Havelock · Kalapathar Beach · last checked 4 October 2026
Kalapathar Beach: Havelock's sunrise beach
Kalapathar is Havelock's sunrise beach — black rocks, white sand and a much-photographed leaning palm on the island's east coast, about 7 km by road from Govind Nagar village and 9 km from the ferry jetty. It faces east-north-east — the sunrise side of the island: if the photograph is the point, be there at sunrise. Our own package days reach it later, around 10 to 11 AM, for an easy hour and a half to two hours. It photographs better than it swims — save the swim for Radhanagar. Below: sunrise times by month, how we run the visit, and five frames from our photo library.
The morning beach
Kalapathar faces east-north-east (measured on OpenStreetMap's coastline), and that decides how to visit it. It looks towards the sunrise all year — sunrise comes between about 4:54 AM in mid-May and 5:43 AM in mid-January — though cloud on the horizon decides how much of it you see. The heat arrives by noon, and the sunset is on the landward side. For photographs, come for sunrise. On our package days we bring guests around 10 to 11 in the morning for an unhurried hour and a half to two hours, and they are back at the hotel by about half past twelve. Radhanagar then takes the afternoon-to-sunset shift. One island, two beaches, each at its right hour — the full pairing is in our Havelock guide.
Sunrise times at Kalapathar, month by month
First colour shows about twenty minutes before these times.
| Month (15th) | Sunrise |
|---|---|
| January | 5:43 AM |
| February | 5:40 AM |
| March | 5:26 AM |
| April | 5:07 AM |
| May | 4:54 AM |
| June | 4:54 AM |
| July | 5:01 AM |
| August | 5:07 AM |
| September | 5:08 AM |
| October | 5:08 AM |
| November | 5:15 AM |
| December | 5:30 AM |
US Naval Observatory data for Radhanagar Beach, Havelock (11.98°N, 92.95°E), on the 15th of each month of 2026, in Indian Standard Time. The same dates in 2027 are within a minute, and Kalapathar, Neil Island and the Port Blair beaches are within two minutes. Between these dates the times move by up to about a minute a day, and hills, trees and cloud on the horizon change when you actually see the sun rise or set.
Kalapathar at a glance
- Best hour
- Sunrise for photographs. Our package days reach it around 10 to 11 AM for an hour and a half to two hours, back at the hotel by about 12:30.
- Reach
- About 7 km by road from Govind Nagar village and 9 km from the ferry jetty — a short cab or scooter run down the east coast.
- On site
- A changing room and a string of small shops for coconut water and snacks.
- The swim
- Not the swimming beach — Radhanagar, about 15 km away by road, is made for it.
- The name
- Kala pathar is Hindi for "black stone" — the dark rocks scattered along the shoreline that give the white sand its contrast.
Five frames from our library
The January sky above and the June frame below are dated by camera data. The other three reached us over WhatsApp, so the month shown is when each was received — it may have been taken earlier, and we have no record of who took it.
The honest note on the water
Kalapathar photographs better than it swims. The shoreline rocks and the morning light make it a photographer's beach, but for time in the water, Radhanagar wins and it is not close. Our guests say it plainly, and we would rather quote them than argue:
“kala pathar beach is good as well but the water there is not so clear”
— MOUNI, May 2019, 5★ Google review
Come for the frames and the quiet morning, buy the coconut, use the changing room if you do get in — and save the swim for Radhanagar.
Kalapathar questions, answered straight
When should I visit Kalapathar Beach?
Morning. It faces east-north-east, towards the sunrise, and sunrise is the hour for photographs. On our package days we bring guests later, around 10 to 11 AM, for an easy hour and a half to two hours, back at the hotel by about 12:30. Pair it with Radhanagar in the same day: Kalapathar for the morning, Radhanagar from mid-afternoon through sunset.
What time is sunrise at Kalapathar Beach?
Between about 4:54 AM in mid-May and mid-June and 5:43 AM in mid-January. In the October–March season it runs from about 5:08 to 5:43 AM. Be on the sand twenty minutes earlier for the first colour; the table on this page has every month.
Is Kalapathar a sunrise or a sunset beach?
Sunrise. The beach faces east-north-east, towards the sunrise, and the sun sets on the landward side. For a beach that faces the sunset on Havelock, go to Radhanagar on the west coast.
Can you swim at Kalapathar?
You can get in, but this is not the swimming beach — one of our own guests put it exactly right: "the water there is not so clear" compared to Radhanagar. Kalapathar is the walking, photographing, coconut-in-hand beach. For the proper swim, Radhanagar is about 15 km away by road and made for it.
Why is it called Kalapathar?
Kala pathar is Hindi for "black stone" — the dark rocks scattered along the shoreline that give the white sand its contrast. They are also why the photographs work: black rock, white sand, turquoise water in one frame.
How do I get there, and what facilities are there?
It is about 7 km by road from Govind Nagar village and 9 km from the ferry jetty — a short cab or scooter run down the east coast. On site there is a changing room and a string of small shops for coconut water and snacks. It is simpler than Radhanagar: come for the morning, not for the day.
Build the Havelock day around it
How this page stays true
The photographs are from our own photo library. The January 2026 and June 2026 frames are dated by camera data; the other three are dated by when they were sent to us, which can be later than when they were taken, and we have no record of who took them. Visiting practice and facilities are from our operations pre-brief of 10 July 2026. Sunrise times are US Naval Observatory data, and the direction the beach faces and the road distances are measured on OpenStreetMap — re-checked on 4 October 2026. The water-clarity note is a guest's words, not ours, and we left it in because it is true.
Want the morning done right?
We time Kalapathar and Radhanagar into one unhurried Havelock day — tell us your dates and we will build it in.