barefoot at havelock
jungle resort, andaman islands
 

Discover India's best kept secret - the Andaman Islands - at the Barefoot Group's first boutique eco-retreat called 'barefoot at havelock'. Located exclusively on what TIME Magazine in November 2004 rated as the best beach in Asia, our small resort is set in rainforest and tropical fruit trees behind a pristine 2 km white-sand stretch of the quirkily named Beach No. 7 at Havelock Island.


As you approach Havelock Island, you see dense rainforest canopies fringing shores hugged by coral reefs and mangroves. Arrive off the ferry at the island pier (2 hrs from Port Blair by direct sailing) and you are greeted by the warm and friendly faces of the people of Havelock Island. The resort is located 11 kms (30 minutes) from the pier on a village road that takes you past paddy fields, banana plantations, and thick tropical forest. The final approach to our resort is spectacular - the aquamarine blue sea suddenly bursts forth in front of you and your vehicle swings sharp right onto a mud track. As you wind your way thorough scores of 100 feet high naturally buttressed 'mahua' trees seemingly straight out of a Tolkien novel, the forest gives way to a small clearing and the inviting conical thatched roofs of 'barefoot at havelock'.

barefoot at havelock is the new avatar of the erstwhile Jungle Resort, the first and still the only ecologically friendly resort in the Andaman Islands. Set in 7 acres of fertilizer and pesticide free grounds, the resort consists of 18 beautifully designed wood and thatch cottages and villas with spacious interiors and ensuite bathrooms and has been constructed using indigenous materials that are environmentally sensitive to their natural surroundings.
'barefoot at havelock' is a resort in transition over the next two years as we attempt to define 'the barefoot experience' yet retain all the beauty, spirit and soul of Jungle Resort. Core to our philosophy is sustainable and socially responsible tourism development. For example, one of the many ways we are attempting to do this is to work towards a comprehensive wastewater management system that enables us to filter kitchen and shower waste water in a natural and simple way, so it can be used to water the grounds or be recycled in other ways.
We also engage local employment and contribute to the micro-economy of Havelock. Nearly 75% of our staff are residents of Havelock and almost all are residents of the Andaman Islands. Further, we ensure that the resort does not compete with the neighbouring village for scarce resources by harvesting our own rainwater and drawing judiciously from a natural spring that emerges on the resort premises. The resort does not draw any water from the village pipelines, a socially responsible measure deemed necessary by the management because the tourist season coincides with the dry season in the Andaman Islands.