Baratang Day outing from Port Blair
The most common day visit from Port Blair would be a trip to Baratang island. This is a full day activity that starts early in the morning and completes in the evening. It includes drive through dense tropical forests, high-speed boating, visit a mud volcano, mangrove forests and limestone cave all within the space of one day.
Baratang Island is situated in the north of Port Blair at a distance of about 150 kilometres which takes around 7 hours to go and come back. The main attraction of the Baratang Island is the Limestone caves and the Mud Volcano which attracts tourists here.
Getting There
You need to start the trip to reach Baratang Island from Port Blair very early in the morning. Ideally, you may start before dawn breaks. Tourists can travel through exclusive vehicles that we arrange for them.
About an hours drive through dense forests will bring you to Jirkatang village. The road ahead passes through the area of the well-known tribe of Jarawa people. You will be now part of a vehicle convoy to pass through the Jarawa reserve. No interaction or photography is allowed with the local tribals as these are highly vulnerable people.
The Jarawa reserve area is beautiful and dense tropical forest, once the forest area is crossed you will reach Nilambur jetty point. The big barges here carry vehicles, buses and trucks across to the Baratang Island. It will take around 30 minutes to cross the creek and reach the other side. In the meantime, you can enjoy the beautiful sights of dense mangrove forests.
To see
Mud Volcano – This is the only active mud volcano in India. It is one the famous tourist’s hub which gives an out of the box experience. The natural gas from the volcano is collected by a large chamber situated near the volcano.
Old Church - One can just go around the island and explore it. An old church is there near the jetty. The island is mainly occupied by Malayali people and south Indian food can be found here.
Limestone Cave – This is the most famous tourist’s spot of this island. One can reach this ancient cave by taking a small boat from the Buratang jetty and then walk around 3 kilometres to reach the destination. This is an experience of a lifetime. Monday it is closed.
On the way back you will be travelling back to the Nilambur Jetty point where your vehicle will be waiting for you. The return will also be in the same way by being a part of a convoy of vehicle. Since vehicle movement has to complete well within the daylight hours, the return journey has to start early. You will be back to Port Blair by 5 PM in the evening.