Ross & Smith Island | Andaman & Nicobar Island | Baratang Andaman | Andaman Travel Guide | Diglipur
Today, I am going to a place in Andaman where very few tourists go and that place is Diglipur. The way to Diglipur is through Baratang Many tourists go to Baratang and that is the place where you can see Adivasi or Jarwa people. By the way we have also go to Baratang we will explore that and ahead of that will go till Diglipur and will also explore Diglipur. Ross and Smith Island is in Diglipur, Andaman and to reach here, you have to start the journey at 3 in the night because it is about 300 km from Port Blair But on this way, there is an area of about 50 km of Jarwa Adivasi people because of which you have to stop at Jirkatang, 45 km from Port Blair and get your ID checked and from here, the next 50 km, you have to go only with the convey. I will tell you about the system of the convey You have to reach here at about 5 in the morning The convey leaves at 6 and leaves at 9.
If you want to do a day trip in Baratang, then you have to go back After this, the convey leaves at 12 and leaves at about 2.30 PM but you will not be able to trip in that and you have to stay ahead somewhere. So, something like this happens.
With this, your ID or Aadhar card should be there. So, it is submitted here, let's see and then they will let you go. You cann't go with two-wheeler you will have to become a part of this convey only. And you can go with this. There are some shops to eat in Jirkatang and I have a hot cup of tea with this convey.
Video and photos are not allowed in this road so, I can't show you anything. You have to be careful about this because the privacy of the tribals is taken care of. Rest, when it is crossed, then I will talk to you. The Jarwa tribals used to harm people until a few years ago but now it is not like that.
Still, the government neither allows you to go near them nor they allow you to come in your car. The government is now arranging for their food, drink and education. And every day, they send one caretaker. It is said that their population is less than 1000 and they look like Africans.
They don't have mobile phones but you will definitely get network in this area. Last time, when I came here I saw the Jarwas sitting here and they were on the side of the road. And this time, I saw a Jarwa which was in a T-shirt and it was in a white T-shirt.
Genrally their dress is of red color, they wear it in lower body but they were wearing it on the upper side he had bow and arrow in his hands. So, when you are on this trip keep your eyes on this side so, if you are lucky, you will see. I came twice, So, this is my second time I saw them. My trip to Baratang and Ross and Smith Island was done through Maharaja Travels which is a local travel agency of Andaman.
And you can contact Maharaja Travels for the package of any Andaman destination. And after spending more than an hour in this area. Finally, we reached Jetty of Baratang. From where now we and the people along with us and vehicles were also going to go to the other side of the river through ferry.
At this other side of Baratang, you get to food shops and as soon as you arrive, your trip to the limestone cave begins. I have put on my life jacket and I am about to leave. It looks like this.. A lot of people have come here early in the morning for this activity.
Because this is the main time, the morning time. And that's why people do this and reach their destination by evening. After this, you have to travel for about 20 minutes by speed boat which is in the backwater of Baratang. And at the end of the journey, there is an entry in the mangroves.
The trek for limestone cave will start from here. The mangrove was till here. And we will enter their jungles. There is low tide here so it is completely dry. The roots are also visible. Last time it was submerged. So as many times as you come, you will get to see something different here.
Let's go. Let's do the trek. This trek is about 1 km long which is almost plain and in the beginning, you get to see dense forest and in the middle, there is an open area where you can see fields. But due to humidity one feels hot during this trek. So these are the same family people who live here. All this work is done here and come here. Eat some cucumber. Drink some lemon juice.
Because the energy is a little down but the place looks very beautiful. There is a bridge like this and this river. And there I am also getting to see buffaloes behind. I mean, they do the farming and everything here. Look how beautiful area this is.
Looking very beautiful. After this finally you reach a place where you get to see a different side of Andaman. Because here you get to see caves not beaches whose strange and poor natural formation definitely amazes you.
So this forms naturally? Yes it forms naturally. Stone and calcium stays and water keeps dropping and this way stone forms. This is a root. Here you can see a new formation This whole cave is slowly developing even today along with rainwater and calcium carbonate.
And it is a must to see this on a trip to Andaman. This 100-meter cave is full of surprises and you will get to know a lot of factfull things. When you come inside, you will get to see the shapes and all. So do come here. And it is unique as well.
After trekking from here and returning from the speedboat, we reached the jetty. And now we were going to go to Diglipur from here which was still 200 KMs away from here. But these roads were really full of greenery and beautiful. Often people ask me that how can you speak such a comfortably when there is a crowd. So, I also feel a little uncomfortable that people are around. But what is it, for whom do I use the mic, and which mic am I using I am using this Hollyland Mic and this is a magnet mic If you see it is attached here, it is innovative, I mean there is such a mic.
There are people around, but I am talking very slowly. It is not like that I am speaking too loudly. So, if you planning for vlogging then it is good mic, then it is very good for DSLR too, I mean, put this clip on your DSLR, it will also be used for that. Plus, this magnet mic comes with a double channel, use it too. It is like a magnet, it can be used easily and you can also use it by putting a clip. But the roads are under construction in many places Because of which, if you find bad roads, then you will also have a little problem And through these roads we reached Diglipur around 7 PM.
Which was the biggest place after Port Blair that Andaman has ever seen. Where our stay was very beautiful. And price such low that it will fit in everyone's budget which we will know in vlog. I will show you my stay in Diglipur. Here you see, this is my double bedroom, it is air-conditioned And here you will see the scene, I will show you outside, there are glasses here.
So, as soon as you get up from the bed or sit here, you see a great view outside and I will show you how that view is. I have come out, and this is the entire balcony, you must be able to see It is a very big balcony here sit comfortably here, and the most important thing here is this greenery, this view. You can see the sea far from here, it won't be able to come in the camera but you can see sea view from your eyes. This booking is done my Maharaja Travels and they booked a great stay here. And the rate of all these properties is the most important, assume Rs 2,000 to 3,000. You get such rooms for 2 days.
Means you are getting it only for Rs 1200 to 1500 So, such per night rooms are available here with a great view. In the resort of Diglipur, you get Wi-Fi but Mobile network and internet connectivity is not good along with Wi-fi. So, the work from home people will have a problem here to work.
At the same time, there is a problem in calling many times. It is only 8.30 AM in Andaman and today I am going to go to Ross and Smith Island from here which I have never been to. So the people who have come to Andaman before and hasn't go here but now what I am going to show you after that you will definetly goo. Let's go and show you too and I will also see.
I have seen it in photos many time but today I will see it live. Ross and Smith island is near to Diglipur but since this is an island, you have to go by speedboat. By the way, you can also reach Diglipur by government ship from Port Blair. Which runs some days on week.
And you can get the information about its schedule from this website. While on online through Stars website according to class category you can book the ticket in approx Rs 1600 to 2400. However, if you want, you can also reach Diglipur by bus for which you to spent about Rs 550. It takes around 15 hours to reach from the bus and 11 hours from the ship. I have come near the jetty for Ross and Smith Island I will show you the jetty at the back. I am showing you here because this is the ticket counter How much is the price? You have to take a private boat to go to Ross and Smith but that private boat can also be shared because there are other tourists coming here, you can go with them.
If you take a private boat, then if two people sit on the boat then you will pay a minimum charge of Rs 4000. If there is 3 to 5 persons it will cost Rs 6000. This is the overall information. Let's go and see how is the boat and how much time it takes to reach. And exactly how it looks and it is worth visiting or not we will know everything. Ross and Smith Island is a very offbeat destination of Andaman and there are very few tourists here so you have to come here early so that you can get more tourists to share the boat and you can save some money. After travelling for 25-30 minutes we have finally reached the beautiful island of Ross and Smith.
Let me introduce you to Ross and Smith Island If you look behind me, it will give you the feeling of a resort that this is a private resort like, no one is staying here. You can see the huts here, you can sit and eat, you can sit here and spend time. You can spend 3 hours here.
Let's go to beach and the thing that attracts me the most is these flowers. The flowers are everywhere and the chairs are free of cost. If you anywhere else then have to pay for this also but here it is free. We have reached the White sand beach.
You can see the flowers on the green grass and then we come here the beach is covered in white sand, the sand is very soft You can see the waves, It is low tide now But the colours of the beach like Maldives, Lakshadweep It is a very good combination It is very worth it the only cost is to reach here. Your stay is in Diglipur. You will enjoy after coming here.
The special thing about Ross and Smith is that you can see the sand bank here. You can take the best photos with the vibes of a foreign destination. You get such beaches in Maldives and other foreign destinations but this is in India. People don't come here because they don't know And they don't know because people don't buy packages from the travel agents of here And if you take pacakges from local agent as I have taken from Maharaja Travels they told me to go here, everyone goes to Havelock and Neil Island this is a new and offbeat destination.
Here you get white sand which makes you feel like foreign destination, away from crowd. So I connected with them they told me everything and you can contact them You can find about the prices, itinerary building and about other destinations too. It's very good and it's better to support the locals. Because there are not many people here In future, if more people start coming, then the water sports that are missing here will also start happening. It will be even more fun and it will boost our economy. Most important.
Our India will have growth that's the most important. After getting off at Ross and Smith Island, you get 3 hours time. And there is no arrangement or allowation to stay here. If you want a little extra time, then you will have to pay Rs. 500 per hour. From Ross and Smith, you can come in the afternoon and rest a little till 2 o'clock. After walking half a kilometer from the resort, you can go to the beach nearby.
And can enjoy sunset in the evening. These places are quite safe. But still, if you have some doubts, then you should take the package. Because the local driver will come with you.
So, along with the guidance, safety is also ensured. You won't get a pure veg restaurant in this whole trip but you will definitely get veg food. You can do the whole trip of Ross and Smith and Baratang in 3 days. But if you keep one more day, then you can also do the trip of Lalaji Beach, Crocodile Island and Guitar Island. And the best time is October to March.
But between January to February, you will get to see thousands of turtles at one time on some of the beaches here which can be a unique experience for you. So, for this whole trip, do keep at least 4 days. And on the first day, do the Baratang trip from Port Blair. See the limestone caves and stop at a place called Rangat in the middle.
On the second day, go to Lalaji Beach, Guitar Island and Crocodile Beach and stay in Rangat. On the third day, leave for Diglipur early in the morning and reach here and go to Ross and Smith Island. Enjoy the sunset in the evening and on the fourth day, come back to Port Blair from Diglipur. In this way, most of the places of North and Middle Andaman will be covered. For this 4 day trip let's know the cheap and normal both budgets.
First, let's know about the normal budget and consider that a couple is going. So for hotels Rs 8000, Rs 6000 for meals, Rs 22,000 for transportation by car, and Rs 8000 for island transfer by speedboat. So, in Rs 44000, two people can easily do this trip. i.e Rs 22,000 on one person.
But if the budget is less, then you prefer to go by ship. By which, hotel, meals and island transfer will cost the same. But on transportation, only Rs 6000 will be spent. And in this way, only two people will travel in Rs 28000. That is, Rs 14000 for one person. But in this case, you will have to do the return trip by bus.
Because the ship does not run every day. And the ship from which you will come to Diglipur, it return one the same day. So, the best option is car.
While solo travellers using the bus can do this entire trip in Rs 10,000-12,000. Ultimately, you can do the trip with any transport. This will be an unforgettable experience for you. And will give you foreign vibes. So for such videos don't forget to like and share the video and subscribe the channel.
2025-01-12 20:02
