I have joined the forum to find out how my friends and me can get to Andaman Island. We would really like to go there and the only information we need to know is how to reach Andaman? We are from Bangalore and need to know which port we need to reach? From the port, how do we get tickets for the ship which takes us to the island? How much do the ship tickets cost? Do we need to prebook these? Is there a flight which goes to the Andaman island?
Hi, @Nitya! Welcome to the forum! There are three ports in India from which you can ride a ship going to the Andaman Islands. These ports are located in Chennai, Kolkata and Visakhapatnam. Here are the corresponding distances between Bangalore and these ports: Bangalore to Chennai Port - This is about 345 kilometres away from each other. Bangalore to Kolkata Port - This is about 1,877 kilometres away from each other. Bangalore to Visakhapatnam Port - This is about 1,012 kilometres away from each other. So in your case, your best option would be the Chennai Port, as it's located at a nearer distance than the other two ports to Bangalore. There are plenty of buses going through Bangalore to Chennai. Similarly, there are also plenty of trains going through this route. Once you reach Chennai, you can just ride a taxi to go to the Chennai Port. You have to go to the ticketing counter in Chennai, this is the address: STAR Counter in Chennai Address - Shipping Corporation of India, Gate No. 1, Chennai Port, Opposite Customs Office, Rajaji Salai, Chennai 600 001. This is the only way that you can book a ticket. STAR means Star Ticket Advance Reservation System and it's a form of Personal Area Networking. There are only 11 counters for the tickets for Andaman, which includes Chennai, Kolkata, Port Blair, Diglipur, Mayabunder, Rangat, Havelock, Hutbay, Car Nicobar, Nancowry and Campbell Bay. Ticket fares vary for the different types of ships and also the class of cabin you choose. Here's a breakdown of the ticket fares for this year and the upcoming year (2016 to 2017): Tourist Fares for MV Nicobar, MV Campbell Bay, MV Nancowry and MV Swarajdeep Deluxe Cabin - Rs. 9,750 per passenger First Class Cabin - Rs. 8,080 per passenger Second Class Cabin - Rs. 6,420 per passenger Bunk/Dorm - Rs. 2,500 per passenger Tourist Fares for MV Harshavardhana Deluxe Cabin - Rs. 9,750 per passenger First Class Cabin - Rs. 8,080 per passenger Second Class A Cabin - Rs. 6,420 per passenger Second Class B Cabin - Rs. 4,960 per passenger Bunk/Dorm - Rs. 2,500 per passenger Tourist Fares for MV Akbar Deluxe Cabin - Rs. 9,750 per passenger First Class Cabin - Rs. 6,890 per passenger AC Dormitory - Rs. 4,190 per passenger Ordinary Bunk - Rs. 2,180 per passenger You do need to go to the ticket counter in Chennai to book these tickets in advance. For the commencement of the opening of ticketing counters, do check the Explore Andaman website as they have up to date schedules for the ships. Yes, there are connecting flights from Mumbai to Kolkata/Chennai to Port Blair. You would just change airplanes once you reach Kolkata/Chennai and from there, reach Port Blair in Andaman Islands. These flights can be pricey though: Jet Airways 9W 625 - Departs from Mumbai at 18:10 and arrives in Kolkata at 20:50. There's a waiting time of 8 hours on the Kolkata Airport. You would then board another plane at 5:25 and arrive in Port Blair by 7:40. Fare is at Rs. 12,794 per passenger. Jet Airways 9W 617 - Departs from Mumbai at 19:05 and arrives in Kolkata at 21:55. There's a waiting time of 8 hours on the Kolkata Airport. You would then board another plane at 5:25 and arrive in Port Blair by 7:40. Fare is at Rs. 14,068 per passenger. Air India AI 774 - Departs from Mumbai at 19:45 and arrives in Kolkata at 22:25. There's a waiting time of 7 hours on the Kolkata Airport. You would then board another plane at 5:40 and arrive in Port Blair by 8:00. Fare is at Rs. 14,247 per passenger. Air India AI 94 - Departs from Mumbai at 18:15 and arrives in Chennai at 20:40. There's a waiting time of 8 hours on the Chennai Airport. You would then board another plane at 5:05 and arrive in Port Blair by 7:25. Fare is at Rs. 19,191 per passenger. Your other option would be to reach Chennai and from there, ride a plane going to Port Blair. This is less expensive than going all the way from Mumbai to Port Blair by flight. Here are some flights from Chennai to Port Blair: Jet Airways 9W 613 - Departs from Chennai at 11:45 and arrives in Port Blair at 13:55. Fare is at Rs. 7,221 per passenger. Go Air G8 305 - Departs from Chennai at 8:15 and arrives in Port Blair at 10:25. Fare is at Rs. 7,498 per passenger. Indigo 68 6337 - Departs from Chennai at 8:55 and arrives in Port Blair at 11:15. Fare is at Rs. 7,550 per passenger. Spice Jet SG 608 - Departs from Chennai at 12:05 and arrives in Port Blair at 14:20. Fare is at Rs. 9,450 per passenger. There you go, I hope this helps you! Enjoy your vacation!
You can reach Port Blair both by Air or Sea from either Chennai or Kolkata. Various domestic airlines fly regularly in these route. You can also travel by the sea with ship services that operates from Chennai. Ship are not usually available daily (one or two ships weekly, if I remember correctly). Since you are starting from Bangalore, I would suggest you take a flight or ship from Chennai.
