Little Andaman
Little Andaman is a little beautiful unexplored place of Andamans. Famous by the name of its main village and the largest settlement –Hut Bay (rarely known by its other name Kwate-tu-kwage, this island is part of the Little Andaman Group (Little Andaman is the counterpart of Great Andamans).
At a distance of about 120 Kilometers by sea from the capital town of Port Blair, this island has become a tribal reserve from sometime near to 1957. This is considered home to the Onge Tribes, even though there are multilingual settlers of Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, and Ranchi communities.
Lying at the southern end of the archipelago, this island is the fourth largest island in Andamans covering an area of about 707 Square kilometers. Hut Bay Jetty is the only harbor for ships or boats coming into this island from the capital town –Port Blair.
Little Andamans is less explored due to the limited mode of connection with the capital town of Port Blair. The distance from the capital town to this rarely touched paradise remains unmeasured for there are no detailed facts that could make the travelers plan a visit to this place. We, being the local hosts and the island experts of Andamans, thought of going out there to the Little corner of our home- and measure out every inch of this paradise for you to get familiar with the place. When you complete reading this article, you’ll be seeing Hutbay through our eyes. We have been there ourselves, to make sure that the travelers within you know how this place can be accumulated in your trip plan.
When we stepped into Little Andamans after quite a few years, we found this place to be still back in time. It hasn’t changed except for a few infrastructural growths; some forest departmental actions and the help of the administration have given a slight upliftment to this place
Whether to plan to visit Little Andaman or not?
This island is a platter full of wonderful sights. So to plan or not plan this place in your itinerary is not just depending upon your interests because who chooses Andaman as their destination is supposed to fascinate the white sands and crystal clear waters. If you are planning to add a visit to Little Andamans, first of all, you have to be flexible with your return date –Keeping in view the schedule of the ferries (we’ll tell you more about the schedules and availability in our “How to reach” section). The second thought you should take is that whether you’ll be able to adjust in eco-huts and a limited menu for your meals? (You’ll get to know more on this part in our “Accommodations” and “Food options” sections of the article).
Are you traveling as a group of youngsters? Are you couples having a flexible holiday or you are a solo traveler on a long peace-finding vacation? If your answer to any of the above questions happens to be yes, then why not consider adding this paradise to your exploring list? Come along with us to get help planning further.
Food Options in Little Andaman
There are small locally operated Dhabas / canteens that serve good hygienic food. There are fast food stalls and snack bakeries also in the major market areas of the villages there.
It is best to keep your menu for the day decided and ordered to one of your chosen eateries because they don’t have all ingredients and supplements to serve you on the spot other than general local meals. If you order your preferences a meal before, it is easier for them to keep the food ready for you and this helps you too when you rush to the restaurant in hunger and get served with your choice of food.
Just as we discovered, Hutbay is specialized for Seafood (mainly crabs & prawns) just like other places in Andamans and for people having a sweet tooth, Rosogullas sold by the Bengali sweet stalls is a delicacy worth packing and taking away along.
What To Expect While Traveling To Little Andamans?
The place: The major visitors traveling in and out of Little Andamans are either the residents of this island, the government workers or officials who travel for work/research duties, or the people (like us) who stay in other islands of Andamans traveling for an inter-island vacation.
The above fact must have made it clear in your mind that there will be lesser hospitality services available. People who stay there may not be very fluent in English, but they speak Hindi widely, and regional languages like Bengali, Ranchi, and Tamil & Telugu are spoken here apart from few tribal-native languages.
The major occupation of the people living in Little Andamans is either fishing or owning or working in plantations. The major plantations in Little Andamans are Palm plantation (Red Oil Palms), Lotus, water lilies, Cash crops like Coconut plantations, and Arecanut plantation; vegetable farms are also seen there. Spices like Nutmeg, Cinnamon, and cloves are grown in the farms of Agriculture departmental farms which also do bee-keeping.
There was once a palm oil extraction mill in Little Andamans, which is now closed. The palm plantation here covers a huge area of about 1600 Hectares.
There are some areas in Little Andamans which are restricted for visit by tourists under the protection Acts for Tribes (PAT). So as a visitor, you’ll have to follow some guidelines of DO’s and DONT’s as suggested by the people or government officials there.
Mobile Networks at Little Andaman
Only BSNL and Airtel networks are available for call and text messages. Vodafone works in some part of Andamans, but in Little Andaman, the Vodafone network won’t work.
Internet connections
There are hardly a few broadband connections in Little Andamans which are available in commercial outlets. These shops can provide you with paid WiFi connections based on the connectivity (which comes n goes).
So before you land into this land, make sure you have the knowledge about the place and you are aware of the facts and arrangements required that can make your journey smooth and the experience better.
Frequently Asked Questions(FAQ)
- How many days are required to visit just Long Andaman?
To visit Little Andaman at least 4 days are required. 2 Days are kept aside just to go back and forth to little Andaman. The remaining 2 days to explore this untouched paradise.
- Is Little Andaman Island a Must visit place?
People who are in search of remote and exotic destinations in its pure form should never miss Little Andaman Island. For Backpackers, Nature photographers and offbeat travelers Hutbay (Little Andaman) is the place to be touched once in a lifetime.
- Who can avoid Little Andaman Island?
Travelers who are visiting Andaman for the first time and are coming for a fewer number of days to the islands can avoid Little Andaman. Travelers with Kids can avoid this island as well.
- How many days in total is required to cover the entire Andaman including Little Andaman?
To visit all the islands including Port Blair, Havelock, Neil, Baratang, Diglipur, Rangat, Long Island and Little Andaman keep at least 3 weeks to explore it properly.