ross
where the empire left and the jungle stayed.
Ross Island was the British administrative capital of the Andamans — churches, ballrooms, bakeries, and a penal colony all on one small hill. Then an earthquake in 1941 and the Japanese occupation finished what time started. Today the banyan trees have swallowed the ruins whole.
The ferry from Port Blair takes twenty minutes. You step off onto a path lined with deer — they're everywhere, completely unbothered by visitors. The old Presbyterian church is a skeleton of brick arches wrapped in roots. The Chief Commissioner's house, the bakery, the swimming pool — all half-reclaimed by forest, all deeply cinematic.
Most people do Ross as a half-day trip, pairing it with North Bay or a harbour cruise. Go early before the midday heat. Bring water, wear good shoes, and give yourself two hours to wander without a plan. The light through the banyan canopy in the late morning is worth the early alarm.
- getting there
- 20 min boat from Port Blair
- best months
- October — April
- stay for
- half day (no overnight stays)
- known for
- colonial ruins, banyan trees
- 01Explore the ruined church & ballroom
- 02Spot deer along the forest paths
- 03Visit the small Ross Island museum
- 04Combine with North Bay snorkelling
- 05Photograph banyan roots at golden hour
take us to ross.
Tell us your dates. We'll build the trip around this island — ferries, stays, dives, dinners, all sorted.