A Day Trip to Ross Island: Ruins, Deer, and British History

When most travellers begin planning a holiday in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, attention naturally centers on the striking coastal stretches of Swaraj Dweep or the historical walls of the Cellular Jail in Sri Vijaya Puram. Yet, just a short boat ride across the harbour from the capital lies a destination that offers an entirely different kind of historical and natural experience. Ross Island presents a striking contrast: once the administrative headquarters of the British colonial establishment in the islands, today it stands as a quiet heritage destination where abandoned colonial structures are slowly being reclaimed by forest growth and inhabited by free-roaming deer and peacocks. Exploring this island offers a window into a unique chapter of colonial history, making it a valuable half-day or day-trip addition to any well-planned Andaman itinerary.

For modern travellers, navigating island names in the Andaman archipelago requires understanding both historical usage and current administrative designations. While travellers, search engines, and guidebooks still overwhelmingly refer to the destination as Ross Island, the Government of India officially renamed the island Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Dweep. This renaming took place to honour the legacy of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and his historical connection to the freedom movement in the islands. It is also important for first-time visitors not to confuse Ross Island with the Ross and Smith Islands, which are located far to the north in Diglipur and feature a completely different geography. Retaining awareness of both names helps ensure clarity when booking boat transfers, reading modern maps, or looking up travel guides.

Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Dweep sits right at the entrance of the Port Blair harbour, positioned just off the coast of Sri Vijaya Puram. Official information published by the Andaman & Nicobar Tourism Department places the island within easy reach of the capital, with access managed via government and private boats departing regularly from the main Sri Vijaya Puram Jetty or designated waterfront departure points. Its proximity to the mainland shore makes it one of the most accessible offshore excursions in the southern district, allowing travellers to complete the journey across the harbour in a matter of minutes without committing to long inter-island ferry transits.

To understand the physical remains found on the island today, one must examine its role during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Ross Island served as the administrative headquarters of the British colonial administration in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. While the mainland shores hosted the harsh penal colony and maximum-security prisons, Ross Island functioned as the residential and governing center for British officials, military officers, and administrative staff. The settlement that developed here included comprehensive infrastructure: government offices, residential bungalows, churches, social clubs, administrative secretariats, and hospital facilities. This administrative importance created a sharp geographical and social divide between the ruling authorities stationed on Ross Island and the convicts labouring on the mainland and surrounding penal stations.

During its peak years of British colonial administration, Ross Island earned the descriptive historical nickname “Paris of the East” among visiting officials and writers. This label did not represent a modern tourism award, but rather reflected the lavish, self-contained lifestyle and advanced infrastructure engineered for the British elite stationed there. The settlement featured manicured lawns, tennis courts, a swimming pool, a bakery, a printing press, a grand church, and a sprawling ballroom where colonial officers hosted formal social gatherings. While prisoners endured severe hardships on the mainland, the administrative staff on Ross Island enjoyed a high standard of isolated comfort, supported by imported goods and domestic servants.

The decline of the island's golden era came about through a combination of natural disasters and wartime upheavals.

The 1941 Earthquake

In June 1941, a severe earthquake struck the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, causing substantial structural damage to many of the grand brick and stone buildings on Ross Island. The tremor weakened the foundations of administrative offices and residential quarters, prompting the colonial administration to reconsider the long-term viability of maintaining the headquarters there.

Japanese Occupation

Shortly after the earthquake damage, the Second World War reached the islands. In March 1942, Japanese military forces captured the territory, taking control of the damaged infrastructure on Ross Island and establishing their own military administration. The remaining British influence was entirely removed, and the island entered a turbulent wartime phase that lasted until the end of the war in 1945.

Abandonment and Decline

Following the war and India's independence in 1947, the administrative importance of Ross Island faded permanently. As government operations consolidated on the mainland around Port Blair, the settlement on the island was gradually abandoned. Over the decades that followed, tropical weather, seasonal monsoons, and aggressive forest growth took over, turning the once-polished colonial township into an atmospheric landscape of ruins.

The island also holds a significant place in the narrative of India's freedom struggle through its association with Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. In December 1943, Netaji visited the Andaman and Nicobar Islands as the head of the Provisional Government of Free India, symbolizing the territory's liberation from colonial control. The official tourism material connects Netaji with the historical events that unfolded during this period, including historic flag-hoisting milestones associated with the islands' wartime administration. This connection serves as a primary reason behind renaming the island in his honour, bridging its British colonial past with its place in the national independence movement.

Walking across the island today offers an open-air historical exploration. Visitors step off the boat onto shaded pathways that lead past the skeletal remains of old brick and stone structures. You can explore the ruins of the Chief Commissioner's bungalow, the old church, the secretariats, the bakery ovens, and various administrative quarters. Because many buildings are now roofless ruins rather than fully preserved structures, steel and masonry skeletons stand exposed to the sky, surrounded by dense jungle growth and coastal foliage.

One of the most visually striking aspects of a visit to the island is the interaction between architecture and nature. Over the decades following its abandonment, massive banyan trees and tropical vines have wrapped themselves around the crumbling brick walls of the colonial buildings. Thick aerial roots cascade down through window frames and archways, anchoring themselves deeply into the masonry floors. This slow, relentless reclamation by the forest creates a powerful visual contrast, demonstrating how nature gradually reabsorbs human infrastructure when left undisturbed.

Beyond its historical architecture, Ross Island functions as a peaceful nature sanctuary. The official tourism portal currently identifies free-roaming spotted deer and colourful peacocks as prominent residents of the island. As you walk along the quiet paths beneath the tree canopy, it is common to spot deer resting in the shade or peacocks displaying their plumage among the ruins. These animals roam freely across the island, adding a gentle, living element to an otherwise quiet historical site. Visitors should always maintain a respectful distance, avoid chasing or disturbing the wildlife, and refrain from feeding the animals.

To help visitors make sense of the crumbling architecture, the island features a small historical museum and designated display areas managed by authorities. The official tourism portal notes that these exhibits house a collection of vintage photographs, archival documents, maps, and artefacts from the British colonial period. Examining these displays before or during your walk provides valuable historical context, helping you visualize what the settlement looked like when it functioned as the bustling administrative heart of the territory.

Planning your day trip requires keeping current operational schedules in mind. The current official tourism portal lists visitor access to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Dweep from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM, with the last returning boat scheduled for 4:30 PM. Because operating schedules, weather conditions, and seasonal administrative policies can occasionally prompt adjustments, travellers are strongly advised to verify the latest boat timings with official ticket counters or their travel planner before setting out from the mainland.

Reaching the island is a quick and straightforward maritime excursion. Official tourism information places the boat journey from the Sri Vijaya Puram Jetty at approximately fifteen to twenty minutes. Passengers board registered government or private boats that make the short crossing across the harbour. The boat ride offers panoramic views of the capital's waterfront, nearby navy installations, and the open sea before docking directly at the island's arrival jetty, where visitors begin their walking tour.

Because of its compact geographic scale and straightforward walking paths, Ross Island works exceptionally well as a half-day excursion. Most visitors spend roughly two to three hours exploring the ruins, visiting the museum, observing the deer and peacocks, and taking photographs. This timeframe allows for an unhurried walk across the main historical zones without feeling rushed to catch the afternoon return boat. Travellers with a deep interest in photography or colonial history may choose to linger slightly longer, while those making a quick sightseeing stop can easily complete the visit within a half-day window.

A typical visit unfolds as a continuous walking journey through shaded forest paths. Stepping off the arrival boat, you enter a quiet zone where directional signs guide you past the first major structural ruins, such as the old Secretariat and the printing press. Continuing along the paved trails brings you to the church ruins, the commissioner's residence, and the central open parade grounds where deer frequently graze. Along the way, you encounter the museum exhibits and various coastal viewpoints looking back across the harbour toward Sri Vijaya Puram, before looping back to the jetty for the return boat.

For travellers fascinated by nineteenth-century colonial administration, heritage architecture, and the complex geopolitical shifts of the Second World War, Ross Island offers a tangible connection to the past. Walking among the ruins allows history enthusiasts to examine the physical scale of British administrative infrastructure in the Bay of Bengal, providing a vital complement to the penal history witnessed at the Cellular Jail on the mainland.

Families frequently include Ross Island in their itineraries because the excursion is manageable, educational, and physically undemanding. The short boat ride prevents seasickness for children, and the presence of free-roaming deer and peacocks provides an engaging wildlife experience. However, parents should note that while main pathways are generally clear, exploring unpaved ruins involves uneven ground, and tropical humidity can tire younger children, so comfortable walking shoes and adequate water are essential.

Couples and photography enthusiasts find the island's unique aesthetic deeply appealing. The combination of tree-wrapped colonial ruins, natural light filtering through the forest canopy, tranquil harbour backdrops, and friendly wildlife creates a distinctive visual setting. Whether you are capturing architectural details or relaxed portraits among the banyan roots, the island offers quiet, scenic corners away from crowded tourist hubs.

Travellers frequently encounter tour packages that group Ross Island and North Bay together as a combined half-day excursion. It is helpful to understand their differences. Ross Island is dedicated to history, colonial ruins, architecture, and wildlife viewing. North Bay Island, by contrast, focuses primarily on marine experiences, coral viewing, and water sports where currently available. Choosing between them depends on whether you prefer historical exploration or ocean-based recreation, though many visitors with sufficient time choose to experience both.

Combining a morning trip to Ross Island with an afternoon visit to the Cellular Jail is a popular and realistic itinerary choice for travellers visiting Sri Vijaya Puram. Because Ross Island takes up only a half-day, visitors can easily return to the capital for lunch, tour the historical prison cells of the Cellular Jail in the afternoon, and remain in the city in time for the evening Light and Sound Show. Managing this schedule successfully requires checking boat return times and museum hours in advance.

Planning your excursion to coincide with favorable weather seasons ensures an optimal outdoor experience. Official tourism guidance identifies the dry months from October through May as the preferred window for visiting Ross Island, offering stable sea conditions for the harbour boat crossing and comfortable weather for outdoor walking among the ruins. During the monsoon season, heavy rainfall and rough harbour swells can occasionally cause temporary boat cancellations, making flexibility in your travel planning important.

Preparing for your day trip involves keeping a few simple guidelines in mind. Carry a reusable bottle of drinking water to stay hydrated in the humid island air, wear comfortable walking shoes suitable for unpaved stone paths, apply sun protection, and bring light rain gear if visiting during unsettled weather. Keep your belongings secure, follow all park signage, stay strictly on permitted walking trails, and never attempt to feed, chase, or touch the deer and peacocks. Finally, keep a careful eye on the clock to ensure you return to the island jetty in plenty of time for the final afternoon boat back to the mainland.

Preserving the historical integrity and natural balance of Ross Island requires active cooperation from every visitor. The colonial ruins are fragile historical monuments; visitors must never carve names into stone walls, climb unstable brick structures, or remove stones and artefacts as souvenirs. Similarly, protecting the resident wildlife means observing deer and peacocks quietly without offering human food or disrupting their natural routines. Treating the island with the respect owed to a protected heritage site ensures that future travellers can continue to explore its unique history.

Evaluating whether Ross Island deserves a spot on your travel schedule yields a clear affirmative for anyone with an appreciation for history, heritage architecture, and peaceful nature walks. It offers a calm, reflective break from the high-energy beach activities found elsewhere in the Andaman Islands. While travellers whose interests lie strictly in scuba diving or water sports might choose to allocate their time differently, history enthusiasts and curious explorers will find that a day trip across the harbour provides a memorable and unique perspective on the region's colonial past. To incorporate Ross Island seamlessly into a custom-built travel plan, explore our curated Andaman tour packages and let Andaman Bliss help you design your ideal island getaway.