Destination comparison between Maldives and Andaman Island

1. COMPARISON BETWEEN MALDIVES
& ANDAMAN ISLAND
PRESENTED BY
AFSANA LASKAR

2. Both Andaman and Maldives are actually good
holiday destinations. They both have white sand
beaches and rich underwater life. They are
also both remote, giving travellers a sense of
privacy and serenity. Both destinations also
have water sports activities for tourists.

3. ANDAMAN & NICOBAR ISLAND
The Andaman and Nicobar Islands,
a union territory of India, is an
archipelago located in the Bay of
Bengal.It is located more closely to
Myanmar and Thailand. The
archipelago is home to the
indigenous tribes of the country,
which are collectively known as the
Andamanese. Because it is located
a bit further away from mainland
India, the territory has done well to
preserve its natural beauty and as a
result, it is untouched by pollution
and commercialism. Some of the
most beautiful beaches in India and
in Asia can be found here. The
islands are also well-known all over
the world for its numerous diving
spots, teeming with rich underwater
life.

4. MALDIVES
The Maldives is an Island country,
located in the Laccadive Sea, close
to the country of Sri Lanka. It has 26
island corals, also known as atolls
and also has its islands located quite
far from each other. As such, it is the
smallest country in Asia yet it has
much to offer when it comes to the
natural beauty of its beaches
and marine life. The island country
is highly developed too and one can
stay in some of the best resorts in the
world here. Privacy is secured here as
each resort owns one island thereby
giving an access to a beautiful beach
privately. It's no wonder that the
Maldives is considered as one of the
premier destinations in the world and
even celebrities worldwide add this
little paradise in their bucket list.

5. From these descriptions alone, you can see that
there's a few differences already between the two
destinations. So let's begin with the comparison
proper-
1. Landscape
2. Accessibility
3.Accommodations
4. Places to visit
5. Activities

6. 1. LANDSCAPE
 The Andaman and Nicobar Islands has about 572
islands but only about 37 of these islands are
inhabited. Not all islands are also open for visitors,
mostly those inhabited by tribes are off limits to
guests.
• Mainly, the landscape of Andaman is comprised
of white sand beaches and turquoise waters.
• Around the different islands, a tourist can also visit
dense forests, which have been turned into
national parks around the union territory. Most
of the forests here are of the wet and deciduous
type, comprising of endemic flora and fauna to
the region.
• The union territory also has some high points like
Saddle Peak, Mount Harriet- the highest
peak in Port Blair.
• In a fewer islands, natural caves, waterfalls
and mud volcanoes are also there. The only
active volcano in South Asia can also be
found in one of the islands of Andaman
which is Barren Island.

7. MOUNT HERRAIT
-the highest peak in
Port Blair
BERRAN ISLAND
-the only active
volcano in South
Asia

8.  The Maldives has 26 atolls which are ring-like coral
formations.Around these 26 atolls, there are over 1,100
islands, some are inhabited while others are uninhabited.
 About 200 of these islands are inhabited by the locals, 100
more were developed as resort destinations and the
remaining 800 islands remain uninhabited.
 Maldives has little variation when it comes to landscape. It
mostly has white sand beaches with patches of
coconut,palms around.
 The Maldives has no high point nor waterfalls, unlike the
Andaman Islands.
 Forests around the country comprise only three percent
of the total land area.

9. LANDSCAPES OF MALDIVES

10. 2. ACCESSIBLITY
• Accessing the Andaman Islands for Indian nationals is easy, as it won't
need any permit, except if someone is visiting the restricted areas
around the Nicobar Islands.
• For the foreign tourists though, there is no need to acquire a permit
before entering the islands. If going by air,one can get the permit on
arrival and if going by ship, then one need to have permit arranged
before reaching the islands. Of course, this is in addition to the Indian
visa you need to acquire prior to reaching India, expect if you come
from the Maldives, Nepal or Bhutan in which you are entitled to a visa-
free stay in the country.
• There are only two ways of reaching this island either by air or by
ship. By air, the Veer Savarkar Airport is the only
international airport in the region, located in the capital
Port Blair. It has direct flights to Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata and
Bangalore.
• By ship, there are ports in Kolkata, Chennai and Visakhapatnam, but
journey duration would be around three to four days. These are also
not cruise ships but rather passenger ships so on-board entertainment
is very limited. But if you're in a budget, ship tickets are comparatively
cheaper than air tickets.

11. Veer Savarkar International Airport,Port Blair

12.  Any nationality enjoys a visa on arrival privilege as soon as
they reach Maldives.
• Just make sure you bring your passport, an identification
card, funds to support your travel and a return ticket.
• The only way of reaching the Maldives is by air
through its Male International Airport.
 The airport has direct flights to cities like Moscow,
KualaLumpur, Bangalore, Bangkok, Beijing, Hong Kong,
Colombo, Abu Dhabi & Doha.
• The airport is located in the capital of Maldives so one can
easily access tourist establishments as soon as depart from
the airport.

13. MALE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

14. 3. ACCOMODATION
• As a tourist destination, the Andaman Islands have sparse
accommodations.
• There are some options in Port Blair and in Havelock Island.
 But beyond these islands, a tourist have to settle for guest houses or
home stays.
• However, this has also ensured that the island maintains its non-
commercialised vibe. Even with the higher end resorts in the island,
you cannot expect good internet connectivity or even mobile signal.
This truly brings you back one with nature and makes your vacation
even more satisfying.
• One of the most well-known resorts here is the Barefoot at
Havelock Resort, where you get to stay in natural huts with limited
amenities. Service is top-notch though and the resort would go out of
their way to provide you with you necessities.

15. Barefoot at Havelock

16. • As mentioned before, some of the world's best
resorts are located in the Maldives. They even
occupy a whole island to themselves, thus offering the
utmost privacy and serenity .
• The downside is that they are very expensive.
• There are a few affordable hotels but tourist have to
settle in distant locations. Or one can opt for guest
houses but for that one has to ride a ferry to reach the
distant islands.

17. l `
Taj Exotica Resort & Spa, Maldivesdivesa
Resort & Spa, Maldives

18. 4. PLACES TO VISIT
• There are several islands that to explore in the Andamans.
• Starting with Port Blair, one can enjoy the historical site of
the Cellular Jail ,built around the 19th century and was an
incarceration site for prominent freedom fighters.

19. In Havelock Island some of the best beaches of the region can be found all of
which have white powdery sand and turquoise water.
Govind Nagar Beach
Vijay Nagar Beach
Radha Nagar Beach

20. • Samudrika Naval
Marine Museum
• Anthropological
Museum

21. In Maldives, for a relaxing
holiday, one can just opt to stay
in a luxury resort and just
enjoy the private beach.But if
someone is interested in some
sightseeing,Male has some
attractions like-
GRAND FRIDAY MOSQUE
This grand architecture of
bygone times was constructed
by the Sultan Ibrahim
Iskandhar in 1656.It is the
largest mosque in Maldives.It is
a major attraction in ale of
Maldives bacause of its distinct
work of architecture.

22. TSUNAMI MONUMENT
Tsunami monument is located on
the south eastern part of Male city.
This monument was dedicated for
those who lost their lives in the
Tsunami occurred in 2004.The
names of the dead people are
engraved on each of the vertical
rods that form the structure. And
the 26 steel balls that complete it
symbolizes the country’s atolls.

23. NATIONAL MUSEUM

24. 5. ACTIVITIES
The primary activities
that can be done in
Andaman-
 Snorkelling
 Scuba diving

25. TREKKING
For trekking,tourist can go through
the evergreen forest from
Bambooflat to Mount
Herriet,Mount Herriet to
Madhuban in south Andaman.
The Saddle Peak National Park
,where a tourist can enjoy wildlife
spotting and trekking.
BIRD WATCHING
If a tourist is into bird watching,
The parrot Island near Baratang
is famous for endemic birds
especially parrot of various kinds.
Chidiya Tapu is there
where one can even opt to stay in
the small guest houses within the
island.

26. Apart from scuba diving and snorkelling there are also other
activities that one can do in the different islands of the country. But
still, the best activity in the Maldives, would be lounging
around and soaking the sun in.

27. KAYAKING
Most of the
resorts in the
Maldives have
water sports
facilities for
kayaking
water surfing
or banana
boating