Baratang Island is about 100 km from the Capital city of Port Blair on the National Highway 4 towards Diglipur. The total length of the Island is around 22 kms.
To reach Baratang one has to travel by road. The trip has to be planned according to the convoy timings at Jirgatang Police check-post which is one and a half hours from Port Blair. At present convoy timings from Jirgatang are 6.00 AM, 9 AM, 12 noon & 2.30 PM. This means that the check-post gate is opened at only these 4 timings for entry into the tribal reserve through which the road passes.
One has to start from Port Blair at least one and a half hours before these convoy timings. If the targeted time slot is missed then one will have to wait for the next convoy timing. If this was the last convoy then there is no other option but to return to Port Blair.
To ensure a hassle-free trip, it is advisable to book a package through a reliable tour operator. Please beware that it might be that some cab operators looking to make a quick buck may quote the car hire charges as one-way. Don't get misguided. The quote is for a round trip. If you are not careful you might end up paying double the car-hire charges or else you might cancel the trip for this reason as well. Unwittingly, you will miss experiencing what could have been one of the highlights of your Andaman Vacation.
Port Blair to Jirgatang Police Check-Post
The road trip from Port Blair to the Jirgatang Police check-post, as already mentioned above, takes one and a half hours. Port Blair is the capital city (or town) of the Andaman & Nicobar Islands. As one leaves Port Blair one leaves behind the hustle and bustle and starts experiencing peace, quiet, and less populated areas of the Andamans. It is this magical peace that makes all Islanders love their Islands so much that those who travel to mainland India or abroad always want to come back to this peace, quiet, and untouched beauty. It is green everywhere. Be it trees, paddy fields o,r just vacant land.
If u start from Port Blair two hours before the convoy timing then it will be possible to take this journey at a leisurely pace and just watch the scenery go by.
On reaching Jirgatang the driver will take care of the entry details. Jirgatang, though having seen increased traffic in recent years has still not developed tourism facilities to cater to different classes of tourists. Maybe this is because not much time is spent in Jirgatang. But it would be nice if the Andaman Administration and Tourism Department took care of this. There is a pay and use toilet available. and for snacks and refreshments, the locals have put up shacks to service the people waiting for the convoys.
Once the gate opens at the slotted time the convoy then passes through in a line maintaining a minimum speed with no overtaking or breaking the line-up. This discipline is maintained till the next check-post at Middle Strait.