The administrative capital, Port Blair is the only town of any size on the islands. It's pleasantly situated around a harbour on the east coast of South Andaman, and has the lively air of an Indian market town.

Even though the Andamans are fairly close to mainland Myanmar (Burma), they still run on Indian time. This means that it's dark by 6 pm and light by 4 am.

Built by the British at the beginning of this century, the cellular jail is now a major tourist attraction, preserved as a shrine to India's freedom fighters. It originally consisted of seven wings radiating from a central tower, but only three remain today. It still gives a fair impression of the terrible conditions in which the detainees were incarcerated. It's open daily from 9 am to noon and 2 to 5 pm; there's no entry charge.

If it's running again, don't miss the excellent sound & light show. The English-language show(Rs 10) was held daily except Sunday at 7pm.