Indian archipelago in the Bay of Bengal: Day 2 & 3

For the Day 1 at Andaman Islands, Please visit:

Indian archipelago in the Bay of Bengal

Day #2 at Andaman: 08 March 2017

We did not follow the actual plan. I need to mention that the travel agent made us re-route based on their convenience. We started our voyage for the longest part of the trip. It was a two and a half days plan which went very good though initially we were not prepared for the re-routing.

So, the route was:

Port Blaire à Baratang Island à Rangat (Day 3: night stay at Rangat)

Rangat à Diglipur à Mayabundar (Day 4: night stay at Mayabundar)

Mayabundar à Port Blaire (Day 5)

The voyage from Port Blair to Baratang island can be envisioned as an exhilarating adventure. I always had read about the Andaman Islands, forests and the Jarawas. First time, I got to see everything at a hand stretching distance. There are four convoys which take the tourists through the Jarawa forest. First trip is recommended. We took the second trip and cherished each moment with anticipation and excitement.

At the end of this enthralling journey we reached at the jetty to board our ship. The ship took us to the Baratang Island. We got our permission to go to the limestone cave and the Mangrove creek from Uttara jetty. There is a rule of taking ten people in one diesel boat and each of the person must wear life jacket. The experience of passing through the mangroves gives a mesmerizing feeling. The soothing wind in the humid and warm weather of Andaman works as an invigorating element of nature. The long stretch of the nature-made tunnel of thick mangrove plantations gives you a scope to enjoy the variety of exotic birds which can be spotted along the lush trail of dense tree knots and canopies. The end of this sea journey will be at the mangroves where the boat takes a left turn. In this area, the boat’s engine will be kept off and will be sailed manually. This mangrove creek leads to the magnificent Lime Stone Cave.

Lime Stone Cave is a cave with interesting limestone structures and stalactite and stalagmites. These natural cave is a splendid sight. The lime stone structures of this cave have been formed over ages and have not been traversed or exploited. It is one of the sites that have remained untouched by the humans and have retained the forms and structures since the beginning of the formation.

Next, we visited the nature’s wonder, Mud Volcano. It is about 20-minutes’ journey to reach to this place. There are many stairs to get to the volcano location. It was not that as much interesting as heard.

Our third day ended with the stay at a Govt. guest house at Rangat.

Day #3 at Andaman: 09 March 2017

In the morning, we started for Diglipur. We did not know which surprise was waiting for us. Initially, the senior people in the group were a bit reluctant to take a ferry to the Ross and Smith Island. But the junior ones were adamant to store all the memories of Andaman. We were not ready to leave any stone unturned.

We booked two speed boats at a rate of Rupees 3000 per boat and 5 persons with life jackets. All the security process and measures were taken into consideration and we went to experience a stunning and serene beauty of nature.

Known as the twin islands of North Andaman, Ross and Smith Islands are famous for its natural white sand bar connecting the two islands. Considered by many as the most beautiful islands in the archipelago, the turquoise blue water, tropical forests, nature trails, virgin beaches and picturesque village makes this a perfect destination. Once the sun starts shinning bright, the water reveals hues of blues and greens which is a rare beauty. It offered us nice long walks where we enjoyed the silence. The island and surrounding areas form a Marine Park. We also saw some underwater creatures near the seashore. In a sentence, this place resemblance dream picture postcard.

Panoramic view of Ross and Smith Island

Smith Island excursion would require another set of permissions and we were so much overwhelmed by the Ross island in three to four hours that we thought to skip the Smith Island part.

We were almost ready to end our 3rd day.

But our 3rd day’s journey ended with another beach visit. It was the Karmatang beach at Mayabunder. It was the time of sunset when we reached at this beach. The colors evolving in the interactions with the sun with the sea made this place beautiful. But, to be honest, this beach was polluted compared to the other beaches in Andaman. There is a big park with many benches, hammocks, and small huts alongside the beach. We could not stay there for a long time as there is a fixed time of closing.

Karmatang beach

Next, we headed towards our hotel for the night stay.

To Be Continued . . . .