6 Day Complete Andaman Tour Package | Flawless

The private ferry from Port Blair to Havelock on Day 2 of this andaman tour package departs Phoenix Bay Jetty and covers approximately 57 kilometres in around 1.5 to 2.5 hours depending on sea conditions. Havelock — officially Swaraj Dweep — is the island that most people come to the Andaman Islands specifically for. Radhanagar Beach on the island's western side is a long arc of white sand backed by uncleared forest with no commercial development directly on the beachfront — the water shifts from pale green in the shallows to a deeper blue-green further out and the light in the hour before sunset changes the colour of the whole beach in a way that photographs do not quite capture.

The afternoon on arrival is for the beach. Nothing is scheduled. The andaman tour package gives Radhanagar the time it needs by not filling it with organised activity. Overnight at Havelock.

Elephant Beach on Havelock's northern edge is the Day 3 morning of this andaman tour package — a 45-minute boat ride from the main jetty to a bay where coral formations are visible at snorkelling depth close to the shore. Sea walking, snorkelling and scuba introduction dives are available from registered operators at Elephant Beach at charges paid locally. The reef here supports a range of reef fish species and the coral diversity is among the best accessible from the shore in the Andaman Islands without a certification. Glass bottom boat rides are available for those who prefer the reef without entering the water.

The afternoon returns to Radhanagar Beach. By Day 3 of the andaman tour package the group has its own relationship with that beach — the particular stretch they prefer and the hour they want to be there for the light. Overnight at Havelock.

The ferry from Havelock to Neil Island on Day 4 of this andaman tour package takes approximately 30 to 60 minutes — the shortest crossing of the circuit and the shift in atmosphere is the most immediate. Neil — officially Shaheed Dweep — is smaller than Havelock, less visited and moves at a pace that Havelock at peak season does not quite match. The natural bridge at Laxmanpur Beach on the western side is a coral rock formation shaped by wave erosion, best seen at low tide when the reef around it is partly exposed. Bharatpur Beach on the eastern side has calm, shallow water suitable for swimming without significant current or depth.

The Neil Island evening has no organised programme — the andaman tour package gives that absence on Day 4 deliberately. By this point in the trip a quiet evening on a small island is exactly what the previous three days have earned. Overnight at Neil Island.

The ferry from Neil Island back to Port Blair on Day 5 of this andaman tour package takes approximately 1 to 2 hours. Sitapur Beach on Neil's eastern tip is worth the early morning before departure — the reef exposed at low tide along the shoreline carries detail most Neil Island visitors miss by leaving after breakfast. Back in Port Blair the afternoon covers Ross Island — now Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Island — reached by a short boat ride from Aberdeen Jetty. The British administrative headquarters of the Andamans through most of the colonial period, Ross today is largely forest with colonial ruins standing open to the sky — the church walls, the ballroom floor broken by tree roots, deer moving through the cleared paths.

North Bay Island is available by glass bottom boat from the same jetty for a final reef viewing before the evening in Port Blair. Overnight in Port Blair.

The final morning of the andaman tour package is in Port Blair. Groups with afternoon or evening departure flights have time for the Sagarika government emporium near the clock tower — Andaman shell craft, wood products and local spices at fixed prices — or a final hour at Corbyn's Cove Beach, a sheltered bay approximately 15 minutes from the city centre. The Bon Voyagers vehicle drops at Port Blair Airport for the return flight.

Six days covering the colonial history of Port Blair, the reef and long beach of Havelock Island and the quiet natural bridge of Neil Island is the andaman tour package that most travellers from India take on their first visit to the archipelago. The islands warrant a return. Most people who complete this andaman tour package come back knowing which part of the series they want to go deeper into next.