Neil Island is one of the gems of the Andaman and Nicobar Island groups. This island has world-class attractions to thrill the hearts of its tourists, which are large and continue in its pristine state to date. Even though the beach attractions in the Andaman island groups are not limited to this Neil island, the four beaches on this island are spectacular and unusual, enticing travelers from far-off parts of the world. Some tourists prefer places with silence, natural beauty, and the calmness of nature. People, who come under the aforementioned category, just need to lie in the midst of nature and get lost in its beauty around and the sounds of waves, breeze, and birds on their vacation. They are heartily welcome to this Neil Island. Sunset visuals are magnificent to witness. The vast stretches of beaches, evergreen tropical forests, and colorful coral deposits describe the geography of this island. The vast oceans and the lush rainforests house plenty of animals and birds with many species endemic to Neil Island. Some others choose places to visit where water sports activities can be done. For them, we should mention that Neil Island is the best island for scuba diving. This island is one of the islands in the group Jansi Rani Marine National Park as it has that much potential for eco-tourism. It is recommended to wander around this island in a rented scooter or bike aimlessly. The streets in the rural areas of this island are more scenic and are able to offer excellent experiences. Plenty of coconut groves, betel trees, and agricultural farms can be seen on your travel. Neil Island is 36 kilometers far away from Port Blair. Ferry services are daily available on this island. According to the census taken in 2011, there are only 3040 human beings on this tiny island which has an area of 19 sq. km. Agriculture and fishing are the mainstays of the natives on this island. The vegetables cultivated on this island are supplied to parts of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, hence this Neil Island has got another name “vegetable bowl”. Mainly, the western and central parts of this island and the foothills are occupied for agricultural purposes. As we know, there is no particular summer or winter season in Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Throughout the year these islands have the almost same temperature and climate. Only the humidity decreases at the starting and ending months of the year. It will not be too cold to wear a sweater. However, if you walk on the beachside at night time, you can wear a light sweater. So without any delay, you can select a good neil island package for your next vacation.
This must say that your phone is only useful for taking photos of Neil Island. Internet connection on this island is very very weak, hence it is better to forget about the same. During the nighttime, you may get only 1% of the normal internet speed to send urgent WhatsApp messages. So you will get enough time to chat with your family members and to be close to nature. You have plenty of other things to enjoy on this island rather than playing with the internet. Since you are on vacation, this slow internet will not hurt you badly. The resorts and hotels where you stay provide wi-fi connection but even they are also slower than the usual speed. So our recommendation is to use those phones for taking wonderful sceneries.
The main attraction of Neil Island is the natural bridge. This is a rock formation projecting out from the wall with a huge hole that is formed by the continuous thrashing of waves from the ocean and stretches to the seashore and forms an arch shape with bright green vegetation on the surface. Basically, this unusual bridge is created by two corals. The slow-growing corals need almost 10 years to grow an inch in its size. Now it is easy for you to imagine the number of years this marvel of nature has taken to form this shape. At the time of the tsunami, the big wall protected this island from destruction. Uncountable corals were washed off this shore by this catastrophe. Tourists frequently visit this place to explore its beauty of it. Once you visit this place, you will get trapped by the beauty of this place. There is one more natural wall formation near this one. Natives of Neil island call this bridge with the name “Howrah Bridge” which is like a bowl of sunshine. At the first glance, you will fall head over heels for this phenomenal formation. At the low-tide time, you can get the best sight of this rare coral formation. Surrounded by the stagnant seawater with sea urchins, small fishes, starfish, sea cucumbers, clamp shells, and crabs this Howrah Bridge is perfect to see. This Howrah bridge is nestled at the end of Laxmanpur beach. From Neil Kendra market, you can reach here by road. A 15-minute walk will take you to this wonderful land. Firstly there are stairs and then some rocks and dense mangroves on the way. The rugged pathway towards this bridge has sharp and dead corals and rocks that are slippery and is lined by Mahua trees. You have to climb upward and downward these sharp corals for the sake of exploring this place. This uneven path may be challenging to young kids and aged people. We highly recommend you use hiking shoes with a grip on this pathway. Your visiting time should be at low tide because this area is submerged at the time of high tide. You can seek the low tide timing from locals of Neil Island. Both sides of this bridge are spectacular. The majority of the tourists catch the view of the front portion and return. To reach the backside and get the full view need moderate hiking. As a whole, the landscape is a visual treat. If you could manage to visit this place, it would really make sense to witness both sides of the bridge. In addition to this coral bridge, the blue-colored ocean in the background is equivalently alluring. Visitors always take appealing photos with this bridge as the backdrop. For the shutterbugs, this unique beauty will certainly offer a few gems to their collections. This is the must-visit place on Neil Island. The beach contiguous with this natural bridge is a coral beach and is not safe for swimming. The setting sun view with the natural bridge in the backdrop is excellent to be captured. You do trekking here to get to see the marine organisms. It is worth adding this bridge to your list of places to be visited on your Andaman tour. You can see many shops selling coconut, imitation jewelry, decorative items, and fruits in the initial path. Shopping can be done here. To make you hydrated when you are walking around this tourist spot, it is advisable to have coconut water. Seeing the size of coconuts in the Andaman islands, you will be shocked. They are so large in size that you cannot have one whole coconut in one attempt.
If you are touring Neil Island in the winter season, you can participate in the festivals of the natives here. On the basis of opinions from the travelers, we can say that the best time for a tour of Andaman and nicobar islands is the winter season. The main festivals they celebrate in wintertime are Subash Mela and Island Tourism. They are really happy to exhibit their tradition and culture to the tourists. The island tourism festival is a cultural event to promote Andaman Island tourism. The main celebrations are at Port Blair and small programs are organized at Neil Island, Havelock Island, Rangat, Mayabunder, Hut Bay, Diglipur, Kamorta, and Car Nicobar. Handicraft exhibitions, cultural performances, and adventure sports are the main programs included in this festival. Subhash Mela is held in the starting month of the year, memorializing the birthday of Subhash Chandra Bose. This is a week-long festival.
It will be beneficial if you are with your guide while visiting this place. He can explain everything about this coral structure as he is knowledgeable about each and everything in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Normally a guide will charge 400 INR as his remuneration and it is reasonable. He knows about the right time to visit this place. As the natives of Neil Island are immigrants from India, most of them speak the Bengali language. If you know this language, it will be easy for you to communicate with the natives.
How to reach:
43-kilometer travel will take you to Neil Island from Port Blair. Two government ferries ply every day to Neil Island. Morning 6.30 is the starting time of one of these ferries and the other starts at 11 in the morning. Around 2 hours are needed to reach Neil Kendra. Catamarans with air-conditioners are also available from Phoenix Bay. On reaching Jetty, rental bikes, and cars can be hired to reach this place. Laxmanpur Beach is the nearby beach to this place where you will be dropped off. From that beach, you have to walk almost 200 meters to this exact spot. The whole travel will take around 30 minutes. Stroll around this ragged shore to look into other coral varieties, marine organisms, and the tide pool.
From Havelock Island, three ferries ply to Neil Island daily. Their timings are morning 6 and 11.30, and afternoon 2.
Stay Options:
Many options are available for your stay here. From 500INR to 10000INR per night options are there. Most backpackers choose a 500 INR per night stay option for a budget-friendly stay.
Eco huts are at the rate of 500 INR. Luxurious hotels and resorts are included in the list of neil island hotels. Resort Bharatpur, Cocon Hut Resort, Hotel Kingfisher, Tango Beach Resort, and Hotel Pearl Park are some of them.
Other attractions:
Bharatpur Beach:
It has hardly a one-kilometer distance from Neil Jetty. This white sandy beach has a verdant forest near the ocean and offers outstanding beauty to its visitors. There is a large area of shallow water and you can walk for a long distance splashing the water and enjoying the ocean and its scenery. Gentle waves always hit the shoreline. This is a crowded beach when compared to other beaches on this island. Bharatpur Beach is the best beach on Neil Island as you can do water sports activities here. Glass boat rides, banana rides, snorkeling, and scuba diving are some of them. For scuba diving, there is a small training session about how you get a better experience while diving. Your instructor narrates about the rules to be followed underwater and about the hand signals. The practice dive in this session will help you to know about your comfort level. In case you feel dizzy or any kind of discomfort during this session, it is possible to quit after the practice. Scuba diving is a great experience that you can have under the blue ocean of Andaman Islands. You feel all your efforts are worth it when you stumbled upon multicolored coral varieties and vibrant fish groups swimming together with you. In snorkeling, you have to look down underwater with a floating body on the water’s surface. A diving mask, life jacket, and breathing tube are essential for this recreational water activity. With the help of a life jacket, even nonswimmers can choose this water activity to do without any difficulty. Up to 10 meters in depth under the seawater, you will go to see enchanting marine organisms.
Hearing the glass bottom boat ride, you will think of this as a normal boat ride. When you board this boat, you can gauge the dissimilarity of this boat from a normal boat. A see-through glass shield is there at the base of this boat which allows everyone to behold the underwater life from a boat without getting wet. Families with kids normally choose this ride as the kids cannot partake in snorkeling or scuba diving. You can swim here without any worries. Lots of beach stalls are there selling snacks and varieties of food. If you are a seafood lover, you can savor them. You can do shopping here. Dress changing rooms and toilets are present on this beach. This is one of the best beaches in Andaman and nicobar islands.
Sitapur Beach:
This secluded and serene beach is 5 kilometers away from Jetty. This is famous for its spectacular view of sunrise. Early wake-up is the only prerequisite for viewing this beauty with vivid and bright colors. This rocky beach is not good for swimming because of the high water current. If you are a solitude lover, this beach is suitable for you because most of these kinds of people love the company of peaceful nature and its splendid beauty. You can only splash around in this sea as at any time it is possible to raise the water level to form high tide. Limestone formation can be seen here at the time of low tide. These formations escalate the charm of the sceneries presented here. The white sand stretches are endless seemingly and are covered with shades of palm trees. You can unwind and introspect on this uncrowded beach without any hindrance. There are rocks that are formed from dead corals on this beach. Sitting on these rocks, sinking feet in the crystal clear water, enjoying the splashing waves, and feeling the zephyr, you can embrace nature. Not only these beaches of Neil island, but also everywhere you can have such a pleasant vibe on you. All around this small island have lush greenery, blue skies, and vast oceans. Without any doubt, we can say that this island is the real heaven on this earth! Since the Sitapur beach is not visited by many, do not expect luxurious facilities near this beach. There is only tender coconuts are available to drink adjacent to this beach. The restaurant and resort are 100 meters away from this beach. You can also savor yummy seafood at the nearby restaurant. If you plan a picnic with your companions on this beach, please carry your food with you. The pleasant vibes reverberating from this peaceful nature will add extra pleasure during your picnic. Always keep an extra dress with you and use sunglasses and sunscreens to avoid sunburns if your visit is on summer days.
Ramnagar Beach:
It is in the Ramnagar Village, hence got this name. The presence of sharp corals at some point creates difficulty to swim over there. Otherwise, this is suitable for swimming. This is famous with the name beach no. 3. From Mayabunder you have to travel approximately 70 kilometers to reach this spot. This beach is almost always deserted and you can embrace this nature without any hindrance. An interesting trekking zone is there on this spectacular beach if you are fond of trekking. The trails through the tropical forest that enclose this beach are really adventurous to get that adrenaline rush. The combination of blue and green will mesmerize your eyes. This eco-friendly beach has eco huts and benches made from fallen trees and is apt to relax and introspect in the serene atmosphere. This beach is the exact place where you will never get enough of it. The warmth of the powdered sand beneath your feet, lush foliage, pleasant sounds of lashing waves, and tranquility have some types of meditation for nature lovers. Andaman and Nicobar Islands are no less than places where we can experience supreme bliss.
Laxmanpur Beach:
With a long extent of white sand, evergreen forests, and the azure-colored ocean, this beach has charming visuals. Its golden sunset sight is popular among tourists. They flock to this beach at the time of sunset. Beholding the sun going down the skyline at this beach is a spectacular thing to be experienced during your visit to Laxmanpur beach. The presence of corals and shells of different colors and sizes will definitely allure you to spend time on this beach. A nature stroll by the side of the shoreline makes you rejuvenated. The sugary sand, azure ocean, lush green, and calm air will give you a happy and positive vibe when you are here. Actually, there is nothing to do at this beach, however, sometimes, all we like to do is simply nothing. You can just sit and chat with your companions at this tranquil beach. Swimming is possible here both at low tide and high tide times. Be cautious about the rocks and dead corals while swimming. There are some good snorkeling points in here. In the course of snorkeling, you may get the chance to spot the dugong. This beach is famous for its sunset view, therefore at that time, this beach may get crowded by tourists and locals. Otherwise, this beach is not much crowded.
The majority of Indians always choose to travel abroad on their vacation days. If you think a little, you can realize the fact that they like to show off their travel though they do have not enough money to enjoy their travel to foreign countries. With half of the amount that is needed for a foreign tour, you can opt for a tour to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands as there are the best islands for tourism. At a reasonable price, you can do sea diving, deep diving, cruising, and other recreational water-related sports activities. Andaman diving spots are counted among the world’s most fascinating spots. While walking on the beaches holding tender coconut water in your hand, you will think that you are in heaven. Sipping the sweet water in the midst of the calmness of nature, you feel blissful. After seeing the marine life including colorful and vibrant coral reefs and fishes, you will be in shock. The feeling you get from experiencing the crystal clear marine water with your barefoot is incredible. You can have some quality time with your beloved spouse on the serene and beautiful beaches of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
