Flag hoisting at the historic Cellular Jail. Special light and sound show.
Why it mattersCellular Jail housed Veer Savarkar and other freedom fighters.
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Naksh.iq
ISSUE Nº 47 · MAY 2026
Festival · ANDAMAN & NICOBAR ISLANDS
Independence Day at Cellular Jail.
August 15 · Port Blair (Sri Vijaya Puram)
Going for this? Port Blair (Sri Vijaya Puram) in August
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August in Port Blair is more of July with marginally fewer wet days. Rainfall sits at 410-440mm, ferries to Havelock run perhaps three days a week instead of seven, and even on running days last-minute cancellations are common. Dive operators on Havelock and Neil remain shut. The few activities that function - Cellular Jail, the Anthropological Museum - are urban indoor experiences that do not justify flying to an i…
Getting there
Elevation
16 m
Nearest airport
Veer Savarkar International, Port Blair (IXZ)
Nearest railway
N/A — no railways in Andaman
Live in Port Blair (Sri Vijaya Puram)
Where to stay in Port Blair (Sri Vijaya Puram)
Megapode Nest (A&N Tourism)
₹2,500-4,000hotel · Aberdeen Bazaar, Port BlairGovernment-run tourism hotel. Clean, central, reliable. Best value in Port Blair.
Where to eat
Annapurna Cafeteria
Aberdeen Bazaar (71, MA Road, opp. Model School) · ₹SignatureSpecial veg thali
Order the thali at 12:30pm sharp — that's when fresh batch comes out. South Indian morning shift (7-11am) does the best filter coffee + rava idli combo on the island.
The Bayview Garden Restaurant (Sinclairs Bayview)
South Point, Marine Hill (Sinclairs Bayview Hotel) · ₹₹₹SignatureAndaman seafood platter
Reserve a deck table for 6:30pm sundown — bar starts pouring at 6pm. Order the platter for two if you're seafood-curious; tandoori prawns work as a single starter. The bar serves bartender-blended local rum cocktails.
Cafe Del Sole
Goalghar, Port Blair (5 min from Aberdeen Bazaar) · ₹₹SignatureWood-fired pizza
Wood-fired oven only fires up at 6pm — pizza pre-6pm is pan-fried. Vegetarians: ask for the margherita-with-fresh-basil; truly fresh basil arrives from a kitchen-garden lot in Bambooflat each Tuesday.
New Lighthouse Restaurant
Rajiv Gandhi Water Sports Complex (City Centre, near Cellular Jail) · ₹₹SignatureChilli garlic squid + Red Snapper tawa fry
Go straight after the 7:50pm Light & Sound Show; arrive 8:45pm to beat the rush. Order the daily catch (whatever's on the iced display) tawa-fried — not curried. Open-air seating attracts mosquitoes — bring repellent.
Other festivals in Port Blair (Sri Vijaya Puram)
Other festivals in August, elsewhere
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