Baratang, Diglipur

Diglipur is a friendly, dusty little town in the North and Middle Andaman district of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in India. The main attractions do not lie within the town itself, but this is where buses arrive and depart from. Tourist accommodation is located in the nearby village of Kalipur.

Get in

By road

Buses run daily between Diglipur and Port Blair (10 hours), Rangat (4 hours) and Mayabunder (2.5 hours).

Buses leave from the centre of town opposite the police stand. There's a ticket booking office here from which you can book tickets on the public express bus back to Port Blair or other southern destinations. Other destinations in North and Middle Andaman (for instance, Rangat) you buy tickets on the bus. Deluxe buses can be booked at a shop opposite the bus stand.

The only thing to be worried here is that the bus leaves around 3:30 - 4 AM only from designated areas and if you are not certain about the location then it is recommended to book a cab from Port Blair to Diglipur. As of 2017, road transport either by bus or cab is the most convenient.

By ferry

Ferries come from Port Blair a few times per week and take around 10 hours. You can book ferry tickets at the administration block. It's by the Dolphin roundabout, and the ferry ticket windows are on the outside of the left hand side of the building. Ferries leave from Aerial Bay jetty, a ₹10 shared jeep or bus journey outside of town - about 1/2 hour.

If you are coming to Andaman for a short interval of time anywhere less than 10 -15 days, then it is not recommended to take a ferry to Diglipur as the sailing is tentative and mainly the government ferry opens up for locals in the islands.

Get around

It's 30 minutes by bus from Diglipur to the Aerial Bay jetty (where ferries dock) and then another 30 minutes to Kalipur, where the "best" accommodation is called Pristine Beach Resort. You can go by sea plane also from Port Blair to Diglipur. There are daily flights from Port Blair to Diglipur and Diglipur to Port Blair.

Do

• Snorkeling. There's some great snorkelling between Kalipur beach and the small island behind the pristine beach resort. Update (Jan, 2011): Kalipur beach is salt water crocodile-infested. Swimming there is hazardous. The beach is a source of sand flies, so use repellent.

• Climbing Saddle Peak. Climb to the highest point in the Andaman islands and marvel at the scenery. The climb itself is great too - the path follows the beach and then cuts through different types of jungle and forest up to the top.

You can buy your ₹250 permit from the forestry department office at the trailhead which is open from 6am to 2pm - there's no need to buy it in advance.

You can get a guide from Pristine Beach Resort (₹100) or go by yourself. To get there follow the road through Kalipur as it turns into a track, then a small path. At the very end of the path (about 1/2 hour) you will find the forestry department hut where you should buy your permit. After that, follow the trees with the red0and-yellow painted bands. The path follows the beach, so if you lose it just go down to the beach and you'll soon see then again. To cross the streams you can either wade or go down onto the beach where the outflow will be leapable. When the beach curves round to the left look for the sign on your right and then follow the red bands painted on the trees. It's difficult to get lost - there's only one path.

Eat

Tasty food in Pristine Beach Resort in Kalipur (see "Sleep" below). In Diglipur there's the usual Indian fare.

Drink

There are a few friendly bars in Diglipur and in Kalipur. One of them is Pristine Beach Resort (see "Sleep" below).

Sleep

• Pristine Beach Resort, Kalipur (take a bus to Kalipur from Diglipur [around 1 hour] and let the conductor know where you want to get off), ☏ +91 3192-272532, alexpristinebeach@hotmail.com. Owned by the same people as the one in Havelock, it has beautiful duplex bamboo and wooden A/C non-A/C cottages, a restaurant with good food and a bar. ₹300-₹2500. 

Go next

• Smith and Ross Islands - Hire a local fishing boat for a day trip to these beautiful islands. To get there, get a bus to Aerial bay jetty from Diglipur. If you continue on past the jetty there's a small Forestry Department shed from where you can purchase the permit you will need. You can charter a boat in the Aerial Bay village, just ask around. There's a friendly lady who speaks English in a small chai & pan stall opposite the jetty who can help you charter one too. Ross Island is generally specified in the must-see places list of tour operators. The Island boasts about the life prevailing during British rule, if you are the type not interested in history and seeing abandoned buildings, you can give the island a miss as it is a waste of time. The charges per person are ₹20 and ₹10 for a still camera.