Havelock · Radhanagar Beach · last checked 4 October 2026
Radhanagar Beach, honestly: the sunset, the crowd and the swim
Locals still call it Beach No. 7. Radhanagar, on Havelock, is the Andamans' showpiece beach — the A&N Tourism Directorate describes it as one of the world's best and most-visited — and it holds up: a two-kilometre half-moon of white sand with forest to the waterline, and the swimming beach of the islands. We bring guests at about 2:30 PM after lunch; the swim fills the afternoon, and everyone stays for the sunset, which lands early here — between about 4:50 and 5:47 PM depending on the month. Here is how the beach actually works, hour by hour.
Our own frame, unstaged: the hour before sunset draws everyone to the waterline. An empty Radhanagar at sunset is rare in season.
The hour-by-hour truth
Radhanagar runs on the rhythm of the ferry day, and once you know it, you can pick your beach: quiet in the morning, swimming all afternoon, and a communal sunset.
The quietest window — day-trip groups are still on ferries or at Kalapathar. The beach opens to visitors at sunrise; if you are staying on Havelock and want it at its emptiest, come before lunch.
This is when we bring our own guests, after hotel check-in and lunch — the ferry-day rhythm most Havelock itineraries share. Small dhaba-style places near the beach handle a simple lunch.
The swimming hours, until the light starts to go. The bay is a roughly 2 km half-moon sweep, and this is what it is famous for — long, shallow, sandy entries with the day still warm.
The photo window is the hour before sunset. The bay opens to the south-south-west, so the sun drops off to your right as you face the sea — the tourism portal recommends the northern end for the view.
The main event, and everyone stays for it — expect company at the waterline, not solitude. It comes between about 4:50 PM in mid-November and 5:47 PM in mid-July; the month-by-month table is below. Visiting hours end at sunset, and the beach empties fast.
Sunset and sunrise times at Radhanagar, month by month
The Andamans keep Indian Standard Time but sit far to the east of the mainland, so both ends of the day come early. In the October–May season, sunset moves from about 4:50 PM to 5:35 PM. Be on the sand an hour before.
| Month (15th) | Sunrise | Sunset |
|---|---|---|
| January | 5:43 AM | 5:12 PM |
| February | 5:40 AM | 5:25 PM |
| March | 5:26 AM | 5:29 PM |
| April | 5:07 AM | 5:30 PM |
| May | 4:54 AM | 5:35 PM |
| June | 4:54 AM | 5:43 PM |
| July | 5:01 AM | 5:47 PM |
| August | 5:07 AM | 5:38 PM |
| September | 5:08 AM | 5:19 PM |
| October | 5:08 AM | 5:00 PM |
| November | 5:15 AM | 4:50 PM |
| December | 5:30 AM | 4:56 PM |
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.
Radhanagar faces south-south-west (measured on OpenStreetMap's coastline), which makes it a sunset beach rather than a sunrise one. For a beach that faces the sunrise, go to Kalapathar Beach on the east coast.
The swim — what it's actually famous for
The sunset gets the photographs, but ask guests what they remember and it is the swimming: a long, sandy, gently shelving bay with no rocks underfoot and water that stays friendly through the afternoon. It is also a Blue Flag beach — certified since 2020, and Blue Flag's record for the 2026–27 season lists lifeguards on the beach. The swimming area is zoned: the Tourism Directorate's management plan says safe and risk zones are marked with ring buoys. Swim inside the marked safe zone and do what the lifeguards tell you. In season the sea here is usually calm; in the monsoon months it roughens like everywhere else, and the honest month-by-month picture is on our weather page.
“Must visit – Radhanager Beach (clean and best Beach for Swimming). We don't want to come back as we stayed there till Sunset.”
— Newman, Apr 2019, 5★ Google review
What it looks like, without the filter
June frames show the beach in monsoon-season light — quieter and moodier. The calmer, bluer sea of the postcards arrives with the dry season, from about November.
Getting there, eating, facilities
From Havelock's market area and the hotel belt it is a 15–20 minute cab ride on the island's main cross road — about 9 km from Govind Nagar village and 11 km from the ferry jetty on OpenStreetMap's road network — and every driver knows "Beach No. 7". At the entrance there is a cafe and small dhaba-style eateries (a simple lunch before a 2:30 arrival works well — that is exactly how we sequence it for our guests), toilet blocks, changing room-cum-shower units for after the swim, and shaded loungers under thatch near the treeline. The toilets and changing rooms carry a small user fee collected by the local panchayat. Beyond that it is deliberately unbuilt: no resorts on the sand, no watersports desks — that is Elephant Beach's job. The beach is a notified No Plastic Zone, so bring a refillable bottle rather than disposable plastic, and carry some cash for the eateries. Drones need an official permit here, the tourism portal says.
“last radanagar beech was highlight,it was jaw dropping view I js loved that beach so much”
— MOUNI, May 2019, 5★ Google review
Radhanagar questions, answered straight
What time is sunset at Radhanagar Beach?
Between about 4:50 PM in mid-November and 5:47 PM in mid-July — early, because the Andamans keep Indian Standard Time but sit far to the east of the mainland. In the October–May season it runs from about 4:50 to 5:35 PM: about 5:00 PM in mid-October, 4:56 PM in mid-December, 5:12 PM in mid-January and 5:29 PM in mid-March. Be on the sand an hour before; the beach is open to visitors only until sunset. The table on this page has every month.
What time is sunrise on Havelock?
Between about 4:54 AM in mid-May and mid-June and 5:43 AM in mid-January. Radhanagar is the island's sunset beach; for a beach that faces the sunrise, go to Kalapathar on the east coast.
What are the Radhanagar Beach timings, and is there an entry fee?
The A&N Tourism Directorate's beach management plan says visits are regulated between sunrise and sunset, so there is no night access. Entry is free: Blue Flag's record for the beach lists free entrance for all. The toilets and changing room-cum-showers carry a small user fee.
Is Radhanagar Beach good for swimming?
It is the swimming beach of the islands — a long, gently shelving sandy bay without rocks underfoot. Blue Flag's record for the 2026–27 season lists lifeguards on the beach, and the Tourism Directorate's management plan says safe and risk zones are marked with ring buoys: swim inside the marked safe zone and do what the lifeguards tell you. Swimming can be stopped at short notice — in January 2024 it was temporarily restricted after a crocodile was sighted at the far end of the beach — so if staff close the water, it is closed. In the monsoon months the sea gets rougher; our weather page has the honest month-by-month picture.
When should I visit to avoid the crowd?
Morning, if solitude is the goal — most visitors arrive after lunch, because that is how the ferry-and-check-in rhythm of a Havelock day works (ours included; we bring guests around 2:30 PM). Sunset is the busy hour by design: that is what everyone came for. It is a 2 km beach, though — even a busy evening spreads out.
Is Radhanagar Beach worth the hype?
Yes. It is the Andamans' showpiece beach — the A&N Tourism Directorate describes it as one of the world's best and most-visited, and it has held Blue Flag certification since 2020. We don't quote ranking lists we can't cite. What earns the reputation is plain on the sand: a huge white-sand sweep, forest right up to the beach, no buildings on the sand itself, and a proper sunset. What the praise leaves out: it is a public beach with real crowds before sunset, and the magic is the scale, not seclusion.
What facilities are there?
More than most Andaman beaches: a cafe and small dhaba-style eateries at the entrance area, two toilet blocks, eight changing room-cum-shower units (a small user fee applies), and shaded loungers under thatch near the treeline. It is a notified No Plastic Zone, so bring a refillable bottle rather than disposable plastic, and carry some cash for the eateries. It is still a beach at the edge of a forest, not a resort strip.
Is Radhanagar a Blue Flag beach?
Yes. Blue Flag's own record lists Radhanagar as awarded since 2020 — it was one of the first eight Indian beaches certified, announced in October 2020 — and shows a 2026–27 season running from 1 October 2026 to 31 May 2027. The record lists lifeguards on the beach, access for disabled visitors to the beach and to the water, and free entry. Blue Flag is the international eco-label for water quality, safety, environmental management and information.
How do I reach Radhanagar from the jetty or my hotel?
It is a 15–20 minute cab ride from Havelock's market area and the nearby hotels, on the island's main cross road — about 9 km from Govind Nagar village and 11 km from the ferry jetty by road. Every driver knows it — it is Beach No. 7 to locals. If you are on one of our packages, the cab and timing are already built into your Havelock day.
Plan the rest of the day
The full Havelock guide
All three beaches at their right hours, ferries, stays and how many days.
Kalapathar Beach
The morning half of the pairing — the black rocks, the leaning palm, and the honest note on the water.
Shooting the sunset properly
The photography guide: which beaches face the sunset and which the sunrise, and the rules for drones.
How this page stays true
Written by the Tropical Andamans editorial team from our operations team's own practice — the timings here are how we actually run Havelock days, recorded from our ops pre-brief of 10 July 2026. Re-checked on 4 October 2026: sunset and sunrise times against US Naval Observatory data, the Blue Flag facts against Blue Flag's own record of the beach, visiting hours, swimming zones and facilities against the A&N Tourism Directorate's beach management plan of May 2025, and distances and the direction the beach faces against OpenStreetMap. All photos are our own or our guests', dated where the capture date is verifiable and undated where it is not. Sea conditions change by season; we tell you what your dates look like before you book, not after.
Want Radhanagar timed right?
Tell us your dates — we will sequence the ferry, check-in and the sunset so you are on the sand an hour before sunset with nothing left to organise.