Exploring Andamans-Part 10-Sunset at Radhanagar Beach

This is part of a series, where I take my little son with me on my travels to help him understand responsible and sustainable tourism, so that he grows up to be a responsible citizen who can help inspire others to also understand the importance of respecting nature and nurturing it. In this series, we explore the Andaman Islands as part of #ResponsibleTravelForKids series. Can travel be made more meaningful and enjoyable for kids? Lets explore and find out.  Part-0 , Part-1 , Part-2 , Part-3 ,Part-4  ,Part-5 , Part-6 , Part-7 , Part 8 and Part-9

Wandering Around The Forests

I sat on the beach to stare at the beauty that was around me. The beach at Radhanagar has 2 worlds. One world is the beach and the other world is the Mahua tress adjoining the beach that leads into a forest of sorts, within which the ‘Barefoot Resort’ is situated. I look from left to right, and its full of greenery all around interspersed with shades of tall brown.

It felt like being in the first row of a cinema theatre as my neck strained at an obtuse angle to look at the tall trees inviting my awe. I could choose to get lost in the woods, but we are too close to civilisation. Nevertherless with no humans around, I try to feel like Forrest Gump and go walk through the forest like it is some paradise that I have discovered.

The Mahua Forests of Radhanagar Beach-7 in Havelock Island (Andamans-India)

I could chose any path to go through the woods, as there were no right paths to wander.  The only restriction I had was for to be right there for the sunset, as I had some lessons about the sunset to tell my little son.

Wandering into the forests can be fun at Radhanagar Beach

As I wandered through the forest, I came to the entrance of the beach where my family was waiting for me. This part of the beach has been modified and enroached upon by the local authorities over the course of the last 10 years since my last visit in 2008. It looks like some trees have been cut down, but the good part is that the beach has not commercially been used like in Baga/Calangute [Goa], but more beautifully blended into its natural environment.

There are facilities for the tourists to come and change clothes, sit down, play in a swing, lights on trees, rest houses for some respite from the sun. These are made from the trees and have a beautiful/rustic feel about it, without any compromise on the quality

Radhanagar Beach- Commoditized beautifully for Tourists

The beach has a dense cover of green, which acts as a great backdrop to lunge back to if you have made a beeline to the sea. The beaches, despite being the most populated beach in the Andaman Islands, are clean and have well maintained facilities, which is quite the departure from any of the beaches on the mainland. Lets help Andamans stay that way.

A game of volleyball by the beach for burning calories in Paradise [Radhanagar Beach in Havelock Island-Andamans in India]

The beautiful and serene Radhanagar Beach in Havelock Island [Andamans-India]

Moving over to the next most important event this evening, I take my son to wet his legs in the sea, and sit there observing the disappearing sun over the course of the evening.

Nandu’s Lesson #1: Whenever you feel disappointed, go and observe the skies change colours in the evening. The skies change colour to show you how to find beauty in the hum-drum of life. A place that was boring by afternoon is now lit up and decked up. Sunset’s are nature’s own way to connect make us connect to their rythm and then getting back to working on our dreams.

It was a wonderful world where infinitely many things seem possible, when the sun is casting its spell. A moment when anything can happen and where possibilities come out to lay within the dreams of a common man.

The whole place was covered in a shade of gold. Maybe this is the gold we humans should chase instead of the metal. The world would probably be a far more peaceful place. The sun coloured the whole place with its pallete and then chose to silently dissapear behind the hills.

My son understands that the sun will set here, and not near our cottage on the eastern side of the island. I was expecting him to say lets catch the sunset at our cottage, but he did not.

It was beautiful to watch children run about in glee, trying to unconsciously get into the frame of the setting sun’s reflection which was now a straight line of orange in a an area where darkness had started to dominate.

It was 5:30 pm and it was time to head back to catch some dinner and get some sleep. I bought some Jhal-Mudi and samosas on the beach, apart from some tea from the local stalls, before we boarded our 2 wheeler to get back home. The last bus was slowly gathering people, including my Jhal-Mudi vendor to scurry in time to get on the last bus.  There is a beautiful sense of orderliness that shows up in the Andamans.

Radhanagar beach retains its sense of beauty and isolation post sunset, when the world that descends here find their way back to their resorts.

G E T T I N G   T H E R E

We stayed at ‘The Flying Elephants’ in Havelock Island (Kalapathar Village). Check room rates, and facilities here. You can reach Havelock Island by a ferry/helicopter from Port Blair.

Between Port Blair to Havelock, there are 2 private ferries (Green Ocean and Makruzz) and 1 Government Ferry. The private ferries have online advanced booking, while the booking window for the government ferry is 3-4 days in advance. You would need a local/agent to book the government ferry for you.

There are daily flights to Port Blair from Delhi, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Mumbai and Chennai. Carriers that service Port Blair include, Jet Airways, Air India, SpiceJet and GoAir. Round-trip fares vary in price depending on how early you book.  It usually costs a minimum of about 11,000 INR return from Chennai. A 15kg check-in luggage limit exists for most air-planes.

There are no international flights from Port Blair.