Andaman
Hotels
Nature has created Port Blair with great care and it
shows in every view that catches your eye, whether it
is the setting sun or the luxuriant mangroves or the
colourful panorama of the wild orchids.
Large stretches of white sand, coral reefs teeming
with marine life - the Andaman and Nicobar Islands are
a haven for tourists and holiday makers. Although this
tropical archipelago consists of about 300 islands,
only 39 of them are inhabited. Unspoiled and untouched
by the vagaries of modern life, these islands are
truly the perfect tropical paradise.
Discovered by Arab merchants in the 9th century, Marco
Polo was the first official visitor to this tropical
string of islands. The islands were involved in
political tug-of-wars - they were annexed by the
Marathas in the late 17th century, then by the British
in the 19th century and occupied by the Japanese
during World War II - before they were incorporated
into the Indian Union in 1947.
The harbour town of Port Blair, and also the main
entry point to the islands as well as the state
capital, lies on the east coast of South Andaman. Way
back, in 1788, a young British officer named Archibald
Blair discovered the splendid natural harbour that he
named Port Cornwallis, which was later named after
him.
HOW TO GET THERE?
Air: Port Blair is connected by air with Chennai
and Kolkata.
Water: By sea Regular passenger ship services ply
between Port Blair and Chennai (1,190 km), Kolkata
(1,255 km) and Visakhapatnam (1,200 km). The voyage
takes about 3-4 days and the ships normally berth at
Port Blair for three days.
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