Havelock Island does not need any introduction anymore. The Island is one of the most beautiful and the largest islands of the Ritchie’s Archipelago and is a placid heaven like no other. This picturesque Island with beautiful sandy beaches and lush green forest is also rated as the seventh most beautiful island in the world. It hosts two of the world’s most renowned beaches; Radhanagar Beach & Elephant Beach. The Island also has the biggest concentration of breath-taking diving and snorkeling sites, thus acting as a paradise to marine world explorers as well.
Havelock Island has three stunning beaches:
- Radhanagar Beach
- Kala Paththar Beach
- Elephant Beach
Elephant Beach is called the paradise for the photographers not for the wrong reasons. Grand Trunks (during the tsunami many trees were uprooted and are still lying at the beach) scattered across the beach, blue water spread across the horizon kissing the sky, the white sand, blisteringly beautiful marine life, and the gorgeous people soaking the enigmatic aroma all together bring the delight to a photographer. Is not it?
Just 30 mins sailing on a boat from the jetty or 1.5 KMs far from the main road, a way through a forest filled with reptiles, elephant beach fills you with immense pleasure as soon as you disembark from the boat and lay your foot on the beach. There are two ways to reach to the beach. You can either sail with a boat from the jetty or walk through the forest to reach to the beach. Both these ways have their own merits and demerits.
If you choose to travel by the boat, you must reach to the Jetty; i.e., to the same point where you were disembarked after reaching to the Havelock Island. Buy your tickets, and wait for your turn. You will need to wait for a few hours, in the peak season, but once you get the boat; it will take only 20 minutes to reach the beach. You must not forgot to ask for your complimentary snorkeling from the boatman and guide. Hope you would not harm its beauty, charm, and cleanliness during the snorkeling and stay.
However, if you wish to walk through the forest, you must reach to the entry point of the forest. This entry point is on the way to the Radhanagar beach, and it is marked quite well by the authorities. If you are travelling to Radhanagar beach, the entry point, which is one Km after the petrol bunk, would be on your right. The Jungle has many reptiles, and the path to the beach is not well marked. Additionally, this path has many diversions which can lead to an unintended place. Therefore it is the best, for your own safety, to hire a guide to lead you to the beach without any hassles. A guide may charge INR 300/- to 500/- per person based on the group size and the hotel you are staying at 😉 (Just them that you are staying at Radhakrishna Resort). You would not only enjoy the enchanting walk in the dark forest, which hosts even 100 feet tall trees; but also save money to enjoy the longest and the most entertaining snorkeling sessions.
Andaman has many gems which make the place worthy of the travel and the elephant beach is one of the most precious stone among these gems. Its heavenly charm is indescribable in words and pictures for a naïve writer and photographer like me. It is a place where you love to go every day. It is a beach where you want to sit down for hours and do nothing. It is a journey that leaves an everlasting impression on the mind. Hence, it is a perfect destination to end your search for the perfection.
Elephant beach is known to be a perfect place for water activities like Scuba, Sea Walk, and Snorkeling. In the recent past (2020) few more activities have been added. Like Banana Ride, Sofa Ride, Parasailing and few more. You can book your sea walk right after reaching the beach however your Snorkeling is free with your boat ride. If you want to go longer in the sea, you have to shell some money out of your pocket. Scuba must be pre-booked at Havelock. It is told by our guide that around 1KM beyond the elephant beach there is turtle beach which has better aquatic life than elephant beach.
Generally a boat provides four hours at the beach. Boatman is responsible for your whereabouts. You can snorkel only with your boatman and can’t choose any other guide/boatman. Rates, for the activities, are fixed so adventure, not the cost, is entirely on your discretion. If you have reached the beach through the forest, you can spend as much time as you want till 2PM.
Elephant beach remains closed in the monsoon from Jun to Aug. The closure, of the beach, provides the opportunity to local and authorities to clean the beach and provide space for coral & aquatic creatures to breathe in the fresh air ;-). This beach has maintained is beauty due to the efforts put by locals by keeping it unpolluted, so locals request all of us to ‘LEAVE FOOTFRINTS, ONLY, AT THE BEACH.’ There is a moody elephant in the forest, so it is best to avoid it to stay away for the danger. Rest it is a most entertaining and pleasurable place on the earth.
If you have any queries and questions about the sight, please add a comment. We would answer you as soon as possible. If you are planning to travel to Andaman, Kerala, Rajasthan, Ladakh, Kashmir, Jain Tirth Yatra, Meghalaya, Sikkim, and any other place, give LazYatra a chance to plan it for you. You can call me at +91-9540-611-889 or +91-9911-61-5555 or mail us team@lazyatra.com