How To Reach Havelock

Havelock is part of a cluster of islands known as Ritchie’s Archipelago that lie about 40 kilometers to the Northeast of Port Blair. The cluster also includes popular islands like Peel Island, Neill Island and John Lawrence Island, all lying in a long row. Havelock is one of the larger islands and one of the few that is inhabited. There are regular ferry services from Port Blair to Havelock. There is also the more exciting option to travel from Port Blair to Havelock by a Sea-plane!

Port Blair can be reached either by sea or by air. The easiest way to Port Blair is to catch a flight from the Indian cities of Delhi, Chennai or Kolkata. Another option that is slower but definitely more fun is to travel by ships that leave from the coasts of Chennai, Kolkata and Visakhapatnam. These ships take about 3 days depending on the weather conditions and are very reasonably priced.

On reaching Port Blair it is very important to secure the Restricted Area Permit, without which you cannot book transportation to Havelock. For the same reason it is not possible to book ferries prior to the journey. These permits are however very easily available and can be collected on arrival.

Andaman And Nicobar Islands offers a remarkable experience of travelling through the amphibian sea-plane! The plane is a great way to catch an aerial view of the gorgeous set of islands that make up the Andamans. And the experience of taking off and landing in water only makes it more memorable. The flight seats up to 8 people and each passenger gets their own window making sure everyone gets a good view as they fly by the islands.

The plane makes two trips from Port Blair to Havelock and back; once at 8 in the morning and another at 3 in the evening but this schedule is sometimes subjected to seasonal changes. The plane usually takes about half an hour to complete a trip. Their service is available throughout the week, with a break only on Sunday.

There are a number of government-operated and private ferries doing the rounds between Port Blair and Havelock on a daily basis. There are a range of ferries you can choose from based on the timings, rates and services. Among the most popular choices are the Makruzz and Green Ocean who have high speed ferries with their deluxe services including air-conditioning and comfortable seating. These ferries usually take only up to one and a half hours in total. The government ferries have a journey time of two and a half hours but they take two trips a day and are fairly inexpensive. These ferry services also come in handy if you wish to travel to the neighbouring islands from Havelock.