NEIL ISLAND
Home to the elusive Dugong
Neil Island is Havelock’s more tranquil little sister. A mere 6 km in length, this quaint little island can be accessed by ferry from Port blair as well as Havelock. Its claim to fame is the resident population of dugongs that lives amongst the seagrass meadows around the island. Although the same in most respects to Havelock, its landscape is dominated by pastoral land, not only making farming the top occupation for local villagers but making them important suppliers of vegetables to the other islands.
This charming little Island isn’t as commercial as Havelock, thus has a serene and private quality to its beaches. Although, it is underwater that Neil really comes to life. The scuba diving scene in Neil is pretty nascent thus making it a wonderland for exploration. With a range of enticing deep sites, shallow aquarium like reefs with resident turtles and sea grass meadows that offer a once in a lifetime chance to brunch with a Dugong, Neil is the perfect place for fun divers as well as first timers. Our full service dive shop on the Island offers you all the facilities that are offered at Havelock from Open Water courses to Try Discover Scuba Diving experiences, only without the rush.
When not diving, Neil has some beautiful gems to check out. It has a crazy natural coral bridge that looks like a portal into another dimension surrounded by rich tide pools and secret caves to explore during low tide. You can start your day with the sunrise at the serene Sitapur beach and end it with spectacular sunset views from Lakshmanpur beach. The island is so small you can walk its length in 2 to 3 hours. The best thing about Neil is how old school it is, where the villagers still come to hang out under the Banyan tree in the market every evening to drink chai and chat.
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