Port Blair: The British“ Safe-Haven”
In 1777, the British Lieutenant Archibald Blair chose the South Andaman harbour now known as Port Blair as the site for a penal colony, although it was not successfully established until 1858, when political activists who had fuelled the Mutiny in 1857 were made to clear the land and build their own prison. Out of 773 prisoners, 292 died, escaped or were hanged in the first two months. Many also lost their lives in attacks by the Andamanese tribes who objected to forest clearance, but by 1864 the number of convicts had grown to three thousand. The prison continued to confine political prisoners until 1945 and still stands as Port Blair’ s prime“ tourist attraction”. Another place worth visiting is Chidya Tapu known for its amazing sunsets; this place can get quite picturesque during the evenings. country. If you want to scuba dive, snorkel or sea walk this is the best place to be. Most of the hotels have their own scuba diving professionals who can walk you through the experience but you can always opt for other operators who might just give you a better deal.
While there, make it a point to stay at the Sea Shell Resort. The luxurious wooden cottages in between tall coconut trees and lush green grass with the access to your very own private beach is certainly worth the experience. De
portion of the jail has a detailed story about the events that took place pre Independence. To explore the entirety of the jail it takes about 2-3 hours and after that if you can manage to make more time, make it a point to watch the sound and light show held in the evenings – it certainly does make the whole experience so much richer.
Havelock Island
Named after Brigadier General Henry Havelock of the Mutiny 1857 fame, this island is famous today for its beautiful Radha Nagar beach.
With a 30-40 minute drive from the jetty or the helipad, Radha Nagar beach isn’ t too far off to experience beautiful white sand and crystal clear blue waters. As one of the most beautiful beaches in the country, it has a huge tourist turnout.
The island’ s current population consists of Bengali settlers. Many of these settlers have Bangladeshi origin as these people were given settlement by the Indian government in 1971 war between India and Pakistan.
It is one of the few places that the administration of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands union territory of India has permitted and encouraged development of tourism with a focus on promoting eco-tourism.
There are two ways to get to Havelock from Port Blair and they are both very different experiences. You could take a chopper ride with flight duration of 20 minutes and get the feel of some breathtaking aerial views or you could opt for the longer 2 hour ferry ride experiencing the majestic Indian Ocean.
Havelock Island is home to some of the most beautiful virgin beaches in the february 2017 | destination exotica 17