Difference between revisions of "Diglipur"

Revision as of 06:51, 27 January 2013

Diglipur town centre

Diglipur is a town on North Andaman in the Andaman Islands of India.

Understand

A friendly, dusty little town on North Andaman. The main attractions lie not in the town itself, but this is where buses arrive and depart from. Tourist accommodation is located in the nearby village of Kalipur.

Get in

By road

Buses run daily between Diglipur and Port Blair (10 hours), Rangat (4 hours) and Mayabunder (2.5 hours).

Buses leave from the centre of town opposite the police stand. There's a ticket booking office here from which you can book tickets on the public express bus back to Port Blair or other southern destinations. Other destinations in north and middle andaman (for instance Rangat) you buy tickets on the bus. De Luxe buses can be booked at a shop opposite the bus stand.

By ferry

Ferries come from Port Blair a few times per week and take around 10 hours. You can book ferry tickets at the administration block. It's by the Dolphin roundabout, and the ferry ticket windows are on the outside of the left hand side of the building. Ferries leave from Aerial Bay jetty, a 10 Rs shared jeep or bus journey outside of town - about 1/2 hour.

Get around

The beach at Kalipur at low tide

It's 30 minutes by bus from Diglipur to the Aerial Bay jetty (where ferries dock) and then another 30 minutes to Kalipur, where the "best" accommodation is called Pristine Beach resort.You can go by sea plane also from port blair to diglipur,it is going to be start very soon in April 2011.You have a daily trip from portblair to diglipur and diglipur to port blair

See

The Craggy Island across Kalipur beach is a little island known for fishes and corals.

Ross and Smith Islands are twin Islands bridged by pristine white sandy beach that has a swimming pool lagoon on one side and a snorkelling paradise on the other.

Mud Volcanoes could be witnessed in the green jungle of Shyamnagar and Diglipur.

A trek through primary jungle leads to Alfred Caves- a cluster of amazing 41 caves. It is a den for swiflets and fruit eating bats.

Turtles nesting could be seen in the beaches of Kalipur and Ramnagar during December- May.

Do

• Snorkeling. There's some great snorkelling between Kalipur beach and the small island behind the pristine beach resort. Update (Jan, 2011): Kalipur beach is salt water crocodile-infested. Swimming there is hazardous. The beach is a source of sand flies, so use repellent.

View from the top of saddle peak

• Climbing Saddle Peak. Climb to the highest point in the Andaman islands and marvel at the scenery. The climb itself is great too - the path follows the beach and then cuts through different types of jungle and forest up to the top.

You can buy your 250Rs permit from the forestry department office at the trailhead which is open from 6am to 2pm - there's no need to buy it in advance.

You can get a guide from Pristine Beach Resort (100Rs) or go by yourself. To get there follow the road through Kalipur as it turns into a track, then a small path. At the very end of the path (about 1/2 hour) you will find the forestry department hut where you should buy your permit. After that, follow the trees with the red0and-yellow painted bands. The path follows the beach, so if you lose it just go down to the beach and you'll soon see then again. To cross the streams you can either wade or go down onto the beach where the outflow will be leapable. When the beach curves round to the left look for the sign on your right and then follow the red bands painted on the trees. It's difficult to get lost - there's only one path.

Eat

A Tasty good food in Pristine Beach Resort in Kalipur. In Diglipur there's the usual Indian fare.

Drink

There are a few friendly bars in Diglipur and in Kalipur.

• pristine beach resort, kalipur,diglipur, ☎ 03192-272532. A eco friedly resort with lots of facilities and good food.they have delux AC/Non AC cottages and proper restuarant.visit www.andamanpristineresorts.com and email alexpristinebeach@hotmail.com 250 to 2500.

Sleep

• Pristine Beach Resort, Kalipur (take a bus to Kalipur from Diglipur (around 1 hour)and let the conductor know where you want to get off), ☎ 03192-272532. Owned by the same people as the one in Havelock, it has beautiful duplex bamboo and wooden ac non ac cottages, from 300 to 2500 Rs.

Get out

• Smith and Ross Islands - Hire a local fishing boat for a day trip to these beautiful islands. To get there, get a bus to Aerial bay jetty from Diglipur. If you continue on past the jetty there's a small Forestry Department shed from where you can purchase the permit you will need. You can charter a boat in the Aerial Bay village, just ask around. There's a friendly lady who speaks English in a small chai & pan stall opposite the jetty who can help you charter one too.Ross Island is generally specified in the must see places list of tour operators.The Island boasts about the life prevailing during British rule, if you are the type not interested in history and seeing abandoned buildings, you can give the island a miss as it is a waste of time.The charges per person are Rs 20 and Rs 10 for a still camera.