CORBYN'S COVE AND CHIRYA TAPU
Famous As A: Picnic Spot
Best Time To Visit: October To May
The best beach within easy reach of the capital
Port Blair lies 10-km southeast at Corbyn's
Cove, a small arc of smooth white sand backed by a swaying curtain of
palms.
The Bird's Paradise
For
more isolation, rent a moped or take a taxi 30-km south to Chirya Tapu or
"Bird Island", at the tip of South Andaman. The motorable track
running beyond this small fishing village leads through thick jungle
overhung with twisting creepers to a large bay, where swamps give way to
shell-strewn beaches.
Other than at lunchtime, when it often receives a deluge of bus parties,
the beach offers plenty of peace and quiet, forest walks on the
woodcutters' trails winding inland from it, and easy access to an inshore
reef. However, the water here is nowhere near as clear as at some spots in
the archipelago, and serious snorkels and divers may be tempted to try for
a boat out to volcanic Cinque Island, a couple o hours' further south.
Groups from the big hotels in Port Blair use inflatables with outboard
motors to reach Cinque, but it is also possible to charter one's own
fishing boat here
