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Plan your Andaman holiday with local experts based in Port Blair
Long Island already asks something of you. It demands that you leave Port Blair behind, board a slow ferry north through Middle Andaman, and settle into a place where the internet fades and life moves at its own unhurried pace. But even among Long Island's secluded shores, Merk Bay stands apart. Tucked along the island's eastern coastline, it faces the sheltered Andaman Sea with a stillness so complete it feels almost deliberate. There are no rankings here, no souvenir stalls, no beach shacks playing music from a Bluetooth speaker. Just a long, graceful curve of white sand, water of extraordinary clarity, and a silence that settles over you the moment you step onto the beach. Most visitors head straight to Lalaji Bay on the western side, and they should, it is magnificent. But those who turn east, toward Merk Bay, find something quieter and somehow more honest. A beach that catches the first gold of morning light and holds onto its secrets. If Lalaji Bay is Long Island's famous face, Merk Bay is its quieter, more private soul.
Merk Bay sits on the eastern coast of Long Island, around 2 kilometres from the main jetty, considerably closer than Lalaji Bay on the opposite shore. That proximity makes it the more accessible of Long Island's two celebrated beaches, though accessible is a word to use with care here. There is still no road to the sand. A short walk through dense tropical forest is the only way in, and that walk is part of what Merk Bay quietly gives you before you even arrive.
The beach itself stretches for approximately 800 metres, backed by thick tropical vegetation and tall coconut palms that lean toward the sea. The water is among the clearest in all of Middle Andaman, on a calm morning, visibility can exceed fifteen metres. Because the beach faces east and is sheltered from prevailing winds, the sea here is almost always flat and glassy, the seabed sloping away so gradually that shallow water extends far from shore before any real depth begins. It is one of the safest swimming beaches in the entire region, and one of the most beautiful.
What makes Merk Bay rare is the particular combination of things it offers: easy access, genuine safety in the water, and a solitude so complete that on most days you will share the beach with no one. Because the majority of Long Island's visitors make their way to Lalaji Bay, Merk Bay remains virtually untouched even in peak season. You can walk its full length, swim in water you can see through like glass, and sit beneath the palms with nothing but the sound of the sea for company. That is not a small thing. In the Andamans today, it is an increasingly rare one.
Long Island has always lived quietly in the shadow of the more famous islands to its south. While Havelock and Neil were being shaped into tourist destinations through the early 2000s, Long Island remained largely untouched, a sleepy settlement known mostly to government officials, forest department staff, and the fishermen who worked these waters every morning. Merk Bay was simply one of several beaches on the island's coastline, used occasionally for fishing or family outings, unnamed on any tourist map, unreferenced in any travel guide.
The origin of the name Merk Bay is uncertain, and the island's long-term residents offer different stories. Some believe it was named after a British surveyor who mapped this stretch of coastline during the colonial period. Others say it is a corruption of an older local term for a sheltered or calm bay. A few simply shrug and say the name has always been there, passed down without explanation. Whatever its origin, the name has stuck, and today it is the word guesthouse owners use when directing their guests eastward, away from the crowds that don't exist here anyway.
Word of Long Island's beauty has spread slowly and quietly through online forums and traveller communities over the past decade. A small number of visitors now seek out Merk Bay specifically. But even so, on the busiest day of the high season, you are unlikely to encounter more than a handful of people on this beach. On most days, you will find none at all.
The Andaman Forest Department has made no move to develop Merk Bay, and the local community has expressed no desire to change what the beach currently is. No resort proposals, no water sports concessions, no construction of any kind. Merk Bay remains exactly as it has been for generations, a quiet, beautiful stretch of sand and sea, waiting without urgency for those who are willing to find it.
Plan Your Long Island and Merk Bay Beach Visit with Our Local ExpertsMerk Bay is not built around activities or itineraries. It is built around calm water, undisturbed sand, and the particular pleasure of having a beautiful beach entirely to yourself. Here is what awaits you on Long Island's eastern shore.
The water at Merk Bay is remarkable, clear even by Andaman standards, where clarity is something visitors already come to expect. On a calm morning, which describes most mornings here because the beach faces east and sits sheltered from the prevailing winds, you can see the sandy bottom beneath you even when standing waist-deep. The seabed slopes away so gradually that shallow water extends far from shore, making this one of the safest places to swim in all of Middle Andaman. No strong currents, no sudden drop-offs, no submerged rocks near the waterline. Just warm, glassy, calm water and soft sand underfoot. Families with young children will feel entirely at ease here. Less confident swimmers will find themselves relaxing in a way that is difficult to achieve at more exposed beaches. The experience is simple: wade out, float on your back, look up through the swaying palm fronds at the sky above, and let the silence do the rest.
Unlike Lalaji Bay, which requires a boat crossing from the jetty, Merk Bay can be reached on foot from Long Island's road network. A well-worn path leads from the nearest point on the island's unpaved roads through dense tropical forest to the beach, a walk of ten to fifteen minutes at an easy pace, flat and shaded for almost its entire length. The canopy overhead keeps the path cool even on the hottest part of the day. You will hear birds calling from the trees, look carefully and you may spot an Andaman woodpecker or a large monitor lizard moving through the undergrowth ahead of you. Then, without much warning, the trees open. The forest gives way to the beach in a single, unhurried reveal, a wide expanse of white sand, the calm blue sea stretching outward, the light scattered across the water. That moment of arrival is its own reward.
Merk Bay does not have the dense reef formations of Elephant Beach near Havelock, but what it does have is something arguably more valuable: coral and marine life in calm, crystal-clear water with no other snorkelers in sight. Patches of coral and rocky formations within easy swimming distance from shore host a surprisingly varied community of fish, angelfish, butterflyfish, parrotfish, sea cucumbers, and the occasional starfish resting on sandy patches between coral heads. The exceptional visibility makes even shallow snorkeling genuinely rewarding. Because the water is so still, beginners and nervous swimmers can explore comfortably without any anxiety. The best snorkeling is found near the northern end of the beach, where rocky sections extend further into the sea. Bring your own mask and snorkel, there is nowhere to rent equipment anywhere on Long Island.
This is the true reason to come to Merk Bay. Because Long Island itself receives only a fraction of the visitors that flow through Havelock and Neil, and because most of those visitors gravitate toward Lalaji Bay, Merk Bay is almost always entirely empty. On a typical day, you will have the full 800 metres of this beach to yourself. Not quieter than usual, yours alone. You can walk from one end to the other without seeing a single human footprint. You can claim a spot beneath a coconut palm and stay there for hours without once being interrupted. Because the beach faces east, it catches the morning light in a way that is genuinely worth setting an early alarm for. Between 6 and 9 in the morning, the light is soft and golden, the shadows long, the water luminous. By midday the sun is overhead and the water clarity is at its peak. By late afternoon the forest behind the beach casts long shade across the sand. Three completely different moods, one quiet beach, and almost certainly no one else there to share it.
| Location | Eastern coast of Long Island, Middle Andaman, approximately 120 kilometres north of Port Blair. Approximately 2 kilometres from the Long Island jetty. |
|---|---|
| Also Known As | Merk Bay, Merk Beach, Long Island East Coast Beach. Some older maps may show an alternate spelling. |
| How to Reach Long Island | Government ferry or private boat from Port Blair to Long Island. Journey time is 3 to 5 hours. Ferries typically run once or twice daily, advance booking is essential. From the Long Island jetty, Merk Bay is reached by scooter or bicycle to the trailhead, followed by a 10 to 15 minute forest walk. |
| Best Time to Visit | November to April. Early mornings from 6 AM to 9 AM offer the best light and the coolest conditions. Avoid June to September when monsoon rain makes the forest path muddy and slippery. |
| Key Attractions | Secluded eastern shoreline, exceptional water clarity, calm and safe swimming, short scenic forest walk, near-shore snorkeling, complete solitude, outstanding morning light for photography and quiet reflection. |
| Water Activities | Swimming, wading, snorkeling. No equipment rentals available anywhere on Long Island, bring your own mask, snorkel, and fins. No lifeguards are present. Swim at your own risk. |
| Where to Stay | No accommodation at the beach itself. Stay in guesthouses and homestays near the Long Island jetty. Options are simple and limited. Book well in advance during peak season, December to March. |
| Facilities at the Beach | None whatsoever. No shops, no food, no fresh water, no changing rooms, no toilets, no lifeguards, no trash bins, no shelter at the trailhead. Carry everything you need and bring a bag for all waste. |
| Nearby Attractions | Lalaji Bay Beach on the western coast, the Long Island jetty area with guesthouses and small shops, Guitar Island visible on clear days from the eastern shore, and the forest trail network across the island's interior. |
Merk Bay is significantly easier to reach than Lalaji Bay because no boat crossing is required. From the Long Island jetty, you can walk, cycle, or ride a rented scooter to the forest trailhead. The path from there to the beach is well worn and easy to follow, but it is not signposted. Before you leave your guesthouse, ask your host to give you clear directions or, better still, sketch the route. A local guide is not necessary, but knowing exactly where the path begins will save you from unnecessary backtracking.
Carry everything you will need for the day before you set out. There are no shops near Merk Bay, no stalls, no vendors of any kind. Bring at least one litre of drinking water per person, more in the heat of the day, along with food, sunscreen, insect repellent, a hat, and a towel. Also bring a waste bag, there are no bins on the beach, and the community that lives near this land takes its cleanliness seriously. Whatever you carry in, carry out.
Wear proper footwear for the forest walk. The path is largely flat and well-compacted, but it can become muddy after even light rain, and exposed roots appear in sections. Flip flops will let you down. Sturdy sandals with grip, trail shoes, or lightweight closed-toe shoes are far better choices. Lightweight long-sleeved clothing is also worth wearing for the walk, both as protection from insects and from the sun on any exposed sections of the path.
Check the weather before you go, and check the sea before you enter it. Merk Bay is sheltered and generally very calm, but heavy rain dramatically reduces water visibility and makes the forest path unpleasant. If conditions look poor, postpone. Also remember that there are no lifeguards anywhere on Long Island. The water at Merk Bay is genuinely safe for most swimmers under normal conditions, but you are responsible for your own judgement. Stay within your depth, watch children at all times, and if the sea looks anything other than its usual calm self, enjoy it from the sand instead.
Merk Bay Beach is not for travellers who need beach bars, organised water sports, or a reliable phone signal. It is not a place to come if your priority is comfort and convenience. Merk Bay is for those who have made the journey to Long Island precisely because they want something untouched, a beach where the sand is still soft, the water is still clear, and the silence is still real. If you are already on Long Island, you are already most of the way there. Spending a morning at Merk Bay requires little extra effort and rewards you with the kind of experience that is becoming genuinely difficult to find in the Andamans: a beautiful, empty beach that belongs entirely to you.
Our team at Andaman Vacations India builds Middle Andaman itineraries that include both Merk Bay and Lalaji Bay as part of our Long Island offbeat packages. We handle ferry bookings from Port Blair, arrange accommodation in comfortable local guesthouses, and provide detailed, practical guidance on reaching Merk Bay and making the most of your time on the eastern shore. We can combine both of Long Island's beaches into a single itinerary, giving you a complete picture of this quiet and beautiful island that most visitors to the Andamans never see. Share your travel dates with us, and we will take care of the rest.
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