As I mentioned in my last post, most of our friends in Germany gave a big “WAS!” when we mentioned Havelock Island to be our spring vacation destination. It is true. Most people on the planet find it difficult to identify the Andaman and Nicobar Islands on a map and the fact that they belong to India is even more incredible to them. Well, I don’t blame them because the archipelago is indeed scattered on the Andaman Sea like a hastily tossed crumbs of land and some of the islands are one of the remotest places on earth. They are further away from the West than even Costa Rica and has been less Instagrammed than the Maldives. This retains the laidback, genuinely boho charm of the Andaman Islands and these Havelock Island photos will give you serious wanderlust.

A man with a scooter and Havelock Island are the perfect combination.

Here is our collection of beautiful Havelock Island trip photos

Every time, I think of our Havelock Island visit, so many beautiful memories come tumbling, that I decided to structure them out. Hence this gallery of Havelock Island photos is streamlined into the highlights of our trip and what can be the best place to start them, than with the beaches. We stayed at the charming Emerald Gecko Resort on the tranquil Vijaynagar Beach or Number 5 Beach. It was ringed with large shady trees, and on low tides, you could walk miles into the sea. The water was bathtub warm, cerulean blue, and astonishingly clear. The best part was that it was absolutely toddler-friendly and we could let Akash splash about by himself.

The beach life at Havelock Island

No Havelock Island photos can be complete without the famous Radhanagar or Beach Number 7

This fabulous curve of blonde sand has been awarded as the best beach in India and the world’s 7th most beautiful beach by the Time Magazine. One look at it and you will understand why. Radhanagar Beach is a showstopper of Havelock Island photos. Imagine this: a broad sweep of powdery sugar sand ringed by the most astonishingly turquoise water with lush, almost primal at the back. Sunsets are beautiful there and it gets crowded in the late afternoons. Visit early in the morning to avoid the heat and crowds, or at sunsets to do some awesome people watching.

Most beautiful havelock island photos are of the beaches

The award-winning Radhanagar Beach

The Neil’s Cove stole the show until we saw the warnings about saltwater crocodiles

We stumbled upon Neil’s Cove while exploring the lush native forest near Radhanagar Beach. It was a short hike through the tall old mahua trees and we kept walking until an elegant curve of sand came into view. Hardly anyone was there on the beach and it was a perfect circlet bordered by a reef. Sunbathing was a dream there, without any prying ogling eyes, and we swam in the water until sunset. It was during our walk back to Radhanagar Beach, that we saw a big sign warning off swimmers of sea crocodiles and that they inhabited those waters at dusk. If you happen to be there, do pay heed to the warnings.

Neil's Cove makes gorgeous havelock island photos

The stunning secluded Neil’s Cove

The iconic Elephant Beach should be included in Havelock Island photos

The Elephant Beach of Havelock Island was a bit of turn off for us. Don’t get me wrong, it is also astonishingly beautiful and a hike through forests and swamps lead you there. There are gorgeous cream coloured sands, clear blue waters, and mangrove forests, along with shallow lagoons filled with aquatic life. It is a popular snorkeling spot and used to be a part of the colonial elephant logging trail. The Elephant Beach can be divided into two parts: a quiet sheltered spot, where you can swim in peace, and a crowded area where there is the whole jing-bang of water sports. A whole bunch of commercial activities like snorkeling charters, jet-skis, banana boats, and “sea walk” can be found there and it seems more “Goa” than Havelock Island.

The shallow lagoon at the quiet end of Elephant Beach

The stony Kalapathar Beach

Kalapathar Beach has it all. Wide stretch of alabaster sand, blue water, and a forest. It is believed to be very beautiful at sunrise. However, all this beauty comes with some past scars. Huge fossilized trees, upturned and destroyed by the devastating 2010 tsunami lie scattered on the beach. By now, they are bone white and very dead and the immobile limbs show off their matured tree rings. They are stark reminders of nature’s fury if we keep abusing her, and ironically, a lush tropical forest thrives behind it, still getting littered badly every single day. Seems like we, humans will never really learn our lesson, would we?

Strewn with tree debris and boulders,

Kalapathar Beach is as evocative as it gets

Havelock Island photos are of different shades of green

Some Havelock Island photos are very green and different shades of it, too. The island is lush and verdant, with tall mahua trees, blooming gulmohars, and coconut palms. Skinny betelnut palms grow in rows, vines with large blooming flowers drape the shrubs and neon coloured grass carpet the ground. Tiny quaint hamlets dot the hinterlands, the singular island road stops at the edge of the forests, and purple plantains cluster in banana plantations. Large, fat gourds and pumpkins sit lazily on the locals’ roofs and bright scarlet hibiscus grows wildly. Such is the flora of Havelock Island and then there are fiery red coloured blooming gulmohar trees.

The “Jurassic Park era” looking forests

Havelock Island photos of the local culture and people watching

The laidback local life at Havelock Island is quite an oxymoron. The locals are friendly and genuinely un-commercialized, and life moves there at molasses slow speed. In the entire island, there is one main market, two ATMs, one hospital, and a boat jetty. The Internet, unlike the rest of India, is moody and depends on the weather, just like electricity. The local festivals are loud and vivacious, and people have time to sit in the sun. The youngsters, however, keep up with the global trends and from showing off brazen motorcycles to being glued to their mobile phones, they do it all. The vibrant seafood restaurants, beach shacks, and the government authorized bar add to the bonhomie of the place. Don’t believe me? Check out these amazing Havelock Island photos and experience this paradise in waiting for yourself.

havelock island photos of its local people

The local life adds to the island’s secluded charm.

The mangrove swamps near Elephant Beach.

The laid back Emerald Gecko resort at Vijaynagar Beach.

The colourful Beach number 1 at the landing jetty at Havelock Island.

The local transportation on the one street Havelock Island.

Despite the island’s remoteness,

Local youth keeps up with the pace.

Havelock Island is where your dinner comes fresh from the sea.

The mahua trees,

The swimming, and

Walks through mangrove forests,

Presenting our Havelock Island trip in a nutshell?

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