Swaraj Dweep in the Andamans has been on our places to visit list for a very long time. It was difficult to coordinate the calendars of multiple families to make it work. So, we decided to make it a “moms and kids” trip and made it happen. In order to visit Swaraj Dweep, you first have to take a flight to Sri Vijaya Puram (formerly called Port Blair) and then take a ferry to Swaraj Dweep. So, we arrived in Sri Vijaya Puram a day earlier from Mainland India. We explored Sri Vijaya Puram the day we arrived (will write a separate post on that). The next morning, we took the first ferry to Swaraj Dweep. We reached the island by about 9am. Way too early to check into our hotel – the Havelock Island Beach Resort.
We had plenty of luggage with us (yep, still haven’t learnt the art of packing light 😊), so, we asked our taxi to drop us off at the hotel. We decided to check out the hotel premises until our rooms were ready. We noticed a lovely pool and an open-air dining area. As we walked further down, we noticed access to a small private beach. Then, I noticed something else – this particular hotel also organized scuba trips. So, why did I name the hotel – once again – lack of prior research. Friends had recommended that one of the best places to go to for scuba diving was “Barefoot Scuba”. While the kids had an amazing trip with Barefoot, I could have easily scheduled the trip with Havelock Island Beach Resort who have an equally good program. Lesson learnt! But, for the record – Barefoot Scuba has an amazing program for beginners.
After checking in, we had an early brunch and then decided to take a short break. Around 1:30 pm we headed out to our first pit stop of the day – Kalapathar beach. Beautiful stretch of beach. Clean and well maintained. The sand was a little bit rough, so after spending some time here, we headed to our next stop – Radha Nagar Beach. Just before we entered the beach area, we decided to have a snack which was perfect. Radha Nagar Beach is a Blue Flag certified beach and I am so glad they actually maintain it very well. So happy we finished eating before entering the beach.
Radha Nagar Beach – as we entered the area and saw the waters – WOW! Incredibly stunning. A super long stretch of beautiful soft sand and gentle waves. Although there were many people, it did not feel crowded at all. For the first time, the kids ran to enjoy the waters and we had to pull them out of the water at sunset once the lifeguards blew the whistle. No wonder it has been named one of the best beaches in Asia. After an amazing afternoon and evening at the beach, we headed back to the resort and had a lovely dinner in the open-air dining area before calling it a night.
One of the lessor known reasons the Andamans is very popular with tourists is for the astrophotography. The beautiful dark skies are perfect for taking pictures of the night sky and if you are lucky, the milky way. With a lot of anticipation, I woke up at 2am and ventured out. Suddenly I realised I wasn’t the only one with the same idea 😊. The even funnier part was that there was increased patrolling by the hotel security during that time…. I guess they see many folks like us every day! Unfortunately, my camera did not cooperate and I went back to my room disappointed. Hopefully the other folks had better luck.
The next morning, we headed to Barefoot scuba. The kids went on their first scuba dive and they enjoyed it thoroughly. It was there we learnt that you can’t just walk up and say you want to go scuba diving. There are age restrictions and wellness requirements. Even more importantly, you should not have been on an airplane in the prior 24 hours or plan to be on one in the next 24 hours. So please plan accordingly. These are international standards that are followed everywhere. Tip – make sure you sign up for a package that includes pictures and video. A nice memory to take back with you. The kids got back around 11am while we moms enjoyed the private beach on the premises. After the kids changed, we headed to Elephant Beach – the last stop on our Swaraj Dweep adventure.
We went by boat to reach Elephant Beach. You are given an opportunity to purchase tickets for activities based on your interests. Lots of activities to try and enjoy. Since the kids had already completed scuba diving, they were not interested in snorkelling and most of the other water based activities. Instead we chose the glass bottom coral reefs discovery and decided to spend the rest of the time chilling.
A couple of things to mention here:
- The option to trek to Elephant beach is not encouraged by the locals
- Limited food options at Elephant beach. The idea is for people to spend about 3 hours before heading back so only snacks are available
- Amazing organization at Elephant beach. Honestly, I have never encountered such efficiency. All queues are so well managed that you barely wait for 5 to 10 minutes before starting an activity.
- The glass bottom boat where you have an opportunity to look at coral reefs is an opportunity not to miss – especially for folks like me who do not enjoy swimming or snorkelling or scuba diving.
- The boat you take to reach Elephant Beach will be the boat you need to take back. The reason they do this is to maintain accountability of all passengers. So, you cannot switch boats to reach sooner. You need to spend the allocated time on the beach. Good news is that there is plenty seating in the shade on the island to chill.
Once we got back to the resort, we had a late lunch and then spent the rest of the evening relaxing. The next morning it was time to get on the ferry and travel to Shaheed Dweep.
Final words – if you enjoy scuba diving or snorkelling, then definitely spend a couple of days on this island. There are many diving spots and amazing multi-dive package options offered. You will not regret it!
Wandering Tales Travel Dreams 