Andaman Islands 6-Day Private Tour: Port Blair, Havelock, Neil

The Andaman Islands combine a hard history with some of the clearest water in India, and this listing links both in a private tour of six days. It runs from Port Blair to Havelock and Neil, with airport pick-up, hotel transfers, ferry tickets and a stay in a 3-star hotel or resort. GetYourGuide shows it from about US$540 per person, which is 469 euros on the page, and rates it 5.0 from one review. The tour is booked as a private group, with an English-speaking guide.

The programme starts at Port Blair, the capital of the islands. The listing names Corbyn's Cove beach, where optional water sports are on offer, and the Cellular Jail, a historic prison. You visit the jail with a guide, and you attend the sound and light show in the evening, which tells the story of the place. The jail is a monument to the colonial period and to the people who were held there, and it deserves a quiet visit.

From Port Blair you take a ferry to Havelock Island. The listing counts the Radhanagar Beach among the highlights, with its pristine sand, and snorkelling at Elephanta Beach. Snorkelling and other water activities at Elephanta are optional and paid for on the spot. Havelock is the island where most visitors stay, and the beaches on its coast are among the finest in the archipelago.

The ferry then carries you to Neil Island, which the page presents through its Natural Bridge, a rock arch formed by the sea, and the beaches of Laxmanpur and Bharatpur. At Bharatpur you can take a glass-bottom boat ride, which is an option. Neil is quieter and smaller than Havelock, and the pace is gentler, with a tight programme of short visits in a private vehicle.

Back on the main island, the listing adds Chidiya Tapu, the bird-watching point in the south of Port Blair, which is known for its sunsets. The sights are spread over six days, so you have time on the beaches as well as in the vehicle. The page does not give a day-by-day timetable, so ask the operator for the order of the stops and the nights in each place.

The price covers a great deal. It includes the airport pick-up, the round-trip transfers to your hotel, a stay in a 3-star hotel or resort according to the itinerary, breakfast during the stay, a private vehicle with bottles of water, the ferry tickets, and a guide for the Cellular Jail visit with the sound and light show. Lunches and dinners are not mentioned, so plan a budget for them, since meals on the islands cost more than on the mainland.

Optional activities are paid separately. The listing names scuba diving, kayaking and spontaneous photography, a Sea Kart boat ride, parasailing and jet skiing at Corbyn's Cove, snorkelling at Elephanta Beach and glass-bottom boat rides at Bharatpur. Prices are agreed on the spot, so carry cash in rupees, since cash machines are scarce on Havelock and Neil, and card payments are not always possible.

Some visitors cannot take part. Pregnant women, people with reduced mobility and people who suffer from seasickness are excluded, since the programme includes several ferry crossings and steps at some sights. Smoking and pets are forbidden. Sea conditions can change the ferry timetable, so keep some flexibility, and do not plan an onward flight on the evening of the last day.

The season matters. The dry months, from about November to April, give the calmest seas and the clearest water, while the monsoon, from May to October, can bring rough crossings and cancelled ferries. Check the forecast for your dates, and ask the operator what happens if a ferry is cancelled. Bring sunscreen, a hat, swimwear, a towel, a change of clothes and a waterproof bag for the boats.

Remember the entry rules. The requirements for foreign visitors to the Andaman Islands have changed over the years, and some islands are restricted, so confirm the current rules with the operator and carry your passport at all times. Reef protection matters as well, so do not stand on the coral, do not take shells or coral, and keep a distance from marine animals.

The rating is five stars from a single review, so there is little feedback yet. GetYourGuide offers free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start, for a full refund, and lets you reserve now and pay later, which lowers the risk. Ask the operator for the names of the hotels, the ferry companies and the duration of each crossing before you pay.

Choose this tour if you want to see the three main islands in one trip, with transfers and ferries handled for you and a private vehicle on each island. For a diving holiday, a stay of several nights on Havelock with a dive centre is better, and for a shorter visit, a three-day programme covers Port Blair and Havelock only.