As soon as you arrive on Long Island, you will know it is different from any other island you have visited. At first, it seems a pretty workaday sort of place. People will be going about their business at the jetty and there are no rickshaws lining up to pick up tourists! Just step away from the jetty, though, and the special quality of the island will become immediately apparent. No traffic noise! There are 2 rickshaw trucks and about 5 motorbikes, and no other motor vehicles on the whole island. So everybody walks, and as they pass, they will greet you with a “Namaste”. Local children know at least 2 words in English: “One Photo”. But no-one will try to sell you anything.
Follow the blue arrows away from the jetty and walk towards Blue Planet and you will notice a lot of deserted wooden houses, a legacy of the days when many more people lived on the island and worked in the logging industry. Nowadays the forests are left to thrive, and whilst the island has an electoral roll of 2000 inhabitants, only about 750 live on Long Island full-time, and they survive by fishing, growing vegetables and doing casual work where they can.
The island has a school, police station, health centre and a bazaar with a number of shops selling basic essentials. There are 3 restaurants serving basic thalis, snacks and chai, and the place comes to life in the early evening.
Close to Long Island there are some wonderful uninhabited islands with lovely beaches, including Guitar Island, North Passage Island and the spectacular Merk Bay, and further afield the intriguing North Button, South Button and Middle Button Islands. All of these can be reached by boat from Long Island. The scuba diving around Long Island is excellent: see our Blue Planet Scuba pages.
There are hardly any motor cars on the island, and no real roads: free of traffic or crime, the island is a perfect destination for families. Just let us know if you need transport from the Jetty: it is about 1km walk, so you will probably want help with luggage!
