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For other destinations and types of holiday, visit Kuoni
For other destinations and types of holiday, visit Kuoni 

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Barefoot at Havelock: the sustainable beach-side jungle resort

If you’re looking to get back to nature and stay in a sustainable property, Barefoot at Havelock is the perfect place for you…

By Samit Sawhny
Owner of Barefoot at Havelock

Barefoot at Havelock is a sustainable beach-side jungle resort that celebrates the true essence of the Andamans: unspoilt nature. The islands are so untouched, I wanted that pristine blend of dense forest and white-sand shores to be central to the resort. The concept was also based around the kind of travellers who come to the Andamans, which tend to be people looking for a remote paradise; when I first arrived here there were almost no flights so a lot of backpackers were coming by ship.

When I bought the land for Barefoot at Havelock it was a banana plantation on Radhanagar Beach, which we cleared to replant indigenous trees – that was 20 years ago and now they’re flourishing. Sustainability has always been a big part of our ethos, so we installed a rainwater harvesting system and built everything from natural materials like wood and bamboo. The cottages are a mix of circular, Nicobari houses with palm-thatched roofs and Andaman villas which echo colonial architecture. From the rooms you can look out over the forest and hear the ocean quite clearly.

The cottages are surrounded by fruit trees and there’s minimal external lighting so as not to disturb nocturnal animals. Instead, we’ll give you a flashlight to walk around after dark. To ensure our menu is eco-friendly, we have an organic farm on site and we keep our own pigs and chickens; the rest of our ingredients are sourced locally. You can enjoy a range of Andaman dishes and Italian food, thanks to the Italian couple who once ran the restaurant and put in a pizza oven.

In terms of wildlife, there are lots of reptiles, birds, civets and wild boar around. Radhanagar Beach has been rated one of the world’s top 10 by Time Magazine, with powdery sand backed by 200-foot-tall trees. When the tide is out there are rock pools to explore. Guests love kayaking, snorkelling and going on treks with our resident ornithologist. If you’re looking to get back to nature and stay in a sustainable property, Barefoot at Havelock is the perfect place for you.

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  • Scenery
  • Unwind
  • Wildlife

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Alfred & Samit Sawhny

Born in Chennai, Samit Swahny worked as a chartered accountant in Europe before embarking on a backpacking adventure that took him all over the world, from Scandinavia to Siberia and Nepal, recounted in his novel: ‘All the World’s a Spittoon’, published by Penguin in 2002. Samit’s journey ended in the Andaman Islands, where he founded Barefoot at Havelock.
Samit Sawhny, owner of Barefoot at Havelock

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