Neil Island Sightseeing

Neil Island : Neil is a tiny but beautiful island located 37 Kms. to the south of the Andaman Islands. With unexplored coral reefs, brilliant bio-diversity, white sandy beaches and tropical forest and vegetation, it is one of the hot tourist spots in the Andamans. Neil Island is known as the ‘vegetable bowl’ of the Andamans. The settlers named the beaches after mythical characters of the epic Ramayana (Bharatpur, Laxmanpur, Sitapur, Ramnagar etc.) The island, with its very relaxed vibes and long, deserted beaches is a place to chill out after the “bustle” of Havelock. The widest part of the island is about 5 km in length. You can walk the whole island in about two hours.

	#Neil Island Jetty As you disembark from the boat at Neil Island Jetty and walk towards the market village of Neil Kendra, the beach appears before you is in the form of a long arc. Neil Kendra, a gently curving bay of white sand, straddles the jetty, scattered with picturesque wooden fishing boats. Neil Kendra is the heart of the island. On the left side of the jetty is Bharatpur Beach and on the right Laxmanpur Beach.
#Lakshmanpur Beach The secluded beach of Lakshmanpur lies 2 km north of the Neil jetty. The beach is a broad spur of white shell sand with shallow water and offers a good snorkeling option. Sunbathing and swimming are other activities. One can view spectacular sun-set from this beach. This rocky beach lies about two kilometers from the jetty with lots of coral formation , ornamental fish, sea urchins,sea cucumbers, star fish etc. which are best suited for people of scientific temperament. The rocky surface can get slippery and one needs to be on ones guard. The main attraction here is the natural rock formations.
	#Bharatpur Beach Bharatpur is one of the best beaches known for swimming and coral-watching with a vast sandy stretch. This beach is ideally recommended for youngsters because of activity options. One can hire glass-bottom boats for coral viewing. The Sea around the Jetty area is full of corals with schools of fish swimming around. The colour and form of vegetation along the beach soothes the senses.
#Sitapur Beach This beach is exposed to the open sea and thus prone to higher tides. It is 5 kilometers to the south and at the tip of the island. This beach is best suited to watch the sunrise with an impressive backdrop of natural vegetation and limestone formations. The journey from the Jetty to Sitapur beach itself is refreshing with green fields and a variety of crops and forest trees.
	#Sir Hugh Rose Island This tiny island is located at the southern tip of Neil Island and is locally known as ‘Chhota’ Neil (‘Small’ Neil). This island has been declared a wild life sanctuary and is a turtle-nesting ground. Individuals have to obtain permission from the Deputy Range Officer, Forest Department at Neil Island to visit this island. Only day visits are permitted.
#Natural Rock Formation A natural rock formation in Laxmanpur beach is locally known as the Howrah Bridge. Visit the place during low tide as the retreating sea leaves behind many a secret from its treasure trove.

Neil Island Sightseeing