South Andaman · beach
Shoal Bay 19
A hidden beach at the end of the numbered Shoal Bay settlements north of Port Blair — a short walk through fields and mangroves to clean, empty sand.
- off the beaten track
- mangroves
- quiet
- South Andaman
- walk
- Location
- Shoal Bay village, Ferrargunj tehsil, South Andaman — north of Port Blair harbour
- The name
- The Shoal Bay settlements are numbered along the road; No. 19 is the one by the beach
- Distance
- ~15 km as the crow flies; ~1 h by road via Bambooflat / Wimberlygunj
- The last stretch
- Road ends; walk ~15–20 min through fields and mangroves to the sand
- Sand
- Clean, secluded, no settlement on the beach; forest and mangrove behind
- Swimming
- Possible on calm days; no lifeguard, watch tides and creek mouths
- Facilities
- None on the beach; basic shops in Shoal Bay village and Wimberlygunj
- Best time
- Morning, dry season (October–May)
Overview
Shoal Bay is a strip of farming settlements on the north side of Port Blair’s harbour, laid out and numbered when the land was cleared for settlers — Shoal Bay 8, Shoal Bay 19 and so on, the way Havelock’s villages are numbered. Shoal Bay 19 is the last of them, and just beyond it, past the fields and a belt of mangroves, is a beach that most tourists never hear of: a clean curve of sand with no houses, no stalls and, on a weekday, no people.
It’s not a spectacular beach in the Radhanagar sense. Its appeal is that it’s quiet, close to Port Blair, and feels like a discovery — a walk through paddy and mangrove that ends in the sea.
Getting there
Two ways from Port Blair:
- By road — around the harbour via the Andaman Trunk Road / Bambooflat side to Wimberlygunj, then the village road to Shoal Bay. Roughly an hour by car or scooter.
- By ferry + road — take the vehicle ferry from Chatham Jetty to Bambooflat, then turn towards Wimberlygunj; Shoal Bay village is a few kilometres on.
Follow the constructed road through the numbered settlements until it ends. No vehicles go beyond the road end — park there. Turn towards the fields and follow the path (it looks like forest but is a well-used village track); after a while you’ll see mangroves, which means you’re heading the right way, and then the beach. Allow 15–20 minutes on foot. Ask anyone in Shoal Bay 19 to point you — they’re used to it.
What to do
- Walk in through the mangroves — half the pleasure; kingfishers, mudskippers, fiddler crabs.
- Have the beach to yourself — a swim on a calm day, a picnic, a long walk along the sand.
- Low tide exploring — rock and reef flats at the ends of the beach.
- Combine with Mount Harriet / Mount Manipur (the national park across the water from Bambooflat) or the Wright Myo mangrove creek if you’re on that side for the day.
Practical notes
- Carry everything: water, food, sun cover. There is nothing at the beach and only tiny shops in the village.
- Tides and creeks: the beach is bounded by mangrove creeks — swim away from the creek mouths, keep an eye on the tide so the path back doesn’t flood, and don’t swim at dawn or dusk (crocodiles inhabit mangrove creeks throughout the Andamans; sightings here are rare but not impossible).
- Weather: the track through the fields turns to mud in the monsoon; go in the dry season.
- Respect the village: you’re walking through people’s fields. Stay on the path, keep it clean, ask before photographing anyone.
- Ferry timings for the Chatham–Bambooflat crossing change; check the return time if you go that way.
- No phone signal on the beach; tell someone your plan.
Nearby
Wimberlygunj and Bambooflat on the way; Mount Harriet (Mount Manipur) National Park for a forest walk and harbour view; back in Port Blair, Corbyn’s Cove is the easy alternative if the walk isn’t for you.
Last updated 17 August 2026. Timings, fees and schedules change — confirm locally before you travel.