What’s it like to visit Andaman and Nicobar Islands’ largest national park?

Campbell Bay National Park, with an area of approximately 426 sq km, is the largest national park in the remote Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The remote location of the national park does make it a hard reach but it’s worth it.

For those wondering, Campbell Bay National Park is located in the Great Nicobar Island. A lot of areas in the Nicobar islands are not accessible to outsiders, but entry is allowed for this national park. Campbell Bay National Park became a national park in 1992.

Fun fact: Campbell Bay National Park is closer to Sumatra Island in Indonesia (190 km) than Port Blair in India (533 km).

Campbell Bay National Park is a part of the Great Nicobar Biosphere Reserve. The national park lies very close to Galathea National Park. In fact, a mere 12 km wide forested buffer zone separates the two.

To say that Campbell Bay National Park is remote and has rich biodiversity would be an understatement.

When it comes to the Andamans, we have places like Radhanagar Beach, Cellular Jail in Port Blair, Ross Island, Elephant Beach, Kalapathar Beach and Chidiya Tapu to name some. These destinations are some of the most well-known places in India, and are well-loved by travellers, especially those who love all things offbeat, romantic and unique. But that’s just about the Andamans. The Nicobar Islands is something we haven’t been able to explore (not for the lack of trying).

For quite some time, the islands of Nicobar were off-limits for tourism purposes. The most obvious reason was the distance, and the other important reason is the conservation of the local tribal communities and their culture and tradition. Recently, the administration decided to reopen Campbell Bay. A total of 8,026 tickets were issued, of which, 7,316 tickets were issued to islanders, and 710 tickets to non-islanders.

The national park is a big part of Campbell Bay.

Also read: Campbell Bay in Great Nicobar Island is now accessible to tourists


One of the defining features of Campbell Bay National Park is its pristine and untouched natural beauty. The park is made up of a diverse range of habitats like evergreen rainforests, mangroves, coastal areas, and marine ecosystems.
The national park is also home to a variety of plant and animal species that you won’t find anywhere else, except here.


The park is home to some of the endangered and endemic species like the Nicobar megapode, Nicobar pigeon, and the Nicobar long-tailed macaque to name some.

Also read: Andaman and Nicobar facts for the curious travellers

The waters surrounding the park are also equally fascinating, if not more. Nicobar’s marine life includes coral reefs, several species of fishes and other marine plants and animals.