Plan a Perfect Trip to Havelock Island in 2024 With These Insider Facts

How many of you reading this blog have seen beaches?? We guess the answer would obviously be many. If we ask, how many of you have ever seen a beach considered one of the finest in Asia?? You might scratch your head now. We will take you all on another virtual tour of the beautiful Havelock Island of this sizzling Andaman blog series.

In case you don’t know who you are……

We call ourselves Travel Freaks……

After two fascinating days in Port Blair, it was time for us to take our trip to the next level. Read our previous blogs if you have yet to get a feel of this amazing Island.

Returning to our story, we were about to depart for Havelock Island by 7 a.m. after breakfast. We have read in blogs and heard from other fellow travellers that Havelock Island has some of the best beaches in Asia. This fact increased our curiosity level further.

Now the big question……

1. What is the best way to reach Havelock Island from Port Blair?

After landing in Port Blair, the best way to reach Havelock is by taking a private catamaran (small cruise you can say with two hulls). Apart from the private catamarans, you may also opt for the facility of helicopter or government ferries. We would suggest you book a private catamaran for a unique experience. Trust us when we say this, it was an absolutely fantastic experience for us.

Two private catamarans are quite popular in the Port Blair to Havelock Island route, Makruzz and Green Ocean Services. You can book a ticket for the Makruzz or the Green Ocean as per your suitability and budget. Please book your tickets well in advance to avoid last minute rush. You can also check out the government ferry timings here.

We booked the Makruzz catamaran which cost us around 2000 INR per person. Hope you got a glimpse of the best possible way of reaching Havelock Island. In case of any query, we are just a click away.

Returning to our story, we reached the Phoenix Bay Jetty in Port Blair by 7:30 AM for our departure at 8 AM. It was at a 20-minute distance from our stay. Thankfully the hotel manager booked a cab in the early hours for our drop-off at the jetty.

We waited patiently for our catamaran to arrive. Slowly, the jetty was filling with travellers, and so was our excitement for a new experience. Finally, after 35 minutes, the catamaran arrived, it was blue and white coloured.

Tip: Do not forget to carry the valid identification cards and any necessary permits for your travel in the Andaman Island.

We handed our checked-in luggage to the catamaran staff. Thereafter, we boarded the catamaran. As we entered, we got the feel of a flight. The seats were super comfortable and the ambience felt like a cruise. There was also a food stall where you could have snacks or lunch. A souvenir shop was also there that was selling items related to the specific catamaran such as T-shirts, Coffee Mugs, Key Chains, etc. We were left awestruck as we took our allotted seats.

As the catamaran departed from Phoenix Bay jetty, we could feel the waves of the ocean. However, the outside panoramic view caught our attention the most. It was an unbelievable 1.5 hours ride. Finally, by 9:40 AM, we landed on Havelock Island.

Now that we landed in Havelock Island, you might be interested in…….

2. Where to stay in the Havelock Island?

After landing on Havelock Island, we were still on the ocean. Within 10 minutes of our landing, we received our luggage and headed towards the exit area. You might not be aware that Havelock Island is also known as Swaraj Dweep. We came across this name while booking the catamaran tickets.

Our stay was near the Radhanagar Area. It was a 20-minute ride from the jetty. Thankfully, we contacted our hotel for jetty pick-up. You might not believe, the best part of this island is that you will never get lost. The roads are straight and narrow. Even though you get confused anywhere, the locals are quite friendly to help you out.

As far as our stay was concerned, it was cottage-type with a view of the nearby beach. You can also opt to stay anywhere on this island based on your suitability. Budget Traveller will surely get an option for 1500 INR per person.

There was a restaurant within our hotel. We had our lunch over there and then started exploring the island as we had half a day to explore the island.

Now the big question……

3. What are the main tourist attractions on the Havelock Island?

The first on our list was the Radhanagar Beach. This is considered one of the finest beaches in Asia. It was hardly 1 km from our stay. We took an auto that dropped us to the beach. Another best part of travelling in Havelock Island is that you can get Auto-rickshaws which can cost anywhere between 100 to 500 INR. You need to have good negotiation skills to get a good deal. You can even rent a scooter to explore and that too for about 400 to 500 INR per day.

As far as Radhanagar Beach was concerned, the time was around 2 o’clock, it was a bright sunny day. There were many coconut sellers standing on cycles by the side of the road. The beach was almost empty. There were a few travellers taking a dip in the sea. In no time, we joined them as we could not resist ourselves to the beauty.

We loved the white sand and the clear blue water with the coconut trees on the backdrop. It was a picturesque view from the sea.

After around an hour of bathing in the sea, we went to take a shower and then ready for the next destination, Kala Pathar Beach. It was around 4 o’clock when we departed from Radhanagar Beach.

We took a 30-minute auto ride to reach Kala Pathar Beach on the far eastern side of the Island. As you can understand from the English translation of “Kala Pathar” meaning “Black Rock”, the beach was totally covered with black rocks against the white sea shores. The ambience was the first thing that caught our attention. You can just sit there relax and even meditate. We really loved the place.

If you are one of the people who loves to be in solace, this place is just for you. The best part was the sunset that we witnessed sitting there. It was one of the best sunset we had ever experienced. It was getting slightly darker when we decided to head to our next destination before heading to our stay. The time was about 5:45 PM.

We went to Elephant Beach, the evening vibe was quite enjoyable. As it was a little dark, we could not see the surroundings much but we were sure that the place had some of the best vibrant corals. You might ask, “how do you know this?”.

The reason was we noticed a few booking counters for underwater activities like Scuba and Snorkelling. So it was certain that the Elephant Beach had some excellent marine life. It was already nearing 7 o’clock. So we thought to return to our stay as again we had an early morning departure from this beautiful island.

After exploring Havelock Island till then, we observed some of the best seafood options. Starting from lobster, crab, and fish curry. Vegetarian food options are also available. Food is never an issue while travelling in the Andaman.

Now that we were returning to our stay, you might want to know……

4. What were the tourist attractions that we left behind to explore?

Apart from Radhanagar Beach, Kalapathar Beach and Elephant Beach, there were numerous other beaches in and around the island. The popular ones were Neil’s Cove, Vijaynagar Beach, Laxmanpur Beach, Govind Nagar Beach and last but not least a naturally formed Howrah Bridge. If you are planning to visit Howrah Bridge, try to reach there during low tide when it becomes much more visible and clear.

We returned to our stay by 7:30 PM. Finished our dinner by 8:30 with a nice rice and fish curry and ended our day in Havelock.

Hope you had a great time reading it as much as we loved exploring it. There are more stories coming up in the Andaman series. Do follow us till then. We are just a click away.

Wait! We are not going anywhere without this last question……

5. 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.

Read about our Andaman and Nicobar 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