Exploring Ross Island, Andaman, India

Exploring Ross Island, Andaman was one of our best experiences while in Andaman. Although we also visited Havelock & Neil islands, exploring the best beaches of India like Radhanagar Beach and Vijaynagar beach, yet, Ross Island will remain close to heart. You will know why once you know the history and the tales that the ruins on these islands have got to tell.

Planning a trip to Andmans? Read our complete guide to visiting the Andaman Islands, India.

On the second day of our trip to the Andaman Islands, we visited Ross Island along with North Bay Island from Port Blair. We started at around 8:30am from our hotel, hotel de Marina which was at walking distance from the jetty. Actually the whole trip completed in a little over half a day. In this post, I will talk about our experience visiting Ross Island. From whatever pictures of Ross Island I had seen earlier , from that I had always imagined this island to be a rough terrain, with ruined buildings which are now in a mess. But to the contrary, I found this island to be very organised, traveler friendly and maintained. It is also named as Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Island. The initial name “Ross Island” was given after the British marine surveyor “Daniel Ross“.

Read : Complete details of our day trip to Ross Island And North Bay Island 

Landing on Ross Island, Andaman

Regular ferries ply to Ross Island from Port Blair. The Ross Island ferry timings at the time of this writing are as follows:

Although a lot of private operators ply all through the day. We also used the service of a private operator which was more costly but we didn’t have to wait for long. As we got off our boats, we entered through a small gate. On the right side there is a shaded area with ticketing counter at one end. From here, we bought admission tickets to the island. The Ross Island ticket booking for admission requires a nominal amount of INR 30/- per head. There are benches on the side inside the shade for your group to wait while you get the tickets. After getting the tickets, we proceeded inside. And right across, there is a big board mentioning other applicable charges that include the following:

• Charges for feeding session with animals. (There are peacocks and deers on the island & you can feed them the food provided)
• Fee for photography with the animals.
• There is an electric vehicle available to take you round the island in case you don’t want to walk. There is a charge for this as well.
• Fines for different kind of littering are also listed.

History of Ross Island, Andaman

We proceeded on the pathway that led further inside. The first thing that you notice are several boards explaining the historical significance of the place. Ross Island was inhabited by the Britishers for several decades before they moved to Port Blair. It also served as the Administrative Headquarters for the Britishers. In that era when trained British Jailers, other administrative people and their families settled here on Ross Island. While these jailers dealt with hardened freedom fighters of India who were deported here from the main land.

Ross Island indeed has a special place in the story of freedom struggle of India. The buildings that you see further down the path are a testimony of the hard work of the freedom fighters. Although this Island was used as a colonial establishment that the british families enjoyed. All the construction here was carried out by the prisoners of the war. We couldn’t help shiver on the though of the hardship the freedom fighters must have gone through.

From 1942 to 1945, the island was occupied by the Japanese.  During this time, Subhas Chandra Bose took the help of Japanese in his fight against the British. And he also stayed at the Island for a day in December 1943.

The ruins of Ross Island, Andaman

As you move along the well laid pathway, you start seeing the buildings. Most of these are now in dilapidated state. Massive trees have engulfed the buildings, with the roots of the trees spread around the walls. While most of the roofs have fallen. These buildings needs to be better preserved otherwise soon they will give in to the forces of nature. As you move through the buildings, you encounter several photogenic spots along the shore of the island, with the beautiful emerald sea stretching behind as well as between the building.

Further, while exploring around these buildings, you feel nothing less than a treasure hunter, like Aashi is feeling in the picture below..thinking where to start hunting from :). The buildings include a post office, a printing press, a church at farther end, some homes, a bungalow of the then chief commissioner, shops and markets.  As well as a cemetery.

The Island is also home to one of the first water treatment plants in India, which was setup by the British Administration after the death of some of the residents here, including British infants and children due to water borne diseases. Apart from this, one can see several amenities indicative of a luxurious lifestyle that the British enjoyed here. Some of them being tennis court, swimming pool, club house etc. Basically, the island had everything needed to lead a comfortable life in a small social community.

Refreshment & resting options at Ross Island, Andaman

There are few shops selling refreshments at Ross Island, Andaman. These include some mild packaged snacks, drinking water, packaged cold drinks, bottled water etc. Also as you move along the pathway exploring the ruins, there are provisioned shades here and there at regular intervals to rest your feet ( and race your mind around the treasure hunting 😉 ). Most of these shades have benches as well.

Slowly, after visiting this whole area in the Island, we retraced our steps to move back to where we had started. Since, we had a deal with our boat driver to meet him again here in 1.5 hrs. As mobile network connectivity doesn’t work, you have to stick to the timings you agree upon. Since you may not be able to contact the driver in any other way. While on the way back, we spotted washrooms and a drinking water facility. This was very welcome. We drank water and refilled our bottles here before embarking on further journey. And when we reached back, we found him waiting for us.

Tips on visiting the Ross Island, Andaman

• Wear light cotton dress, a hat and sunglasses. Also carry an umbrella. All these together provide the much needed protection from the hot sun as the day progresses.
• Carry drinking water, in refill water bottles which can be refilled here. Avoid dumping plastic bottles here and there. Kindly dispose them responsibly if at all you need to.
• Provision 1.5 hrs to explore the island. Although, the boats normally give you this much time itself. Although if you wish to stay for longer you can take private transfers and do a trip only to Ross Island for the same. To our wandering souls, 1.5 hrs was not enough. We always set an alarm when we are exploring somewhere time bound. But, whatever be the case, do stop to read the boards that explain the history of the Ross island, Andaman.
• Carry cash to pay for the tickets and anything else you want to avail. Since, nothing else will work here.
• Wear comfortable but waterproof sandals. Since you will be traveling in and out of the boat, might feel like getting into the waters on the shore or simply encounter a sudden bout of rain.
• The best time to visit is October to March. And if possible, visit as early in the morning. The boats start as early as 8:00am
• Please avoid littering the place. I saw a lot of writings on the walls of the buildings. It is really sad to see people wandering a place without understanding its historical significance or cultural details. And it is even more sad as well as annoying to see them scribble, scarring the buildings, monuments and anything else that they find.

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