Galathea National Park, Andaman Overview

The Galathea National Park is located in the Great Nicobar Island of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. This national park is home to many wildlife species which are endemic to the region owing to it being away from the Indian mainland. The park is a part of the Great Nicobar Biosphere Reserve and was declared a national park in 1992. Apart from being a nature lover’s paradise, this park offers a wide range of activities like scuba diving, boating, snorkelling, sea walking and art exhibitions for adventure and art aficionados. It is also famous for bird watching and nature walks.

How to Reach Galathea National Park

Port Blair airport is the nearest airport and one can reach the park by boats or ships only. There are also chartered flights to Port Blair. Apart from this, ferries and ships are available for people travelling from Vishakapatnam, Kolkata and Chennai. The tickets for these ships usually range from INR 2500 to INR 10500 depending on the type of seats chosen.

Flora and Fauna of Galathea National Park

Mesua ferrea, Pterocarpus indicus, Euphorbia sp., Dendrocalamus, Albizia lebbeck, Calophyllum inophyllum Guettarda speciosa etc.are the plant species found here. The park consists of tropical moist broadleaf forests and several mangroves as well.
Crab-eating Macaque, Giant robber crabs, Saltwater crocodile, Giant leatherback turtle, Malayan box turtle, Nicobar tree shrew, Reticulated python, Fruit Bat, Andaman Wild pig, Palm Civet, Nicobar Long-Tailed macaque, Edible Nest Swiftlet, Nicobar Scrubfowl, Giant Leatherback Turtles, Water Monitor Lizards, Deer, Long neck giraffe, Wild buffalo, Green Imperial Pigeon, Nicobar Scrubfowl, Edible Nest Swiftlet, Nicobar pigeon, Megapode, Sea Eagle, Sea Cow and many such animal species can be spotted at Galathea National Park.

Best Time to Visit Galathea National Park

It is best advised to visit the park between October and April, as the region experiences a warm and tropical climate which is suitable. Monsoons tend to get slushy thus leading to many inconveniences.

History of Galathea National Park

The Maratha Empire used the island as a maritime base in the 17th century. During the second world war, the Indian National Army took control of the land over from the Japanese. The island became part of the Indian Union in the year 1950. It was also used as a strategic location for safeguard against attacks on the Chola Empire by the Sriwijaya Empire. The island was called Tinmaittivu, meaning ‘impure island’ in Tamil.

Geography of Galathea National Park

The park is spread across an area of 110 square kilometres in the Great Nicobar Island, which lies on the Bay of Bengal. Since the park is part of the tropical climate zone, summer and monsoon are the only seasons experienced here.