Quick Overview: Havelock (Swaraj Dweep) sits about 57 km from Port Blair, and the only way across is by sea. Private ferries like Makruzz, Nautika and Green Ocean cover it in 90 minutes to 2 hours from Haddo Jetty. Book a morning sailing 7 to 14 days ahead for the calmest crossing.

Suggested Read: Trekking in Andaman and Kayaking in Andaman

The Port Blair to Havelock ferry is the first real leg of almost every Andaman trip, and it trips up more travellers than any other. People assume it works like a taxi you grab on arrival. It does not. There is no road, no bridge and no flight between the two islands, so the ferry is the whole journey, and the seats sell out days ahead in season. We run trips across these islands year-round, and this is the guide we wish every traveller read before booking.

How far is Havelock from Port Blair?

Havelock, officially Swaraj Dweep since 2018, lies roughly 57 km (about 31 nautical miles) northeast of Port Blair, which the government renamed Sri Vijaya Puram in September 2024. Both names are still used everywhere, on tickets, signboards and by locals, so do not let the new labels confuse you when you reach the jetty.

You cannot drive or fly this stretch. The islands are separated by open sea, and every traveller, resort owner and fisherman crosses the same way you will, by boat. A fast private catamaran does it in about 90 minutes. A slower government vessel takes closer to two and a half hours. That single fact shapes your whole itinerary, because your Havelock day effectively starts the moment your ferry pulls out of Haddo Jetty.

What are the ferry options from Port Blair to Havelock?

You have two types of ferry, and they are not the same experience at all.

Private ferries (fast, air-conditioned, bookable online)

These are the ones most visitors take. Makruzz, Nautika, Green Ocean, Sea Link and ITT Majestic run enclosed, air-conditioned catamarans with assigned seats, onboard washrooms and a small snack counter. They leave from Haddo Jetty (Gate No. 3) in Port Blair and dock at the Swaraj Dweep jetty on Havelock. Crossing time runs 90 minutes to about 2 hours 15, with the fastest catamarans at the low end and Green Ocean 2 nearer the top. You book these online in advance, which is exactly what you should do.

Government ferry (cheap, slower, harder to book)

The Directorate of Shipping Services (DSS) runs a state ferry that costs a fraction of the private fare. The catch is real, though. It is slower at around two and a half hours, less comfortable, and you cannot book it online. Tickets open roughly two days before sailing and are sold in person at the DSS counter at Phoenix Bay Jetty or at STARS reservation counters, and they go fast. For a first Andaman trip with a tight ferry connection, we usually steer travellers to a private ferry and save the government boat for flexible, budget-first itineraries.

Port Blair to Havelock ferry timings and prices in 2026

Private ferries run several sailings a day, concentrated in the morning. In the low season you will typically find departures around 6:00 AM, 8:00 AM and around midday, and from October through the peak months operators add extra afternoon slots to meet demand. Exact schedules shift with the season and the operator, so treat the table below as a planning guide and confirm live timings when you book.

Operator

Type

Approx one-way fare

Crossing time

Makruzz

Private, A/C, multiple daily

Rs 1,300 to Rs 2,600

90 min to 2 hrs

Nautika

Private, A/C, Luxury / Royal / Pro

Rs 1,250 to Rs 3,400

90 min to 2 hrs

Green Ocean

Private, A/C, Economy to Premium

Rs 1,100 to Rs 2,500

2 hrs to 2 hrs 15

Sea Link / ITT Majestic

Private, A/C

Rs 1,200 to Rs 2,600

90 min to 2 hrs

Government (DSS)

State ferry, book in person

About Rs 400 to Rs 900 by class

approx 2.5 hrs

Fares as of August 2026, one way, and they move with class, season and fuel surcharges. Some private operators add a fixed fuel surcharge on top of the base fare, so the price you see at checkout can run a few hundred rupees above the headline figure. Always reconfirm before you pay.

Which Port Blair to Havelock ferry should you book?

For most travellers, a morning private ferry is the right answer, and here is the honest reasoning. A morning departure gives you the calmest sea, a full day on Havelock and a buffer if anything runs late. The class you pick matters less than the timing. Economy on a fast catamaran gets you there in the same 90 minutes as business class, in the same air-conditioned cabin. The upgrade mostly buys you a wider seat and a slightly quieter deck, which is worth it on a rough afternoon and skippable on a calm morning.

Book the government ferry only if you are on a strict budget, your dates are flexible, and you can spare someone to queue at the DSS counter two days ahead. It is genuinely cheap. It is not convenient.

How do you book a Port Blair to Havelock ferry?

Private ferry tickets are sold online through the operators and through licensed Andaman travel agents. You choose your date, sailing time and class, enter each passenger’s name exactly as it appears on a government photo ID, and pay. Carry that same ID and your ticket to the jetty. In peak season, from mid-December through January and again during long weekends, popular morning sailings sell out a week or more in advance, so book as soon as your flights are confirmed.

For the government ferry there is no online portal. Someone has to reach the DSS counter at Phoenix Bay Jetty, or a STARS counter, when tickets are released about two days before departure, and join the queue early. This is the single biggest reason travellers miss the cheap ferry and end up paying private fares at the last minute.

If you would rather not juggle counters and cut-off times, our team at andamantourism.org books ferries alongside the rest of the trip. See our Havelock things to do for planning your days on the island.

Which jetty do the ferries leave from, and how do you reach it?

Private ferries leave from Haddo Jetty in Port Blair, with private boats using Gate No. 3. The government DSS ferry sails from a different berth, Phoenix Bay Jetty, about 1.5 km away, so do not turn up at the wrong one. Haddo sits about 4 km from the town centre and roughly 6 km from Veer Savarkar International Airport, which is a 15 to 20 minute taxi or auto ride in normal traffic. Reach the jetty at least 45 to 60 minutes before departure. Security and boarding lines are real, and private ferries close boarding sharply, often 15 minutes before sailing. A ferry will not wait for you.

On the Havelock side you arrive at the Swaraj Dweep jetty, about 2 km from Havelock’s main market. Autos and taxis wait at the jetty, though many resorts in Havelock may send a pickup if you ask ahead. Fix the fare before you climb in, because jetty-day rates climb when a full ferry unloads at once.

Do you need a permit for the Port Blair to Havelock ferry?

Indian citizens do not need any permit for Havelock or the ferry. Foreign nationals no longer require the old Restricted Area Permit for Havelock and Neil for tourism, but they should carry their passport, keep photocopies, and expect to register at check-posts. One exception still applies: nationals of Afghanistan, China and Pakistan, and people of that origin, still need prior clearance from the Ministry of Home Affairs, as do Myanmar nationals heading to North or Middle Andaman. Permit rules for the wider Andaman and Nicobar chain change from time to time, especially around tribal reserves and the northern islands, so foreign travellers should reconfirm the current position before the trip.

The Port Blair to Havelock mistake almost every first-timer makes

Here is the pattern we watch play out at Haddo Jetty week after week, and it costs people money, sleep and sometimes a whole day of their holiday. Travellers land at Port Blair airport in the late morning and book the Havelock ferry for that same afternoon, assuming the two connect neatly. On paper it looks efficient. In practice it is the tightest, most stressful move in an Andaman itinerary, and it works against you on three fronts at once.

Why the same-day afternoon ferry works against you

●     The sea. The water is calmest from roughly 6:00 AM to 8:00 AM. Wind and swell build through the day, and by early afternoon, especially from March to May and in the monsoon, the same crossing turns into a rolling, queasy two hours. Most of the seasickness we hear about is really just a late departure time.

●       Cancellation risk. Afternoon monsoon sailings are far more likely to be scrapped when conditions turn, and a cancelled afternoon ferry can strand you in Port Blair overnight with a paid-for Havelock room sitting empty.

●    The connection. Mainland flights often land late, and baggage crawls off a small airport belt. If your only ferry leaves at 2:00 PM and your flight lands at 12:30 PM, one delay collapses the plan. Private ferries close boarding 15 minutes before departure and do not wait, so you end up buying a fresh last-minute ticket, if any seat is left.

●  The daylight. Reach Havelock after 4:00 PM and you have lost the beach afternoon you flew all this way for. Radhanagar at sunset is the best free experience on the island, and a late, queasy arrival means you spend it recovering in your room.

What we tell our travellers to do instead

●   Spend your arrival night in Port Blair. See Cellular Jail and the light-and-sound show that evening, then take the first morning ferry to Havelock the next day.

●       Adding that night does not cost you Havelock time, it protects it. A Port Blair room typically runs Rs 2,000 to Rs 4,000, and near the airport you can find cheaper. Weigh that against a scrapped afternoon ferry: a last-minute private seat, if one is even left, often costs Rs 2,500 to Rs 3,400, on top of a Havelock room you have already paid for and cannot use that night. You cross on flat water, land with the whole day ahead, and keep a full buffer against flight delays.

●   On a tight four or five day trip, book the earliest morning ferry and keep any afternoon slot as a backup only.

●     Never schedule a Havelock activity, a scuba slot or a Neil Island onward ferry for your arrival day. We have watched a single 40 minute baggage delay at Port Blair turn a 2:00 PM ferry into a missed sailing and an unplanned night ashore, so we build every itinerary with that margin baked in.

What to avoid or skip

●   Do not leave ferry booking to the airport day. In peak season the good morning sailings are gone a week ahead.

●    Skip the afternoon government ferry as a plan A. Between the queue-only booking and the slower, rougher ride, it rarely rewards a time-pressed traveller.

●    Do not chase business class on a calm morning. The crossing is short. Put that money toward a better Havelock room or a dive instead.

●    Boarding closes early and traffic from the airport to Haddo is unpredictable.

Planning your Andaman trip with andamantourism.org

We are a local, Andaman-based team working on the ground from Port Blair, not a mainland call centre reselling islands we have never seen. We book these ferries every week, we know which morning sailings actually run on time, we watch how the sea behaves by season, and we have direct relationships with resorts on Havelock and Neil, dive operators and jetty transfer drivers. That local knowledge is the difference between an itinerary that looks fine in a spreadsheet and one that holds up when a flight lands late or the afternoon sea kicks up. If you want your Port Blair to Havelock ferry, island hops and stays sequenced so they actually connect, browse our Andaman tour packages or tell us your dates and we will build the crossing around a calm morning.

Port Blair to Havelock ferry: Frequently asked questions

How long is the ferry from Port Blair to Havelock?

A private ferry takes 90 minutes to 2 hours across roughly 57 km. The government ferry takes about two and a half hours.

How much does the Port Blair to Havelock ferry cost?

Private one-way fares run from about Rs 1,100 to Rs 3,400 depending on operator and class, as of August 2026, plus any fuel surcharge. The government ferry costs about Rs 400 to Rs 900 depending on class but must be booked in person.

Can I book the Port Blair to Havelock ferry online?

Yes, for private ferries like Makruzz, Nautika and Green Ocean. The government DSS ferry cannot be booked online and is sold at Phoenix Bay Jetty and STARS counters about two days before sailing.

Which jetty does the Havelock ferry leave from?

Private ferries leave from Haddo Jetty (Gate No. 3) in Port Blair, about 6 km from the airport, and arrive at the Swaraj Dweep jetty on Havelock, about 2 km from the market.

Is the ferry to Havelock rough? Will I get seasick?

Morning sailings from 6:00 to 8:00 AM are usually calm. Afternoon crossings get rougher as wind and swell build, especially from March to May and during the monsoon, so book a morning ferry if you are prone to seasickness.

Do foreign nationals need a permit for the Havelock ferry?

Foreign nationals no longer need the old Restricted Area Permit for Havelock tourism but should carry their passport and register at check-posts. Reconfirm current rules before travel, as they change.

What is the first ferry from Port Blair to Havelock?

The earliest private sailings typically leave around 6:00 AM. This is the calmest crossing and the safest choice if you have a tight schedule or a late-arriving flight the day before.