25 kms from west of Port Blair is Wandoor Beach famous for swimming & Coral Viewing. One can also go to Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park from Wandoor by boat. Conducted tours are available to Wandoor from Andaman Teal House, Port Blair.
Wandoor is a small village near the southern tip of South Andaman. It has some beaches and a couple of accommodation options and is a nice place to relax, but it is more known as the gateway to the Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park.
From Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park you will get boats to Jolly Buoy (Boat charges Rs 650/- per person both ways, including Rs 50 for forest permit to Jolly Buoy and Rs 25/- for camera).
Get in:
- Buses : Buses are available from the Port Blair STS bus terminal to Wandoor village. Please note there is no bus number, but the bus will have a board saying Wandoor. They take around 1.5 hours to reach. Buses are more or less comfortable, since there is hardly any passenger in the bus. Tickets can be purchased in the bus itself (Rs. 12 per head per trip). Wandoor beach is around 5 minute walk from Wandoor village. All buses are forced to go up to the beach for their return journey, as narrow roads in village are not wide enough to allow buses turn back. Tourists planning to go to beach directly can continue in the buses till beach (for no extra cost). Just for a landmark, from the Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park as you walk towards Wandoor beach you will get a public toilet on your left. At Wandoor beach there is a Govt Primary School (Estb 1969, New Wandoor, South Andaman).
- Scooters & motorcycles: not available in Wandoor (as on March 2010)
Accomodation:
Sea Princess Beach Resort is located at Wandoor Beach. The tariff for the season ranges from Rs 6000- 10000 A jungle resort, Anugama Resort, along the road to Wandoor jetty (on the left).
The Tsunami of 2004 affected mostly the Nicobar islands. There have been a lot of exaggerated reports about the damage done. When in the Andamans, take everything you hear with a pinch of salt. Wandoor has a very natural setting and the beaches and islands there are fantastic. Go see for yourself. the best part is that you don’t need to get on a ferry to get there. It is only about 40 minutes by road.
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