Saddle Peak

Saddle Peak in Andaman Islands is something we have mentioned earlier as well. The Saddle Peak is the highest peak of Andamans, as we have unknowingly mentioned this numerous times while you scrolled down till here. So let’s know something apart from this fact - A trek on the 732 meters high Saddle peak, leads to the highest point in Andaman and Nicobar Islands which offers an aerial view of Andaman Islands. The tropical forest surrounding this area falls under the Diglipur / Saddle Peak National Park. This park has various species of flora and fauna and gives trekking experience to the visitors who can climb the natural steps created by roots of the old trees.

Entry to Saddle Peak Gate

To visit this place, you need to have permission from the forest department and pay a certain permit charge. When you plan with us, getting all these permits and making all the arrangements can be left on to our Island experts.
 

Wondering how is the trekking experience like? We did it all and we can say it took a lot of courage and energy for us to conquer the highest peak of Andamans. Why don’t you give it a try and see how it feels after completing the trek when you are up above the peak so high, see the magnificent view of Andamans and the surrounding. The trek to the peak is difficult and you need to be both mentally and physically prepared to conquer the Saddle Peak. This is one of the most difficult trek in Andaman Islands. 
 

Trekking to Saddle Peak

 

The journey begins: To complete this trip till the peak and come back, you have to start really early in the morning, because the sun sets early around 5:00 pm to 5:30 pm and you have to reach the base of the peak before 4:30 pm for safety reasons as per the forest departments guidelines. The cab takes you till the base of the hill from where you are supposed to start the trek. You have to walk within the forest at the sea level itself for about 1 hour 30 Minutes before you reach a stream, after reaching the stream the climbing to the Saddle Peak ultimately begins. Until you reach the stream things will be very easy and you will enjoy your walk amidst nature.

Ascend to Saddle Peak
 

For this trek you can get a guide who can accompany you during your trek to make sure you are on the right track. The guides take you to the right places to peep through for a view, the right place to sit down and relax when you are too tired to start again and complete the trek. Let us know in advance if you need a guide, because they need to be hired in advance. After a trek of 3 hours, you reach the 1st stage of the trek - a picturesque view point which gives a very beautiful view and from here you can also see the second peak and the final top peak of the Saddle Peak.

While trekking through the jungle, you will come across many tree species (including sandal woods) and a number of edible wild fruits (don’t eat anything straight from the tree without having proper knowledge). These trees are huge and make a head circle which keeps the forest cool and saves you from the sun even on a bright sunny day which makes your trek a bit easier. From here you need to trek another 3-3.5hours to reach the top of the saddle peak. There is only 1-2 eco shades erected which has bamboo seating. Though when we reached here, these sheds and sit outs were broken. There is a freshwater stream that flows in between of some big and small rocks and the roots of the trees that draws water from the rains.

For us to complete the entire trek it took around 10 Hours. Many of us who trekked were beginners. Each side of the trek is approximately 10 kms ascend and 10kms descend. As you ascend up, the trek gets very difficult and you need to take rest before proceeding further. In case you wish to just have a comfortable trip then you can trek to the stream which will take approximately 90 Minutes to reach from the entry point of Saddle peak National Park. Until the stream everything is just very perfect and you will love it. You can bath at the stream and then return back. Follow hash tag #SaddlePeak to find people who made it to the top.

Points to remember
 

• Wear trek friendly shoes/ closed flat heeled shoes for comfortable walk and stay away from any thorns / insects while crossing the forest.
• Light clothes are suggested to stay comfortable. Ladies are suggested to avoid saree/ long kurtis/ flow dresses as there are chances of long flow cloth material tend to get entangled with twigs and thorns which may damage your clothes or you may fall.
• Carry your Hat, sunglasses, some insect repellents, enough snacks, food and water and change of clothes to be comfortable throughout the trip.
• Do not litter the place with plastic bags, wrappers, or any non bio-degradable materials as we support our administration and give it all it takes to keep the beauty and serenity of the islands unspoilt. Help us maintain the legacy.

If you intend to climb to the summit of Saddle Peak then we recommend you first cover other places such as Ross and Smith Island, Ramanagar beach, Kalipur beach and other places to visit in Diglipur before making the climb. This way post the trek you can take a day's rest before moving forward.

We would love to connect with people who have made it to the top. Share your picture of social media with #SaddlePeak and tag @experienceandamans if you reached the summit