Havelock Island

Radhanagar Beach · entry depth 1.2m

Havelock — officially Swaraj Dweep — is the island most people picture when they picture Andaman. Radhanagar Beach, once ranked Asia's best by Time magazine, runs for nearly two kilometres of white sand backed by dense forest, and the water stays calm and warm enough to swim well past sunset.

It's also the diving base for the whole archipelago. Sites like Lighthouse, Aquarium and Nemo Reef sit close enough to shore for a first-timer's discover-scuba dive, while wall dives further out reward certified divers with better visibility and bigger fish. Most travellers base themselves here for two to three nights minimum.