Havelock · Radhanagar Beach · last checked 10 July 2026
Radhanagar Beach, honestly: the sunset, the crowd and the swim
Locals still call it Beach No. 7. It is routinely ranked among Asia's best beaches, and unlike most things with that kind of billing, it holds up — a two-kilometre half-moon of white sand with forest to the waterline and the islands' definitive sunset. We take guests there every week in season; here is how the beach actually works, hour by hour.
Our own frame, unstaged: golden hour draws everyone to the waterline. If a page shows you an empty Radhanagar sunset, it was not taken at sunset.
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. If you are staying on Havelock and want the beach 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. 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 opens. Work the southern end where the tree line frames the shot — the light gets better from here until the sun is gone.
The main event, and everyone stays for it — expect company at the waterline, not solitude. Sunset in the Andamans lands early, between about 5 and 5:45 depending on the month. When it is done, the beach empties fast.
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. Two habits keep it that way — swim in the stretch where others are swimming, and respect any flags posted that day. In season the sea here is as calm as the Andamans get; 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, moodier, and how it actually looks half the year. Peak-season postcard blue arrives with the calm sea, October onward.
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 — 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), signposted toilets, and shaded loungers under thatch near the treeline. Beyond that it is deliberately unbuilt: no resorts on the sand, no watersports desks — that is Elephant Beach's job. Carry water and cash for the dhabas.
“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?
Early — the Andamans sit at the eastern edge of Indian time, so the sun sets between about 5:00 and 5:45 PM depending on the month. Plan to be on the sand by 4:30 for the best of the light; the show is over by 6.
Is Radhanagar Beach good for swimming?
It is the swimming beach of the islands — a long, gently shelving sandy bay without rocks underfoot, which is exactly why guests rate it the best swim of their trip. Swim in the stretch where other people are swimming and mind any flags on duty that day. 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 really one of Asia's best beaches?
It is routinely ranked among Asia's best, and it earns the reputation honestly: a huge white-sand sweep, forest right up to the sand, no buildings on the beach itself, and a proper sunset. What the rankings do not say: it is a public beach with real crowds at golden hour, 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, signposted toilets, and shaded loungers under thatch umbrellas near the treeline. It is still a beach at the edge of a forest, not a resort strip — carry water, and do not expect lockers.
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 one main cross 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.
The sunset, made an occasion
Honeymoon packages pair the Radhanagar evening with a candlelight beach dinner.
Shooting the sunset properly
The photography guide: timing, the southern-end tree line, and the settings that matter.
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 · last checked 10 July 2026. 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 by 4:30 with nothing left to organise.