Little Andaman
Little Andaman island (Onge: Gaubolambe) is the fourth largest of the Andaman Islands of India with an area of 734 km², lying at the southern end of the archipelago. It is separated from Rutland Island in Great Andaman by the Duncan Passage.
Location
Little Andaman island is 120 km south of Port Blair, the capital of Andaman and Nicobar Islands and the nearest airport from where regular flights to Calcutta and Chennai (Madras) are available. Hut Bay wharf, a deep water wharf that can be approached through a gap in the coral reef, on the east coast of the island is the entry point of Little Andaman Island. Daily boat services connect Hut Bay wharf jetty with Port Blair in ten hours voyage. The village of Kwate-tu-Kwage is located on Hut Bay.
Demography
The island is home to the Onge aboriginal tribe, who call the island Egu Belong, and has been a tribal reserve since 1957. Settlers from erstwhile Bengal and other places also live here. As per the census of 2001, the population was 17,528 in 4,093 households, spread among 18 villages. The ship takes about 10 hours to commute from Port Blair. Additionally, there are a helicopter services by Pavan Hans Ltd. and a sea plane connection available between Port Blair and Hut Bay. The flight time by helicopter or sea plane is approximately 40 minutes.
Attractions
The low-lying island has widespread rainforest and several rare species of marine turtle.
Little Andaman Island has white sandy beaches and bewitching waterfalls. It offers surfing, boating through the creeks, exciting elephant safari, elephant lumbering and elephant calves training.
Butler Bay, 14 km from the Hut Bay Jetty, is a beautiful beach suitable for sun basking, coral viewing, surfing etc. Tourist huts are available on the seashore itself flanked by the coconut plantation. Netaji Nagar Beach is 11 km from the Hut Bay Jetty.
White Surf waterfall in the midst of the evergreen rainforest is 6.5 km from the Hut Bay Jetty. Whisper Wave waterfall 25 km from the Hut Bay Jetty is also in the midst of the jungle. Journey to this waterfall includes 4 km trekking through the forest. From 4th km Crossing, you need to drive 800 m inside forest, where you will find a small waterfall that looks picturesque. The waterfall is 20–25 m high and there is a small bamboo grass all around.
A government organisation, Andaman and Nicobar Islands Forest Plantation Development Corporation Limited (ANIFPDCL), conducts package tour from Port Blair to the Little Andaman Island. It has more than 30 elephants on the Island and organizes exciting elephant safari through the jungle near the White Surf waterfall. Well-experienced and tamed elephants are engaged for this purpose. Elephant lumbering activities inside the forest and a camp where elephant calves are trained in lumbering activities can also be seen. ANIFPDCL has built a guest house and tourist huts on the beach.
Boating facility is available in the creek near to the Butler Bay beach resort. The northern side of the Butler Bay beach is a popular surfing site. Coral can be seen on the nearby areas. Tourists have to carry necessary scuba equipment with them for this purpose.
Little Andaman is often considered the counterpart of the Great Andaman island group. There is a road alongside the east coastal line and every village is named on the distance / km of the road by the residents.
Seaplane Services
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Jal Hans | Port Blair |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Coordinates: 10°45′N 92°30′E / 10.750°N 92.500°E