Overview
About Jolly Buoy Island
Jolly Buoy is what the rest of the Andamans looked like before tourism. It sits inside the Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park, has no jetty, no buildings, no shops and no permanent human presence — boats anchor off and you wade in. The reef starts a few metres from the sand, and on a clear morning you can stand in waist-deep water and watch parrotfish and butterflyfish work the coral without putting your face in.
The reason it looks like this is that the Forest Department protects it hard. Jolly Buoy and Red Skin open in alternating halves of the year so each gets six months to recover — Jolly Buoy is generally the open one from around November to mid-May. Visitor numbers are capped daily, permits are issued only at Wandoor, and the plastic ban is absolute: bottles, wrappers, bags and packaged food are confiscated at the jetty, not politely discouraged.
Activities are deliberately limited. Glass-bottom boat and snorkelling only — no scuba, no jet skis, no motorised sports of any kind. That restraint is exactly why the coral here is still alive, and it is the clearest, most rewarding snorkelling most visitors will get in South Andaman.
It is a long day: leave Port Blair around seven, an hour to Wandoor, an hour on the boat, three or four hours on the island, and back by late afternoon. Nobody who has done it calls it a wasted day.
Why people come here
- The best-preserved shallow coral gardens in South Andaman
- Glass-bottom boat rides straight over live reef
- Snorkelling in water that regularly holds ten-metre visibility
- Completely undeveloped — no shops, no buildings, no crowds
- Strict no-plastic policy that has genuinely worked
Things to do
What to do here
Snorkelling on live reef
Mask, snorkel and vest are issued on the boat. The reef begins a few metres out and the coral shelf runs the length of the landing beach.
Glass-bottom boat
Twenty to thirty minutes over the reef in a boat with acrylic floor panels. The right option for anyone not getting in the water.
Beach time
Fine white sand, no development and shade under the treeline. Bring your own food — there is nothing to buy.
Reef walking with a guide
Guides walk small groups along the sand channels between coral heads. Stay off the coral itself — it is alive and it is protected.
Getting there
How to reach
Port Blair to Wandoor
About an hour by cab. Leave by 7 am to make the permit counter and the morning boat.
Wandoor to Jolly Buoy
Roughly an hour by government-approved boat; departures cluster between 8:30 and 10 am.
Booking
Permits are not sold in Port Blair. Either queue at Wandoor yourself or have an operator hold the seats and permit for you.
Best time to visit · December to April, on the earliest boat
Visibility is at its best in the calm months either side of the new year. Sailings are cancelled outright in rough weather, and the island closes entirely for its off-half of the year.
Good to know
Travel tips
- Nothing plastic. Carry water in a steel bottle and food in a tiffin, or it will be taken off you at the jetty.
- No scuba here — if diving is the priority, book Havelock instead.
- Reef-safe sunscreen only, and apply it well before you get in.
- Daily permits are capped. In peak season, arrive at the Wandoor counter by 8 am or book through an operator.
- Check which of the two islands is open for your dates before you plan the day — they swap.
Gallery
Jolly Buoy Island in pictures
Port Blair (South Andaman)
Combine it with
Tour packages
