How To Reach Havelock Island: A Traveller's Guide

Havelock is the uncrowned paradise of the eastern hemisphere – a tropical gem that houses the most beautiful natural wonders that you can ever lay your eyes upon. A pristine sandy beach, waters as clear as the sky above your head, a dense forest cover that protects this beach from prying eyes just like a pearl is protected by a seashell, a quaint little dock and colourful coral reefs that will fill you with a sense of peace and wonder that only Ringo Starr’s song ‘Octopus Garden’ can manage. But before you start daydreaming about your days in Havelock, sit down for a minute and plan your trip. How exactly do you plan to reach Havelock Island? Don’t worry – this traveller’s guide has been put together to answer THAT exact question.

REACHING HAVELOCK

Getting to Havelock, the crown jewel of the Andaman and Nicobar group of islands is largely a two-stage process. First, you must reach Port Blair from mainland India, which is the most prominent and best-connected destinations in the region. The Port Blair airport is well equipped with decent facilities to make your travel process easy and comfortable. From here, you need to start making your way to the elusive Havelock Island.

# Getting to Port Blair from mainland India: Andaman and Nicobar are a group of islands so, naturally, expecting any kind of land travel to these locations is basically impossible. A traveller basically has two choices to make this journey – air or water based transportation:

• By Air, you can reach Port Blair by booking any of the regular flights that ply between this airport and Chennai or Kolkata. NRIs and foreign travellers need to get a Protected Area Permit or PAP on arrival at the Port Blair airport. This permit is valid for 30 days from the date of issue.
• By Sea, you can reach Port Blair from three different ports in mainland India including Chennai (Travel Time: 60 hours), Kolkata (Travel Time: 66 hours), and Visakhapatnam (Travel Time: 56 hours). Tickets for your travel can be generally booked at the office of the Shipping Corporation of India.

# Getting to Havelock Island from Port Blair: This is a relatively short duration travel, whether you travel to the destination by air or by sea. The waterways in the region are quite active and ferries leave as per a fixed schedule, making the commute quite easy to manage for travellers visiting the place for the first time.

• By Air, you can reach Havelock in about 20 minutes from Port Blair. Pawan Hans Helicopters Limited operates seaplanes on the route and their services are generally available on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
• By Sea, you can reach Havelock on an air conditioned catamaran ferry. The total ride only takes about 90 minutes to reach the destination from Port Blair. The government operated ferries are also available but they may take a bit longer to reach.

If you are planning your travels to Havelock Island, make sure you book your ferry and flight tickets well in advance, especially during the peak season. Hope this article will help you in managing your trip arrangements. Have fun!

Andaman Excursion is a Tour operator based at Andaman & Nicobar Islands offering tour packages exclusively to Andaman Islands. We are specialised in handling Honeymoon packages for Andaman Islands. We believe in providing quality service to our clients.