A full day by private speedboat from Havelock to Cinque Island wildlife sanctuary. Walk the sandbar at low tide, snorkel the reef, add a dive if you like. Free hot lunch on board. Book 4 days ahead for the permit.
Want more details?Fun Dive at Cinque (certified divers)
Guided dive on the 4–25 m reef · tank, full kit & dive guide · per person, + 18% GST
Try Scuba at Cinque (no certification)
Instructor-led first dive, no swimming needed · per person, + 18% GST
GoPro Photos & Videos
Sandbar, snorkel & boat footage - already included in your trip
Free Hot Lunch & Drinks on Board
Free lunch + water, tea, fruit and soft drinks - included in your fare
Cinque Island is a wildlife sanctuary south of Port Blair. Two uninhabited islands, North Cinque and South Cinque, are joined by a sandbar that shows itself at low tide. No ferry goes there and nobody lives there. The Forest Department caps visitor numbers, so on a normal day you share the beach with a couple of other boats, sometimes none. Most people do Cinque Island as a Port Blair outing. We run it as a full day straight from Havelock, which means you do not have to go back to Port Blair and lose a day of your holiday for it.
It is a long day, 8 hours on the water, and the early start is the price of it. We leave Havelock jetty on a 12-seater speedboat with a cabin and a toilet. The crossing is about 85 km and takes roughly 1 hour 45 minutes. You then get 4 to 5 hours at North Cinque. Walk the sandbar while the tide is out, sit on the beach, and snorkel the reef in 2 to 6 metres of clear water, twice if you want. Certified divers can add a guided dive on the deeper reef, 4 to 25 metres down where the black corals grow. First-timers can add a Try Scuba dive with an instructor. A free hot lunch is served on the boat and we have you back at your Havelock hotel by late afternoon.
Cinque Island permit and rules: Cinque Island is a wildlife sanctuary. Every visitor needs a Forest Department permit, issued through the tourism single window in Port Blair, and we file it for you. Send a copy of a government photo ID at least 4 days before the trip. The permit fee under the current schedule is ₹100 per Indian visitor (12 years and above), ₹1,000 per foreign adult and ₹500 per foreign child, paid separately. Day visits only, 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM. Fishing and collecting shells or coral are prohibited, and whatever you carry in comes back with you.
Early pickup from your Havelock hotel, on the island by 8:30 AM when it opens, off the island by 2:30 PM, hotel drop by late afternoon. Timings move a little with the tide, the weather and how long the permit check takes on arrival, so treat what follows as a typical day.
This is an open-sea crossing. If the captain calls the weather off, the trip is moved to another day or refunded in full. The sandbar depends on the tide. On high-tide days it is a shallow wade rather than a dry walk.
The fare covers the boat, the crew, your guide, lunch and everything else on board. The Forest Department permit fee, GST and scuba add-ons are billed separately.
Not suitable for: children under 5, pregnant guests, anyone with an active ear or sinus infection, recent ear or sinus surgery, or uncontrolled cardiac conditions. Non-swimmers are welcome with a life vest. Snorkelling is for ages 8 and above. If you're unsure, WhatsApp us before booking.
Cinque Island sits in the Andaman Sea south of Port Blair and Rutland Island, inside the protected waters around the Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park. It was declared a wildlife sanctuary to protect its coral reefs and the animals that use them. Nobody lives there. A small wildlife station was abandoned in 2011. Day visits opened in 2023 under Forest Department rules: a daily cap, a permit for every visitor, and only a few approved boats at a time.
Our Cinque Island day trip costs ₹20,000 per person plus 5% GST, with a minimum of 6 guests on the boat. A private charter for up to 8 guests is ₹1,20,000 plus 5% GST. The fare covers the return speedboat, hotel transfers in Havelock, snorkel gear, guide, free lunch on board and GoPro photos. The Wildlife Sanctuary permit (₹100 per Indian visitor, ₹1,000 per foreign adult) and any scuba add-ons are paid separately.
There is no ferry to Cinque Island. The only way is a private boat. Our trip leaves Havelock jetty around 6:30 AM on a 12-seater speedboat and takes about 1 hour 45 minutes each way, roughly 85 km across open water. You spend 4 to 5 hours at the island and are back at your Havelock hotel by late afternoon.
Cinque Island is about 40 km south of Port Blair harbour, 33 km from Wandoor and 20 km from Chidiya Tapu, by private boat only. Port Blair operators run from Chidiya Tapu or Wandoor in 45 minutes to 1 hour. Our trip runs from Havelock, so if you are staying in Havelock you do not need to go back to Port Blair for it.
Yes. Cinque Island is a wildlife sanctuary and every visitor needs a Forest Department permit, issued through the tourism single window in Port Blair. We file it for you. Send us a copy of a government photo ID at least 4 days before the trip. The fee under the current schedule is ₹100 per Indian visitor (12 years and above), ₹1,000 per foreign adult and ₹500 per foreign child, paid separately.
They are two uninhabited islands joined by a sandbar that shows at low tide. Tourism is permitted on North Cinque Island, where the beach, the sandbar walk and the snorkel reef are. Landing on South Cinque needs a separate Forest Department permission, so we see it from the water only.
Yes. Everyone gets a life vest and your guide stays with the group in the water. The snorkel zone off the sandbar is 2 to 6 metres deep and sheltered on calm days. Non-swimmers who want to go deeper can take the Try Scuba add-on, an instructor-led dive with no swimming or certification needed.
Yes, as an add-on to the trip. Certified divers can add a guided fun dive on the Cinque reef, 4 to 25 metres with black corals, reef sharks and turtles, for ₹3,500 plus 18% GST. First-timers can add a Try Scuba dive with an instructor for ₹4,500 plus 18% GST. Tank, full kit and dive guide are included. Select the add-on when booking so we load the gear.
October to May, when the sea is calm and visibility runs 15 to 30 metres. December to March is the most settled. From June to September the south-west monsoon makes the crossing rough and the trip runs only on weather-permitting days. The island is open 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM, day visits only.
Swimwear worn under your clothes, a towel and a dry change, reef-safe sunscreen, a hat and sunglasses, a light long-sleeve layer for the sandbar and the boat ride, and your government photo ID. Bring a refillable bottle, because the island is a no-plastic zone with no shops or toilets. We carry water, a free lunch and snorkel gear.
Yes, for children who are comfortable on a long boat ride. The sandbar and beach are easy for all ages, and children 8 and above can snorkel with a vest and a guide. It is a full day with about 3.5 hours at sea in total, so we do not recommend it for toddlers. Minimum age on board is 5.
No. Cinque Island is a protected sanctuary with no facilities, and the rules allow day visits only, 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM. There is nothing on the island, not even a toilet, and visitor numbers are capped at 372 per day. Everything you bring must go back with you.
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