Share this with Friends  Rss Feed

About

|

Photos

|

Getting their & Around

The territory have a natural heritage, with evergreen moist deciduous and swamp forests. Today, Port Blair have grown and tourism is being developed to entice more people to enjoy the clean beaches and unpolluted waters that are already attracting divers and snorkellers.

Mineral water and other essentials are available here, only marginally more expensive than the mainland. Power, water and sewerage systems are beginning to show signs of being over-stretched and there are frequent breakdowns. Port Blair offers a variety of sea food delicacies, besides Indian, Chinese, Continental, and Burmese cuisine.

Port Blair's only firm reminder of its gloomy past, the sturdy brick Cellular Jail or Kala Pani overlooks the sea from a small rise in the northeast of town. Seven wings originally radiated from the central tower out of which only three remain, the rest being destroyed by the Japanese.

Built over a period of eighteen years at the start of the 20th century by the British, its dingy solitary cells were quite different and far worse than the dormitories in other prison blocks erected earlier. The prisoners endured extremely grim conditions in the dirty and ill-ventilated cells where drinking water was limited to two glasses per day and the convicts were expected to wash in the rain as they worked, clearing forests and building prison quarters. Food was stored in vats where the rice and pulses became infested with worms; more than half the prison population died long before their twenty years' detention was up. Frequent executions took place in full view of the cells, at the gallows that still stand in squat wooden shelters in the courtyards.

Corbyn's Cove, a 7 km walk away, is the nearest beach to Port Blair. The nearby Snake Island is surrounded by coral reefs. Currents in the water here are pretty strong and swimming can be dangerous.

Run by the Indian Navy, the marine museum has tanks brimming with exotic fish and coral from the islands' reefs. The five sections of this unique museum display history and geography of the Andaman & Nicobar islands. Displays include miniature models of islands, pictures of tribals and their life-style and archaeology.

Wandoor, 29 km from Port Blair consists of a stunningly beautiful group of 15 islands that form part of the 280 sq kms Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park. There are a number of good beaches on Wandoor but watch for the strong currents

The small zoo has 200 species of animals and birds which include the Nicobar Pigeon, the Andaman Pigand and the rare agile luminous-green Andaman gekko. A salt-water crocodile farm that breeds and releases crocodiles into the coastal mangrove swamps is a part of the zoo. Near the zoo is the museum maintained and run by the forest department. This unusual museum displays local types of wood used in the timber industry such as padauk which has both light and dark colours present in the same tree, rosewood and marble wood. Lumbering methods are clearly explained here.

5 km North-west of Aberdeen Bazaar, on the peninsula that marks the northernmost edge of Port Blair, is the British built Chatham sawmill one of the oldest and largest timber processing plants on Indian territory. The seasoning of beautiful and rare woods taken from various islands is a sad testimony to continuing felling; photography is prohibited. Most of the timber goes from here to the mainland.

Very close to the Fisheries Museum, is the water sports complex where you can rent rowboats, wind surfing equipment, sailing dinghies and snorkels. Water skiing is also available.

 

 

This unique complex offers all possible aqua-sport facilities like Water-skiing, Sail boats, Windsurfing, Speed Boats etc., and safe water sports like Paddle Boats, Row Boats etc. There is a sea water swimming pool and a change room. There is also a Memorial for the Battle of Aberdeen fought between Britishers and Andamanee aboriginals in 1859.

This beautiful park at Port Blair has facilities like children's park, amusement park, water sports, nature trail, lake, garden, restaurant and Japanese temple and a bunker. The erstwhile Dilthaman tank, which was the only source of drinking water to Port Blair has been developed to Gandhi Park in an unbelievably short time of thirteen days.

Just adjacent to the Water Sports Complex right on the seashore is the marina amusement park offering rides for children and adults alike: giant wheels, paratrooper and dragon coaster and toy train..There is also a miniature botanical garden and a statue of Netaji Subash chandra Bose here.This park, has amusement rides, children's traffic park.

Cellular jail located in Port Blair, is a mute witness to the tortures meted out to the freedom fighters, who were incarcerated in this jail. The Cellular jail, completed in the year 1906 acquired the name "CELLULAR" because it is entirely made up on individual cells for the solitary confinement of the prisoners.The jail, now a place of pilgrimage for all freedom loving people, has declared as a National Memorial.

The saga of the heroic freedom struggle is brought alive in a moving Sound & Light show.The show is conducted every evening in the premises of cellular jail which gives us a brief idea about the happenings in the jail prior to the independence.

It was the seat of the British Administration. Important ruins include a church, swimming pool and a Chief Commissioner's residence. A small museum of Indian Navy, SAMUDRIKA, has a good collection of old records.

Viper Island is very near to Port Blair and was the old jail were the Britishers used to harbor convicts. It has ruins of gallows atop a hillock. The jail was abandoned when cellular jail was constructed. The Harbour cruise, available daily from Phoenix Bay jetty provides a panoramic view of seven points from the sea.

Corbyns cove beach is situated 7 kms from Port Blair. This coconut- palm fringed beach, is ideal for swimming, surfing and sun- basking . This is the only beach within the city ,safe for freaking out.

The Chatham saw mill, one of the oldest and largest mills in Asia, built on a tiny island, is connected to Port Blair by bridge. It is a store- base of timbers like Padauk, Gurjan, Marble, Satinwood etc.