Overview
About Ross Island (Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Dweep)
For seventy years Ross Island was the seat of British power in the Andamans — the Chief Commissioner's residence, a ballroom, a bakery, a printing press, tennis courts, a swimming pool and an Anglican church, all on an island you can walk around in ninety minutes. They called it the Paris of the East, which says more about how isolated the posting felt than about the architecture.
Two things ended it. The earthquake of 1941 cracked the buildings open, and the Japanese occupation of 1942 turned the island into a garrison — the concrete bunkers on the shore are theirs. After the war nobody rebuilt. What the sea air did not take, the forest did: strangler figs and banyans grew through the roofs and down the walls, and today the ruins are held together as much by roots as by masonry. It is the most photogenic place in South Andaman and the strangest.
The island was renamed Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Dweep in 2018, marking the spot where Bose raised the tricolour in 1943. A small memorial and museum near the jetty cover that chapter alongside the colonial one.
Wildlife has the run of the place. Spotted deer come right up to the paths, peacocks display on the church steps, and rabbits move through the undergrowth — all descendants of animals brought in by the British. Feeding them is discouraged; watching them pick their way through a ruined ballroom is worth the trip on its own.
Why people come here
- Anglican church, bakery, ballroom and Chief Commissioner's house in ruins
- Banyan and strangler-fig roots growing straight through colonial masonry
- Free-roaming spotted deer, peacocks and rabbits
- Japanese wartime bunkers along the shoreline
- Netaji memorial and the island's small museum
Things to do
What to do here
Walk the ruins circuit
A single paved loop takes in the church, bakery, cemetery, swimming pool and Commissioner's house. Signboards mark each; you cannot get lost.
Battery-buggy tour
Electric buggies run the loop with a commentary for travellers who would rather not walk it in the heat. Worth it with young children or older parents.
Photograph the church
The roofless Presbyterian church with the banyan growing through it is the shot everyone comes for. Morning light through the east windows is the good one.
Light & Sound show
A separate evening show narrates the island's story among the lit-up ruins. Runs on scheduled days only — check when you book the boat.
Getting there
How to reach
Boat from Port Blair
Government and private boats leave Rajiv Gandhi Water Sports Complex through the morning; the crossing is about 20 minutes on calm water.
Combined ticket
Most operators sell Ross plus North Bay as one day trip, dropping at Ross first and North Bay after.
Permit
A small entry ticket is issued at the jetty counter alongside the boat ticket — carry photo ID.
Best time to visit · October to May · first boat of the morning
Take the earliest departure. The ruins are shadeless by eleven, and afternoon sailings can be cut short when the harbour chops up. Boats stop during rough monsoon weather.
Good to know
Travel tips
- The island has historically been closed on Wednesdays — confirm before you plan around it.
- Wear shoes you can walk uneven stone in; the loop is paved but broken in places.
- Do not feed the deer, however close they come. It is a protected population.
- There is one small canteen near the jetty and no ATM — carry cash and water.
- Last boat back is early evening; miss it and there is nowhere to stay.
Gallery
Ross Island (Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Dweep) in pictures
Port Blair (South Andaman)
Combine it with
Tour packages
