We have already introduced you to many beaches in this Andaman blog series. However, the best among them is yet to come. Have you ever seen two islands joined naturally by a sandbar? Have you ever seen live corals crawling on the sand? Have you ever been to a mud volcano? Feeling excited huh?? Don’t worry, we will take you all on another exciting journey to this amazing part of the Andaman Islands, Diglipur.
In case you don’t know who we are……
We call ourselves Travel Freaks……
After a fantastic time in the Andaman for the past few days, it was time for us to move to the next and the most thrilling part of this series, a trip to Diglipur from Port Blair. In case you haven’t read our previous blogs, do read them. You will get an idea of this amazing island and plan your itinerary.
Returning to our story, we had planned our departure from our hotel at Port Blair by 4:00 AM, in order to cover a long distance of 325 km to Diglipur. We were ready by 3:40 AM and by the time we were in the hotel lobby, we saw our cab already waiting for us. In no time, we hopped into the car and started our journey.
Now that we have started our journey, there would be a question for us……
1. What is the best way to reach Diglipur from Port Blair?
Honestly speaking, travellers arriving in Port Blair, rarely take a trip to Diglipur due to its remoteness from the main tourist attractions. We would suggest you take a trip to the beautiful part of this Island.
The best way to reach Diglipur which would be way more economical is to take a government bus to Diglipur. You will get tickets from the government bus dept of Port Blair. Mostly, travellers or locals opt to take the 4:30 AM bus. Generally, the bus takes 10-11 hours to reach Diglipur. The bus fare will be around 500 INR per person. All the buses are non-AC. They will drop you at the public bus stand of Diglipur. From there you need to take a conveyance to your stay. Be aware that due to the cheap ticket price, there is a huge demand for government bus tickets.
If you are considering buses, you may also opt for private buses plying between Port Blair to Diglipur. There are both AC and non-AC bus options. However, be aware that there may not be online booking facilities and you might have to look for such counters within Port Blair city. The best thing is that they have multiple pickup points within Port Blair City from where you can board. Private buses also depart at 4:30 AM slot. Yes, there can be multiple departure timings. We would suggest you all depart as early as possible.
The last and the best option is to take a private cab directly from Port Blair. It will not only be helpful for you to halt anywhere on the way for refreshments but also help you explore Diglipur without the need to rent a vehicle over there. We took a private cab with the help of our Port Blair Hotel and departed for Diglipur.
Returning to our story, you might be eager to know about……
2. How was the journey from Port Blair to Diglipur?
As we were travelling during the early morning in Port Blair we felt so calm and composed looking at the environment. It was still dark though. The first halt we had to take was after a 2.5-hour journey. It was close to 6:30 AM and we were about to enter the Jarwa Reserved Forest Region. The forest gate was still closed and was supposed to open by 7 AM. We opted to have breakfast over there as we found a few roadside restaurants open by that time. It was an early morning breakfast though.
Soon we continued with our journey through the Jarwa Reserve Forest. The forest is named after the Jarwa Tribe that resides there. Clicking photos of the tribe and stopping vehicles are strictly prohibited. Yeah, we did notice many people from the Jarwa tribe. The surprising fact was that they were asking food from us. Initially, we were sceptical as the forest ranger forbade us to give any sort of food to the Jarwa people as they might not be habituated to the kind of food we eat. Finally, we gave a few packets of biscuits and passed by the jungle.
You won’t believe that the Jarwa people were wearing clothes just like us. This amazed us a lot. Even they seemed to understand Hindi when our cab driver spoke to them while handing over the biscuit packets. It shocked us. Nevertheless, we loved our journey till then, until we stopped to explore the…….
3. Limestone Cave, Baratang
We reached Baratang by around 10 o’clock in the morning. There was a ticket counter for booking tickets to Baratang Island. There was no entry fee to the island. However, there was a boat of around 800 INR per person. Limestone Caves on the island remain open for visitors from 6 AM to 3 PM. Plan accordingly.
We hopped onto the boat for Baratang Island after standing in a queue for half an hour. It was a motorised boat where 6 persons could sit at a time and it took us around 20-25 minutes.
The boat passed through some breathtaking views and through a narrow path with dense mangrove forests on both sides of the river. Quite a few times we had to push our boat so that it didn’t get stuck between two mangrove trees.
Finally, the boat was parked by a wooden jetty at Nayadera and our boatman cum guide asked us to return there only after exploring the Limestone Caves.
From the wooden bridge, it was a 2 km walk to the cave through a jungle that you would love. It was a lovely jungle trek to the Caves. As soon as we reached the caves, we saw other fellow travellers there.
We were awestruck looking at the beauty of the cave. The whole of Baratang Island is mainly known for its limestone caves.
These natural caves are formed over millions of years by the deposition of calcium carbonate, thereby creating stunning formations that you can’t imagine. We were no different, we were also stunned to see such a natural beauty.
There was little or no light within the caves. As you step into the dark caves, guided only by the glow of your flashlight, the intricate patterns of stalactites and stalagmites come to life. The light did give life to the formation.
At some places, we noticed water dripping from the top giving an atmosphere that resembled an underground world. After a fascinating 45 minutes in the cave, we returned to our boat. Indeed, the island had a rich biodiversity as far as flora and fauna were concerned.
By around 1 o’clock we returned to our cab and continued our journey after lunch in a local restaurant at Kadamtala. Our journey continued through a few more Jarwa Reserve Forests like the previous ones. A special mention we would like to make is that we crossed about three rivers through vessels where our cab was parked within the vessel and we had to take our seat in the vessel. It was a unique experience for us.
We stopped for an evening tea at Mayabunder and finally reached Diglipur by 8:00 PM. It was a long and tiring day. Now that we reached Diglipur, you might want to know……
4. Where was our stay at Diglipur?
We decided to stay in Subhasgram in Diglipur. The stay was quite decent and we loved our stay area. You can find such rooms for 4000-4500 INR per night. Yes if possible, try to book through online portals using some exciting deals. Diglipur is a big area in North Andaman and many hotel or resort options are available. Most of the rooms will provide you with the basic amenities.
When we checked in, it was around 8:15 PM. We ordered our dinner from the hotel itself to end our day. The next day plan was to visit one of the most exciting beaches, till then stay tuned with us……
Now, the most awaited part of this blog…….
5. What is the name of the place that is joined naturally by a sandbar?
The name is Ross & Smith Island. The next morning, we woke up early and had breakfast by 7 o’clock. This time we departed from the hotel by 8 o’clock. It was hardly 10 km to the Aerial Bay Jetty to go to Ross & Smith Island. Now you can visit these islands after taking a forest permit that costs around 50 INR for Indian travellers and 500 INR for non-Indian travellers.
Thankfully, our cab driver got us the permit in no time and we looked for a suitable boat to rent and head to the Ross & Smith Island. The boat ride cost us around 4000 INR to and fro after a bit of a negotiation that allowed 4 persons to sit.
It was a fantastic 30-minute ride and the boat gave us 3 hours to stay there and return after that. As we reached there we felt as if we had been teleported to some other planet. It was simply surreal and breathtaking. It would be unfair to simply say beautiful.
It was the first time we saw two islands joined by naturally formed sandbars. It was a unique experience. We even spotted many moving corals. The water was crystal clear.
In fact on one of the islands, there were umbrellas and places to sit. Even though there were no food stalls we would suggest you all carry your own food or water while travelling to this mesmerizing place.
Looking at the crystal clear water and the environment, we could not resist ourselves to take a dip in the sea.
This was by far the best beach we had witnessed so far anywhere. A memorable 3 hours came to an end. We returned to our boat and headed towards the Aerial Bay Jetty. It was close to 1 o’clock in the afternoon. We were starving so decided to have lunch. There were a few restaurants close to where we stayed at Subhashgram, Diglipur. We had our lunch in one of them that we randomly chose.
After a sumptuous lunch, we continued our journey towards Port Blair. However, there was a sudden change of plan as we decided to stay at Rangat rather than directly heading to Port Blair. It was another 4-hour journey to Rangat. We reached Rangat by 6:30 PM in the evening.
Now that we decided to stay at Rangat, you might want to know……
6. Where did we stay at Rangat?
Thankfully, our hotel was on the Andaman Trunk Road. We got a room for around 1500 INR per day. The place had many other stay options as well. The best part is almost all the hotels have their own restaurants. Therefore you will never have to go out and look for restaurants.
Rangat did have many street food options. We were lucky to taste a few. Another fabulous day came to an end. We have one more fascinating day left before our arrival again at Port Blair.
Do you remember a question about the mud volcano we asked on the blog beginning??
Yes, you are right, we were now moving to the last leg of the Diglipur Trip.
The next day, we woke up by 7 AM and then departed after breakfast by 9 AM. It was a lethargic start after two hectic days at the Andaman. We continued our journey until we reached the Mud Volcano which was around 75 km and took us 3 hours to reach.
Now your curious question……
7. How was the experience at the Mud Volcano?
The mud volcano is in the Baratang Region. We had to walk for around 300 meters to reach the mud volcano site. The site was not that visually appealing. We noticed many small muddy craters that were created by natural gases emitted by most probably decaying organic matter underground that push the mud upwards.
There are a few places in the world where you can find mud volcanoes. You might be interested to visit one of them. We were also keen to drop a visit. It was interesting though to know the phenomenon.
Finally, after spending an hour over there, we returned to our cab for lunch and then headed straight to Port Blair. We started our return journey by 2:30 PM after lunch. We passed through the same Jarwa Reserve Forest Region and crossed the river through a vessel that carried our cab.
When we reached Port Blair, it was close to 5:30 PM. An amazing trip to Diglipur came to an end. After evening tea, we decided to explore some shops and then end our day.
Still, one more day left in Port Blair before we wind up our Andaman blog series.
In short, you can directly head to Diglipur, and plan a night stay there. The next day, head to Ross & Smith Island, plan a night stay at Rangat and then proceed to Port Blair. It would be a perfect trip to the North Andaman.
Hope you enjoyed reading it as much as we enjoyed describing it. In case of any query, we are just a click away.
Do join us for the last part of this blog……..
Wait! We are not going anywhere without this last question……
8. What kind of help are we going to provide?
Let us inform you that we prepare itineraries not only for anywhere in India but also for Asia. We have been travelling since we were toddlers. So here in our blogs and stories, we will give you a glimpse of our journey and help you plan your trip.
Read about our Uzbekistan blogs.
Read about our Kazakhstan blogs.
Read about our Singapore blogs.
Read about our Vietnam blogs.
Read about our Cambodia blogs.
Read about our Bali blogs.
Read about our Kuala Lumpur blog series.
Read about our Sri Lanka blogs.
Read about our Nepal blogs.
Read about our Char Dham blogs.
Read about our Ladakh blogs.
Read about our day trip to Hyderabad.
Read about our Madhya Pradesh blogs.
Do follow our Instagram handle @mindfulllofvacations and watch for the next destination story of a new place. For any query related to any trip, drop a mail at @mitkau007@gmail.com.
by mitkau