Kala Pathar beach and Vijaynagar beach........

Day 6: Havelock island

The day started with a walk on the Vijaynagar beach. The cool breeze and the sound of waves were soothing to the mind. The agenda of the day was to visit the Kala Pathar beach, laze around Vijaynagar beach and another visit to the Radhanagar beach.

Breakfast was complimentary and was the regular fare of juice, eggs, toast, parathas. Freshened up and left for the first place on the agenda - Kala Pathar beach. Its just a few mins drive from the resort. The beach gets its name from a nearby village with the same name. The sea gives you company on one side decorated with black rocks and the other side of the road is lined with tropical forest. The beach was deserted with the presence of one coconut vendor. Since mornings are high tides and we were told of not entering the waters because of strong currents and rocks, we just took a small stroll on the beach, had water from a really huge coconut(haven't seen this huge a coconut until now) and off to the Makruzz office to book for the onward journey.

Kala Pathar beach during high tide

The Makruzz office is located near the jetty on the left side coming from the jetty. We booked premium class tickets which were priced at INR. 950 per person. Premium class is located on the upper deck. A colleague of mine had advised against the lower deck seats to avoid sea sickness.

Kala Pathar beach

We then headed back to the resort and it was time to get into the waters! The resort has a private beach with trees lined on the shore. Mr. Husband enjoyed swimming and I was just lazing around the shore. The best thing about Andamans, according to us, is just lazing on a beach under the shade of a tree and reading your favorite author! It was just what we needed after a hectic schedule back at Bangalore. Lunch was at Anju Coco and we retired to reading books by the shore.

It had become a ritual to witness sunset on beach while at Neil island and how could we miss the spectacular scene at Radhanagar beach. All our evenings at Havelock island were spent watching the sunset at Radhanagar beach. We reached Radhanagar beach by 4:45 pm, went for a long walk on the beach and saw the amazing sunset.

There are lots of shops and eateries lined up near the parking. On our way back, I was tempted to buy some jewelry and souvenirs. The items are expensive compared to Neil island and do not forget to bargain! In case you visit Neil island and have some time for shopping, do it at Bharathpur beach in the mornings.

On our way back, we stopped at Anju Coco for dinner. It was a relaxed day with nothing much to do or roam around but well spent.  

The last day at Neil Island....

Day 4: Neil Island

The days started early during our stay at the Andaman. The cool breeze and an amazing breakfast by the beach. Just what you would want on a holiday! The morning activities had almost become a routine - getting up early, having breakfast, then a walk by the beach and off to Bharatpur beach. We left for Bharatpur beach on our cycles around 10 am. Since the deep waters of Neil Islands are unexplored, we thought of doing snorkeling here. The snorkeling is done at Bharatpur beach at the rate of INR. 400 per person for a short distance and around INR. 600 for a long distance. We opted for the short distance one. So let me brief you on the snorkeling done here. A person comes with each one of you and they give you a buoy, mask and snorkel apparatus consisting of a tube. The buoy lets you float on the surface of water, in case you do not know swimming, the mask makes your vision under the surface of the water clear as without this your vision under water will be blur, the apparatus lets you breathe as your face is submerged under the water surface. Hence these are the necessary things for snorkeling.

So the activity starts by the person taking you until waist deep water and helping you get adjusted with the mask and the apparatus. You will be asked to wear the mask and the apparatus and then the buoy will be given and then you will be asked to float holding on to the buoy around you. Once you are comfortable, you will be taken for the final ride where you can find beautiful fishes and corals. Its a plus if you know swimming since you will be floating on the surface of water only for this activity. Also, the timings for snorkeling are such that they don't coincide with ferry timings. The fishes seen were butterfly fish, clown fish, clams, corals and many other different colorful fishes.

Trees near Lakshmanpur beach

We were done with this and still had some time left for lunch. Hence, we played around for a while in the waters and then headed back to the resort. The delicious lunch was served and then we headed towards the Lakshmanpur beach which is the beach on which the resort is located. We read some books, clicked some photos and it was time for the sunset walk. As usual we saw the last sunset of Neil island and were back at the resort.

Part of one of the uprooted trees

Kewda

Dead shells and coral parts on Lakshmanpur beach

 Throughout the stretch of Lakshmanpur beach, we saw huge trees or huge barks of trees lying on the sand. When inquired we got to know that these huge trees were uprooted during the tsunami of 2004! Also, you can see lots of dead shells on the beach and by lots I really mean lots of them. There is also one plant called as "Kewda" in the local language which is seen abundantly in Andaman and we were told that the fruit of this plant is used by the tribals! Neil island made us feel one with the nature with its serene beauty adn we hope to be back soon!

Bharatpur and Lakshmanpur beach and Neil Island..

Day 3: Neil Island

We had planned to stay at Neil Island for 3 nights and I must admit that the island is so peaceful and beautiful that you fell like extending the stay! The day started with a walk on the beach and we had already seen some birds like Black capped Kingfisher, Red Vented and Red Whiskered Bulbul. We then had a wholesome breakfast of chapati, sabzi, eggs, bread, jam and fruits.

You can just think of beaches when on an island. And so did we! We left for Bharatpur beach by 9:15 am on our cycles. It was really exciting to ride a cycle after so many years! Bharatpur beach is located near the jetty and this is the beach if you want to go for Snorkeling and swimming. The waters are very calm and extremely clean. Also, the island is very relaxed as compared to the hustle and bustle at Havelock Island. There are some jewelry and food stalls on the beach. You can also rent a lifebuoy for Rs. 100 on the beach. There are also shacks and lots of trees that provide shade to rest.

Bharatpur beach in the morning

Bharatpur beach during low tide

If you are planning to visit this beach, be sure to go there in the mornings as the noons face low tide and evenings are best at Lakshmanpur beach. Also take sunscreen with you as mornings get hotter as the day progresses. At the fruit stall you can buy a fruit chaat for Rs. 100 which will get you a mixture of fruits with some chaat masala sprinkled over them. The chaat though expensive is tasty. The jewelry is also very cheap as compared to Havelock Island. I got some coral earrings and ornaments made from shells.

The morning was spent doing nothing but lazying around the shore or being in the water. By noon we were back at the resort for lunch. On the way we stopped at the local market to get some fruits and we got some bananas and mangoes. After lunch we decided to visit the natural rock at beach number 2. To see this natural beauty one has to visit it in low tide since you need to walk on dead corals and rocks to reach the place and hence noon is best reserved for this.

The place is around 2km from the jetty and you need to take the road next to the local market. It took us around 20 mins on the cycle to reach there and its a good place to cycle with the roads taking you through vegetation. One might find some sea creatures while walking on the dead corals and rocks like sea cucumbers, star fish. The place is really beautiful and the rock formation is just fantastic!

I think its a star fish

The natural rock formation

The walk to natural rock formation

It was evening by the time we came back. Then we headed towards the tip of the island located on the Lakshmanpur beach for the sunset.

Sunset at Lakshmanpur beach

We get so busy in our everyday lives that we forget to enjoy natural things as sunrise ans sunset and its when you visit such places you realize the beauty of nature.