This most remote region of India sits some 700+ miles off the east coast across the Bay of Bengal. A tropical archipelago formerly used as a penal colony by the British until 1947 to house freedom fighters is covered in pristine rainforest and ringed by coral reefs. Mostly wild and largely uninhabited, some of the islands do have small populations of aboriginal hunter-gathers, some of whom have never had contact with the outside world and live in complete isolation.
As yet these islands remain wonderfully unexploited but things are beginning to change as the islands become more accessible with regular, scheduled flights to Port Blair from Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai, and Kolkata, followed by a lengthy ferry ride.
The only island properly geared for tourism is Havelock, some 2-hours by ferry offers breathtakingly turquoise water and soft white shell sand. Some of the best scuba diving in the world is found here and the beaches (public) are sublime. With opportunities to go deep sea fishing, snorkeling, paddle boarding, kayaking at dawn, dusk, or at night during a full moon is truly memorable. Hiking in the hills, birdwatching and nature safaris in the rainforests or boat rides through the mangroves are truly exhilarating as are the visits into local villages.