Summary: Port Blair is the capital city of Andaman and Nicobar Island group. It is the largest and most developed city in the union territory. In the past, it has been a place where Indian freedom fighters were sent for imprisonment. However, today the city is rapidly transforming into a popular holiday destination. Visit the city to explore it for real and for accommodation choose from the best hotels in Port Blair.
Body: Port Blair is the largest city in the state of Andaman and Nicobar Island group, and many recognize the city as the capital of the state. Meanwhile, the city is also the district headquarter of southern Andaman and is the seat of the tehsil called Port Blair. The city is situated on the eastern coast of the Andaman island and is the main entry point to access the other 350 islands that are constituted in Port Blair and the remaining islands of the state. Being the legislative headquarter and the most modernized city in the state brings large significance to the city. It is in the city where exist all modern amenities, hospitals, commerce centres, and good educational institutions. It is the only place in the entire state where exist banks, hotels, restaurants, and tourist destinations. The city has been on a slow yet steady growth, and life in the city still seems to be slow. Presently, the city serves as a major base to the Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard, as both of the government bodies have their bases in the city.
Meanwhile, the good thing is that the city has its own airport, thus making it easy to access Port Blair and the other tourist islands of Andaman. The Veer Savarkar, the only airport in the Andaman is situated roughly about 2km outside the centre of the city. There are frequent flights from Kolkata and Chennai to Port Blair. Plus, taxis and cabs are available from the airport that are the only modes to reach Port Blair from the airport. Additionally, there also exist some good hotels in Port Blair that offer airport pick and drop services to their guests.
Meanwhile, travelling within Port Blair is much easier and convenient, as there are multiple local modes of transportation available. Other than taxis and cabs, there are government owned as well as private operators owned buses running between different parts of the city.
On the tourism front Port Blair is a destination which is rapidly gaining prominence in the tourism domain. It is one of the best places to learn more about the country's struggle for Independence. The city is home to the historic Cellular Jail, which is rather infamous for being the place which the Britishers used to imprison the Indian freedom fighters. Also called as Kala Pani for the tint color of the blood-soaked water, Port Blair was the place where many freedom fighters lost their lives. Even several years after the independence of India, visiting the city was considered taboo. However, as tourism is on a rise across the country, so number of tourists are planning their trips to the city.
Other than the irreplaceable monuments and testaments from the past, the city is composed of beautiful beaches, small islands that are still untouched by human settlements or modernity, a zoo, large paddy farms, and dense jungles that are replete of large and varied flora and fauna. According to records the dense jungles of the region are home to 242 bird species, 46 mammal species, and 78 reptile species.