The Andaman and Nicobar Islands make up just 0.25% of India's land area and hold more than 11,000 recorded species. Roughly a third of them exist nowhere else on earth. This guide covers what you can realistically see as a visitor — the birds, the reefs, the mangroves, the turtles and the forests — plus where to go, when to go, and what the permit rules actually are.
Why the Andamans Are a Biodiversity Hotspot
The numbers do the arguing here. According to the Zoological Survey of India, the archipelago accounts for about 0.25% of India's geographical area but supports roughly 11,009 recorded species — over 10% of the country's fauna.
The reason is isolation. These islands separated from the mainland long ago, allowing evolution to take its own course. The result is unusually high endemism: species that exist on these islands and nowhere else on the planet.
A quick sense of scale:
Three shrew species — the Andaman shrew, Jenkin's shrew and the Nicobar shrew — are classified Critically Endangered. The dugong, the islands' state animal, and the Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin are both listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.
Most of our andaman tour packages already move through several of these habitats without being marketed as wildlife trips — a Baratang day trip is a mangrove creek expedition, and an Elephant Beach snorkelling session is a reef dive in everything but name.
Also Read: Holiday planning: Complete Guide/Checklist for Stress-Free Trips
Marine Life: What You Can Actually See
This is where most visitors have their best wildlife encounters, because you don't need luck or a guide — you need a mask.
Coral. The reefs here come in two forms: barrier reefs along the western side of the archipelago, fringing reefs along the east coast. Around 500 species of hard coral support more than 1,000 species of fish. Bleaching events have damaged some shallow sites, which is exactly why the rotation rules below exist.
Reef fish. Clownfish in their anemones, parrotfish, angelfish, butterflyfish, surgeonfish (the "Dory" blue tang), triggerfish and wrasse are all routine sightings in a single snorkel.
Turtles. Four species use these waters — Olive Ridley, Green, Hawksbill and Leatherback. Green turtles are the ones snorkellers most often meet grazing on seagrass.
Rays and sharks. Blacktip and whitetip reef sharks patrol deeper water and are not a danger to snorkellers. Eagle rays and, on lucky dives, manta rays glide past drop-offs.
Dugong. The state animal is genuinely hard to see. Dugong Creek on Little Andaman is the classic habitat, with occasional sightings around Rutland Island and Ritchie's Archipelago. Treat any sighting as a bonus, not an itinerary item.
Dolphins. Far more reliable. Lalaji Bay on Long Island, the waters around Jolly Buoy, and the Havelock crossing all produce regular pods.
Bioluminescence. On nights around the new moon, plankton in the water around Havelock and Neil glow when disturbed. Kayaking through it is one of the more memorable things you can do in the islands.
1. Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park, Wandoor
The flagship marine protected area, about 30 km from Sri Vijaya Puram (Port Blair), covering fifteen islands and the reefs between them.
What you'll see: live coral gardens, reef fish, sea cucumbers, giant clams and — from the glass-bottom boats — reef structure without getting wet.
The rotation rule most guides don't explain: visitor access alternates between Jolly Buoy and Red Skin islands roughly every six months, so each reef gets half a year to recover. Jolly Buoy is generally open in the drier months, Red Skin the rest. Check which one is active before planning your visit.
Plastic is banned at Jolly Buoy — bottles and wrappers are collected at the jetty. Bring a reusable bottle.
Permit: required, issued at Wandoor. Best season: October to May.
2. North Bay Island: Coral Without the Swimming
Fifteen minutes by boat from Sri Vijaya Puram, North Bay is the most accessible reef in the islands and the reason it works so well for mixed-age groups: you can see the coral by glass-bottom boat, by sea walk (a helmet feeds you air, and you don't need to swim), by snorkel, or by scuba, all from the same beach.
The lighthouse here is widely associated with the view once printed on the older ₹20 note.
Best for: first-timers, non-swimmers, grandparents and children in the same group.
Plan Your Trip
Andaman Family Discovery (Standard) — Sri Vijaya Puram, Swaraj Dweep & Shaheed Dweep 5 nights / 6 days built around the fact that families travel at different speeds. Ross Island and North Bay with a glass-bottom boat ride so children see coral without swimming, sea walk that needs no swimming skill, the shallow calm water at Radhanagar for paddling, snorkelling at Elephant Beach, and Neil's Natural Bridge. From ₹28,089 for 2 guests, with private AC vehicles, catamaran ferries, entry tickets and permits included. View the Andaman Family Discovery package → Book with just 20% upfront. Balance after your package is confirmed.
3. Chidiya Tapu: The Birding Site
Twenty-five kilometres south of Sri Vijaya Puram, Chidiya Tapu — literally "bird island" — is the most reliable birding spot within easy reach of the capital.
What to look for: Andaman wood pigeon (the state bird), Andaman drongo, Andaman green pigeon, white-bellied sea eagle, several parakeet species, and waders along the mudflats at low tide.
Also here: the Munda Pahar trek and one of the best sunset viewpoints in South Andaman.
Timing matters more than anything. Birds are active at dawn and again in the late afternoon. Arriving at 11 am and seeing little is a scheduling problem, not a wildlife problem.
Other excellent birding sites: Sippighat, Farrar Gunj, Mount Manipur (formerly Mount Harriet), and the forest edges on Havelock.
Also Read: Eco Friendly travel in the Andaman and Nicobar islands: sustainable tourism tips
4. Baratang: Mangroves and Limestone
This is the single best nature day trip from Sri Vijaya Puram, and it surprises people the most.
The drive north crosses the Jarawa Tribal Reserve in a convoy, then a boat carries you through narrow mangrove creeks — walls of prop roots on both sides, kingfishers overhead — to the limestone caves. A mud volcano sits nearby, weather permitting.
Why mangroves matter: they cover roughly 674 sq km here, about 12% of the islands' total area, and they are among the most productive ecosystems on earth. They nurse juvenile fish, hold the coastline together against erosion, and store carbon at rates that outperform rainforest.
Important rules: photographing or interacting with members of the Jarawa community is a criminal offence. Stopping along the reserve road is prohibited.
Saltwater crocodiles inhabit these creeks and the mangroves generally. This is the one genuinely dangerous animal in the islands. Never swim in creek mouths or mangrove channels, and follow local signage about which beaches are off-limits.
Plan Your Trip
LTC Heritage & Beaches (Luxury) — Sri Vijaya Puram & Swaraj Dweep 5 nights / 6 days that pairs the Baratang mangrove creeks and limestone caves with Radhanagar, Elephant Beach and the Cellular Jail Light & Sound Show. LTC-compliant documentation, Makruzz catamaran transfers, forest permits and boat tickets included. From ₹56,412 for 2 guests. View the LTC Heritage & Beaches package → Operating since 2014 · IATA TIDS 96097960 · Ministry of Tourism registered
5. Elephant Beach, Swaraj Dweep (Havelock)
Reached by a twenty-minute speedboat ride, Elephant Beach has shallow coral close to shore — which makes it the most forgiving snorkelling site in the islands. You are floating over living reef within a few metres of the sand.
What you'll see: staghorn and brain coral, clownfish, parrotfish, sergeant majors, the occasional turtle.
Note on conditions: the boat ride is closed during rough seas, and the reef here has taken bleaching damage in places. Sites like Nemo Reef and the dive spots off Havelock are in better condition if you're a serious diver.
Plan Your Trip
Tropical Treasures of Andaman (Budget) — Sri Vijaya Puram & Swaraj Dweep The most economical way to get properly into the water. 5 nights / 6 days across Port Blair and Havelock with a speedboat trip to Elephant Beach and complimentary snorkelling included, plus Radhanagar and Kalapathar. From ₹21,945 for 2 guests, all ferries, permits and entry tickets covered. View the Tropical Treasures package → Directly contracted hotels. No wholesalers in between.
6. Saddle Peak National Park, Diglipur
At 732 metres, Saddle Peak is the highest point in the Andaman Islands, in North Andaman near Diglipur. The trek runs through evergreen forest thick with epiphytes, ferns and orchids.
What you might see: Andaman wild pig, Andaman day gecko, endemic forest birds, and — from the summit on a clear day — a view across the northern archipelago.
Reality check: Diglipur is a long haul from Sri Vijaya Puram, roughly 300 km by the Andaman Trunk Road. This is a trip for people with a week or more, not a day excursion.
7. Kalipur Beach, Diglipur: Turtle Nesting
Diglipur's other draw is the turtle nesting, which is worth the journey. Kalipur is one of very few beaches in the world where all four local sea turtle species nest — Olive Ridley, Green, Hawksbill and Leatherback.
Season: roughly December to March, peaking in January and February. The Forest Department runs a hatchery here and permits supervised night observation.
Rules that are strictly enforced: no flash photography, no torches pointed at nesting females, no touching. Artificial light disorients hatchlings and sends them away from the sea.
8. Rani Jhansi Marine National Park
Covering Henry Lawrence, John Lawrence and Outram islands in Ritchie's Archipelago, this is one of the least-visited and best-preserved reef systems in Indian waters. Access is heavily restricted and requires Forest Department permission — worth knowing about, but not something most itineraries can include.
9. Cinque Island and the Restricted Sites
Cinque, Barren Island and the Nicobar group turn up on a lot of blog lists. Be realistic about them:
- Cinque Island sits within a wildlife sanctuary. Landing requires special permits and is frequently suspended.
- Barren Island is India's only active volcano. You cannot land — it is viewed from a boat, and liveaboard dive operators run trips to the extraordinary reefs around it.
- The Nicobar Islands (including Galathea and Campbell Bay National Parks, home to the Nicobar megapode) remain entirely closed to tourists.
If a tour operator promises you a Nicobar itinerary, that is a signal to walk away.
The Elephants and Deer: A Story Worth Knowing
There are elephants in the Andamans, and there are chital and barking deer. Neither belongs here.
The British introduced deer around 1903 to create game for hunting. Timber companies brought elephants in during the 1970s to haul logs and trained them to swim between islands—the origin of the famous photographs of Rajan, the swimming elephant of Havelock, who died in 2016.
Both introductions damaged the ecology. Deer eat seeds and saplings, which suppresses forest regeneration, and their population has grown unchecked because the islands have no large predators. It is a useful thing to understand before you photograph a deer on Ross Island and assume you are looking at native wildlife.
When to Go for Wildlife
For serious snorkelling and diving, February to April gives the clearest water. For birding, November to February is best. For turtles, December to March.
Responsible Wildlife Rules in the Andamans
These are legal requirements, not suggestions, and violations carry fines:
- Do not collect shells, coral, sand or plants. Removing them is prohibited and confiscations happen at the airport.
- Never touch or stand on coral. Even brief contact kills the polyps.
- Use reef-safe sunscreen. Oxybenzone-based sunscreen contributes to bleaching.
- Do not feed fish — it changes reef behaviour and damages the ecosystem.
- Keep your distance from turtles and dugongs. Do not chase, ride or block them.
- Photographing indigenous communities is a criminal offence.
- Carry your waste back. Jolly Buoy enforces a full plastic ban.
Suggested Nature-First Itineraries
5 days, reef-focused: Day 1 arrival + Chidiya Tapu at sunset. Day 2 North Bay and Ross Island. Day 3 ferry to Havelock, Radhanagar. Day 4 Elephant Beach snorkelling or a discover-scuba dive. Day 5 return via Wandoor Marine Park.
7 days, mixed habitat: add a Baratang mangrove day and a Neil Island day covering Bharatpur's reef and the Natural Bridge tide pools at low tide.
10 days, serious wildlife: the above plus Diglipur for Saddle Peak and Kalipur turtle nesting, travelling north by road or the Diglipur ferry.
Couples often want the reef days without the early starts and long drives, which is why the honeymoon itineraries we build lean towards Havelock and Neil. Our andaman honeymoon packages run at a slower pace with sunset beaches and private transfers rather than a packed sightseeing sheet. Larger groups travelling with children and parents together usually do better on a structured andaman and nicobar family package where the non-swimming options are built in from the start.
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