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THE PLACE
The place is in pathetic ruins but it is worth giving a look. On getting down at the Jetty, one has to sign the visitor's book as the island is under the Navy. Important ruins include a church, cemetery, swimming pool, and chief commissioner's residence. A small museum of the Indian Navy, Smritika, has a good collection of old records.
The languages spoken here are Hindi, Bengali, Tamil, and other tribal languages.
HOW TO REACH
To access the island from the mainland, one has to arrive at the capital Port Blair first and then take a local transport to reach Phoenix Bay Jetty. From here, a short boat ride takes the tourist to Ross Island.
By Air
The Indian Airline, Jet Airways, and Alliance Air have flights from Calcutta and Chennai on rotational basis to Port Blair.
By Rail
Railways do not connect the islands with the mainland but there is a railway out-agency at the Secretariat.
By Water
There are ships sailing from Calcutta, Chennai, and Visakhapatnam. The trip may take a three to four days from Chennai and may be one more day on the Calcutta route.
Local Transortationp
For local transport, one can take boats to the various islands. Port Blair has taxis and auto-rickshaws. It is advisable to have own transportation to explore the island. Bicycles are available at very low rate. Private boats can also be hired.
WHERE TO STAY
The Directorate of Tourism provides cozy and comfortable accommodation at affordable prices at Andaman Teal House, Hornbill Nest, and Sainik Vishram Ghar at Port Blair, Dolphin Yatri Niwas at Havelock Island, Hawabill Nest at Neil Island, Hawksbill Nest at Rangat, Swiftlet Nest at Mayabunder, and Turtle Resort at Diglipur. Andaman and Nicobar Islands Integrated Development Corporation (ANIIDCO) runs the Megapode Nest Tourist Home Complex at Port Blair.
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