Clicking Photos on the Go Point & Shoot Photography · Anunoy Samanta

A Photo Tour of the Andaman Beaches: From Havelock to Neil Island

Travellers from Sydney or Melbourne who spend their summers chasing the Whitsundays might be surprised to learn that a short flight north brings them to another set of jewel-toned waters, this time in the Bay of Bengal. The Andaman Islands sit between southern India and Myanmar, and within their calendar November through April matches the Australian winter, making them a tempting warm-water escape during the colder months at home. Anunoy Samanta, who runs a travel photography blog, has spent many mornings chasing light that turns sand into poured honey. This tour follows his ferry-hopping route from Havelock to Neil Island, the two most accessible stops for travellers arriving from Port Blair.

The ferry ride is part of the experience, and for anyone used to the choppy catamarans of the Gold Coast, the calmer Andaman Sea is a pleasant surprise. Most point-and-shoot photographers will find the journey more forgiving than they expect, with glassy mornings giving way to soft pastel skies by late afternoon. What follows is a photo-led walk through beaches, ferries, and small island towns, with practical tips for anyone making the trip with little more than a pocketable camera.

Arriving in Port Blair and Catching the Ferry

Port Blair is where every Andaman adventure begins. Veer Savarkar International handles flights from Chennai, Kolkata, and Bengaluru, and Australians usually connect through one of these hubs or via Singapore. Biosecurity rules at home apply on the way back, so any seashells, coral pieces, or wooden souvenirs need to be declared on arrival in Sydney or Melbourne. The Makruzz or Green Ocean services leave Port Blair's Phoenix Bay jetty and reach Havelock in roughly ninety minutes, weather allowing.

Ferry tickets are best booked a day or two in advance, and the upper deck is worth the small extra charge for the views. Photographers should have a camera ready during the crossing, since dolphins occasionally surface near the boat and the approaching silhouette of the islands is cinematic. Cash in Indian rupees is useful at the counters, as cards often work at the airport but not at smaller island shops, so a buffer of cash makes sense.

Radhanagar Beach at Golden Hour

Radhanagar on the western side of Havelock is regularly listed among the best beaches in Asia, and from a photographer's perspective the reputation is deserved. The wide arc of sand is backed by tall tropical trees, and when the sun sinks behind them the light turns the bay into a study of warm orange and lavender. Arriving an hour before sunset gives time to walk the shoreline and pick compositions before the colours peak.

For anyone shooting with a compact camera, the trick is to expose for the highlights and let the shadows fall where they will. A small travel tripod helps if the light fades faster than expected, but most modern point-and-shoot models handle low light well enough for handheld work at ISO 800. After the sun drops, the lingering blue hour offers a softer palette, and reflections of clouds on wet sand often become the strongest frames of the evening.

Elephant Beach and the Snorkel Boats

A short boat ride from Havelock's Number 3 jetty brings travellers to Elephant Beach, a smaller cove known for its shallow reef and calm water. The colour of the lagoon has shades Australians might recognise from postcards of Whitehaven Beach, though the framing feels distinctly South Asian, with wooden boats bobbing offshore and forested hills crowding the bay.

Snorkelling is the main daytime activity, but the morning is the real prize for photographers. By nine the light is high and contrasty, which is fine for colour-saturated underwater shots with a simple waterproof housing, and for topside frames of the boats and the jungle meeting the sand. Local operators run snorkel boats on shared timings, so planning around the schedule keeps the day moving smoothly. A useful tip from the site's gear review notes is to pack a dry bag for the boat ride, as spray and shifting sand ruin a camera bag faster than salt water ruins a hull.

The Ferry to Neil Island

The crossing from Havelock to Neil Island takes about ninety minutes on the smaller government ferries, or closer to an hour on the Makruzz catamaran. Tickets are cheap and the journey is calm, making it an easy midday hop. Most travellers rent a scooter or bicycle on Neil, though auto-rickshaws are available for those who prefer not to ride.

The thing to photograph during the crossing is the colour of the water. As the boat pulls away from Havelock's jetty the bay turns from pale jade to deeper blue, and along the route several uninhabited islets pass by. For anyone used to crossing Sydney Harbour or Port Phillip Bay, the scale is a reminder that open water in the tropics behaves differently. A wide setting on a compact camera captures the openness without distorting the horizon, and keeping the lens hood on cuts glare on the brighter crossings.

Bharatpur and Laxmorn on Eastern Neil

Neil Island, recently renamed Shaheed Dweep, is small enough to cover in a day by scooter. Bharatpur Beach on the north coast is known for its swimming and its photogenic curve of white sand meeting a fringe of casuarina trees. Sunrise is the better time to be there, with early light raking across the bay and producing long shadows that work well for silhouette portraits.

Laxmorn, on the eastern side, is the quieter sister and rewards visitors who arrive before the day-trippers from Havelock. A natural rock formation just offshore gives photographers a useful foreground element, and the shallow tidal pools at low tide reflect the sky in interesting ways. Australian travellers will find the laid-back rhythm familiar, with chai stalls, slow conversations, and the kind of unhurried pacing that recalls a small coastal town in Far North Queensland.

Compact Camera Choices for the Trip

The whole Andaman arc is friendly to lightweight gear, and there is no need to lug a heavy DSLR through the ferries and scooter lanes. A single compact body with a 24-70mm equivalent zoom covers almost every frame worth taking, from wide beach arcs to candid portraits at the chai stalls. If you own a premium compact from the last few years, the dynamic range is more than enough for the bright tropical light.

Carry-on kit that fits in a small daypack

Booking and on-the-ground essentials

Back in Port Blair, the final night is best spent wandering the Aberdeen Bazaar area, where fish markets come alive in the late afternoon and the streets fill with the smell of coconut and grilled catch. For more on the kind of compact camera that survives salt air and long ferry rides, read along with these tropical travel notes from a kindred traveller.