The second day of the Port Blair Heritage Trail is pretty simple and starts from Aberdeen Jetty for a boat ride to Ross island, North Bay and Viper Island. There are multiple packages available for a trip to these islands including either one, two or all three islands. The 3 island package is for Rs 550 per person and starts at 9:30 am. These tours are run every day except on wednesdays. You should book tickets in advance.
Ross Island
Ross Island was the administrative centre for British in Andamans for 80+ years and was called ‘Paris of East’. The massive earthquake in 1941 which caused major damage and made them shift their headquarter to Port Blair.
The island today is maintained by Indian Navy and is a popular tourist destination. It houses the ruins of the buildings in bazaar, bakery, water treatment plant, church, tennis court, printing press, hospital and cemetery claimed by the roots of Padauk trees giving the whole place an eerie feel. The island was also damaged during the Tsunami and now is mostly inhabited by deer and peacocks. You can walk around the island or take the battery operated car @ Rs 75 per person. You can also hire the only guide available, Ms Anuradha Rao (I came across an interesting article about her in Business Line) to know the history in detail.
Ross Island is a treat for history buffs and cherry on the top is the Light and Sound Show that is showcased every evening on the island.Tickets are available at Tourism Centre, IP&T near Anthropological museum or can be booked online here. The ferry for Ross Island’s Light & Sound show leaves at 4:30 pm from Aberdeen jetty and is back by 7:30 pm.
After spending 1.5 hours on Ross island, the boat leaves for North Bay Island where you can spend 2 – 3 hours for water sports. This is the closest place from Port Blair to do water sports like scuba diving and sea walk. The pricing in Sep 2017 is as following : Snorkelling: Rs 500, Scuba diving: Rs 3500, Sea walk: Rs 3500, Glass bottom boat ride : Rs 500 and Submarine ride: Rs 3000. There are some souvenir shops and eating joints. While the water clarity is good, this place is quite crowded. You can actually skip it, if you are planning to visit Havelock or Neil Island.
Viper Island
The last island on this tour is Viper Island, which houses the old jail and gallows. It deserves a short trip even though the buildings are badly ruined specially after the Tsunami hit.
Viper Island was used to imprison political prisoners before Cellular Jail was constructed. The gallows used to hang is the most intact building on this island. It is a short trek up a hillock from the jetty. You can cover the island in 30 mins and then reach Aberdeen jetty in another 45 mins.
Port Blair is full of history no matter where you look. The old buildings, bazaars and the abandoned houses all give you a sense of taking you back in time. I suggest you definitely take two or more days to explore this beautiful city before you head inwards into the islands. Do check out my guide for an exciting road trip in Andaman Islands.
