Visit the Islands of Portblair in Bay of Bengal in India

There are many beautiful islands around India which are worth visiting to enjoy the beaches and the water sports. The Islands of Andaman/ Nikobar are such places, located in the Bay of Bengal. These islands attract thousands of visitors from all over the world. The city of Port Blair is the capital of these islands. I had an opportunity to visit Port Blair 5 years agp. Port Blair is located 750 miles away from Calcutta and 710 miles away from Chennai. The tourists love the crystal clear sea and the water sports here.

The tourists can reach Port Blair by air from Calcutta and Chennai as there are daily flights available. The tourists, who love to travel by ship, can also reach Port Blair by ship, operated by the Shipping Corporation of India. There are two such trips by ship every month from Calcutta and Chennai and one trip every month from Vizag. These trips are of 3 days duration and the ship stops at Port Blair during these three days. The tourists need to book their tickets in such trips, well in advance. However, the most convenient way is to travel by air. The tourists can enjoy the sea cruise later, starting from Port Blair, to visit other near by Islands. The ancient tribes of people live here since last many centuries. The Britishers established a colony here in the year 1789. However, these Islands were used as a punishment center for the criminals of India, namely the freedom fighters from the year 1858 till the Britishers rule continued. Port Blair is the central government territory of India. Indian citizens do not need any type of visa documents to visit Port Blair. However, the foreigners need to get the visa issued from the government of India prior to visiting Port Blair. The people from all over the world like to visit these Islands to enjoy the clean, open, and wide sea beaches here. There are many hotels available here for the tourists like Hotel Welcome Group Bay Island, Hotel Sinclair's Bay Island, Hotel Abhishek, and Hotel Gem International. We had stayed at the Hotel Abhishek, which is a nice three star hotel and offers a nice double room at around Rs.3600 ($90) per day. The stay of around 3 days can be sufficient here at port Blair.

The most vital place to be seen here is the historical cellular jail. This jail has now been converted in to the monument of the freedom fighters of India. There were around 756 prison cells in main seven sectors here earlier. The design of this cellular monument is unique from architecture point of view. The sound and light shows, explaining the history of this structure, are held every day in the evening in Hindi and English. These forty five minutes long shows are worth attending for all the tourists. There is also a museum and the art gallery at this cellular jail. The Water Sports complex at Port Blair offers the opportunity to all the tourists to enjoy all sorts of water sports. The Arbedin war monument is the next spot to be seen. This three meter tall monument was built in the memory of the war between Britishers and the local tribes. The tourists also like to visit Gandhi Park, the garden complex, having most beautiful flowers and the trees. There is also an ancient Japanese temple here at Gandhi Park.

The tourists can take trips by ships to other near by Islands like Madhuban, Jolly Islands, Rose Island, and Nell Island. Such trips are of two to three days duration and the rates can be around Rs.5000 ($125) per head on all inclusive basis. The Island of Wondur is the most beautiful Island, which is situated at around 18 miles away from Port Blair. This Island has been declared as the National Marine Park by the Indian government. There are in all 378 small Islands near Port Blair. Some of these Islands even do not have any human population. The city of Port Blair has suffered a lot due to tsunami in the sea before few years. However, the Indian government is putting all out efforts to reestablish the old glory of these beautiful Islands.

I am sure this article would encourage all my friends and AC readers to plan a visit to these lovely Islands in near future.