Lakshadweep

Lakshadweep is a group of islands situated off India's west coast, in the Arabian sea. They are India's only Coral Islands.

Cities

• Kavaratti
• Minicoy

Culture and History

Lakshadweep (Formerly called LACADIVES) is India's smallest union territory. The name literally means "a hundred thousand islands" in Sanskrit (laksha = lakh, hundred thousand. dweep = island) It has ten inhabited islands, 17 uninhabited islands attached islets, four newly formed islets and 5 submerged reefs [1]. The inhabited islands are

• Kavaratti
• Agatti
• Amini
• Kadmat
• Kiltan
• Chetlat
• Bitra
• Andrott
• Kalpeni
• Minicoy

Talk

The people of the islands are ethnically similar to the people of the Kerala coast of India and are of mixed Indian and Arab descent. They speak a dialect of Malayalam except in Minicoy where “Mahl” a form of Divehi is spoken.

Travel to Lakshadweep - Visa Requirements

Getting to Lakshadweep , requires special permit and its worth referring to the official website for information from time to time, http://lakshadweep.nic.in/

By Ship:

• Take a ship from Kochi (Cochin). Takes approx. 24 hours
• Take a Cruise from Mumbai for visiting some of the islands in Lakshadweep

By Air: Indian Airlines flies from Kochi and Goa. Kochi flights are daily (except Sunday) and Goa flights are twice a week. Flights land at Agatti island which is the only airport in the Lakshadweep. Kingfisher airlines also flies from Kochi to Agatti on Mon / Tue / Thu / Sat / Sun. The same flight continues to Bangalore which provides international connectivity.

Tours and Getting around Lakshadweep

By boats/ferries: These can be used for getting around from one island to the other

Once on an island, there arent' too many options. You can travel by foot or hire a bicycle.

Lakshadweep tourist attractions and sightseeing

Itineraries

Lakshadweep city tours

There are basic leisure tours and Sea/Lagoon based tours. There are plenty of opportunities for Scuba diving, Yachting, Pedal boating, Kayaking, Canoeing, Swimming, Snorkeling and sunbathing. One may also visit local houses, Marine museum, Lighthouse and a few local industries.

Lakshadweep Restaurants: cheap, moderate and expensive

Spiced coconut-rich Vegetarian & Halal Non vegetarian food. The Non vegetarian food mainly consists of curried, fried and barbecued fish.

Lakshadweep nightlife, bars, clubs and pubs

Tap water here is through bore wells and a bit hard. Rainwater harvested during the rainy season is the major source of drinking water. Non availability of drinking water accounts for a number of islands being uninhabited.

Stay safe

Consumption of alcoholic beverages is prohibited in all islands except Bangaram. Picking up Corals is a punishable crime.

Get out

This page was last edited by Colin Jensen. Based on work by Amit Mehrotra, T.V.Srihari, Eric Chord, Ravikiran Rao and Benji, Wikitravel user(s) Cacahuate and Anonymous user(s) of Wikitravel. - Content on this page is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 1.0 license