Ross Island: Ruins, History & the Complete Visit Guide

The Paris of the East

Ross Island, officially renamed Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Dweep in 2018, sits just a short ferry ride from Port Blair (Sri Vijaya Puram) in the Andaman Islands. For decades, it was the British administrative capital of the Andamans — a small, self-contained world of ballrooms, a church, a bakery, tennis courts, and manicured gardens that earned it the nickname the "Paris of the East" among the officers stationed there.

Almost none of that grandeur survives intact. What remains is a scattering of colonial-era ruins — a Chief Commissioner's residence, a church, troop barracks — steadily consumed over the decades by strangler fig and banyan roots that now hold entire walls together as much as they're pulling them apart. It's an unusually visual kind of history: nature quite literally reclaiming empire.

Today, spotted deer and peacocks wander freely among the ruins, a small museum fills in the historical context, and most visitors combine the trip with nearby North Bay Island in a single half-day outing from Port Blair.

Best Time to Visit Ross Island

Ross Island is an outdoor site with a fair amount of walking between ruins, so weather and sea conditions both matter.

Our pick: a November-February morning, paired with North Bay Island afterward for a full, unrushed half-day.

How to Reach Ross Island

• By ferry from Port Blair: Boats leave from Phoenix Bay Jetty or the Rajiv Gandhi Water Sports Complex, taking roughly 20 minutes each way.
• Combined tours: Most operators sell a combined Ross Island-North Bay Island ticket, since both are reached from the same jetty area.
• On the island: Ross Island is small enough to explore entirely on foot, with a marked path looping past the main ruins.

A Brief Colonial History

The British established Ross Island as the administrative headquarters of the Andaman penal settlement in the 1850s, choosing it over the mainland for security and defensibility. Over the following decades it grew into a genuinely developed colonial outpost — home to the Chief Commissioner's residence, a church, a printing press, a bakery, a swimming pool, and even tennis courts, all serving the small British community stationed there.

That period ended abruptly during the Second World War, when Japanese forces occupied the island from 1942 to 1945, using it as a military base. After Independence, the island's administrative role shifted permanently to the mainland at Port Blair, and Ross Island was largely abandoned — left to the jungle, and eventually to the Indian Navy, which maintains a small presence there today.

The Ruins Today

What makes Ross Island genuinely striking isn't any single building — it's the visual collision between colonial architecture and tropical growth. Strangler fig and banyan roots have wrapped themselves around walls, doorways, and columns over the better part of a century, in some places holding crumbling structures upright and in others slowly pulling them apart.

A marked walking path loops past the main surviving structures, including the old Chief Commissioner's residence, the church, and the troop barracks — none fully intact, all worth slowing down for.

Deer, Peacocks & the Museum

Spotted deer and peacocks, both introduced generations ago, now roam the island freely and have become as much a part of the Ross Island experience as the ruins themselves — expect to share the paths with them.

The Smritika Gallery, a small museum near the jetty, covers the island's history through photographs and exhibits, and is a useful stop either before or after walking the ruins to add context to what you're seeing. A separate evening Light and Sound Show also runs on the island, narrating its history — though less frequently than the well-known one at Cellular Jail, so confirm current timings locally.

Suggested Visit Plan (Half-Day)

Ross Island is easily combined with North Bay Island in a single half-day trip from Port Blair.

Budget Breakdown

* Figures are per person and cover the standard combined Ross Island-North Bay trip; verify current fees and permit costs locally before booking.

Essential Tips for Visiting Ross Island

• Book the combined boat trip: Pairing Ross Island with North Bay saves both time and money compared to arranging separate crossings.
• Wear comfortable, closed shoes: The paths between ruins are uneven and can be slippery after rain.
• Don't feed the deer or peacocks: They're accustomed to visitors, but feeding wildlife is discouraged for their health and the island's upkeep.
• Carry water and sun protection: There's limited shade along parts of the walking path.
• Confirm Light and Sound Show timings locally: It runs less frequently than the one at Cellular Jail, so don't assume a fixed daily schedule.

Frequently Asked Questions