 km / roughly an hour from Port Blair, Chidiya Tapu (‘bird island’) is a forest-and-mangrove headland famed for birdwatching and one of the best sunsets in the Andamans, yet most package itineraries skip it entirely.
Munda Pahad – Chidiya Tapu’s Hidden Beach
A short forest trail from Chidiya Tapu leads to Munda Pahad, a quiet rocky beach and viewpoint at the southern tip of South Andaman. Birdwatchers and the occasional local come for the sunset and calm shallows; almost no tour bus does. Pair it with the Chidiya Tapu sunset for an easy half-day from Port Blair, best October to May.
Amkunj Beach – Rangat’s Eco-Park Coast
On the road up to Rangat in the middle Andamans, Amkunj is a peaceful beach with an eco-park of driftwood shelters built after the 2004 tsunami. It rarely appears on itineraries, which is the point. Break the long Long Island or Diglipur drive here; no permit is needed, and October to May is comfortable.
Interview Island – The Wildlife Sanctuary Nobody Visits
West of Mayabunder lies Interview Island, an uninhabited wildlife sanctuary roamed by feral elephants descended from old logging camps. It is strictly a permitted day trip: you need a Forest Department permit and a boat, and there is no place to stay. Go between November and April when the crossing is calm.
Parrot Island – The Sunset Roost Near Baratang
A low mangrove islet near Baratang, Parrot Island fills at dusk with thousands of parakeets flying in to roost, a swirling wildlife spectacle you watch from a quiet boat. Add it to your Baratang convoy day and time the boat for late afternoon, October to May.
Several of these gems have full standalone guides worth reading before you go. Our deep dives on Baratang Island, Elephant Beach, and Chidiya Tapu cover access, timings and what to pack in detail.
Offbeat Places At A Glance
A quick-reference table of every hidden gem above: how to reach it from Port Blair, whether you need a permit, the rough cost to expect, and the best season to go. Charter and boat fares are set locally and vary by season and group size, so treat the cost column as a guide and confirm at the counter.
| Hidden gem | Island / zone | How to reach (from Port Blair) | Permit | Rough cost | Best season |
| Baratang caves & mud volcano | Middle Andaman | ~100 km road, 3-4 h, escorted convoy | Photo ID; no photos in reserve | Convoy free; shared boat to caves payable at jetty | Oct-May |
| Ross & Smith (Diglipur) | North Andaman | ~300 km / 8-10 h road or ferry | Forest permit (~₹50 Indian adult) | Permit small; local boat hire extra | Nov-Apr |
| Long Island / Merk Bay | Middle Andaman | 6-9 h ferry via Rangat | None (boat hire) | Govt ferry low; private boat to Merk Bay extra | Oct-Apr |
| Barren Island volcano | Offshore NE | Charter boat / liveaboard | Operator permission | Private charter / liveaboard, priced per boat | Dec-Apr |
| Saddle Peak | North Andaman | Near Diglipur + forest trek | National park entry | National park entry fee only | Nov-Apr |
| Cinque Island | Marine NP (Wandoor) | Private charter from PB / Wandoor | Forest Dept permit | Permit + private charter (per boat) | Dec-Apr |
| Guitar & Avis Islands | Marine NP | Charter boat | Forest Dept permit | Permit + charter (per boat) | Dec-Apr |
| Kalipur (turtle nesting) | North Andaman | Near Diglipur | Forest Dept (night-watch) | Free / nominal night-watch fee | Nov-Mar |
| Karmatang | Middle Andaman | Near Mayabunder | None | Free | Nov-Mar |
| North Bay | Off Port Blair | 15-20 min boat, Aberdeen jetty | None | Shared boat ticket (low) | Oct-May |
| Little Andaman | South | 6-9 h ferry to Hut Bay | None | Govt ferry (low) | Nov-Apr |
| Chidiya Tapu | South Andaman | ~25-30 km, ~1 h road | None | Free (transport only) | Oct-May |
| Munda Pahad | South Andaman | With Chidiya Tapu, short trail | None | Free (transport only) | Oct-May |
| Amkunj Beach | Middle Andaman | En route to Rangat | None | Free (transport only) | Oct-May |
| Interview Island | North Andaman | Boat from Mayabunder (day trip) | Forest Dept permit | Permit + boat hire (per boat) | Nov-Apr |
| Parrot Island | Middle Andaman | Boat from Baratang, sunset | None (local boat) | Shared / private boat at dusk | Oct-May |
Popular Spot vs Hidden-Gem Swap
Already planning the usual Andaman highlights? Here is the offbeat alternative for each: the same experience, a fraction of the crowd.
| If you are going for… | The popular spot | Swap it for | Why the swap wins |
| A perfect white-sand beach | Radhanagar, Havelock | Lalaji Bay / Merk Bay, Long Island | Just as good, almost nobody there |
| Snorkelling a reef | Elephant Beach | Cinque / Avis reef | Permit-only, near-empty water |
| Colonial history | Cellular Jail, Port Blair | Japanese WWII bunkers, Ross Island | Offbeat war lore most tours skip |
| A sunset point | Corbyn’s Cove | Chidiya Tapu & Munda Pahad | Birding plus a better, quieter sunset |
| Something geologically rare | Standard sightseeing | Baratang mud volcano & caves | India’s only mud volcanoes |
| Turtles & wildlife | Generic beach walk | Kalipur, Diglipur | Up to 4 nesting turtle species |
How To Reach Andaman's Offbeat Spots: A Step-By-Step Plan
Most hidden gems need a permit, a convoy slot or a long ferry, so the order you do things in matters. Here is the sequence that works.
Step 1. Fly into Port Blair and base yourself there first.
All offbeat trips radiate from Port Blair (Veer Savarkar International Airport), connected to Chennai, Kolkata, Delhi, Bengaluru and Mumbai. Spend your first day on the easy wins: Cellular Jail’s light-and-sound show and a North Bay boat trip.
Step 2. Book the Baratang convoy a day ahead.
The Baratang road runs through the Jarawa Tribal Reserve in government-escorted convoys at fixed morning slots from Jirkatang. Carry a government photo ID, leave Port Blair before dawn, and never photograph inside the reserve, it is prohibited by law.
Step 3. Arrange Forest Department permits for marine-park islands.
Cinque, Guitar and Avis sit inside the Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park and need a Forest Department permit obtained in Port Blair before you charter a boat from Port Blair or Wandoor. Permits for Ross & Smith are issued at the Diglipur Forest Office.
Step 4. Reserve government ferries early for Long Island, Diglipur and Little Andaman.
These run on limited schedules (6 to 9 hours each way) and sell out, especially in peak season. Book the inter-island ferry as soon as your dates are fixed; private operators cover some Havelock to Long Island legs.
Step 5. Time turtle and volcano trips to the season.
Plan Kalipur and Karmatang turtle night-watches for November to March, and Barren Island volcano boat trips for the calm-sea window of December to April when seas are smooth enough to reach it.
One more thing. Ferries and charters get cancelled when seas turn rough, even outside the monsoon. Build one or two flexible days into any north-Andaman or Barren Island plan so a single cancellation doesn’t sink the trip.
Best Time To Visit Andaman's Hidden Gems
The offbeat season runs roughly October to mid-May, when seas are calm enough for the ferries and charters that most hidden gems depend on. The southwest monsoon (June to September) brings rough water and frequent transport cancellations, fine for Port Blair sightseeing, risky for boat-only islands. For a full month-by-month breakdown, see the Andaman tourism guide.
| Season | Sea & ferries | Best for |
| Oct-Nov | Calming after monsoon | Long Island, Little Andaman, turtle season opens |
| Dec-Apr | Calmest, clearest water | Barren Island volcano, Cinque, Diglipur, snorkelling, bioluminescence |
| Nov-Mar | Cool & dry | Kalipur & Karmatang turtle nesting, Saddle Peak trek |
| Mid-May-Sep | SW monsoon, rough seas | Port Blair only; expect ferry / charter cancellations |
Plan Your Own Andaman Discovery
The Andamans reward travellers who go one ferry further than everyone else, past the lore of an active volcano and a near-extinct language, out to sandbar islands, glowing night seas and turtle beaches almost nobody photographs. Pick two or three hidden gems that match your season and the journey is more than worth it. When you are ready to turn this into an itinerary, browse our customisable Andaman tour packages and shape a trip around the offbeat spots you most want to see.
FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions About Secrets of Andaman
The Andamans' best hidden gems include Long Island and Merk Bay, the Baratang limestone caves and mud volcano, Barren Island (India's only active volcano), Ross & Smith twin islands near Diglipur, Saddle Peak, Cinque Island, Kalipur turtle beach and North Bay. Most sit beyond Havelock and Neil and need a ferry, road convoy or forest permit to reach, which is exactly why they stay quiet.
The most offbeat places are in the north and the marine parks: Diglipur (Ross & Smith, Saddle Peak, Kalipur), Long Island, Little Andaman, and the charter-only islands of Cinque, Guitar and Avis. Add Interview Island's wildlife sanctuary and Amkunj Beach near Rangat. They take longer to reach than the main tourist circuit but reward you with near-empty beaches and reefs.
Baratang is about 100 km from Port Blair, a 3 to 4 hour drive (longer with convoy waits). The road passes through the Jarawa Tribal Reserve, so you travel in a government-escorted convoy that departs at fixed morning slots from Jirkatang. Carry a government photo ID, and remember that photography inside the reserve is strictly prohibited by law.
Yes, different ones. Baratang needs only a government photo ID for the Jarawa Reserve convoy, but no photography inside the reserve. Barren Island cannot be landed on at all; you view it from an authorised charter or liveaboard with operator permission. Interview Island is a wildlife sanctuary that needs a Forest Department permit and is a permitted day trip only, with no overnight stay. Confirm current rules before you travel.
The most reliable spot is around Havelock (Swaraj Dweep), and sometimes Neil. The blue-green glow comes from dinoflagellates and shows best on dark, new-moon nights, usually between October and April, on a guided night kayak. It is condition-dependent and never guaranteed, so treat a sighting as a bonus rather than a certainty.
The north and the ferry-only islands are quietest: Long Island, Little Andaman, and the Diglipur area (Ross & Smith, Kalipur, Saddle Peak). Because they need long government ferries or permits, they see a fraction of the visitors that Havelock and Neil do.
Diglipur is in the far north, about 300 km / 8 to 10 hours from Port Blair by road or a long inter-island ferry. To visit Ross & Smith you need a forest permit from the Diglipur Forest Office (around ₹50 for Indian adults). Time your boat for low tide, when the sandbar joining the two islands is exposed and walkable.
The cheapest route is the government inter-island ferry from Port Blair, which costs a fraction of hiring a car for the 8 to 10 hour drive, though it runs on a limited schedule and sells out in peak season. If you prefer the road, a shared bus up the Andaman Trunk Road via the Baratang convoy is the budget option; a private cab is the fastest but the most expensive. Book either the ferry or the bus a few days ahead.
Kalipur Beach near Diglipur is the best-known site, one of the few beaches where up to four species nest, including the giant Leatherback, with Forest Department night-watches. Karmatang near Mayabunder is another quiet nesting beach. Nesting season runs roughly November to March.
Aim for October to mid-May, when calm seas keep the ferries and charters running. December to April is best for boat-only islands like Barren and Cinque; November to March is peak turtle season. Avoid the southwest monsoon (June to September), when rough water causes frequent ferry and charter cancellations.
Several, yes. Marine-park islands (Cinque, Guitar, Avis) need a Forest Department permit obtained in Port Blair; Ross & Smith needs one from the Diglipur Forest Office; and the Baratang route requires a photo ID for the Jarawa Reserve convoy. Indian nationals no longer need a Restricted Area Permit for most islands, but always confirm current rules before you travel.
If you want the Andamans at their quietest, yes. Long Island is a small, car-free island reached by a 6 to 9 hour ferry via Rangat, and it is the springboard to Lalaji Bay's empty sands and the brilliant shallows of Merk Bay. There are no large resorts, just guesthouses, forest trails and a pace of life the main islands lost long ago.
For travellers who like genuinely quiet places, yes. Interview Island is an uninhabited wildlife sanctuary with feral elephants, reached on a permitted day-trip boat from Mayabunder, so it suits patient wildlife lovers rather than beach-hoppers. Amkunj, on the road to Rangat, is an easy free stop with a driftwood eco-park built after the 2004 tsunami and makes a good leg-stretch on the long northern drive.
You can see it but not land on it. Barren Island is an uninhabited protected zone roughly 140 km northeast of Port Blair, and it last erupted in September 2025. Authorised chartered boats and scuba liveaboards take visitors within viewing distance during the calm-sea months of about December to April, subject to operator permissions.
