One of the most amazing places to visit in Andaman for water sports and leisure tour, Elephant Beach should not be missed from your Andaman holiday itinerary. Boasting of heavenly coral reefs and its enthralling underwater marine life, Elephant Beach is a great spot to spend your holiday time in Andaman. Whether you seek relaxing or a bustling escape from the monotony of daily life, Elephant Beach will charm you in all the ways.
Elephant Beach is one of the key attractions located on Havelock Island, in Andaman and Nicobar. It takes around twenty minutes to get to the beach on a ferry, and the sight of the beach alone is enough to make you fall in love with this place. The beauty of the clean shores, unaffected by man-made pollution.
It is a one of the most popular beaches in Andaman and attracts a lot of visitors every year. Due to its popularity, there are many tour agencies that arrange day trips to the beach on a regular basis, especially during the peak seasons.
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Elephant Beach is very famous for the bright coral reefs that one can find at a depth that is as shallow as just one meter. This might sound too good to be true, but it's one of the things that drives tourists to visit this place during their trip to Andaman, and never makes it lose its charm.
The Beach is a public beach and anyone can access it. However, the beach doesn’t stay open for the whole day so you must plan your visit during the first half of the day, to get as much time as possible on these beautiful sandy shores and enjoy all the activities and things that the beach has to offer.
Some of the most popular attractions around the beach include swimming, fishing, kayaking and an array of other super exciting water sports that are famous in Andaman. You can also explore the famous underwater world of the Andaman Islands on the Elephant Beach, and see some of the most exciting marine life, like the famous coral reefs, turtles, sea anemones, as well as many other types of colorful fish.
How To Reach
Elephant Beach is located close to Havelock Island, and since Havelock doesn’t have an airport of its own, you will first need to reach Port Blair, and then take a ferry or a boat to Havelock Island.
By Air: Veer Savarkar International Airport, also known as the Port Blair Airport is located close to the town center, and one can easily take a ferry from Port Blair to Havelock upon reaching.
By Boat: You will need to take a ferry from Port Blair to Havelock first, and the journey takes around 70 kilometers, or one and a half hours to complete. From the Havelock Dock, you can take another boat, and in twenty minutes, you will reach the Elephant Beach. These boats travel on a frequent and regular basis, so you don’t have to worry about missing a boat and not making it to the beach.
By Road: Upon reaching Havelock Island from Port Blair by ferry, you can choose to ditch the boat and take a beautiful walk to the beach. The path of the walk is surrounded by lush green trees that provide shade and make this walk a very pleasant experience.
Best Time To Visit
The Andaman and Nicobar islands are blessed with a tropical climate that is enjoyable for the most part of the year. If you are someone who loves bright sunny weather, then you can opt for visiting in the summer season, from the month of April to the month of June, till the rains start.
Another great time to visit the Elephant Beach is during the winter season, from the months of November to March, and this is also considered to be the best to visit the Andaman Islands. What makes this the best time to visit is that the climate is really pleasant and cool, but still sunny enough to be able to soak in the rays of the sun. Being the peak season, it is also the most expensive time to visit the beach.
The offseason for the beach is during the monsoon season, during the months of June to November. The beach is mostly closed for visitors during this period and no ferries travel during these months. You can always choose to walk to the beach, but there won't be much to do at the beach due to the rain, and most of the shacks will be closed too.
Other Essential Information
Here is some other noteworthy information about Elephant Beach you should know:
Mobile Connectivity
As the Andaman and Nicobar Islands are an Indian Union Territory, most Indian Networks will work fine on the Island. However, there have been instances where certain networks don’t get range or coverage. Networks Jio and Reliance are not recommended to be used in the Islands, and the best mobile connectivity comes from the Vodafone network, so make sure that you or someone in your travel group has Vodafone or Airtel connectivity for the best results. At the beach, there might be some signal issues as it is a bit isolated, and you might not always get reception there, so be prepared to take a day off from your phone!
Medical Facilities
There are first aid kits on the beach, and if you are visiting through a travel or tour agency, then they will also carry a first aid kit along with them. However, there are no clinics on the beach and the nearest hospital or medical clinic is on Havelock Island, which is around 20 minutes from Elephant Beach by boat. If you take any specific kind of medication, we recommend that you carry it along with you and not rely on the medical facilities on the beach for them.
Timing to Visit
The beach is open from early in the morning, and ferries start traveling as early as 7 AM in the morning. The beach is only open for day trips and the last ferry leaves from the beach at around 3:30 PM the entire beach shuts down at around 4 PM. If you want to experience all the facilities and activities the beach has to offer, then make sure to leave early and plan to spend an entire afternoon at the beach, so you can enjoy all the water sports activities without having to be in a hurry.
Also, check the list of top places to visit in Port Blair.
Snorkeling
Snorkeling in Andaman is considered to be one of the best and most popular activities that one can do on Elephant Beach. What makes this a popular snorkeling location that attracts a number of visitors every year is the coral reefs that can be seen at a depth of just one meter from the surface, which is not a very common phenomenon. Apart from the coral reefs, one can also find many other exotic marine life species such as colorful fish, sea turtles, sea snakes, and very rarely one might sight a saltwater crocodile. This experience makes this island a must visit place in Andaman.
Sea Walking
Unlike snorkeling which is swimming and observing the underwater life from the surface of the water, sea bottom walking is quite the opposite and involves diving to the bottom of the ocean and walking around and exploring the different sea plants and fish that surround you as you walk around the water. Andaman and Nicobar islands have quite a rich marine life and there are many different varieties of fish that one can find swimming in the ocean. They are all quite friendly and they don’t hesitate to swim around you as you explore the bottom of the sea.
Tourism Board Alliances
Elephant Beach FAQs
How do I get to Elephant Beach?
There are two basic ways to get to the Elephant Beach from Havelock Island. First, you can take a ferry from Havelock Dock, and you will reach the beach in around 20 minutes. These ferries travel quite frequently. Secondly, you can take a walk through a serene, beautiful path, which takes around 15-20 minutes to reach the beach.
Is scuba diving available at Elephant Beach?
Elephant Beach is famous for scuba diving in Andaman and it also one of the most sought-after activities on the beach. Apart from scuba diving there is also snorkeling and sea bottom walking, as well as some other water sports activities to choose from.
How did Elephant beach get its name?
The beach gets its name from the olden days when elephants were transported to the island and helped people to reach the beach, long before they used boats. Though the name remained the same, you won’t be able to see any elephants on the beach today.
How do you get to Elephant Beach from Havelock?
There are two ways to get to the beach from Havelock Island. You can either choose to travel by boat, which goes from the Havelock Dock frequently, and takes 20 minutes to reach, or you can take a walk to the beach which takes around 20 minutes as well.
What activities are available at Elephant Beach?
There are a lot of exciting activities that one could choose from on the beach, like swimming, fishing, banana boating, jet skiing, scuba diving, sea walking, snorkeling, boating, or just relaxing on the shores of the beach.
What can I see at Elephant Beach?
Apart from the beautiful sandy shores and the crystal clear blue sea, one can also view many different bird species on the beach, and if you choose to take a dip in the ocean or try scuba diving you can get to see many different types of fish and other marine life.
What is the rate of boat riding at Elephant Beach?
The rate of boat riding at Elephant Beach depends on the various service providers that are available on the beach and also at the time of the visit. During peak season the prices are a bit higher, but usually, the boating prices range anywhere between INR 750 to INR 1250.
Elephant Beach Reviews
