Andaman Islands

Hello friends, let’s welcome this month with a travel post where I will be sharing a day from our Andaman Trip. We visited the Andaman Islands in January to celebrate Nemit’s 2nd birthday. And the place which we chose to spend the most special day was the Ross and Smith Islands, also known by the name of Twin Islands.

Check out this Google Satellite image below to know why these are known as the Twin Islands. These are one of the most pristine and secluded Islands of Andaman. And are connected to each other with a thin strip of the white sandbar. Just imagine the feeling of walking on the white sand from one island to the other.

The best thing about this trip was not just Nemit’s birthday but also the company of both his grandmothers. Also, we had 10 days to cover most of the parts of this beautiful Indian Island. That too without burning a hole in our pockets. How we planned this budget trip? Hmm…it’s a secret! Naah, well I will share all the details in another post. This post is dedicated only to Nemit’s special day. Sharing a map of the Andaman Islands below. We visited all the places mentioned in green.

The Andaman Islands are divided into 3 parts as South Andaman, Middle Andaman, and North Andaman.

Middle and Northern parts are the least traveled by the tourists. Hence, these parts have the most pristine untouched beaches with crystal clear waters. Ross and Smith Islands are one of those and offer a unique experience to its explorers.

How to reach?

First, one has to reach Diglipur in the North and take a speedboat from the Aerial Bay Jetty to reach the Twin Islands. The boat ride to Ross and Smith costs around INR 3000/- per boat for a capacity of 5-6 persons and it takes around 20 minutes to reach the destination.

Click on this link to watch a video of our transfer from Aerial Bay Jetty to Twin Islands by the Speedboat.

There are few beautiful huts near the Ticket counter at Aerial Bay Jetty. We spent some time there while arranging for the permits and the boat before taking on the further journey. Make all arrangements beforehand as there are no shops at the Ross and Smith Island. We had to carry the eatables as well as drinking water with us. When we visited, there were no arrangements for water sports as well, so if you wish to do snorkeling, take your gear along.

You may want to read – Top 5 travel essentials when traveling with a toddler.

What to do?

After the boat drops at the Island, take a walk on the white sand trail to reach the Smith Island. To cross the sandbar and reach the Ross Island, one has to take a separate permission from the officials at the Smith Island.

 

 

Once you reach the Smith Island, you will be surprised to see how beautifully it has been maintained, there are wooden huts to take shade, loungers to bask under the sun, beautiful swings and bathing & changing huts too. You will be mesmerized by the beauty of this island, spend time taking long walks on the beach, swim in the clear waters, do snorkeling or just bask in the sun. Each moment spent here feels like a moment of the lifetime.

 

 

There are 2 things which Nemit likes a lot and these are water and sand. And that is why we were so sure to take this trip for Nemit. We left him free to explore the beach on his own, only keeping an eye on him from the distance. He was so excited to see sand and water all around him.

 

 

We could have never planned his birthday better than this. He had his parents all to him, without any gadgets around, giving him complete attention and their time. His grandmothers were there to shower their love and blessings on him. And he had the whole paradise island for himself to enjoy his day.

 

We reached the Island at around 11 am and were asked to head back around 3 pm. We were told that we can’t stay there once the high tide starts. During high tides, the sandbar connecting both the islands get submerged in water separating the two from each other.

After spending some time walking along the beach and taking lots of pictures, we decided to go get drenched in the water. We noticed that swimming was allowed only on the other side of the sandbar and it was getting some tides too. While the opposite side where the boat drops had calm waters without any tides but swimming was not allowed.

We all had a great time playing in the water with Nemit. I think it’s time that we get him enrolled in swimming lessons. Once the waves started getting bigger and harsh, we came out. After taking a bath and changing into dry clothes we decided to have some snacks while lying down on the sun lounger placed along the beach.

 

We didn’t realize how fast time was running there and soon our boat driver came looking for us. It was time to head back to our Resort in Diglipur. We clearly didn’t want to go back. Hence, decided to come back again the next day.

Birthday Celebration

Our trip to Ross and Smith Island came to an end but the celebrations were not over yet. A day before we had ordered a cake for Nemit, which we picked up on our way back to the resort. We were back by 4 pm and thought of taking some rest before planning for the evening. After spending an awesome time at the twin islands, Nemit was also exhausted and soon slept.

In the evening we cut the cake and had a little party in our room only. It was amazing to watch Nemit sing his birthday song and cut the cake on his own. It was messy but full of enjoyment. Nemit’s day and all the fun was almost coming to an end.

 

 

But before retiring for the night, we had to walk to a nearby Kalipur Beach which is famous for Turtle Nesting. Our guide told us that to spot the turtles we need to spend some 3-4 hrs at the beach late at night but that was not possible for us. So, we just did a quick trek to the beach, checked the place where officials collect the turtles’ eggs to keep them safe and headed back to the resort.

Where to Stay?

We stayed at the Pristine Beach Resort, in Diglipur. The distance from the Resort to the Aerial bay jetty is about 8 Km and takes around 20 mins to reach there. Kalipur beach is nearby and at a walking distance of 10 mins. The resort has options for rooms and villas. Since we were on a budget trip, we settled for 2 Deluxe rooms, which were quite cozy and comfortable.

Villas have 2 connected rooms, spacious, luxurious and with all the amenities. If we had to spend our time in the resort, we would have chosen the villas.

 Day Ends

What a day it was, full of fun, excitement, and adventure. And we made awesome unforgettable memories on Nemit’s Birthday. Few years down the line, when he will look at these pictures and listen to the stories about his Andaman Trip, I am sure he will have a big smile on his face. And then we will once again plan a trip to this beautiful island, maybe spend more days in Diglipur and make some more beautiful memories and stories for the lifetime.

This is how we celebrated Nemit’s 2nd Birthday. Hope you liked reading this post and found the information helpful to plan your next trip to the Twin Islands. If you have any questions related to this trip, please leave a comment below or send me a direct message on my Instagram or Facebook and I will try my best to answer your queries and help plan your trip.

Next post on Middle Andaman covering Baratang Caves coming up next. Stay tuned. Love!