13 day adventure trip in Andamans

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Life slows down here. Air is filled with peace and calm. There are plenty stories to be told and heard. This place is infectious - u will want to go back!

"Angamanain (Andamans) is a very long island. The people are without a king, and are Idolaters, and are no better than wild beasts. And I assure you all the men of this Island of Angamanain have heads like dogs, and teeth and eyes likewise; in fact, in the face they are all like big mastiff dogs! They have a quantity of spices; but they are a most cruel generation, and eat everybody that they can catch, if not their own race." This is what Marco Polo had to say after coasting by Andaman and Nicobar islands in 1290. Marco Polo did not land here. Had he done so, he might have learnt more about the Angamanain dog-people; but by then, he'd learned something about self-preservation. Excerpt from; the land of Naked people" by Madhusree Mukherjee.

Things have changed ever since - mainlanders descended on these pristine, last-resort primitive-lands to civilise and urbanise what was once untouched by humans. Andamans today is a melting pot of mainlanders from different regions - West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Andhra, Karnataka and setters/immigrants from Bangladesh and Burma who came here as labourers and some as prisoners. The tribal population is restricted to reserves and islands, of which some are completely barred and most of them restricted. They are seemingly well protected and restricted from any further degradation by the Govt of India (but protection and development means differently for the Govt). thirty seven islands out of five hundred fifty six are inhabited now. The islands are well connected by the Grand Trunk Road, (which is a monument of failed development-initiative at the expense of endemic people) and many inter island ferries. .

Things might have changed but there is a whole world, unexplored and less traveled out here. We will connect some of these unknown places, people, cultures and initiatives on our trip. We will use a combination of transport methods - dedicated utility vehicles, inter-island ferries, fishing boats, dingys and walk when we have to. We will stay in town hotels, Govt tourist bungalows (only option at faraway places), camp on beaches, and in research bases to make this experience as interesting and enriching as possible. We will explore; different islands - some uninhabited, trek-up to the highest peaks, caves, mud volcanoes, coral beaches, white sand - aquamarine waters, and experience life beyond just existence.

Every trip of ours in Andamans will be an exploratory trip - and in the times to come we plan to add many new adventures as we discover and experience newer areas, connect with new people and find anything special. Experience a remote part of this expansive archipelagos the getoff~ way!

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