Long Island Andaman Travel Guide

“Long Island Andaman is a small island”, I thought to myself. I had come across it while looking for places beyond the usual Port Blair, Neil and Havelock in the Andaman Islands. I wanted to experience something different and so during my quest of experiencing the North and Middle Andaman district, after spending a week in Diglipur and almost another week in Mayabunder, I thought I’d had enough and would touch Long Island for a day or two and make my way back to Havelock. But I was way in over my head when I booked my return ticket before even arriving in Long Island Andaman. Because I had no idea that I’d end up spending a week here in this beautiful tiny paradise and still left wanting more…and that is how this Long Island Andaman travel guide was born!

To this day I believe that Long Island Andaman is one of the lesser-explored gems that is relatively easier to visit as compared to Diglipur and Mayabunder. If you’re looking to go beyond the Holy Trinity of Port Blair, Havelock and Neil, and yet have not enough days on your hand to go all the way to North Andaman (Diglipur and surroundings), you should definitely plan for Long Island Andaman instead. It’s got a beautiful back in the time vibe, pristine beaches with some great snorkelling spots, warm and welcoming people and potential diving opportunities as well. Read on, you’re about to find a whole lot more on this Long Island Andaman travel guide!

How to Reach Long Island Andaman

There are three ways to reach Long Island Andaman. Of these, two are the most commonly used (road and sea), and one is rather trickier to get on (air). Let’s have a look at how to reach Long Island Andaman via all three options in detail on this Long Island Andaman travel guide –

Long Island Andaman by Road

The only way to reach Long Island Andaman by road is through Port Blair. From Port Blair, you must take a bus heading to Rangat. You can either get your tickets from the bus stand in Aberdeen Bazaar for the local STS (State Transport Services) bus or you can hop on to a private bus and book your tickets online. The online service will only show you buses heading to Diglipur but that is quite alright as Rangat always falls on the way and you can simply ask your bus conductor to let you off at Rangat.

As you’ll read further in this Long Island Andaman travel guide, your road journey from Port Plair to Long Island ends at Rangat which is the nearest town to Long Island. From here on, you must catch a ferry, let’s how –

Long Island Andaman by Sea

Once you’ve arrived in Rangat from Port Blair by road, to take the Long Island ferry, you must reach the jetty point at Yeratta. From the bus stand, there are shared taxis heading to Yeratta which only take 20 rupees or so. Or you could also take an auto-rickshaw from the Rangat bus stand to the Yeratta jetty and it will cost you about 150 rupees.

The distance from Rangat bus stand to Yeratta Jetty is about 13 kilometres away.

From Yeratta, there is a ferry service headed to Long Island twice a day – one at 9 am and the other at 3 pm. The Long Island ferry is a one-hour ride and trust this Long Island Andaman travel guide, one of the most beautiful ferry rides you are sure to take. The route passes through such scenic lush mangrove trees, you are sure to fall in love!

Here's a Long Island Andaman travel guide tip: If you look the Rangat to Yeratta route up on the Long Island Andaman map, it seems like Yeratta is in the middle of a forest but that's actually because of thick mangroves surrounding the water that Google doesn't quite catch the blue! If you click on the satellite imagery, you'll be able to tell the water route apart!

But hey, there’s also a way from Havelock to Long Island ferry directly! This is called the “Line Ferry”. The Line Ferry starts from Port Blair, goes to Havelock, then Neil, Long Island, followed by Mayabunder and Diglipur so a lot of time and energy is saved up. You can get all details about the Long Island Andaman Line Ferry from the Tourist Information Centre at Port Blair: 03192-245555 or 03192-230480. This is by far the best way to reach according to this Long Island Andaman travel guide.

I have personally not travelled in the Line Ferry but included it in this Long Island travel guide anyway as it is a super fast and convenient way of travelling to Long Island from Havelock!

Long Island Andaman by Air

Lastly, there’s also the option of reaching Long Island by air – via the Pawan Hans helicopter service. But in this case, the only information this Long Island travel guide can give you is to either check out the schedule and booking form online on their website here or call up the Tourist Information Centre. This method is tricky and more expensive but can definitely add an interesting experience!

Best Time to Visit Long Island Andaman

The best time to visit Long Island Andaman is no doubt – during the winters. As is with the rest of the Andaman Islands, the tourist season opens around October onwards but the cyclone season usually stays till December. So unless you don’t want to risk flight delays and shut down of ferry services (in short, unless you have a lot of time and a one-way ticket), trust this Long Island Andaman travel guide and make your way to Long Island only after December. The weather stays favourable until late Feb when it starts getting hotter by the minute.

All in all, I’d say late December might just be the absolute best time to visit Long Island Andaman because the majority of the population here are migrants from Jharkhand and Chhatisgarh – people who are Scheduled Tribes, converted to Christianity. So the way they celebrate Christmas is actually quite interesting. You get to experience their folk dances, folk music and also traditional food – including copious amounts of homemade rice beer. Trust this Long Island Andaman travel guide and don’t miss out on Christmas here!

Where to Stay in Long Island Andaman

As of April 2022, there is only one private place to say in Long Island Andaman – known as Blue Planet Resort. I was directed to Blue Planet through Go2Andaman. Throughout my travels across the Andaman Islands, I mostly relied on G2A to gather information on where to go, how to reach and places to stay. Their knowledge about the Islands is incredible and spot-on. They also have group tours as well as customized tours. So if you’re looking for a reliable tour operator on the Andaman Islands, Go2Andaman should be your point of contact. (You can thank me – and this Long Island Andaman travel guide – later!)

Coming back to Long Island Andaman accommodation, Blue Planet Resort is a friendly place with basic amenities – huts made of both bamboo and concrete are available here. The beach is a 5 minutes walk away from the resort which goes through a beautiful forest and is an experience in itself! It’s great for swimming, and for long walks. They also have homely meals available at very affordable prices. All in all, it’s a great place for backpackers and I’d fully recommend it for this Long Island Andaman travel guide. But if you’re looking for a little something more luxurious, this might not be the best Long Island Andaman hotels for you.

Apart from Blue Planet Resort, there are three government-run resorts in Long Island Andaman – two maintained by the Forest Department and one by the PWD Department. The Forest guest houses are Surmai Resort at Lalaji Bay Beach and Vanashree Forest Rest House right by the jetty. I’ve heard wonderful things about Vanashree and it is supposed to be one of the best Long Island Andman hotels. Surmai also has nice spacious rooms but I’ve heard complaints of rat infestations, power issues and food shortages. Don’t trust this Long Island Andaman travel guide about this though – do your own research for Long Island Andaman accommodation as I personally haven’t stayed here. (Or, just book through Go2Andaman – the easiest way through all this!)

How to Get Around in Long Island Andaman

The interesting thing about Long Island Andaman is that there are almost no cars here! Save for maybe one or two private cars – there are a couple of jeeps that run as shared taxis and there are a couple of auto rickshaws. A lot of houses now have scooters but that’s mostly it! The most common way to get around Long Island Andaman is on foot. But Blue Planet Resort Long Island Andaman (mentioned previously on this Long Island Andaman travel guide) has a scooter that you can borrow depending on availability.

Things to Do in Long Island Andaman

Snorkel at North Passage Island – Merk Bay Beach

I think the top things to do in Long Island Andaman for this Long Island Andaman travel guide has to be snorkelling. Snorkelling specifically at Merk Bay Beach at the nearby island of North Passage is nothing short of incredible. You must get a permit from the forest office – which can be done between 6 am and 12 pm against your valid government ID card, book a seat in the fibreglass boat and set sail! The fibreglass boat costs INR 4000 so this works out best if you can find fellow travellers willing to go along. But it is worth every penny as North Passage Island is uninhabited. So there is absolutely nobody else you will find here except for one or two forest guards who patrol here. On my visit, the forest guards were kind enough to offer us freshly plucked coconuts and it was a proper feast! There was nobody else on the entire white, sandy beach and it also made for some great snorkelling – an experience I will never forget!

Find Turtles at Guitar Island

Guitar Island is named so because of its shape – like that of a guitar. But this only makes sense if you see it from up above – which you oftentimes do while flying into Port Blair (make sure to sit on the right side). But otherwise, there’s not much else to do on Guitar Island if I’m being fully honest, especially since swimming or snorkelling here is not allowed. I did find turtle tracks while visiting this Island so maybe you can get luckier and find turtles as well! But since a stop on Guitar Island comes included on your boat fare to North Passage Island, might as well get down and walk a bit around – that’s my tip for you on this Long Island Andaman travel guide.

Have a Picnic at Lalaji Bay Beach

If there’s one thing I enjoyed the most during my travels to Long Island Andaman, it has to be the picnic at Lalaji Bay Beach with the local villagers during Christmas! This is an experience you should try and have as well – something I will definitely recommend on this Long Island Andaman travel guide. Even if you don’t end up having a picnic with the very kind villagers here, the forest hike to Lalaji Bay is great fun as well – and very easy too. The beach is really long and mostly empty with a large grassland right beside it to sit and relax under the shade of palm trees!

Take a Walk by the Village Market

The village market is where all the action is during the evening – the mosque will be playing the azaan, the children will be playing a game of football on the field, people would be coming in from the last evening Long Island Andaman ferry, fishermen would be returning from sea and just in general, everyone would gather in small groups in front of chai shops and chat until its dark and time for dinner. I used to love spending my evenings at the market and taking leisurely strolls and getting lost in the bylanes – these used to be my favourite things to do in Long Island Andaman. I’ve written a dedicated post about this feeling which you can check out here. But trust this Long Island Andaman travel guide and don’t forget to spend some time in the market – simply observing life go by!

Try out the Street Food

There’s not a whole lot of food scene at Long Island Andaman. It is a small island with only a population of about 1000 – so eating out is not a big scene here. But the two shops that do sell food, are worth spending all your money on! This is definitely one of the best things to do in Long Island Andaman according to this Long Island Andaman travel guide. There is a shop at the corner close to the jetty which sells some delicious idli, vada and dosa. But this guy sells out like hot cakes early. He opens shop at 6 am and you’d be lucky if you still find any goodies left by 8 am so my tip to you would be to wake up early and reach here. The other shop is at the main market – it is a samosa shop run by Ashita Didi and she makes the most kick-ass plate of samosa chaat accompanied by some piping hot tea.

Long Island Andaman Travel Guide – General Information

Internet and Network Connectivity in Long Island Andaman

The internet in Long Island Andaman is surprisingly fast! Blue Planet Resort Long Island Andaman (which was recommended to me by Go2Andaman) has a very reliable WiFi connection and that was one of the main reasons why I ended up staying for a whole week instead of the two short days I had initially planned! Throughout the village, BSNL works great and I’ve heard talks of Airtel arriving on the island shortly as well. But deeper in the island, places like Lalaji Bay network is intermittent and even BSNL can get patchy. But my recommendation on this Long Island travel guide would be that if you want to work out of here, it is definitely possible while staying at Blue Planet Resort – their WiFi rocks!

ATMs in Long Island Andaman

There are no ATMs in Long Island Andaman and the only way to withdraw cash is to hop on to a ferry to Rangat! So be prepared and carry enough cash as most places do not accept online payments – except for Blue Planet Resort (how I cannot stop thanking Go2Andaman for hooking me up with this stay!)

Wine and Beer Shop Long Island Andaman

There are no wine and beer shops in Long Island Andaman. The closest shop would be in Rangat – so it’s best to carry your stock before arriving here. But my tip for you from this Long Island travel guide would be that there are a few shops that sell beer in black – at inflated rates. So ask around and you might just be pointed in the right direction. And if all else fails, there’s always the super delicious homemade rice beer that the local Ranchi people make!

Long Island Andaman Travel Guide – Frequently Asked Questions

How do I get from Port Blair to Long Island?

This Long Island Andaman travel guide would suggest that the easiest and most convenient way is the Port Blair to Long Island ferry. It runs thrice a day and the tickets can be bought at the DSS counter. Otherwise, you can hop on to a bus from Port Blair to Rangat and then take a ferry from the Yeratta Jetty to Long Island. Port Blair to Long Island Andaman distance is around 82 kilometres by sea and about 180 kilometres by road.

Where is Long Island in Andaman?

Long Island in Andaman is a part of the Baratang group of islands in the North and Middle Andaman District. The closest town to Long Island is Rangat in Middle Andaman and trust this Long Island Andaman travel guide – this is a must-see place in the Andaman Islands!

How many days are required for Andaman trip?

This Long Island Andaman travel guide would suggest AT LEAST 7 days in Andaman – but I’d say that’s also cutting it a bit short. 10 to 15 days is the best way to do justice to the Andaman Islands in a short span of time (but don’t listen to me, I love travelling slow and ended up spending 6 months on the islands!)

Which month is best for Andaman trip?

If it’s the diving and snorkelling you’re after – this Long Island Andaman travel guide will suggest that the best month for your Andaman trip is from March to May. It does get increasingly hot and humid during this time but the waters are crystal blue and visibility is hella impressive. But if you’re not much into diving, December and January should be good enough months for you as well.

Is 2 days enough for Andaman?

Uh, HELLO NO!? Don’t even think about coming to Andaman if you only have 2 days on hand. Sure, two days in Long Island Andaman would still make sense to me but why would anyone fly thousands of kilometres from mainland India only to spend 2 days in Port Blair and go back? Do yourself a favour and keep at least 7 days while coming here!

We love transparency! My stay at Blue Planet Resort was partly sponsored by Go2Andaman but my views about their services are completely my own!

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