Rs 1,05,000. That is roughly what six days on Havelock and Neil Island cost a couple at mid-range comfort, flights from Chennai included, going by current fares and the room rates I list below. The same trip is about Rs 60,000 with the government ferry and beach huts, and crosses Rs 2 lakh if you book a pool villa throughout. Here is the plan I would hand a friend, day by day, with the ferry classes, tide timings and dive rules nobody mentions until you are standing at the jetty.
Two Names for Every Island
On 30 December 2018 the islands were officially renamed. Havelock became Swaraj Dweep, Neil became Shaheed Dweep and Ross Island became Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Dweep, the date chosen because Netaji hoisted the tricolour at Port Blair on 30 December 1943. Government notices and some ferry e-tickets use the new names. Nobody on the ground does. Auto drivers, hotel signboards and ferry staff all say Havelock and Neil, so I will too. Search both names when booking.
Our guide to India’s union territories has the administrative background. If you are travelling with kids and parents, the older Andaman family vacation post covers the wider archipelago, including Baratang and Ross.
Day 1: Port Blair, Veer Savarkar Airport and the Ferry Counter
Veer Savarkar International Airport at Port Blair has direct flights from Chennai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Delhi and Mumbai, with Chennai and Kolkata the busiest and cheapest. Off-season one-way fares from those two sit between Rs 5,000 and 11,000; in late December they double. Flying time from Chennai is about two hours.
The first surprise comes the next morning: sunrise in Port Blair is around 5 am and sunset by 5:45 pm, because the islands run on Indian Standard Time despite sitting far east of the mainland. Every day here ends early. Plan for it.
Land by noon if you can, drop bags near Aberdeen Bazaar and walk to Cellular Jail. The evening light and sound show is the thing to book, not the museum galleries. Use the remaining daylight to confirm your ferry tickets, because the whole itinerary hangs on them.
The Ferries: Government Boat vs Makruzz, Nautika and Green Ocean
The government ferry from Phoenix Bay jetty is the cheapest way across, a few hundred rupees a head, but it takes up to two and a half hours and tickets are sold at the counter a day or two ahead, in a long queue. I have done it once and would not again for a honeymoon.
The private catamarans leave from Haddo jetty and are the sensible choice. Makruzz runs Premium, Deluxe and Royal classes, roughly Rs 1,200 to 3,500 depending on class and sector, 90 minutes to two hours. Nautika is the fastest, around 90 minutes, Rs 1,350 to 2,100. Green Ocean is slower, about two and a half hours, Rs 1,300 to 1,650, and has the only open upper deck on the route, the better option if closed cabins make you queasy.
Three honest warnings. In December and January the private ferries sell out two to four weeks ahead, so book them before hotels. Reach the jetty an hour early with the original photo ID used in the booking; boarding shuts fifteen minutes before sailing. And seasickness is real on the open-sea stretch to Havelock, especially in October, November and May. Morning sailings are calmer; take an Avomine an hour before, sit mid-boat and do not read your phone.
Luggage is officially 25 kg per person on Makruzz, though its own blogs quote 15 to 20 kg. Travel light and confirm.
Day 2: Cross to Havelock, Sunset at Radhanagar
Take the first sailing, usually around 8 am, so you have the whole afternoon on Havelock. From the jetty, autos go to Govind Nagar (Beach No 5) and Beach No 3, where most stays are. A scooter costs about Rs 500 a day and is the right way to see the island, but the petrol pump shuts by 5 pm. Fill up on the way from the jetty.
Radhanagar, Beach No 7, is 12 km across the island on the west coast, the one Time magazine called Asia’s best in 2004. The sand is wide and white, the swimming zone is roped off and lifeguards are on duty. There is good shade in the tree line and none at all on the sand, so carry water and a sarong.
It is quiet until about 3:30 pm. Between 4 and 5:30 pm every tour group on Havelock arrives for the sunset. For the famous view with fewer people, come at 2 pm, swim, and stay. The road back has no streetlights for most of its length, so ride back before dark or pre-book an auto, roughly Rs 400 to 500 one way.
Day 3: Elephant Beach in the Morning, Kalapathar in the Afternoon
Elephant Beach is a morning-only beach, and the closure catches people out. Speedboats leave the jetty from about 7:30 am, take twenty minutes, and cost around Rs 1,000 per person round trip with a short snorkel thrown in. Boats stop by early afternoon and the beach is cleared around 3 pm, operators quoting anywhere from 3 to 4 pm by season. Arrive after 11 am and you have bought a very short visit.
The alternative is the forest trail, about 2 km from the turn-off on the Radhanagar road, thirty to forty minutes of flat, muddy walking with guides at the entrance. It is a good way in and a bad way out when the tide floods the last stretch, so ask first. The reef off the beach is shallow and partly bleached, but the fish are plentiful and a first-time snorkeller will be happy. Do not stand on the coral.
After lunch, ride to Kalapathar on the east coast, 10 to 12 km from the jetty. The road hugs the shore through Vijaynagar under old trees with the sea on your left, and that ride is the best half hour on Havelock. The beach itself is small, named for its black rocks, and not for swimming. Go for the road and the quiet.
In the evening, if your dates fall near a new moon between November and February, book the bioluminescence kayaking in the mangroves, Rs 1,800 to 3,000 per person for about 90 minutes. The glow is not guaranteed and on full-moon nights there is nothing to see, so check the moon before the price.
Day 4: Scuba Before Noon, Ferry to Neil After Lunch
A Discover Scuba Dive on Havelock costs Rs 5,000 to 6,500 for one supervised dive to about 12 metres, pool session and gear included; boat dives cost a little more than shore dives. The shops along Beach No 3 and No 5 are PADI or SSI affiliated and you fill a medical form first. Tick asthma or a recent cold and expect to be turned away. Non-swimmers can do it.
The rule that decides your whole itinerary: no flying for 18 to 24 hours after a dive. The agencies’ minimum for a single shallow dive is 12 hours, but every shop on Havelock uses 18 or 24, and they ask your flight date at the counter and refuse you if you are flying the next morning. That is why the dive sits on Day 4 of this plan and not Day 5. Of all the adventure activities in India, this is the one I would not skip.
After lunch take the ferry from Havelock to Neil, an hour to 90 minutes, Rs 1,000 to 1,500 on a private boat. You will be on Neil by 4 pm with time to reach Laxmanpur Beach No 1 for sunset. Neil has almost no streetlights at all. The scooter headlight is your streetlight, so ride slowly and carry a torch even for the walk from your hut to dinner.
Day 5: Neil Island by the Tide Table
Neil is about 5 km across and its beaches are named after the Ramayana: Bharatpur, Laxmanpur, Sitapur, Ramnagar. Sunrise at Sitapur (Beach No 5) is just after 5 am; go once, since you will be awake anyway. Bharatpur, beside the jetty, has the calmest, shallowest swimming on either island, plus glass-bottom boats and snorkelling for a few hundred rupees.
The natural rock bridge at Laxmanpur Beach No 2 is why this day runs on a tide chart, not a clock. At high tide the approach is underwater and the arch is barely visible. At low tide you walk 100 to 200 metres over coral flats and tide pools full of starfish, sea cucumbers and urchins to reach it.
Low tide comes twice a day and shifts by about 50 minutes daily; your hotel will know the window, and local boys at the entrance guide you across for a small tip. Wear shoes you can get wet. Petrol on Neil comes from Port Blair by boat and sometimes runs out, so keep the tank half full.
Day 6: Neil to Port Blair and the Flight Home
Direct ferries from Neil to Port Blair take about two hours and the morning sailing lands you by 10 to 11 am; the airport is a 20-minute auto ride. Book a flight after 2 pm. In October, November or May, when a cyclone warning can cancel sailings for two or three days, I would honestly spend the last night in Port Blair and fly out the next morning. A missed flight costs more than a hotel room.
Where to Stay on Havelock and Neil, With Honest Price Bands
Havelock has the full range. Bamboo huts with a fan and mosquito net behind Beach No 5 and No 3 go for Rs 2,000 to 3,500 a night, more with an attached bathroom. Mid-range resorts with AC, a pool and a restaurant run Rs 5,000 to 9,000. The Barefoot at Havelock near Radhanagar, Munjoh and Tilar Siro sit around Rs 10,000 to 15,000, and the Taj Exotica is Rs 25,000 to 40,000 by villa and season.
A honeymoon does not need the Taj. Two nights at Barefoot with the forest at your door is the better memory, which is why the Andamans rarely make our wedding destinations list but often make the honeymoon one.
Neil is simpler and cheaper. Eco huts near Bharatpur and Sitapur start at Rs 1,500 to 3,000, mid-range resorts like Summer Sands, Pearl Park and SeaShell Neil are Rs 4,000 to 8,000, and Silver Sand is the only one past Rs 12,000. On both islands ask one question before booking: generator or inverter. Power cuts are routine, worse in May, and an AC room with no backup is a hot box at 2 am. For December and January, book two months ahead.
Money, Network and the Rules Nobody Reads
Carry cash. Havelock has two or three ATMs that run dry on weekends, Neil has one or two that are often out of order, and UPI fails whenever the network drops. Airtel and BSNL are the operators that work; 4G on Havelock improved after the undersea cable from Chennai arrived, but Neil still lives on a weak signal, and resort Wi-Fi is a courtesy, not a service.
Plastic carry bags are banned across the islands, and so are PET bottles under 2 litres, which includes bottled water. Carry a refillable bottle. Touching, breaking or collecting coral is prohibited, bags are checked for shells and sand at the airport, and the fines are real.
Permits are simple for Indians: none needed for Port Blair, Havelock, Neil, Ross or Baratang, just a government photo ID for the ferries. Foreigners no longer need a Restricted Area Permit for the 29 islands opened to tourism, including Havelock and Neil, but still register at the immigration counter on arrival; nationals of Afghanistan, China and Pakistan need a prior permit cleared by the Home Ministry. The current notice is on the Andaman and Nicobar Tourism site.
Food, Fish and the Vegetarian Reality
Seafood is the point. Grilled red snapper or a whole crab costs Rs 600 to 1,200 at the Havelock beach shacks and a lobster goes past Rs 2,000. Settlers from Bengal and Tamil Nadu mean fish curry with rice is the local lunch, Rs 150 to 250 a thali. Vegetarian variety is limited: paneer, dal, a few sabzis, one pure-veg place called Shakahaar on Havelock, and the Neil thalis made from the island’s own cucumbers, beans and okra, honestly better than anything fancy.
Alcohol is available on Havelock at a handful of licensed bars and resorts, a beer at Rs 200 to 300, most shutting by 10 pm. Neil is close to dry; a couple of resorts serve, nothing else does. Compared with Goa, nights here end when the generator does.
October to May, and the Months Inside It
The season is October to May, but the months are not equal. October has settling seas, a few showers and lower prices. November is the cyclone month in the Bay of Bengal; most years nothing happens, some years ferries stop for three days. December to February is the best weather and the highest prices. March is still good.
April and May are hot and humid, 32 to 34 degrees with no breeze at noon, but the beaches empty, resorts discount heavily and dive visibility is excellent. June to September is monsoon, with frequent ferry cancellations, and I would not plan a honeymoon in it.
What 6 Days Really Cost for Two
Totals for a couple, five nights, with flights from Chennai or Kolkata. Add Rs 15,000 to 25,000 if you fly from Delhi or Mumbai in peak season.
| Item | Budget | Mid-range | Luxury |
|---|---|---|---|
| Return flights, two people | Rs 24,000 | Rs 36,000 | Rs 50,000 |
| Ferries, three legs each | Rs 6,000 (government and economy) | Rs 10,000 (private, standard class) | Rs 16,000 (premium class) |
| Stays, five nights | Rs 12,500 (huts) | Rs 32,000 (AC resorts) | Rs 1,10,000 (Barefoot and Taj) |
| Activities (Elephant Beach, scuba, kayaking, boats) | Rs 8,000 | Rs 16,000 | Rs 28,000 |
| Food, scooters and autos | Rs 9,000 | Rs 14,000 | Rs 25,000 |
| Total for two | Rs 59,500 | Rs 1,08,000 | Rs 2,29,000 |
For the same money and days, the other Indian island trip is Lakshadweep, clearer water and far more paperwork; the Lakshadweep trip guide lays out its permit and ship costs if you are choosing between the two. The top 20 Indian destinations guide shows where the Andamans fit.
Havelock or Neil, If You Must Choose
Havelock. With three nights or fewer, go to Havelock alone, because it has the dive shops, the long beach, the kayaking and the restaurants, and Neil becomes a day trip you can skip without regret. With five nights, do the split above, three on Havelock and two on Neil, in that order, so the trip gets quieter as it goes. Neil is for people who want nothing to do, and after the boats and dive briefings, two days of nothing is exactly what a couple needs.
