FAQs
Trip planning / Visas and Permits
- When is a good time to visit the islands? Is Barefoot Adventures open throughout the year?
- How does one get to the Andaman Islands and to Havelock? How does one get to Barefoot Adventures?
Diving / Accommodation
Trip planning / Visas and Permits
- When is a good time to visit the islands? Is Barefoot Adventures open throughout the year?
Choosing a good time to visit the islands depends on what you are looking for.
The best time to visit is from October to May, with the months of February to April having the flattest seas, warm waters and the best visibility of the season. February to April is, therefore, the peak season for diving and snorkeling around Havelock with the island being most alive and active in the peak visitor months from December to mid January. The months of September to November offer excellent excursion opportunities as well, with fewer tourists but brilliant scenery on land. Fresh out of monsoon, the islands are lush green in October and November with freshly watered forests and a standing paddy crop. The seas are a little rough at this time and the chances of occasional rain are higher, but the underwater sights are also just as rewarding.
If avoiding the crowds is your top priority regardless of the weather then visiting the islands between April and November is your best bet. The weather is less predictable during these months, but the island is far less crowded. And an Andaman monsoon is a sight to behold.
- How does one get to the Andaman Islands and to Havelock? How does one get to Barefoot Adventures?
Port Blair, the capital city of the Andaman Islands, is connected to mainland India by air and sea. Daily flights arrive in Port Blair from Chennai and Kolkata. All flights arrive in time to connect with the afternoon ferry service to Havelock Island. Therefore, travelers do not have to spend the night in Port Blair on their way in. Havelock is a 2-and-a-half hour ferry ride from Port Blair, and Barefoot Scuba is a 10-minute auto rickshaw ride from the Havelock jetty.
On the way out of the Andamans Islands, the ferry and flight timings require that you leave for Port Blair the day before your departure from the islands. Detailed travel information for getting to Barefoot Scuba on Havelock is available here.
Diving / Accommodation
- Can I stay at the Eco Tour centre?
Yes, from January 2009, you will be able to. Our Eco Tour centre is located at Barefoot’s Boatyard, located on a small mangrove island, 2 minutes walk away from the jetty. Our Karen crew are based here in a community-living arrangement and we have constructed 6 small cottages with attached bathroom for rent on this island. This is an ideal base for an exploration of the islands and for absorbing and observing firsthand local Karen culture. Detailed information regarding other accommodation at Barefoot is available here.
- What will I see while on excursion?
With nearly a 1000 different species inhabiting the waters of the Andaman Islands, it is difficult to list what you will see while snorkeling. On a macro scale, we have nudibranchs, sea slugs and snails, varieties of ghost pipefish, jawfish and a number of different crustaceans of all shapes and sizes. On a larger scale, if lucky while snorkeling out at sites further out to sea, (e.g. South Button) you may see reef sharks, varieties of rays (including manta rays if really lucky), turtles, giant grouper, napoleon wrasse, barracuda, snapper, sweetlips, the ubiquitous clown fish and sea-anemone, and dolphins sometimes join us on the boat rides. Check out our photo gallery here.
The coral life around the Andaman Islands was relatively untouched by the large scale bleaching that affected the Lacadives, Maldives, Sri Lanka and Mauritius in 1997. We have reefs with an amazing variety of pristine coral, often in shallow water.
The mangrove eco-system in the Andaman Islands is vast and varied, and you can expect to paddle both narrow creeks and wide channels. For the more intrepid, you can even attempt to make your way through the tangled mass of roots on foot. While camping, be sure to request that your guides attempt to catch the ‘khadi kekra’ or mangrove crab, which is by far the tastiest crab varieties in the islands. If they’re lucky with the catch, you’re in for a great dinner.
For trekking enthusiasts, excursions can encompass paths through rainforest or along rarely visited coastlines or even through villages and fields on cut off islands.
With a high degree of endemic species in the Andaman, butterfly and bird watching is a rewarding pastime and the islands are a herpetologists delight.