Visiting the Limestone Caves at Baratang with Kids – Things to know!

The Caves at Baratang Island

Hi friends, hope you are enjoying the travel posts this month. Today, I am going to share our experience of visiting the Limestone Caves at Baratang Island in Middle Andaman. This is one experience you should definitely gift your children if visiting the Andaman Islands. And, I am damn sure your kids will have a wonderful time during the Baratang excursion.

You may also want to read – Andaman Trip Itinerary (9N/10D)!

If I will only talk about the caves at Baratang, that would sound quite boring to you. Because here the journey to the destination is more exciting than the destination itself. The Baratang excursion to reach the limestone caves is what makes the whole experience enriching for kids as well as adults.

Limestone cave at Baratang Island

Nemit playing outside the Limestone cave

This journey starts from Port Blair passing through the thick jungles in a convoy of vehicles and crossing the strait on a vehicle ferry to finally taking the speed boat which sails through the mangrove creeks & drops you near the limestone caves from where one needs to walk through the fields to finally reach the caves.

The Caves at Baratang, Middle Andaman - Traveling with Kids

Source- Google Maps

Baratang Island connects the South Andaman to the Middle Andaman. And it is known for it’s natural wonders and the thick tropical & mangrove forests. 

Sadly, there is very little information available online especially for tourists traveling with young children & senior citizens. Hence, I will try to share as much useful information as I could in this post based on our experience and some research.

How to reach the Caves at Baratang Island?

First, you need to decide whether you want to do a full day tour or stay overnight at Baratang. Or, if you want to go further to the North Andaman.

Since we had planned to explore Diglipur in North Andaman, we decided to visit the caves on our way back. Check option 3 below.

Basically, there are 4 options-

  • Option 1- The easiest one is to book a full day tour from some trusted travel agent. It starts at 4 am from Port Blair & ends around 5 pm when they drop you back to your hotel. I will not recommend this if you are traveling with young children since it will get too tiring for everyone. You can consider this option if your kids are 5+ in age. Check out the route below-
The Caves at Baratang, Middle Andaman - Traveling with Kids

Source- Google Maps

Port Blair -> Jirkatang check post -> Jarwah Reserve Forest -> Middle Strait Jetty -> Baratang Island -> Baratang Jetty -> Limestone Caves at Baratang

  • Option 2-  is to book a personal cab & stay overnight at Baratang Island. And return back to Port Blair on the next day. Recommended. But it will be costly. Also, it will depend on hotel availability since there are only a few hotels in Baratang.

 

  • Option 3- if you are going further north, visit the caves while returning back. You will need to stay overnight either at Mayabunder/Rangat/Baratang on your way back from North Andaman. Recommended. But since it’s a long journey, it may get tiring for kids.
The Caves at Baratang, Middle Andaman - Traveling with Kids

Source- Google Maps

Port Blair -> Jirkatang check post -> Jarwah Reserve Forest -> Middle Strait Jetty -> Baratang Island -> Rangat -> Mayabunder -> Diglipur

  • Option 4- is to visit the caves en route to North Andaman & make an overnight halt at Rangat/Mayabunder. And, again stop overnight at Rangat/Baratang while returning back. Recommended if you have some extra days in hand. In case you are covering only the Middle & North Andaman then this will suit the itinerary best.

The total distance from Port Blair to Diglipur is about 300 Km which can take up to 12-14 hrs if you are traveling with kids.

We did a mistake by covering South, Middle & North Andaman in 10 days. It got too hectic by the end of the trip. It would have been better if we’d planned 2 separate trips. One for South Andaman and another for Middle & North Andaman.

You may also want to read – The Best Beach to Visit with Kids in Havelock Island!

Things you must know before visiting the Limestone Caves at Baratang Island

  • All tours start from Port Blair.

 

  • All the vehicles need to stop at Jirakatang check post to get a permit to enter the Jarwah reserve forest. (You don’t need to worry about the permit, your driver/tour agent will arrange that for you).
Limestone Caves at Baratang Island-Main

Vehicles lined up at Jirkatang check post

Port Blair to Jirkatang check post – 42 Km

  • If you plan to travel by a private cab, you can book a hotel near to Jirakatang check post. We had booked Ixzire Resort which is 30 mins from Port Blair. By booking this hotel we saved some time in the morning.

Ixzire Resort to Jirkatang check post – 20 Km

  • The Jarwah reserve forest starts from Jirakatang check post & stretches up to 49km & ends at the Middle Strait Jetty.

 

  • All the vehicles leave in convoy from Jirakatang check post. Each convoy has a bus in the front with 1-2 armed policemen inside. This experience of passing through the dense forest was quite exhilarating.

 

  • There are 4 convoys throughout the day (6 am, 9 am, 12 pm, 2.30 pm).

 

  • If you miss the convoy, you can’t enter the Jarwah reserve forest. So, take note of these times & plan your visit accordingly. No person or vehicle is allowed to stop once inside the reserve.

 

  • Jarwah are the tribal people of Baratang Island who are completely cut off from the outer world.

 

  • Taking pictures or interacting with Jarwah tribe is not allowed & is a punishable offense. Though interacting with tribal people was not allowed, we were hoping to catch a glimpse & we did. But we made sure not to take their pics or startle them with our actions. They are humans just like us living in a different habitat.

 

  • Once you reach the Middle Strait Jetty, you need to wait for the vehicle ferry to cross a strait & reach the Baratang Island. It takes only 15 mins to cross the strait.
Vehicle ferry at Middle strait

Vehicle ferry in the background at Middle strait jetty

  • Once you are on the other side of the Jetty, you need to take a speed boat from there that will take you through the mangrove creek to Nayadera jetty. This is truly a mesmerizing journey of 45 mins through the dense tropical forest.
Speed boat to Limestone caves

Speed boat from Baratang jetty to Nayadera jetty

Limestone Caves at Baratang Island-creek

Boat passing through mangrove creeks

  • After getting down at the Nayadera jetty, you need to walk for 300 meters on a wooden bridge.
limestone caves at baratang

Wooden bridge

Limestone caves at Baratang- wooden walkway

Taking the wooden walkway towards Limestone caves

  • Once you cross the bridge, you need to walk further 300 meters through the fields and a small village to finally reach the limestone caves.
Visit the limestone caves

Walking through the fields

Walking through the village fields

Walking through the village

The cave is not very big and the entrance is quite compact. But, once you are inside you feel the adrenaline rush looking at all the mesmerizing limestone formations.

Entrance to the Limestone Cave

Entrance to the Limestone Cave

Caves have always fascinated us. Although the whole journey seems tiresome the memories you take away from this journey makes the whole experience worthwhile.

limestone caves at Baratang

Limestone formation

And, when you come out after exploring the cave, do try the refreshing lemon water villagers sell just outside the cave.

Limestone cave at Baratang island

Lemon water stalls outside the cave

If you are traveling with kids or elderly (60+ age), please keep their requirements in mind. Don’t push them to try their limits & keep ample time in hand. Always have a Plan B ready in case the actual plan goes down. In short, be flexible!

You may also want to read – 7 Best Family Adventure Trips to plan with Kids!



Today is Day 3 of #BlogchatterA2Z and the letter of the day is ‘C’. My theme for the challenge is ‘Traveling with kids’ & I have chosen C for Caves.

If you liked this post then do drop a comment below and don’t forget to share this post with your friends and family.

That’s all for today, see you tomorrow!



 

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12 Comments

  1. PraGun April 3, 2019 at 3:30 pm - Reply

    Wow you refreshed my January trip memories, the boat ride, the lemonade, the natural formation in caves, glimpse of jarwa tribe I had enjoyed a lot mainly cause may be I had missed being here in my visit 20 years ago. Great post on limestone caves as very less people know about it.

    • Neha Sharma April 3, 2019 at 5:49 pm - Reply

      I am so glad my post refreshed your memories and thank you for liking it.

  2. Noor Anand Chawla April 3, 2019 at 5:41 pm - Reply

    That’s a very informative post! I liked the pictures too 🙂

    • Neha Sharma April 3, 2019 at 5:50 pm - Reply

      Thanks Noor.

  3. Priyanka Nair April 3, 2019 at 6:17 pm - Reply

    Very nice post, you have covered all the details and photographs added more beauty to it.

    • Neha Sharma April 3, 2019 at 9:11 pm - Reply

      Thank you, Priyanka 🙂

  4. Sanjota Purohit April 3, 2019 at 8:25 pm - Reply

    Complete travel guide! Looks like a great place to visit with family.

    • Neha Sharma April 3, 2019 at 9:27 pm - Reply

      Thank you, Sanjota!

  5. Sonia Chatterjee April 4, 2019 at 2:53 am - Reply

    This is how travelogue should be. Informative, well researched and with a personal touch. Haven’t heard of this place but after rendering your post, I desperately want to visit it once the Andaman trip takes over.

    • Neha Sharma April 4, 2019 at 9:54 am - Reply

      I am so glad that you found my posts good. Do visit the caves, it’s a wonderful experience.

  6. karthik June 25, 2022 at 12:39 pm - Reply

    Fantastically explained.Loved reading your article.

    • Neha Sharma June 27, 2022 at 7:48 am - Reply

      Thank you. I am glad to know that you loved reading the article.

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