Explore Port Blair (Sri Vijaya Puram)

Port Blair, officially renamed Sri Vijaya Puram in September 2024, is the capital of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and the entry point for almost every trip to the archipelago. Flights land at Veer Savarkar International Airport (IXZ), private ferries to Swaraj Dweep (Havelock) and Shaheed Dweep (Neil) sail from Haddo Wharf, and boats to Ross Island and North Bay leave from Aberdeen Jetty. Both the old and the new names are still used on tickets and signboards.

What to see in Port Blair

Cellular Jail National Memorial is the city’s defining site. Built between 1896 and 1906 with seven radial wings around a central tower, it held freedom fighters including V. D. Savarkar and his brother Ganesh, Batukeshwar Dutt and Barindra Kumar Ghosh. The museum is open every day, 9:00 am to 12:30 pm and 1:30 pm to 5:00 pm, and the light and sound show runs every evening. It was declared a National Memorial on 11 February 1979.

Ross Island (Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Dweep) was the British headquarters of the penal settlement from 1858 until the 1941 earthquake and the Japanese occupation. It is open every day, 8:00 am to 4:00 pm, about 15 minutes by boat from Aberdeen Jetty. North Bay, reached on the same trip, is the closest place to the city for sea walk, snorkelling, semi-submarine and glass-bottom boat rides.

Corbyn’s Cove, the nearest beach to town, offers parasailing, jet ski, Seakart and jet car, and the coast around it still has concrete pillboxes from the Japanese occupation. Chatham Saw Mill, one of Asia’s oldest, was set up in 1883 and has a Forest Museum and a wartime bomb crater. Mount Manipur National Park, across the harbour, gives views over North Bay and Ross and is open 7:00 am to 5:00 pm. Chidiya Tapu, about 25 km south, is known for sunsets, bird watching and the Munda Pahar trek.

Wandoor, 25 to 30 km from the city, is the departure point for Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park. Jolly Buoy and Red Skin islands open in alternating six-month seasons and need a Forest Department permit taken a day in advance.

How many days to spend in Port Blair

One full day covers Cellular Jail, the light and sound show and Corbyn’s Cove. Add a second day for Ross and North Bay, and a third for Baratang or Chidiya Tapu. Most visitors spend one or two nights here at the start of a trip and one more before flying out.

How to get around

Cabs, scooters and auto-rickshaws cover the city. Adventigo runs airport pickups, full-day city sightseeing and Baratang day trips with permits included, and rents automatic scooters with free resort delivery within 10 km.

Best time to visit

October to May is the dry season, and November to April is calmest for ferries, snorkelling and diving. June to September is the monsoon: the city stays open and hotels are cheaper, but sea crossings and water sports can be cancelled at short notice.