A Budget History-and-Island Explorer’s Sri Vijaya Puram Escape

Begin at Terminal 2’s domestic area. Self check-in and self bag drop are available, and the terminal has charging points, restaurants and a bar. A window seat was selected for ₹650, although the priority benefit did not work as expected.

Use the domestic departure zone for the island flight. The journey from Bengaluru was described as roughly two and a half hours, with changing visibility from fog to clearer aerial views after takeoff.

Arrive at the island’s main airport, whose new terminal opened in 2023 and is shaped like an open seashell. The airport is also associated with INS Utkrosh, while the passenger terminal is managed by the Airports Authority of India.

Stop at the statue directly opposite the airport terminal. It is identified as a statue of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar beside an Indian flag.

For a low-cost airport transfer, compare the official taxi area with the road outside the airport. The creator was quoted ₹250–₹300 inside, then found an auto-rickshaw for ₹80 after walking about a minute to the main road.

Use Phoenix Bay as the practical transport base. It is the departure point for services to Havelock Island and Neil Island, and the selected accommodation was close enough to walk to the jetty early in the morning.

The accommodation described as Sunny Va cost ₹1,500 per day, including breakfast. It had only a few rooms, a small kitchen with an oven and utensils, drinking water, and a location chosen for proximity to Phoenix Bay and the bus stand.

The bus stand is approximately 500 metres, or about a 15-minute walk, from the accommodation described. It is also the area where the creator expected to find scooter-rental shops.

Reach Aberdeen Jetty for the Ross Island boat. The creator paid ₹50 for the auto ride from the accommodation area and identified Aberdeen as the jetty for Ross Island services.

Buy the boat ticket at the jetty or book online in advance. The quoted round-trip prices were ₹470 for Ross Island alone, ₹670 for North Bay alone and ₹870 for the combined Ross Island and North Bay option.

Take the short boat crossing to the former Ross Island, now named Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Island. The crossing was described as approximately 15 minutes each way, with the same boat used for the return.

See the Japanese bunker at the end of the jetty before moving inland. It was built during the Second World War and can be entered, although the interior is low and easy to hit your head in.

Pause at the Netaji Stadium near the jetty area while collecting the boat’s return details. Life jackets are required for the crossing.

Walk through the British administrative ruins, which were described as the former headquarters of British rule in the islands and once nicknamed the Paris of the East.

Visit the old Presbyterian church, reached by stone steps. It is one of the named British-era buildings on the island and should be prioritized because the available sightseeing window is short.

Continue to the island’s lighthouse at the far end. The lighthouse was identified as one of the final points to reach during the rushed one-hour circuit.

Look for the former officers’ bungalows, hospital, bakery and officers’ toilet among the ruins. These structures illustrate the former settlement rather than functioning as modern attractions.

Use the island’s electric vehicle if walking the uphill paths is difficult or if the one-hour window makes the ruins circuit too demanding. The quoted price was ₹600 for the vehicle, or ₹100 per person for up to six passengers.