Long Island in Andaman and Nicobar

Long Island is a small village situated in middle Andaman and it's about 82 km from Port Blair, the capital town of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. It's reachable by boat 4 times a week from Phoenix Bay Jetty in Port Blair. This island offers an exceptional sandy beach at Lalaji Bay, evergreen forests and unpolluted environment.

There are many sandy beaches in the Long Island where you could go for a picnic and relax. The APWD guest house and the Forest rest house are the only two accommodations available in this island. There are several dolphin convoys in the sea around the island. You could reach Lalaji Bay which is 6kms away from the boat jetty in 15 minutes in dinghies or by trekking through the forest. Island camping is also offered by the directorate of tourism during the tourist season between December and April.

Marg Bay and Lalaji Bay are 2 immaculate beaches famous as a popular picnic spot in this island. The island is a perfect location for beach camping in makeshift tents due to its unpolluted atmosphere and calm environment.

Long Island is also reachable from Rangat in North Andaman via a short boat trip and Rangat is also easily reached by road from Port Blair. Long Island has a population of about 550 people, most of them resettled from mainland India.

The main languages here are Hindi, Tamil and Bengali and the main religions being Hindu, Christianity and Islam. In spite of this, there is no religious or ethnic tension on the island and all religious festivals are celebrated with great joy with all communities participating. There are few temples, a church and a mosque and also a school, a medical center, a police station and shops for daily supplies.

The island is roughly 10 km from north to south, 6 km from east to west and much of the island is surrounded by forest. There are no motor cars and no roads on the island and so the island is free of traffic as well as crime. It's an ideal destination for families. Usually, people walk or use bicycles.

There are 2 main reasons to visit Long Island:

• To value an unharmed, magical island where there is very little tourist development and a pretty village atmosphere.
• To explore the beaches, forests, for snorkeling and possibly to get out on day trips to nearby uninhabited islands.

Eating

Laxmi hotel is the best place on the island for good cheap South Indian food as well as pakoras, samosas or you could just go there for tea or coffee. Blue planet has exceptional fresh seafood dishes as well as a wide range of Indian food and the usual tourist fare which includes banana pancakes. They also have best espresso coffee and fresh fruit juices anywhere in the Andaman Islands.

Lodging

There is a single government rest house near the boat jetty with only two rooms and it's often occupied by government officials. So you need to book in advance with the Andaman and Nicobar tourism.

Thus, long island is one of the most beautiful islands of Andaman and Nicobar and it attracts thousands of tourists throughout the year.