Diglipur Island is located in the North Andaman Islands at a distance of about 320 Kilometers from Port Blair. Diglipur has a total geographical area of about 1400 square kilometers and is considered the biggest inhabited town of the Andaman Islands. Just like the other islands in Andamans, people living here are also seen living together like a small India, speaking various Indian languages and belonging to varied religious and cultural beliefs.
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The majority of the population speaks Bengali, Hindi, and Tamil said numerous other people speak Telugu and Malayalam too. They practice agriculture as their main occupation. Diglipur has rice, coconut, areca nut, and vegetables grown there and they also do sell out their goods to the capital town. Other supplies are brought into Diglipur from the capital town of Port Blair, hence here goods and services might happen to be more expensive than Port Blair.
Diglipur houses some of the most exotic and unique sights which will for sure make it a treat to your experiences when you visit them.
The platter of unique sights in Diglipur has in stock
The most distinctive twin islands - The Ross n Smith Islands
The Saddle peak-highest peak of the entire Andaman archipelago,
and The Kalpong River- a rare case of the only flowing river in an Island surrounded by sea. The only hydroelectric project on the island is on this river.
Apart from all these solitary treats that Diglipur feeds you with, there are multiple Turtle nesting sites here.
By the time you complete going through this page, you will be familiar with all the must-visits of this immaculate destination.
People of Andamans, irrespective of where they live and what they do are related to tourism and always stay enthusiastic to see improvement in the tourism infrastructures.
A few years back, many local youths of Diglipur vowed to put in all efforts to bring Diglipur to the list of most preferred tourist destinations for travel and nature lovers. These youths have registered a Society called “Diglipur Association for Rural Tourism and Ecological Development (DARTED)”, which has identified various locations to add to the list of tourist spots to be visited in Diglipur. Among the new findings are
Mud Volcanoes at Hathi Level - Shyam Nagar
Alfred Caves at Pathi Level,
Ramnagar Beach,
Freshwater streams, etc.
Though Diglipur is still growing in tourism infrastructures and facilities, slowly and steadily it is earning popularity among travelers as an offbeat destination. People planning to do something out of the box and something away from the regular itineraries, always have in mind visiting the North Andamans during their visit.
This has brought a buzz of touching Diglipur and people have started asking for Diglipur and they try to make their duration elastic to group in this place in their itinerary. We would love to make you aware of how you may plan Diglipur in your itinerary in our coming sections, so come along!
How To Reach Diglipur From Port Blair
To visit any island, you have to enter through Port Blair (Veer Savarkar International Airport). So the origin to start through any of the modes of transfers that we are mentioning below is from Port Blair. Therefore, first, you need to reach Port Blair and then travel to Diglipur Island. By road, you will pass through the same route as that of Baratang and Rangat. So convoy timings are important to cross the tribal reserve while travelling from Port Blair to Diglipur and even during the return.
Reaching Diglipur By Bus From Port Blair
The first and the most economical option to reach Diglipur from Port Blair is by Buses.
Government-operated Buses:
You can reach Diglipur by Government operated Bus that departs from Port Blair at different times. The preferred one is around 4:30 AM. It takes around 10 hours to reach Diglipur from Port Blair. This bus will pass through Andaman Grand Trunk Road to reach the Public Bus stand at Diglipur. From there you’ll have to hire public transport to reach your accommodation place and to do the sightseeing. These buses are not Air-conditioned. The tickets for these buses can be purchased from the government Bus depot, Port Blair. Due to the cheap cost, there is a huge demand for government bus tickets because most of the local public use this mode of transport as their lifeline to stay connected with the capital town- Port Blair. The boarding point of these buses is at the Aberdeen Bus Depot. It has multiple other picks up points on the ATR. However, you need to enquire at the ticket counter for your nearest pick-up point.
If you have reached Diglipur by the government buses then the return ticket from Diglipur has to be booked from Diglipur Bus terminus only.
Buses run by Private Sector
Just like the government Buses, there are buses run by the private sector as well. These buses also depart from Port Blair at different times. The preferred/ suggested slot of departure is around 4:30 AM or the earlier possible so that one gets most of his/her time there in Diglipur once they reach. 12 hours is the duration to reach Diglipur by these buses as well. They are available in Air-conditioned and NON-Air Conditioned segments. The AC ones are costlier but worthy of a 12-hour-long road journey. Non-AC ones are cheaper than the AC ones but more expensive than the government buses due to obvious reasons like comfort, seating arrangements and the convenience of bookings, etc. The tickets for these buses are available from their respective reservation offices across Port Blair town. Online bookings are not made available by them. The boarding point of these buses is mostly near the Aberdeen Bust Depot. It has multiple other pick-up points on the ATR. However, you need to enquire at the ticket counter for your nearest pick-up point.
If you have reached Diglipur by private bus then the return ticket from Diglipur can also be booked from Port Blair before you start or else you can book the same at Diglipur Bus terminus as well.
Reaching Diglipur in a Cab From Port Blair
The second way and simply the most sorted way to reach Diglipur from Port Blair is in a private cab, especially when you are coming as a tourist with a limited number of days. The foremost advantage is that the driver is accompanying you from Port Blair; you would not have to hire any other public transport for going in and out of your accommodation and seeing the places of attraction that are accessible by the road.
The travel time reduces a bit due to no pit stops for other passengers. You can take small refreshment halts and complete the journey without any hassle of adjustments. From the moment you start from your place at Port Blair, till you return to your place at Port Blair, the cab remains with you at your disposal. By choosing this mode of reaching Diglipur, you get a local person from Port Blair in the face of your driver who is experienced and has been there before which makes your experience even smoother.
He can suggest you good places to eat, he makes sure that you visit the places you have planned to visit in the right durations and return on time to Port Blair for your other due schedules. This is the mode that is suggested by our island experts, you do not have to think about how to go about your experiences all you have to do is put your energy and thoughts into enjoying the place. Rest is our responsibility.
The private cab option is the best for travelers who are traveling on a fixed date schedule and have a fixed number of days to explore the Andamans before they go back to their hometown. This type of traveler needs a pre-booking for everything and the major relief in choosing private cabs is that you can book this service online before your travel and forget all your stress. The cab will be there on time right at your stay point to pick you up and drop you back to your respective accommodation after the completion of the trip.
Reaching Diglipur By Government Ferry
The third way is to take Government Ferry in Andaman to move directly from Port Blair to Diglipur. This journey will be an 8-9 hour-long trip. The ferry follows this route: Port Blair - Rangat - Diglipur. So the voyage time tends to change depending on the number of passengers boarding and getting down at each stop.
The con here in this option is that the sailing of this ferry is not there every day and the ticket bookings open only 1-2 days before the departure. The tickets are issued from the STAR ticket counters in Port Blair and the return ticket has to be booked from Diglipur itself. Those who come on an extended vacation to Andaman can consider the government ferry as an option to reach Diglipur.
However, this mode could be unpredictable and may not work for travelers who are planning to visit Andaman for around 4 - 10 days. Considering, there are so many things to do in Andamans and the other schedules will get affected if in case this option of reaching Diglipur doesn’t work.
Enroute from Port Blair to Diglipur
If you are traveling by a private hired cab to Diglipur from Port Blair, you will cross the same route and processes that you follow while visiting Baratang Island and Rangat (we have mentioned more about this on our Baratang and Rangat page). So you may make stops in these places to see some of the attractions while traveling to or from Diglipur.
However, you have to keep in mind the timings that are briefed to you. You can cover a few sightseeing points while going to Diglipur and the remaining while coming back to Port Blair. Our Island experts would love to guide you through the best combo of itineraries to make you utilize your precious days and timings minutely.
How to reach Diglipur from Havelock Island & Neil Island?
One can proceed for Diglipur only from Port Blair. As of 2023, there are not many options that may ensure your conveyance directly from Havelock Island or Neil Island to reach Diglipur. So if you are planning to travel from Havelock or Neil to Diglipur, make sure you have a buffer day in between to stay in Port Blair and then proceed further towards Diglipur on the next day.
An alternative to the above option to reach Diglipur
One rare option can be that you take a Government ferry to Rangat from Havelock or Neil and from Rangat you may hire private vehicles or buses to proceed towards Diglipur. But this has to be executed on your own because Rangat and Diglipur are offbeat destinations wherein your driver happens to be your guide as we mentioned in our “Private cab option to reach Diglipur” segment. So if you opt to move directly from Havelock or Neil towards Rangat and then take roadway transfer towards Diglipur you have to arrange for the vehicles upon reaching Rangat by yourself. For more details on how to reach Rangat from Havelock & Neil before you reach Diglipur, you can refer to our segment of “How to reach Rangat from Havelock and Neil” under the details of the island “Rangat”.
What to Expect while visiting Diglipur?
The island being our home, we visit all the places annually to stay updated and to make sure our travelers see the place through our eyes while planning and stay clear on their expectations before they land.
If you are out of those folks who are looking for a peaceful, soulful and unique experience from your few days of vacation, and if you wish to stay away from the monotonous hurried life of the city and commercial activities, you can expect all this in Diglipur.
As mentioned already, Diglipur is a destination that has attracted many travel and adventure lovers from across the world- who has visited and experienced its serenity and hence made it popular under the tag of An offbeat destination or an out-of-the-box experience, make sure that you have the right information and a firm plan before you reach Diglipur. You can consider it to be a civilized and nicely maintained village.
Diglipur has proper blacktop roads and the Andaman Trunk Road connects Diglipur to the other islands. It is not on an easy connection with other islands and the connection to the main town is 12 hours away. The telecom connections are even not very strong-not to mention the internet here as the broadband services can provide internet that too at a speed of 2G or even lower. The telecom service providers here are- Airtel and BSNL only.
Hence the suggestion from our island experts say that- a pre-planned and well-designed itinerary will help you stay in track and get the best out of the time you have invested in your trip. A detailed Diglipur tour package can be referred for an itinerary understanding of Diglipur.
Best Things to Do in Diglipur Island Andaman
Here at Diglipur, there are various things that one can do. This place is a nature lovers’ paradise, so if you are one of the nature lovers then no need to wonder what to do here. There are crystal clear gem-green waters where you can enjoy swimming-make sure you check if the guidelines of that particular beach allow you to venture into the waters or not.
The reefs here preserve highly exotic corals and marine life making it ideal for snorkelers. If you bring in snorkels of your own, you may spend extra hours snorkeling and experiencing the underwater beauty without realizing how time swam away.
1) Indulge yourself in Scuba Diving at Diglipur (Seasonal)
One can also indulge in Scuba Diving at Diglipur but the condition is that you have to be a certified diver because the beginner’s or non-swimmers dives are not conducted in Diglipur as of date due to permission issues. However, we would love to introduce the same to you when it starts. Those looking forward to doing Scuba Diving in Andaman Islands can choose from Port Blair, Havelock and Neil Island, with Havelock and Neil as the best among all.
2) Trekking
Trekking and trail hiking is also a preferred activity that travelers enjoy amidst the tropical forest that surrounds the island. Diglipur offers the best trails for trekking in Andaman. You can trek to the highest peak of the South Andaman Islands, Saddle Peak. Huge trees can be seen during your trek here.
3) Watch the Turtles - But Don't Disturb them
Diglipur is home to thousands of turtles of varied species. So the last and most interesting thing is to see the sea turtle nesting at the nesting grounds if you are visiting in the right season that is between December to February. You can be lucky enough to get an opportunity of spotting an Olive Riddley, one of the most distinct species.
4) Walk on the Twin Island Ross n Smith
Ross n Smith - The Twin Island: is one of the most sought-after destinations and you should never miss visiting this island when at Diglipur. This place is a once in a lifetime location to visit in Andaman. Ross and Smith Islands also is on our list of the top places to visit in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
5) Visit Ramnagar Beach For Turtle Nesting
A perfect eco-tourism beach destination is Andaman. Slightly far away from the main aerial bay jetty. A long stretch of beach, this place is the best beach in Diglipur. Here you can swim, spend time and see the hatchery and the process of how the eggs laid by turtles are safeguarded and what measures are taken to improve the population of the turtles.
6) Visit Kalipur Beach For Turtle Nesting
The chances to spot a turtle increase many folds when you are at Kalipur beach. This is an amazing destination to spot a turtle laying eggs at night. You will need a guide who accompanies you to see nesting at night. If lucky, you can spot one.
7) Go Caving To Alfred Caves
A Limestone Cave in Diglipur: The Alfred Caves is a cluster of 41 amazing caves. It is located near Ramnagar Beach. Alfred Caves are one of the most offbeat places in Andaman and Nicobar Islands. It hosts a lot of swiftlets as well. Going with a professional guide is recommended to this place.
Accommodation options at Diglipur
There are a couple of private hotel options at Diglipur. Among the best ones, all of it is Pristine Beach Resort. This property has been in the industry for about 10 years now. It is located near Kalipur Beach famous for turtle nesting and is preferred by travelers and has decent service feedback from their in-house guests.
They have all the necessary amenities to make sure you have a good time at the property.
There is a resort of the Andaman & Nicobar Department of Tourism- The Turtle Resort. This resort is located near the Pristine Beach Resort. Pre-booking is mandatory in all of these properties during the high seasons to ensure you have a reservation and don’t get stuck with your plans.
Try to secure your bookings in any offbeat destination through a local tour operator because online bookings mostly won’t work due to the poor internet connectivity in the islands. There are some departmental guest houses/ lodges also which have to be checked to be availed on the spot only.
Food options on Diglipur island
Seafood is the specialty of the entire Andaman Islands. So there is no question or doubt about what to explore in food for a non-vegetarian. However, if you are a vegetarian, the choices are no less. We haven’t discovered any pure-veg restaurant until now, but the restaurant of Pristine Beach Resort – The Pride, serves delicious vegetarian food. But the condition is that you need to order a few hours before if possible order your lunch and dinner during the breakfast itself to have it served on time because they prepare food based on their occupancy and not all of the supplies are available on the go. There are other eating joints as well and most of them follow the Dhaba, canteen or eat-like-home concepts. They all are hygienic and serve good food to treat your hunger though they have a limited choice of menu to offer.
During our recent visit, we discovered a new restaurant (not a luxurious one though), namely- The New Hira Family Restaurant, located in Shubhashgram. It serves delicious and affordable food and they understand the hospitality expected by the guests coming in. You may give it a try while you visit.
A new restaurant named Grand Foodiees has also opened near Arial Bay jetty from where you will take a boat to Ross and Smith Island. From here you can pack your lunch as well to Ross and Smith Island.
How many days will it take to cover all of Diglipur?
Technically, 4 -5 days are required to cover Diglipur where you cover all the points. However, in 3 complete days, you will be able to cover the major points. Specifically, Ross and Smith Island which is the major attraction in Diglipur. Each way travel towards Diglipur from Port Blair is of an entire day. So assume 2 days will go only into traveling. The remaining days that you stay in Diglipur can be used to explore its various attraction points. You can refer to our Diglipur Island tour packages where you can get complete detail of the itinerary and tour planning. Many couples who visit Andaman for a honeymoon trip prefer to visit Diglipur during their trip to Andaman to get a tropical experience that is a little different than the usual package. As a traveller, you can customize a plan that perfectly suits your requirements.
For the Diglipur trip, there are a lot of possible combinations that our island experts will help you with. Best will be to get in touch with our team for clarification in regard to the tour program.
