Ross & Smith Island, Diglipur, Andaman [Updated – 2023]

Ross Island and Smith Island are two small islands [twin islands] in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Ross and Smith Island are also known as Smith Island and Ross Island, smith and Ross Island are two islands having a short distance. It is famous for its beautiful beaches and coral reefs and is best for snorkelling and scuba diving. These islands are connected by a sandbar that appears during low tide and disappears during high tide. Visitors can enjoy the beautiful beach and relax on the island, surrounded by the natural beauty of the Andaman Islands.

Ross Island (in Diglipur) offers a virgin beach bordering a small island with tropical forests. Island is located at a distance of about 20 minutes boat ride from Arial Bay Jetty. It is ideal for beach tourism, and adventure trips like trekking through tropical forests, scuba diving, snorkelling, turtle nesting, etc. Wild elephants can occasionally be spotted. The sand bar joining this island with the adjoining Smith Island is a unique feature of this place.

Smith Island offers a similar experience to Ross Island. This island has small villages of about 60 families each village named after a Number of Families residing in the village. Eco rest houses are available for overnight stays. View of Turtle nesting is an added attraction.

Smith and Ross Islands are sister islands separated by a bar of sand. During high tide, the sandbar submerges under water and the two islands appear separate. The beach at this location is rated number one among all the existing beaches of Andaman lands. Smith and Ross offer a virgin beach followed by a tropical forest. Ross and Smith Island is a 20-minute (distance 5 km) boat ride from Arial Bay jetty and is an ideal spot for Beach tourism, Adventure (trekking through tropical forest), Research / Education (like scuba diving, snorkelling, turtle nesting).

The 450-metre-long sand bar joining Smith and adjoining Ross island is the main attraction. Smith Island also houses a small village of about 60 families. Smith Island Beach is notified for Turtle nesting during seasons

Smith Island is situated in North and Middle Andaman under Keralapuram Panchayat. It has 260 populations and 61 nos. of households. It is approachable by a small fibre boat or Dingi. The village’s general topography is undulating and covered with dense forest. The majority of the population is engaged in agricultural activities. Major crops which are being cultivated in the area are vegetables and paddy.

How to Reach Smith and Ross Island [Diglipur] by Road

Diglipur can be reached from Port Blair by road by travelling about 330km. Morning bus services are available between Port Blair and Diglipur. There are three refreshing breaks in the journey. At these locations, creeks need to be crossed using vehicle ferries, adding around 15 minutes of waiting time for the availability of vehicle ferries. One more relaxing point is a beautiful 0.5 km/0.3 m long bridge connecting Mayabunder and Diglipur.

How to Reach Smith and Ross Island [Diglipur] by Sea

Diglipur Island can also be reached by 190 km sea route from Port Blair by ship services. The ship is making 1-2 voyages per week. The travel time is about 12 hours. Quality of ships, cabin accommodation availability and journey quality are assured in ship travel.

After reaching Diglipur, you can take a short boat ride from Kalipur Beach to Smith Island. The boat ride takes around 30-45 minutes and is available daily. Alternatively, you can hire a private boat from Diglipur to reach Smith Island.

It’s important to note that travel to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands requires a permit issued by Andaman Nicobar Admin.

Accommodation:

Eco rest houses are available for overnight stays. but we recommend staying in Diglipur.

• Diglipur