Overview
About Kalipur Beach
Kalipur is a working nesting beach rather than a swimming one. It is a long stretch of grey-brown sand backed by low vegetation about eight kilometres from Diglipur, and between December and February it receives nesting turtles of four species: olive ridley, green, hawksbill and leatherback. Very few beaches anywhere host all four.
The Forest Department runs a hatchery beside the beach, relocating clutches at risk from tides and predators and releasing the hatchlings once they emerge. In season, and with permission, visitors can join an evening patrol to watch a female haul out and nest, or a morning release of hatchlings down the sand to the water. The rules are strict — no torches, no flash photography, no approach — and they are the right rules.
It is also the base for the Saddle Peak trek, which starts nearby, so most people who come here are doing both.
Outside nesting season it is a quiet, wild beach with a low-key government resort and almost nobody on it. Swimming is not advised: the surf is unprotected and there is no supervision.
Why people come here
- Nesting site for all four Andaman sea turtle species
- Forest Department hatchery and supervised nesting walks
- Hatchling releases in season
- Base for the Saddle Peak trek
- Almost entirely undeveloped
Things to do
What to do here
Night nesting walk
Guided by Forest Department staff, in small numbers, with no lights. Watching a leatherback nest is a rare thing.
Hatchling release
Hatchlings from the on-site hatchery released down the sand. Do not handle them and do not block the route to the water.
Beach walk
A long, wild stretch with driftwood and low scrub, and usually nobody on it.
Saddle Peak trek base
The trailhead is close by, so most visitors combine the two over a couple of days.
Getting there
How to reach
From Diglipur
About 8 km — fifteen to twenty minutes by auto or cab.
From Port Blair
10 to 12 hours by road, or an overnight government ferry to Aerial Bay near Diglipur.
Best time to visit · December to February
That window is the whole reason to come. Outside it, Kalipur is a pleasant empty beach but not worth the journey on its own.
Good to know
Travel tips
- No torches or flash near nesting turtles or hatchlings — bright light disorients them fatally.
- Arrange nesting walks through the Forest Department, never informally.
- Do not pick up hatchlings, however tempting. The crawl to the water matters to them.
- Book accommodation ahead; there is very little of it in Diglipur.
- Carry cash. Card acceptance in North Andaman is close to nonexistent.
Gallery
Kalipur Beach in pictures
North Andaman (Diglipur & Mayabunder)
Combine it with
Tour packages
