Guide · ESSENTIALS · Updated 26 SEPTEMBER 2026
Go for the ruins. Keep the boat plan loose.
Plan Ross Island from Port Blair with the current official boat reference, show price, North Bay choice and clear gaps on daytime fees and access.
SOURCES CITED INSIDE · CHECKED 26 SEPTEMBER 2026 · DRAWBACKS INCLUDED
Short answer: visit Ross Island if the ruins and the boat outing interest you. For most first trips, the practical daytime choice is a combined Ross Island and North Bay ticket. Choose Ross alone only if the ticket counter confirms a return that suits your day. Do not attach it to a flight or inter-island ferry deadline.
Ross Island is now officially named Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Dweep. Both names refer to the same place. This guide uses the name travellers still search for while keeping the official name clear.
Boat, itinerary and show details checked on 26 September 2026 against the Andaman and Nicobar Tourism heritage page, North Bay page, suggested itineraries and e-Tourist portal. The official heritage page does not currently publish daytime opening hours, an entry fee, a closure day or an accessibility arrangement.
Should you add Ross Island?
| Your priority | Decision | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Colonial ruins and island history | Yes, put Ross in the Port Blair plan | You still need a current boat and return confirmation |
| Coral viewing or water activities | Consider the Ross and North Bay combination | North Bay becomes the activity-led part of the outing |
| Freedom-movement history | Keep Cellular Jail as the first history commitment | Ross tells a different part of the story |
| Minimal walking or step-free certainty | Confirm the island route before paying | The current official page does not publish enough accessibility detail |
| A transfer day | Skip the boat outing | A fixed flight or ferry is more important than completing another attraction |
What is on the island?
The official heritage page identifies the remains of British-era churches, offices and houses, along with a historical museum. Make the surviving structures the reason for the visit. The boat ride alone is not a useful answer to what you will do after landing.
No universal visit duration is promised here. Your ticketed return, the route open on the day, rest needs and the amount of walking you accept should decide the pace.
Ross Island only or Ross plus North Bay?
The Tourism Department's suggested itinerary presents Ross and North Bay as a combined half-day boat outing. That pairing makes sense when one person wants the historical stop and another wants a marine-activity stop. It is a weak choice when everyone only wants the ruins and a slower return.
The current official North Bay page says round-trip tickets, often combined with Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Dweep, are sold at the private boat counters at Rajiv Gandhi Water Sports Complex, Aberdeen Jetty. It lists outward North Bay boats between 8:30 am and 11:30 am and returns between 2 pm and 4 pm.
Use that range only as a counter-check. It is not a Ross-only timetable and does not prove that every combined ticket follows the same order or hours. The printed ticket and counter instructions control your actual day.
Questions to settle before paying
- Which islands are on this ticket? Ask the counter to name each stop.
- Where do you report? Match the jetty and counter to the ticket.
- What are the departure and final return times? Read them back before payment.
- How much time is given on Ross? Do not infer it from the overall outing.
- What does the amount include? Separate the boat, island entry and any optional activity.
- What happens if the route changes? Ask about the refund or rescheduling rule before paying.
No current daytime boat price or Ross Island entry fee is quoted here because the official pages checked do not publish one. A clear gap is safer than an old figure presented as today's rate.
The evening sound-and-light show is a separate plan
The official e-Tourist portal currently lists one Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Island show: 5:30 pm in Hindi on all days, at ₹300 per adult and ₹75 per child aged 5 to 11.
Do not assume a daytime Ross and North Bay boat ticket includes this show or its transport. The official show table prices the presentation but does not explain the boat connection on that page. Treat the daytime outing and evening show as separate choices until the official booking flow confirms the complete arrangement.
If the show matters, book through the official portal and then confirm how you will reach the island and return. If that transport is not clear, do not build the evening around a price row alone.
Children, older travellers and limited mobility
The current official heritage page does not describe the landing, walking surface, steps, toilets, seating, wheelchair access or any battery-cart service. Ask about these before buying, especially when someone cannot walk or stand for long.
- Ask how far the planned route goes from the landing point.
- Ask whether the return boat requires another queue or fixed boarding call.
- Keep medicines, water and essential child supplies with you.
- Do not accept “easy for everyone” as an accessibility answer.
The family guide covers the wider questions around boat days, meals, rest and backup plans.
How to place it in a Port Blair stay
Give Ross Island its own boat block. Keep the rest of that day flexible until the current return time is printed. A city meal or unbooked waterfront stop can sit around it. A mainland flight, inter-island ferry or distant South Andaman drive should not.
If you have only one useful day in the city, choose between Ross and a full Cellular Jail visit rather than rushing both. Use the Port Blair guide to decide which kind of day you actually want.
Questions answered
Is Ross Island the same as Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Island?
Yes. The current official name is Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Dweep, while Ross Island remains the common search and travel name.
Where do boats to Ross Island leave from?
The current official North Bay page directs travellers to the private boat counters at Rajiv Gandhi Water Sports Complex, Aberdeen Jetty for combined round trips. Confirm the reporting point printed on your own ticket.
What is the Ross Island entry fee?
The current official heritage page checked on 26 September 2026 does not publish a daytime entry fee. Ask the counter to separate the boat amount, island entry and any activity before payment.
What are the Ross Island timings?
The official heritage page does not publish a universal daytime opening or closure field. The North Bay page gives a current boat range for that route, but it is not a Ross-only timetable. Use the issued ticket for the actual departure and return.
Is the sound-and-light show worth adding?
Add it when the historical presentation matters and the separate evening transport is clear. Skip it when the boat connection is uncertain or the Hindi presentation does not suit your group.
Sources checked
Boat, ticket and visitor arrangements can change. These primary sources were checked on 26 September 2026: