Imagine the turquoise sea resting in sweet contrast with the white sun-kissed sands, the sun is shining brightly over your head but a soothing breeze calms the surroundings and you are sitting in your beach lounge chair facing this beautiful scenery sipping your lemonade. I bet you already feel your stress disappearing. That is what the blissful Andaman Islands look like. No doubt it is the most popular destination for tourists of all ages. This is exactly the view you see in those movies, those magazines you stare at, a view to live for!
The Andaman Islands are a group of tropical islands located in the Bay of Bengal. Because of its tropical climate, this place offers pleasure to its admirers all year round. The fluctuation in the temperatures is minimal and it stays pleasant throughout the year.
These islands offer whatever the tourists seek. Andaman only has two seasons namely the summer season and monsoon season. It is similar to the kind of climate you experience in the coastal regions of India like Goa or Bengaluru or Vishakhapatnam whatever you can relate with. With a cool, breezy climate and mild humidity, it is pleasant all year round but receives torrential rain during the season.
Summers in Andaman
The summer season is the most enjoyable and ideal time to go to Andaman. From January up to late April, the sky is clear and the weather has a mean temperature ranging from 25 to 30 degrees Celsius. With all the tourists pouring in, you will witness the perfect ambience for your vacation spot. Though the humidity is 80%, it is the perfect time for you to visit if all the beach activities top your bucket list. The calmest month of October is the best time for all the water sports like snorkelling, scuba diving, jet-skiing parasailing, and many more.
During the winter months from November to April, the weather remains mostly warm and a bit drier than usual making it the best time you can set for Andaman on your calendar. The tourist hubs such as Port Blair, Long Island, Neil Island, Havelock Island, Cinque Island, Smith Islands, and the Ross Islands are brimming with tourists this time of year.
This is not only the best time for those beach activities you have planned all your life, the trekking, and sightseeing, but this period is just perfect to witness the festive spirit of the Island through all the festivals and events like the Island Tourism Festival, which is a two weeks festival held in January; the Subash Mela, celebrated to commemorate the birth of Subash Chandra Bose; the famous Block Mela, an event organized to showcase the lifestyle of the locals and diversities in their culture; and the Film festival held in November every year.
Monsoons in Andaman
The Andaman Islands witness the monsoon season TWICE in a year! Yes, what you read is correct. The Andaman Islands receive rainfall from the northeast monsoon winds as well as the southwest monsoon winds. Monsoon due to the northeast winds lasts from November to January and due to southwest winds lasts from May to September. The southwest monsoon winds first bestow showers upon the Andaman and then moves on to mainland India.
With the monsoon lasting up to 180 days in a year in total, this is the time when the influx of tourists in the region is a bit sombre. This is not the best time for sightseeing because of constant downpour and all the water sports are suspended too. This is to ensure safety because the place experiences huge tidal waves during this season.
However, it is the best time for you to spend some time in solitude seeing the rain pouring down from your hotel rooms and cleanse your aura which sometimes gets destroyed because of the mundane lifestyle of the city. This is the perfect season for rejuvenation and self-exploration. The temperatures, however, during time ranges from sweet 22 degrees to 30 degrees Celsius ideal for both refreshing drinks and hot beverages.
Because this region faces heavy downpours, the ferry operations also are halted frequently due to low underwater visibility and the danger posed by the rough waves. Since Andaman is situated in the Bay of Bengal and experiences a lot of extreme tropical monsoon with incessant winds causing cyclones and causing damage to life and property to people living on the Islands. Some of the islands are also struck off from the list of island hopping as the conditions do not favour and might create problems. Even though this season puts a brake on the tourist interaction of the places, the visuals are equally appalling in the monsoons as they are during the summers, you just have to replace the clear blue sky with the grey cloudy sky and the view still is as majestic as it was before. Sometimes even more!
You can also witness some great festivals in the monsoon season. Amazing annual festivals like the Music festivals, the Monsoon festivals held in August and the Food festival held in September await your presence.
Andaman is a tropical location, you can expect drizzles almost all year round. So, monsoons will not act like that one spoilsport in your group that spills water on your pre-planned activities.
You can choose your kind of ideal climate according to the months too:
- January
The best backdrop for your New Year celebrations and a dream-like start to a new year in your life is what Andaman presents you with. The place tops the lists of a large number of tourists for New Year. With almost zero changes in rainfall in this month, this is the best time and place to try your hands on all those water sports you have always wanted to do.
- February
If you visit Andaman in February it cannot get more stellar than this. This is the best time you can go Island hopping and discover the remote parts of these islands. The temperature ranges between 22 degrees to 30 degrees making the daytime a bit warmer than usual.
- March
The warm summertime in Andaman Island is just right for sunbathing and getting that suntan all over your body. The sea attracts you with all its might during this month and it is the most ideal time to get soaked in the salty waters.
- April
April is the most suitable time for birding or bird-gazing. Tourists from all around the world come to the Andaman Islands for conducting researches on the bird species. This is also the time when you can see the Andaman Green pigeon, which is the state-bird, and many other endemic bird species mostly on the Chidiya Tapu and Parrot Islands. The evenings get adorned with the best Andaman sunsets.
- May
The average temperature ranges between 24 degrees to 37 degrees. May is the peak summer season and late May embarks the onset of monsoon season in Andaman. But you do not have to worry even the least because it will not spoil your itinerary.
- June
This is the month when you get the best deals on hotels because they offer good discounts to attract tourists. This is not the busiest month of the year so the tourists are seen in less number. Andaman receives heavy downpours during this time and all the water sports are suspended.
- July
This month, again, receives rainfall that hampers all kinds of water sports activities. The relentless showers and rain-drenched coastline can make a cool Andaman vacation.
- August
The month of August should be avoided if you want to go island hopping and have islands like Neil Island, Baratang, Havelock Island, and Ross Island on your mind. This is the monsoon season so the islands remain less crowded.
- September
September offers the same climatic conditions as July and August. But, if you have an introverted personality, you will only see the lesser crowds as a perk.
- October
October marks the beginning of the very busy festival season for the islanders. The pleasant skies and the rain-free atmosphere is restored and the islands seem to have revived their lush greenery after the monsoon season. The coral reefs start getting busier with plentiful marine life and account for a good marine life viewing.
- November
The local people get ready for the celebration of all the festivities at hand as Andaman sees some amazing festivals in November. November is a great time to visit Andaman for Scuba enthusiasts.
- December
The northeast monsoon winds blow during December that is laden with moisture and keeps the weather cooler than usual. December forms the peak time for enthusiastic tourists instilled with the festival mood of Christmas and New Year’s.
So, even after so much evaluation, the only thing that can be the conclusion is that Andaman is a complete eye-candy location for the tourists all the year-round and you don’t want to miss out on all the fun and unique views this place offers.
