An eco-tourism destination
Diglipur Island
Eco-tourism Destination : Diglipur Island
A beautiful hamlet in the Bay of Bengal, Diglipur boasts of its untouched beauty, pleasant ambiance and Eco-friendly travel. A destination bestowed with all the nature’s blessing.
Known for its beaches like Kalipur Beach, Ross & Smith Islands, Ramnagar Beach, and Pathi Level Beach that hosts activities like snorkeling, scuba diving, and trekking. Diglipur also have the largest peaks in the archipelago, which often remain thronged by the trekkers to see its unique wildlife.
Reaching Diglipur Island
Diglipur is situated on the northernmost tip of the island chain. It is off the tourist trail probably because of its remoteness from the rest of the Andaman Islands. You can reach this place via road (Andaman Trunk Road) or by a ten-hour voyage through ships. It is a small town with lodges, vegetable and fish market, temple, bakeries, and a water stream swarmed with hyacinth.
Diglipur is like a cosmopolitan town where people from all over India live. Such an offbeat destination should be on every nature enthusiast’s travel bucket list because once you reach there, the rewards would be beyond your imagination.
Inhabitants include people from Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Kerala offering a unique cultural experience. Buses between PortBlair and Diglipur run in the morning. There are three refreshing breaks in the journey during which travelers need to cross the creeks using vehicle ferries.
Diglipurs simplistic dhabas serve out the conventional Indian food, and most travellers dine at their accommodation.
Why Visit Diglipur Island?
- Ross and Smith Islands - A pair of serene islands connected by a 50m. wide sand bar is 30 mins boat ride from Aerial Bay Jetty. The twin islands offer unspoiled virgin beaches, shallow swimming zones on one side and amazing dive and snorkeling sites to the other.
- Craggy Island - measuring half a kilometer in diameter, Craggy Island is located at the foothills of saddle peak. One can either enjoy sunbathing, or snorkeling the crystal clear waters here in the island.
- Kalipur Beach - an ideal Turtle nesting ground and is the only beach in the world, where four of the species of sea turtles, namely Olive Ridley, Leather Back, Hawks Bill and Green Turtles have their homes.
- Raman (Alfred) Caves - a connected and separated chain of 22 caves, are amongst the least explored and understood places, yet indeed they are among the most beautiful places on earth.
- Saddle Peak - a range of lush evergreen forest territory with 13 indigenous bird species, 36 indigenous species of insects, and 6 species of indigenous trees, makes saddle peak popular destination for trekkers.
Sightseeing place in Diglipur Island
Ross & Smith Island
Ross & Smith Islands or “Twin-islands” are two separate entities that are connected by a natural sandbar. Visible during low tides, the crescent-shaped “Sandbar Beach” gets submerged during high tide. Surrounded by lush greenery and emerald water, the island also boasts of a marine sanctuary making it the ideal place to spot beautiful corals.
Saddle Peak
Saddle Peak, at the ascent of 732m, is the highest point in the Bay of Bengal and overlooks the glorious coasts of North and Middle Andaman. Surrounded by Saddle Peak National Park, the trail is steep and 8 kilometers long. There are three viewpoints on this trek, and the intermediate one offers a bird’s eye view of the neighboring islands.
Turtle Paradise
To witness turtle nesting and hatching in Andamans, head to the Aamkunj beach, Dhaninallah beach or Karmatang, also known as the ‘Turtle Paradise’ of India. Weather plays an influential role during the nesting season. Female turtles approach the sandy beaches and begin digging a hole, where they later nest hundreds of-eggs.
Alfred Caves
Diglipur is home to a cluster of limestone caves, or as it’s rightly called “Alfred Caves”. A trek through the jungle leads you to the natural habitats of Swiftlet birds which nest in these caves. Their edible nests are quite famed and valued in the world. Roughly 40 kilometers north of Diglipur, active muddy craters can be found. A mud volcano is a natural spectacle and is caused by the eruption of hot mud, slurries, gases and water from the ground. These are not textbook volcanoesastheydonotemitlavaandarenotnecessarilydrivenbymagmaticactivity.
Ram Nagar Beach
Lined by a long stretch of palm trees fringed by mangrove forests on both sides, the bay has grayish volcanic sand makes the sea look darker. The place is not good for snorkeling but is a perfect spot for swimming. The beach is a nesting ground for Olive Ridley turtles, thus closes at 5 pm. You can also see an artificial hatchery set up there. The turtle nesting season is between December and March, and you can see eggs being laid by sea turtles and released into the water.
Lamiya Bay Beach
The gorgeous Lamiya Bay Beach is at the foothills of the highest peak - Saddle Peak. he beach is visited mostly by either honeymooners or nature lovers as it is a highly photographic beach with shrubs and trees displaying contrast. To savor the beauty of sun, sand and shade on a sunny and bright day, there are beautiful eco-friendly huts and watchtowers on the shoreline for the tourists.
Jal Tikry
Shyamnagar village in Diglipur beholds something very rare. Trekking through its dense forests will make you witness a unique scientific phenomenon called the mud volcanoes, which are locally known as Jal Tikry. These are active for years and some of them have been dormant for quite some time.
Long Island
Long Island is a small island located just of the southeast coast of Middle Andaman in Andaman & Nicobar Islands. The Island is an ideal location for beach camping in makeshift tents due to its unpolluted environment and calm atmosphere.
