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Barren Island active volcano in the Andaman Sea, seen from the Barren Island trip boat from Havelock
Course Code: FRG-BRN-TRIP

Barren Island Trip from Havelock – Cruise to India’s Only Active Volcano

₹25,000 + GST
4.9 1,991 Google reviews

Barren Island trip from Havelock - private boat cruise to India's only active volcano. Slow loop around the cone, snorkel over the lava-bed reef, hot lunch on board, GoPro footage. ₹25,000 per person or ₹1,50,000 + GST private charter, 8-10 hr round trip, runs depending on sea conditions.

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Private Charter
Whole boat from ₹1,50,000 + 18% GST
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Optional Add-Ons

GoPro Photos & Videos

Volcano + reef footage - already included in your trip

Included

Hot Lunch & Drinks on Board

Lunch + unlimited water, juice and tea - already included

Included
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Things to Know
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Free cancellation up to 7 days before your trip
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About the Barren Island trip

The Barren Island trip from Havelock is a private boat run to India's only active volcano - a 354-metre cone, around 135 km north-east of Port Blair. It last erupted in 2017 and still vents steam from the summit most mornings. Coral has regrown on the cooled lava around the island. We depart from our Havelock base, 8–10 hours round trip on calm-sea days. The same trip is sometimes called a "Barren Island cruise" or a "Barren Island tour package" - it's the same boat and the same itinerary either way.

You can't land - the Forest Department prohibits it - so this is a boat trip: long sail out, slow loop around the cone, snorkel stop on the leeward side, sail back. Trips run depending on sea conditions.

Total Duration
8–10 Hours
Sea Time
~7 Hours (3.5 hr each way)
Distance
135 km Round Trip
Group Size
6–12 Guests
Difficulty
Suitable for All · Ages 8+
Operates
Depending on Sea Conditions

A note on Coast Guard rules: A 200-metre exclusion zone runs around the cone. We work the safe approach line outside it. Any operator that promises closer access, or landing, is not licensed.

Your day on the boat

Pickup before dawn from Havelock, volcano by mid-morning, hotel drop by evening. The schedule shifts with sea state and tide; everything below is typical, not exact.

Step 1 · 5:30 AM
Hotel pickup & briefing
We collect you from your Havelock hotel before sunrise. Short drive to the jetty, safety briefing on the boat, light breakfast on board (tea, juice, fruit, biscuits).
Step 2 · 6:00 AM
Departure from Havelock
Boat sails from Havelock jetty. The first hour is sheltered water; the open-sea crossing begins as we leave the lee of the island. Sea conditions are checked the night before, so we sail only when the crossing is comfortable.
Step 3 · 9:30–10:00 AM
Volcano arrival & loop
We slow-cruise the safe approach line and loop the island - black cliffs, sulphur-streaked slopes, often a thin steam plume off the summit. Photo stop on the leeward side. The captain runs through the eruption history if you want it.
Step 4 · 10:30 AM
Snorkel stop (calm-sea days)
Anchor on the leeward side over the lava-bed reef. Gear is handed out, quick water-entry safety, then 30–45 minutes in the water. Visibility is usually 25–40 metres.
Step 5 · 12:30 PM
Hot lunch on board
We start the return sail. Hot lunch served at sea (rice, dal, curry, fruit). Unlimited water, juice, tea. Most people nap; some sit on the bow.
Step 6 · 4:00–5:00 PM
Return to Havelock + hotel drop
Back at the Havelock jetty. GoPro footage WhatsApped to you before you leave the boat. Drop at your hotel.

The captain's call on the morning of departure is the call. Weather-cancelled trips are rescheduled or refunded in full.

What's included in your trip

The fare covers everything on the boat. Forest Department permits and GST are billed separately at the dock.

Included in the fare

  • Round-trip private boat charter from Havelock to Barren Island
  • Hotel pickup and drop in Havelock
  • Forest Department permit assistance (we file the paperwork)
  • Snorkeling gear - mask, fins, snorkel, life jackets for all guests
  • Light breakfast, hot lunch, unlimited water, juice and tea on board
  • Captain and crew - minimum 4 staff per trip
  • GoPro photos and videos of the volcano and reef, WhatsApped to your phone
  • Full safety equipment: oxygen, first aid, life rafts, marine radio

What to bring

  • Swimwear, worn under your clothes for the snorkel stop
  • Towel and a dry change of clothes
  • Reef-safe sunscreen, sunglasses, sunhat
  • Motion-sickness tablets if you're prone (take one before boarding)
  • Light jacket or windproof layer for the early-morning departure
  • Cash for the permit fee (₹500 / ₹2,500)

Paid separately at the dock

  • Forest Department permit - ₹500 per Indian national / ₹2,500 per foreign national. Cash only at the Havelock office. We file the paperwork; you pay the fee.
  • 5% GST on the listed fare, per Indian government regulation

Cancellation & weather policy

  • Free cancellation up to 60 days before departure - full refund
  • 30–59 days before: 50% refund
  • Inside 30 days, or no-show: non-refundable
  • Trip cancelled by us due to weather: rescheduled or refunded in full

Not suitable for: anyone prone to severe sea-sickness (the crossing has real swell), children under 8, pregnant guests, anyone with an active ear or sinus infection, recent ear/sinus surgery, or uncontrolled cardiac conditions. If you're not sure, WhatsApp us before booking. We'd rather flag a problem early than at the dock.

About India's only active volcano

Barren sits on the Indo-Burmese subduction zone, where the Indian tectonic plate slides under the Burmese plate. That's what powers the eruptions. The wider volcanic chain runs from Sumatra up through Myanmar; Barren is the only one of them in Indian territory.

Eruption history

  • 1787 - first recorded eruption, by British naval surveyors
  • 1991 - major eruption after a long dormancy; restarted the modern eruptive cycle
  • 1994–95, 2005–07, 2008–11 - sustained eruption phases producing lava flows that reached the sea
  • 2017 - most recent major phase; ash plume visible from Port Blair on clear days
  • Today - persistent low-level activity; intermittent steam and minor ash venting from the summit

Why marine life does well here

  • Cooled basalt substrate is mineral-rich and supports sponge and soft-coral species not seen on the inshore Andaman reefs
  • Open-ocean position - pelagic species (tuna, GTs, jacks) come close to the wall in a way they don't on inshore reefs
  • Low diver pressure - the site gets a fraction of the diver-days the inshore sites do, so behaviour is less habituated
  • Upwelling - the seamount pushes deep, nutrient-rich water up the slopes, which feeds the food chain

The 200-metre exclusion zone

  • The Indian Coast Guard maintains a 200-metre safety perimeter around the cone
  • Landing on the island is prohibited by the Forest Department - it is uninhabited and ecologically protected
  • All licensed operators (us included) work the safe approach line outside the perimeter
  • The perimeter is enforced. Don't book with operators offering "land on the volcano" excursions; they are unlicensed.

Active monitoring

  • The National Centre for Seismology (NCS) monitors Barren's seismic activity 24/7
  • Eruption alerts go to the Coast Guard and to licensed operators directly
  • We check the NCS bulletin and the Coast Guard advisory the night before every departure
  • If activity exceeds the trip threshold, we cancel and reschedule. No exceptions.

What you'll see from the boat

  • The 354 m cone, banded black and grey
  • Old lava-flow fields on the leeward side that run down to the waterline
  • Sulphur staining around the summit vent
  • Steam plumes on cooler mornings (most visible Dec–Feb)
  • No vegetation - the slopes are too active for plants to take hold
  • Frigatebirds and brown noddies riding the updrafts off the cone

Frequently asked questions

The Barren Island ticket price is ₹25,000 per person on a shared boat; private full-boat charters are ₹1,50,000 + GST. Forest Department permits (₹500 Indian / ₹2,500 foreign) and 5% GST on shared seats are extra and paid separately at the dock. There is no ferry-style ship ticket for Barren Island - the Barren Island trip cost covers a private boat charter from Havelock, not a public ferry seat.

From Havelock, in practice. Barren Island from Havelock is roughly 140 km of open ocean. People search "Barren Island from Port Blair" because Port Blair is the better-known city, but licensed boats run from Havelock - sailing distance is shorter and the operators are based here. If you're staying in Port Blair, we help arrange the ferry to Havelock the day before.

Yes - our Barren Island tour package and the Barren Island cruise are the same trip out of Havelock. Round-trip boat from Havelock, slow loop around the cone, snorkel stop on the leeward side, hot lunch, GoPro footage, and Forest Department permit assistance. ₹25,000 per person on a shared boat; ₹1,50,000 + GST for the full boat as a private charter.

Yes, but it's a separate trip. Barren Island diving runs as a 2-fun-dive scuba package and requires Open Water certification or above - see our Barren Island scuba diving page for pricing and dive site details. The trip on this page is the snorkel-and-circumnavigation option, which doesn't require certification.

No. The Forest Department prohibits landing - the island is uninhabited and protected. The trip is a boat circumnavigation plus a snorkel stop on the leeward side, outside the 200-metre exclusion zone. Any operator advertising "land on the volcano" is unlicensed.

Trips run depending on sea conditions, not a fixed calendar window. The open-sea crossing to Barren is only safe on calm-sea days, so we operate when the weather and sea state allow it. The steam tends to be most visible in cooler weather; warmer-water days are better for the snorkel stop.

Around 3.5 hours each way from Havelock in calm conditions; sometimes longer if the sea picks up. Total round trip including the loop and snorkel stop is 8–10 hours.

Yes, with the standard caveats. We stay outside the Coast Guard's 200-metre exclusion zone, we don't run on weather-rejected days, and we check the NCS volcanic activity bulletin the night before every departure. Full safety kit on board: oxygen, first aid, life rafts, marine radio, satellite phone.

If it's mild motion sickness, take a tablet (Avomine, Stugil, Dramamine) 45 minutes before boarding and you'll be fine. If it's severe, this trip isn't for you - look at our Neil Island or Long Island day trips instead, both sheltered.

WhatsApp +91 95319 24029 or the booking form on this page. The Barren Island booking is direct with us in Havelock - per-seat (Barren Island ticket booking, ₹25,000 on a shared boat) or per-charter (Barren Island boat booking, ₹1,50,000 + GST for the full boat). There is no government ferry, so a Barren Island ship ticket booking won't turn up - all Barren Island cruise booking and Barren Island trip booking goes direct with licensed operators here. We confirm with a deposit; balance on the day. Free cancellation up to 60 days out. Slots are capped at 12 per trip and high-demand windows fill first.

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