Andaman Holiday Packages

Andaman's draw is straightforward: some of India's clearest water and best snorkeling and diving, paired with beaches at Radhanagar on Havelock (Swaraj Dweep) and on Neil Island (Shaheed Dweep) that regularly show up on best-beach lists. History buffs add in the Cellular Jail in Port Blair, while divers and snorkelers come specifically for the reefs around Havelock and the Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park near Wandoor. It's a slower, island-hopping kind of trip rather than a single-base holiday — most itineraries split time between Port Blair, Havelock, and Neil Island.

November to May is the dependable season, with the cooler, less humid months of December to February being the most comfortable for sightseeing and the pre-summer window of March-April often prized for the clearest underwater visibility. The southwest monsoon arrives roughly May-June through September, and Andaman also sees some monsoon influence later in the year, so ferry schedules between islands can get disrupted or delayed with little notice during these months — something package comparisons don't always flag clearly, so it's worth asking directly.

Port Blair's Veer Savarkar International Airport has direct flights from Chennai, Kolkata, Delhi, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad, with Chennai and Kolkata typically offering the shortest flight times, around two to two-and-a-half hours. There's no train or road option — Andaman is reachable only by air or a multi-day ferry from Chennai, Kolkata, or Visakhapatnam, which is really more of an experience in itself than a practical way to travel on a fixed schedule. From Port Blair, getting to Havelock or Neil Island means a government or private ferry, usually 1.5 to 3 hours depending on the vessel and route, and these inter-island ferry seats sell out in peak season, so they're worth booking well in advance.

A standard 5-6 night Andaman package covering Port Blair, Havelock, and Neil Island usually includes hotel stays, breakfast, inter-island ferry tickets, and airport or jetty transfers; activities like scuba diving, sea walking, or the glass-bottom boat ride to North Bay are typically quoted as optional add-ons rather than built into the base price. For a couple, a mid-range week-long package tends to run roughly ₹35,000-60,000 per person excluding flights, with flights adding another ₹8,000-18,000 round trip depending on origin city and season; budget stays and basic rooms can bring the land package down, while beachfront resorts on Havelock push it up considerably. Some islands and activities require ID checks or permits, usually handled by the tour operator, but it's worth confirming this is actually included rather than assumed.

Foreign nationals need a Restricted Area Permit for parts of Andaman, usually issued on arrival, but Indian travelers only need a standard government photo ID — still, carry it everywhere, since it's checked at jetties and some tourist sites. A detail many first-timers miss: cash and card access is limited once you leave Port Blair, so carry more cash than you think you'll need for Havelock and Neil Island, where ATMs are few and can run out or go offline. It's also worth building at least one buffer day into your itinerary, since inter-island ferries do get canceled or rescheduled for weather or sea conditions, and a tight plan with a flight booked right after can turn into a stressful scramble.