In the Bay of Bengal, the Andaman Islands pair Indian Ocean-clear water with an ease of travel that still surprises first-time visitors.
Havelock Island, officially Swaraj Dweep, is the base most people start from, and Radhanagar Beach, a long crescent of pale sand backed by dense forest, draws day-trippers from Port Blair; stay overnight instead and you get the beach at sunrise, before the ferries arrive.
Neil Island, renamed Shaheed Dweep, moves slower still — Bharatpur and Laxmanpur beaches are shallow enough for confident non-swimmers, and the island's single main road makes a rented bicycle the best way to see it end to end in an afternoon.
Ferries between Port Blair, Havelock, and Neil run on a fixed government schedule that sells out in high season, so book seats a few days ahead rather than assuming you can walk up; the islands reward a slower pace than most tourists give them.
