We recommend getting a normal tourist visa for India. Our Andaman Operations are based out of Port Blair. Port Blair’s VirSavarkar Airport (IXZ) is accessed by air either from Chennai (formerly Madras), Kolkata (formerly Calcutta), Bengaluru (formerly Bangalore), Delhi and Hyderabad in India. Chennai Airport (MAA) has excellent international connectivity as does Kolkata Airport (CCU) Flights from Chennai and Kolkata reach Port Blair, the Capital of the Andaman Islands by around 3:00 pm each day. Air India offers a higher baggage allowance for domestic flights, which might benefit those coming with a large amount of fishing gear. The popular domestic airlines are Indigo, Go Air, Air India, Vistara and Spice Jet.
If you want to there is the option of taking the ship ride across although this is not recommended as it takes over 2 days. The flying time to Port Blair is about 2 hours, in Port Blair you will be met and assisted on arrival.
A Tourist Visa on Arrival facility is currently available for holders of passports of certain countries. You apply online, upload your photo and passport page and make payment. You will be issued with an Electronic Travel Authorization.
This must be done a minimum of 4 days prior to your arrival in India with a window of 30 days. Example: If you are applying on 1st September then you can select an arrival date from 05th September to 04th October.
Please visit https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/visa/tvoa.html to check your eligibility and the full terms and conditions. This facility will eventually be expanded to cover most countries.
If your country is currently not on the list you will need to obtain a visa from the nearest Indian High Commission/ Embassy or authorized application Centre. You are normally required to fill in the application online but your passport / biometrics may need to be taken in person or sent off for the visa to be issued. When applying online please make sure that you only do this with an authorized application Centre as there are a number of websites that are not authorized by the Indian High Commission and charge unnecessary fees for their services. The form is fairly straight forward.
To find authorized agents search online for the Indian Embassy for your country. Click through to their visa services page. This will give you a link to the agency and the online visa application form.
If you are not able to avail the Tourist Visa on Arrival facility, don’t leave applying for your Indian Visa to the last minute. Allow anything between 1 week and 3 weeks for processing of your Indian Visa.
Our Andaman Operations are based out of Port Blair. Port Blair’s VirSavarkar Airport (IXZ) is accessed by air either from Chennai (formerly Madras) or Kolkata (formerly Calcutta) in India. Chennai Airport (MAA) has excellent international connectivity. Kolkata Airport (CCU) has limited direct international connectivity unless you are travelling from Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore or Dubai. Flights from Chennai and Kolkata reach Port Blair, the Capital of the Andaman Islands by noon each day. If you want to there is the option of taking the ship ride across although this is not recommended as it takes over 2 days.
The flying time to Port Blair is about 2 hours, in Port Blair you will be met and assisted on arrival.
A number of international carriers fly into Chennai International Airport and there is direct international connectivity with London, Frankfurt, Dubai, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Colombo, Muscat, Doha, Jeddah, Riyadh, Hong Kong, Mauritious, Bangkok& Bahrain.
If you’re travelling from Europe we recommend a direct flight to India travelling with British Airways from London Heathrow or Lufthansa from Frankfurt. If you’re travelling from the Gulf or the Middle East you can use Emirates or any carrier with direct flights to Chennai.
If you’re travelling from the Far East you can use Thai Airways, Cathay Pacific, Air Asia, Singapore Airlines, TigerAir or any other carrier offering direct flights to Chennai.
If you are booking your flights yourself we recommend using a price comparison site like SkyScanner or GoCompare to find the best deals and then making the booking directly with the Airline.
Please allow at least 2 hours between flights to ensure that you have sufficient time to clear customs and immigration in Chennai before your onward domestic flight to the Andamans.
Due to limited direct international flights, we do not recommend travelling via Kolkata unless you are travelling from Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore or Dubai.
India = Indian Rupees (INR)
Check the latest rates
Indian Rupees should not be available outside India and there are restrictions on carrying Indian Rupees to India from abroad.
Exchanging currency at your destination usually gives you a better rate.
If you plan on using your ATM card remember to let you bank know that you are travelling in India.
India 3 round pins – Type D
If you are visiting from the UK you will need a Type G to Type D adaptor.
Voltage for India is 220 – 240 volts, the same as UK and Europe but different from America.
Remember to bring travel adaptors for all your electronic devices
Travel Adaptors that convert plugs for most countries to India are easily available and cheaper when bought through online retailers. Search for: “your country” to India travel adaptor eg: UK to India travel adaptor.
Light tropical clothing that dries quickly and is comfortable is recommended. We also recommend that you carry a raincoat, sun protective headwear & sunglasses. A good pair of non-slip shoes for boat trips are also necessary. While out fishing you’ll want to cover up as much as you can to avoid sunburn. You’ll need protective eyewear, clothing and gloves.
We recommend:
Eyewear: Costa Del Mar & Maui Jim.
Clothing: Columbia PFG , Burke or any other light, quick drying material with a high UPF.
Gloves: Rapala Fisherman’s Gloves , Smith Mesh Pro , Smith Titanium.
Shoes: Crocs , Columbia or any other non-slip deck shoes.
Wi-Fi internet access is available in common areas of the accommodation. You can access the internet on your own Wi-Fi device.
Connection speeds are slow in the Andamans but they should be sufficient for email and messaging.
Charges for using your phone abroad are usually quite high so unless money is no object it’s advisable that you consider the following:
