Mount Harriet National Park, Andaman Overview

Officially renamed as Mount Manipur National Park, Mount Harriet National Park is undoubtedly the most beautiful of the nine national parks housed on Andaman island. Located in Ferrargunj Tehsil of Port Blair, Mount Harriet is Andaman's third peak (365m) and the most easily accessible one. Spread over an area of 46.62sq km, the national park is home to several species of birds and animals. Due to its privileged elevated location, the park offers some astounding views of azure blues surrounding the island and fascinating sunset and sunrise experiences.

Must Know Before You Visit Mount Harriet National Park

How to Reach Mount Harriet National Park : Regular buses operate from the Andaman Teal House that takes the tourists directly to Mount Harriet National Park. Visitors can also opt for the vehicle ferry services from the Chatham jetty heading to the bamboo flat. It takes about 20 minutes to reach the park on the ferry, and the charges are only INR 4 per person.

Tips :

It's best to avoid visiting the national park during the rainy season, as there are leeches in the muddy areas, especially on a trek to Kala Patthar which is a high Leech zone.
Wear a generous coat of sunscreen
Carry your own water to keep hydrated along the trek
Wear proper socks, shoes and nicely cover yourself to protect your body from leeches

Mount Harriet National Park Highlights

1. Trekking in Mount Harriet National Park

Trekking through Mount Harriet National Park is a popular activity among adventure enthusiasts. The 2-kilometre long trekking route passes through an attractive beach leading to the Kalapatthar beach. (Read More) Nonetheless, the major tourist attraction in the park is the natural trek up to Madhuban. This exotic walk along the nature trail takes the trekkers to a favourite picnic spot where they can have a delightful time amidst the charm of nature. Tourists can also go further ahead to discover the unseen flora and fauna that surrounds the place.

Another well-maintained nature trail connects the Rest House Complex with the Kala Patthar View Point. Another 4-kilometre nature trail originates from Hope Town, which takes the tourists to the park.

2. Bird Watching

The National park is famous for its 90 species of birds, 11 of which are endemic. Seven ‘near threatened’ bird species in the park are the Andaman Wood Pigeon, Andaman Scops-Owl, Andaman C (Read More)uckoo-Dove, Andaman Woodpecker, Andaman Boobook, Andaman Treepie and Andaman Drongo. Two bird species listed under ‘least concern’ are the White-headed Starling and the Andaman Coucal. Mount Harriet National Park is recognised as one of the Important Bird Areas in the world under the Important Bird Areas Programme initiated by Birdlife International.

Read More on Mount Harriet National Park

History of Mount Harriet National Park

Originally, Mount Harriet National Park was a reserve forest. It was in the year 1987 when it was proclaimed as a National park. The park is named after the second wife of Robert Christopher Tytler, a British army officer who was appointed as the Superintendent of the Convict Settlement at Port Blair – Harriet Tytler. She is renowned for her significant contributions towards documenting the monuments of Delhi and for her notes during the time of the Revolt of 1857 in India.

During the colonial period, the British Chief Commissioner used Mount Harriet as the headquarters during the summer months. One of the reasons was that the highest point of the national park provides clear visuals of the surrounding regions.

Geography of Mount Harriet National Park

The total area of Mount Harriet National Park is 46.62 square kilometres. The highest point of the park – Mount Harriet – is 383 metres high, third highest in Andaman and Nicobar Islands after Saddle Peak in North Andaman (732 metres) and Mount Thullier in Great Nicobar (568 metres).

The park has a verdant and tranquil setting sheeted with lush evergreen and semi-evergreen woods. It is one of the nearest wilderness-filled areas from the capital city of Port Blair and is blessed with the surreal grandeur of Mother Nature.

The entire park constitutes a major portion of the eastern hill ranges of the south Andaman Islands. The average elevation of this region goes as high as 459 metres from sea level. The steep slopes and rocky beaches interspersed with small sandy areas form the eastern face of the park. Many streams flow throughout the park that rises in the hills and flow into the sea towards the east.

The heaving terrain of Mount Harriet National Park is full of steep, precipitous slopes. Some of the peaks are:

Mount Koyob
Mount Hext
Mount Goodridge
Mount Carpenter

The hill ranges in the park originate from the northern part and lead towards the south. Numerous ridges and spurs branch out from these ranges towards the eastern and western directions.

Flora of Mount Harriet National Park

Among the significant forest types found in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Mount Harriet National Park supports all of them including Evergreen Forests, Cane Brakes, Bamboo Brakes, Semi-Evergreen Forests, Moist Deciduous Forests and Littoral Forests.
Until date, 393 plant species have been documented from the park, which includes 74 endemic species and 51 introduced species. Recently, two new plant species have been reported from the park – Drypetes Ellis and Ceropygie Andamanica. Making a new record for Andaman and Nicobar Islands from the very grounds of Mount Harriet National Park is an epiphytic orchid species – Thrixspermum merguense.

Fauna of Mount Harriet National Park

12 species of mammals such as the endemic Andaman pig, Bats and Shrews.
27 species of amphibians and reptiles including 12 endemic species. Rana Charlesdarwini – a new frog species has been recently added to the park. Other prominent reptiles that the park features are the Andaman Cobra, King Cobra and two nesting marine turtles – Olive Ridley and Green Sea. The Andaman Bull Frog and the Andaman Paddy Field Frog are the important ones among the six amphibian fauna of the park.
The streams flowing throughout the park is home to 16 aquatic species such as Eel, Gobies, Catfish, Snakeheads and Sleepers.
Furthermore, budding entomologists can explore the 120 species of moths and six species of land molluscs within the park grounds.