News Latest Information on Travelling to Andaman Islands?
  • Runway Status for Port Blair Airport From October,22 to February, 23

    Updated: 19 Sep 2022
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  • RT PCR report on arrival

    Updated: 14 Aug 2021
  • Andaman Tourism Opens

    Updated: 14 Aug 2021

    Andaman Tourism Opens: The Andaman & Nicobar administration has announced that all tourist spots in the South Andaman district will be opened for tourism activities with immediate effect 8 Feb 2022.

  • What is the advisory to travel to North & Middle Andaman District?

    Updated: 14 Aug 2021

    The tourists are allowed to visit Baratang/North & Middle Andaman on production of double dose covid certificate/ All other passengers viz. unvaccinated and partially vaccinated passengers (those who have taken only 1S1 dose of COVID vaccine) shall have to produce RT-PCR negative test report

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  • All asymptomatic fully vaccinated persons coming to these islands from mainland are exempted from the requirement of carrying RT-PCR negative test report,irrespective of the type of vaccine received and country of origin. Such fullyvaccinated individuals shall produce the final vaccination certificate at the origin airport, sea port in the mainland and at Port Blair Airport / sea port.
  • Alt asymptomatic children below 5 years of age are exempted from carrying RT-PCR negative test report and further RT-PCR testing at Port Blair Airport.
  • All other passengers viz. unvaccinated and partially vaccinated passengers (those who have taken only 1S1 dose of COVID vaccine) shall have to produce RT-PCR negative test report to travel to Port Blair from the mainland, as is the practice now. Such an RT-PCR test should have been taken within 48 hours prior to commencement of journey from the origin airport connecting Port Blair. Such passengers will also have to undergo additional RT-PCR test on arrival at Port Blair. Such passengers shall remain in self-quarantine till the arrival of the test report.
  • If a passenger on arrival is tested positive then, the prescribed quarantine protocol is to be followed.
  • All Airlines shall ensure strict compliance of this order and observance of COVID Appropriate Behaviour. Any non-compliance shall invite action under Disaster Management Act and other applicable laws. 
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General Guidelines defined for traveling to Andaman Islands during COVID :

  1. The Tourism Activities are permitted only in South Andaman & North & Middle Andaman District except Nicobar District.
  2. Persons above 65 years of age, persons with home co-morbidities, pregnant women and children below the age of 10 years advised not to travel for tourism purposes.
  3. Tourists/Visitors who are at higher risk due to some medical history are advised to take extra precautions.
  4. Tourists/visitors shall minimize contact with other staff and visitors as far as possible and zero contact policy should be followed at all tourist destinations.
  5. All tourists/visitors shall be briefed by the hotel concerned about do’s & don’ts to be mandatorily followed during their stay and movements.
  6. While travelling tourists/visitors should wear a face mask and carry their own sanitizer and wet wipes for personal use.
  7. At all tourist destinations, staff must wear face masks and wash/sanitize hands regularly while performing their duties.
  8. Arogya Setu App shall be mandatory for all incoming tourists/visitors.
  9. Respiratory etiquettes to be strictly followed. This involves strict practice of covering one’s mouth and nose while coughing/sneezing with a tissue handkerchief/flexed elbow and disposing off used tissues properly after use.
  10. The tourists/visitors on arrival at Port Blair airport have to undergo mandatory Covid-19 screening with RTPCR test free of cost. Thereafter the tourists/ visitors are allowed to move to their respective hotels. However, they will have to be under quarantine at Port Blair in their hotel rooms until the result of RTPCR tests are received. In case of RTPCR positive test results, the tourists/visitors shall remain in institutional quarantine in hotels notified by the Hoteliers Association in consent with the A&%N Administration, on rate as specified or to the designated hospital/ Covid 19 care centre on case to case basis.
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What are the guidelines for testing for tourists coming to Andaman after August 03 2021?

On arrival at Port Blair :

1. The tourists need to carry COVID-19 negative test report from mainland based 1CMR approved lab using Reverse Transcriptase-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RTPCR). However, the sample for RTPCR test should have been taken within 48 hours prior to starting the journey from the origin station. (For e.g. if the tourist takes a flight from Delhi at 0600 hrs. on 1st September, 2021, the sample for RTPCR test should have been taken not before 0600 hrs. on 30th August, 2021).

2. The tourists/visitors on arrival at Port Blair airport have to undergo mandatory Covid-19 screening with RTPCR test free of cost. Thereafter the tourists/visitors are allowed to move to their respective hotels. However, they will have to be under quarantine at Port Blair in their hotel rooms until the result of RTPCR tests are received. In case of RTPCR positive test results, the tourists/visitors shall remain in
institutional quarantine in hotels notified by the Hoteliers Association in consent with the A&N Administration, on rates as specified or to the designated hospital/ Covid-19 care centre on case-to-case basis.

3. Tourists may also have to undergo random Rapid Antigen Test conducted from time to time on payment basis as prescribed by A8N Administration.

What if the tourists test positive after arriving at the Andaman Islands?


If the tourists tests positive during their stay in the Islands, he/she will need to undergo institutional isolation as per existing health protocols. The
cost of such isolation for govt. facility will be paid by the tourists as fixed by the administration from time to time.

If the patient wants to stay at hotels, he/she can stay in the hotels if all the conditions below are met:

a) Patients are not symptomatic and not more than 60 years old.
b) Request/ undertaking is made by patient in writing.
c)lf allowed by doctors.

Hotels will make necessary arrangements to designate a part of their rooms for institutional isolation for this purpose.

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  • Regular flights to Port Blair (the capital of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands) are operational now.
  • There are direct flights from Chennai, Kolkata, Bangalore, and Delhi.
  • Public transports like cabs, taxis, and bus services are also functional.
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Travellers should carefully follow social distancing norms and wear masks as well. Also, before making any booking, they should refer to the latest travel news on the government website of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

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Geography of Port Blair

Port Blair is the capital city of the Indian union territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Located in the Bay of Bengal, the Japanese occupied it during World War II. However, during the time when Lord Mountbatten was viceroy of India, it was returned to the British. In this blog, we present the details of the geography of Port Blair.

The capital city is nearly 1,255 kilometers from Kolkata and around 1,191 kilometers from Chennai. It is on the hilly southeastern Andaman Sea coast of South Andaman Island. Port Blair’s eastern, northern, and northeastern parts are over 100 feet above sea level. Sloping toward a fine natural harbour, the western part is comparatively lower. The town receives an average rainfall of about 3,180 millimeters. It has a mean temperature of about 30 °Celsius.

With a tropical monsoon climate, Port Blair has an area of 16.64 square kilometers. For the remaining year, it experiences a dry season and a heavy monsoon. There is no winter season here. The average temperature here is 26.2 degrees Celsius. Other weather aspects of Port Blair are the annual sunshine that averages 2405 hours and total annual precipitation that averages 2872 millimeters. Andaman and Nicobar Islands have a humidity of level of around 80 per cent. Its temperature varies between 23 degree Celsius and 31 degrees Celsius. Without extreme chilly winters or hot summers, it experiences a uniform climate throughout the year.

The geography of Port Blair is quite unique. The southwest monsoon commences at the end of May, while the northeast monsoon begins in November. From May to December, lush greenery and lovely waterfalls can be seen in the forest. That is why, nature lovers prefer this time to travel to Port Blair. The winter months, between December and April, are ideal for bird watchers and divers. Because of an almost steady climate throughout the year, the Andamans is perfect for different kinds of enthralling adventure activities such as snorkeling, boating, scuba diving, swimming, etc.

Speaking about the geography of Port Blair in detail, its soil and vegetation are appropriate for tropical evergreen and semi-evergreen forests. The thick forest grows here soon as rainfall is quite common here. Complementary to each other, vegetation and soil support the growth of epiphytic plants (plants growing on other plants). The vegetation of the Nicobar Islands is featured by grasslands and the absence of deciduous forests. Coconut trees are another crucial vegetation here. The coastline of the island is dotted by a long array of tall coconut trees. They outline the entire fringe. Mainly, paddy is cultivated in the Andaman Islands. The significant cash crops of these islands are areca nut and coconut. Some root crops along with a number of fruits (sapota, papaya, banana, mango, pineapple, orange, etc) are also grown here.

The capital town of one of the seven union territories of India, Port Blair is the tourist hub for all the people visiting the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The islands were unknown until the eighteenth century. Also known as Kala Pani (translated as black water), it is a conglomeration of nearly 570 islands. Covering an overall area of 8249 square kilometers, Nicobar district has 1841 square kilometers and Andaman district has 6498 square kilometers. The union territory is 732 meters high from sea level, and Saddle peak and Mount Thullier are the highest points.

Andaman and Nicobar Islands is a group of as many as 3000 islands. These comprise islands, islets, and rocks. Ritchie Archipelago and Labyrinth Islands are the two main islets here. The topography of the Andamans includes a long range of hills with lush green forests. A series of mountains and ridges having moderate elevation is seen here. Only 36 islands are inhabited out of the 527 islands that are formed by submarine mountain range separating the Bay of Bengal from the Andaman Sea. A total of 26 are in the Andaman group out of them. The remaining are in the smaller Nicobar.

Port Blair is a market town that has a sawmill, several museums, and natural beauty. Tourism is quite important here. The central part of Port Blair is the Aberdeen Bazaar. A number of shops, hotels, and bus depots are located here. Around the central area, you can see older homes that are built with tin and timber, and are on raised platforms. Tourists from all over the world visiting Port Blair include the below-mentioned in their travel itinerary:

  • Cellular Jail
  • Chatham Sawmill
  • Sippighat Farm- It is a government-owned facility that is used for agricultural research, mainly for spice cultivation.
  • Veer Savarkar Park
  • Viper Island- The ruins of a jail stand on a hilltop
  • Samudrika Naval Marine Museum
  • Corbyn’s Cove- It is northeast of central Port Blair on the seacoast
  • Murugan Temple
  • Japanese Bunkers
  • Manglutan Village

British developed the nearby Ross Island (renamed Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Island in 2018). A marine engineering workshop is located at Phoenix Bay, and a matchstick factory is at Haddo. Port Blair is also home to coast guard and air force installations, and a naval base.

How to reach Port Blair?

Port Blair can be reached via air or sea. Flight being the faster and more convenient option would be the best option though. Direct flights are available from Kolkata, Bangalore, Chennai, and Hyderabad. Depending on your departure location, you can reach there in around two to three hours. Whereas, three to four days are taken by the ships plying from Chennai, Kolkata, and Vizag. Tourists do not prefer this mode.

Best time to visit Port Blair

The best time period to travel to Port Blair is between October and May. Being the dry season, the weather is pleasant during this time and ideal for outdoor activities and water sports. June to September is the offseason in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands as it is the rainy season. Owing to heavy rainfall, cyclonic weather, and strong winds, you should avoid this period.

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