Lakshadweep Islands

Want to see a natural aqaurium with colourful fishes with naked eye ? then heed to Lakshadeep. These islands are unpolluted and clean. No plastic, no paper, no garbage, no soft drink bottles,  no liqour bottles and no cigarattes. Most important, no shopping. Its only between nature and you at Lakshadweep.

Lakshadweep is a perfect holiday destination for those with a thirst for virgin islands. The crystal clear blue water in the beaches, the corals and lagoons cannot be found elsewhere in India. The beaches are flat and shallow and are like a big swimming pool. A must see place for beach & lagoon lovers.

Lakshadweep is a group of islands in the arabian sea off the coast of Kerala. It is a chain of coral islands. Lakshadweep is situated 220 kms off Cochin in Kerala. They are scattered with some islands located more than hundred kms between them.

Lakshadweep means one lakh islands. But, there are only 36 islands having a total area of 32 sq. kilometers in Lakshadweep. It is a Union Territory of India. Ten Islands are inhabited. They are Agatti, Amini, Andrott, Bitra, Chetlat, Kadmat, Kalpeni, Kavaratti, Kiltan and Minicoy. Bangaram is an uninhabited island where tourists are permitted to stay.

                                                       
                                                                     KAVARATTI ship

Kadmat Island

                                             
                                              Water sports at Kadmat resort

Lakshadweep islands are unique in the sense that they are formed by corals. They are the only coral reef islands found in India. The islands are formed by corals reefs and atoll surrounded by lagoons. The islands are very small with a width of 500 metres and 10 kms in length. Kavaratti is the Administrative Headquarters of the Union Territory.

The Society For Promotion of Nature Tourism and Sports (SPORTS), a Government undertaking arranges package tours for tourists from Cochin. There are various packages on different ships. The popular package is the four day Samudram and five day Coral Reef. Entry is restricted to the island and visitors need a permit to enter the islands.

There are a few passenger ships which sail from Cochin from October to May. One ship sails from Mangalore. M.V Kavaratti is the best ship which carries 700 passengers and cargo. It has luxurious rooms for tourists. It has a restaurant, party hall, helipad, swimming pool and fantastic air conditioned rooms. The other ships are Arabian Sea, Minicoy, Amindivi & Lakshadweep sea. The only airport is at Agatti Island with flights operating from Cochin.

                                                    Fibre glass boats to watch corals under the sea

I travelled by the ship M.V Kavaratti on the four day Samudram package. The ship departs in the afternoon from Cochin port. The entire day is sailing until we reach Kadmat island next day in the morning. It is a fantastic experience of watching the sunset sitting atop the ship’s deck. The ship has five floors and the top deck has a helipad and swimming pool. The breeze in the evening is soothing and refreshing. Its sad to mention that there is no entertainment in the ship except for a recreation room which has a TV set. But, the restaurant and food is good and room facilities luxurious.

Next day early morning, I woke up to watch the mesmerizing sunrise, the best sunrise of my life in the background of Kadmat island. It’s a great moment to capture the sunrise on camera and sipping tea on top of the ship’s deck. After breakfast, we were put on small boats to reach the island as the small jetty cannot accommodate the large ship.

Kadmat island is 8 kms long & 500 metre wide at best. Coconut trees cover the entire island and provide natural shade anywhere. The welcome drink at the posh resort on the island is tender coconut water. The beach here has silver sands and crystal clear blue waters. It’s a treat to the eye to watch the blue waters surrounded by lagoon. There is a scuba diving centre here. Snorkeling is the best way in the sea here to watch the corals. The sea is around 4 feet deep even at 100 mts from the beach. An excellent way to enjoy snorkeling.

Glass bottomed boats here take tourists near the lagoon to watch the corals. The underwater life can be seen sitting in the fiber glass boats. Its like being in a fish aquarium and watching colorful fishes. Its one more way to watch the underwater sea life without scuba diving. Folk dance and songs were arranged after lunch. We departed to the ship in the evening after tea. It was one more memorable evening on the ship’s deck watching the sunset as we sailed towards Kalpeni island.

The lagoon has in store water sports like swimming, wind-surfing, diving, snorkeling and kayaking.

Traditional dance at the resort

                                                 
                                                                 Kalpeni Island

One more night in the ship and we were at Kapleni island in the morning on the third day of the tour. Kalpeni is a similar island with plenty of coconut trees.  A peculiar feature of Kalpeni is coral debris along its beaches. It is believed that a violent storm in 1847 threw up huge coral boulders along these shores. Water sports are best enjoyed here. Kayaking in the silent waters was most memorable. We again ventured into snorkeling to see the coral life underneath the sea. The resort at Kapleni has excellent facilities for water sports. Boating, kayaking, snorkeling, wind-surfing and other water sports are arranged here for tourists.

A small light house here offers breath taking view of the island from the top.

There is a hosiery unit in Kalpeni island where T-shirts are sold. A good buy to keep Laksadweep memories alive. This is the only place where tourists can buy anything. There are only a few tiny provision stores in the island. Lakshadweep offers only non-commercial tourism. Even if you want to spend, there is no way to spend. Liquor is strictly prohibited in the islands as well as on board the ship.

It was time to say good bye to the virgin coral islands of Lakshadweep in the evening as we got back to the ship and sailed towards Cochin.

Only MTNL and BSNL mobile networks have connectivity here. So, say goodbye to mobile calls, internet and facebook when you are at Lakshadweep.

Corals at the beach

What to do: Crystal clear blue waters can be seen only in Lakshadweep in India. The place is a heaven for coral lovers and under water sea life. White sands with coconut trees will challenge landscape photographers. There are no shops and restaurants in Lakshadweep. So, forget shopping !

Best time to visit: October to mid February is the ideal time to visit Lakshadweep as the winter weather is pleasant. The summer is very hot here. Ships do not sail during the monsoon.

How to get there: SPORTS (Society for Promotion of Nature Tourism and Sports) arranges package tours originating from Cochin port by ship. There are flights from Cochin to Lakshadweep. But, travel by ship is strongly recommended to view the beauty of the islands at sea.