Overview
About Radhanagar Beach (Beach No. 7)
Radhanagar is the reason Havelock is on the map. It is a two-kilometre arc of genuinely white, genuinely fine sand, backed by a wall of mahua and tropical hardwood that comes right down to the beach line and shades the whole thing in the late afternoon. The water shelves gently, stays a clear pale turquoise a long way out, and is warm enough that you stop noticing you are in it.
Time magazine called it the best beach in Asia in 2004 and the label has stuck, but the more meaningful credential is the Blue Flag certification it received in 2020 — an international standard covering water quality, safety, facilities and environmental management. In practice that means lifeguards on duty, marked swimming zones, clean changing rooms and a beach that is actually swept.
There are no water sports here and that is deliberate. No jet skis, no parasailing, no banana boats. The beach is protected, the water is left quiet, and the result is the one place in the islands where you can swim a long way out in complete calm. If you want activity, Elephant Beach is twenty minutes away.
Sunset is the event. The beach faces west with clean ocean horizon, the sand holds the last light, and by five in the afternoon a few hundred people are spread along two kilometres of it, which is not crowded by any reasonable measure. Lifeguards clear the water around then; the beach itself stays open a while longer.
Why people come here
- Blue Flag certified — lifeguards, marked zones and genuinely clean facilities
- Two kilometres of fine white sand backed by mahua forest
- Safe, shallow, gently shelving swimming water
- The best sunset in the Andaman islands
- No motorised water sports, by design
Things to do
What to do here
Swim in the marked zone
Gentle shelf, no rocks and warm water. The flagged area is patrolled through the day and cleared before dark.
Sunset from the sand
Arrive by 4:30 pm. The last forty minutes of light on white sand is what people remember from the whole trip.
Walk to the north end
The crowd thins fast past the first few hundred metres. The far end of the arc is usually near-empty.
Neil's Cove
A small lagoon at the northern tip, reached by a short forest path. Access is restricted at times — follow the posted notices, they are there for a reason.
Getting there
How to reach
From Havelock jetty
12 km across the island, about 25 minutes by cab or auto. Scooters are widely rented and the road is good.
From Port Blair
Ferry to Havelock (1.5 – 2 hours by private catamaran), then the cross-island drive.
Getting back
Autos thin out sharply after sunset. Arrange your return before you settle on the sand.
Best time to visit · November to April · afternoon into sunset
The dry months give the clearest water and the best sunsets. Mornings are quiet and good for swimming; the beach is at its most beautiful in the two hours before dark.
Good to know
Travel tips
- Sort your ride back before sunset — this is the single most common Havelock mistake.
- Lockers and changing rooms are at the entrance and cost very little. Use them rather than leaving bags on the sand.
- No alcohol on the beach, and lifeguards enforce the swimming cut-off.
- The stalls at the entrance are the last food and water for 12 km.
- Reef-safe sunscreen. The forest gives shade but the middle of the day is fierce.
Gallery
Radhanagar Beach (Beach No. 7) in pictures
Havelock Island (Swaraj Dweep)
Combine it with
Tour packages
