Port Blair

Where is Port Blair?

Port Blair is the capital city of Andaman and Nicobar Islands in India. Located at 11° 40' N and 92° 46' E, Port Blair is the municipal council in the southern part of Andaman, a part of India's Union Territory.

Visit Port Blair

Port Blair is mainly famous for the Cellular Jail. Being located on the coastal line of Bay of Bengal, the town has got palm-lined beaches with spectacular view of marine life and rare corals. A drive on the bumping roads amidst the lush green forests will make you fall for the place.

STD code of Port Blair

The STD code of Port Blair is 03192.

Different languages used in Port Blair

Port Blair, being a part of the tribal area of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, mainly speaks Nicobarese. Apart from that, the residents of Port Blair even speak languages like Hindi, Bengali, Malayalam, Telugu and Tamil.

reshore service

Inter-island service

Island to Indian mainland service

If you are planning to visit Port Blair, then a journey by ship is the best way to enjoy the travel to Port Blair. The capital city of Port Blair can be reached by ships operated by the Shipping Corporation of India (SCI). These ships sail generally two to three times a month from the port cities of Kolkata, Chennai and Vishakapatnam. Let us have a quick look at the estimated hours to reach Port Blair by ship from these major Indian cities:

• Kolkata to Port Blair: 56 hrs
• Chennai to Port Blair: 60 hrs
• Vishakapatnam to Port Blair: 56 hrs

These ships even provide meals to passengers on their long journey. The journey, though at times, becomes a bit uncomfortable because of the extended hours, but enjoying the atmosphere on a long stay on water is worth it. You can book your trip on a ship by contacting the Shipping Corporation of India at + 91 - 033 - 2482354.

How to reach Port Blair by air?

Owing to the fact that it takes long to reach Port Blair by water, the city is quite well-connected by airways. Daily flights fly to and from Kolkata and Chennai to the Veer Savarkar Airport in Port Blair. Some of the renowned airways serving the place are:

• Air India
• Jet Airways
• Jetlite
• IndiGo

Regular and scheduled Jetlite flights are available from New Delhi via the metropolitan of Kolkata. Besides these, the Jet Airways' flights and some charter flights are operated from Hyderabad via Chennai and from Bangalore respectively based on the tourist demand during peak season.

As compared to the extended journey by ship, it takes just 2 hrs from Kolkata to reach Port Blair by an Indian Airlines' flight, which flies every Sunday, Wednesday and Friday of a given week. Indian Airlines even has got flights from Chennai on every Saturday, Tuesday and Thursday, which takes around 2hrs 5mins to reach Port Blair directly.

Major Tourist Attractions in Port Blair

Port Blair has got endless tourist attractions starting from wonderful beaches to unexplored marine life, the Cellular Jail to anthropological museum, which reflects the history and culture of the place. Some of the famous places, which attract tourists from all over the world, are:

• Cellular Jail: Cellular Jail, even famously known as Kala Pani during the British rule in India stands as the main landmark of Port Blair. The solitary cells of the jail still reflect the condition of Indian freedom fighters during their imprisonment there. A light and sound show in English is conducted every Sunday, Wednesday and Saturday at 7:15 pm in the seven winged jail originating out of a central tower. The show depicts the history behind the establishment of the prison. The Hindi version of the show is conducted at 6 pm everyday except during monsoon. Besides this, the Cellular Jail even houses a museum at its entrance which exhibits photographs of convicts along with the devices with which they were punished.
  
  
• Corbyn's Cove: Corbyn's Cove is the beach located at just 7 Km away from Port Blair. Surrounded by coconut and palm trees, the beach is ideal for sun basking and water sports. However, the presence of strong water current makes the place a bit risky for swimming. Snake Island of coral reefs is located in its close proximity.
  
  
• Samudrika Marine Museum: Divided in five sections, this museum displays the geography and history of the Andaman & Nicobar Islands. This marine museum operated by the Indian Navy, besides owning tanks full of exotic corals and fishes, exhibits miniature islands' models, tribal pictures, which reflect their life-style.
  
  
• Cinque Island: Cinque Island is one of the exotic islands in the entire Andamans. Extraordinary beaches surrounded by unspoiled coral reefs will make you feel that you are in a perfect holiday destination. The island provides opportunities to have a closer view of the undersea coral gardens. Besides this, swimming, fishing, scuba diving etc. can be done with prior permission from the Forest Department.
  
  

To name a few more worthwhile tourist places in Port Blair are:

• Aquarium
• Anthropological Museum
• Chatham Sawmill
• Children's Traffic Park
• Chiriya Tapu
• Collinpur
• Diglipur
• Fisheries museum
• Forest museum
• Gandhi park
• Havelock island
• Jolly buoy island
• Madhuban
• Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park
• Mini Zoo
• Mt Harriet
• Neil Island
• Ross Island
• Sagarika Emporium
• Sippighat Farm and Water Sports Complex
• Viper Islands
• Wandoor
• Zsi Museum

Last Updated on 31 October 2011