How to reach Lakshadweep – Complete Guide and Itinerary

Planning to visit a clear water island destination along with coral life? Then “Lakshadweep” is the perfect place to try out. Now let’s understand how to reach Lakshadweep clearly through this article.

Lakhadweep is an union territory of India with 36 small islands situated in Arabian Sea. Although all of the islands are not habituated, but you ca prioritise the following islands for a worthy visit.

1. Agatti Island
2. Minicoy island
3. Bangaram Island
4. Kalpeni Island
5. Kadmat Island
6. Kavaratti Island (Capital of Lakshadweep)

Ways to reach Lakshadweep

1. By Air
2. By Sea

1. By Air: Lakshadweep has only one Airport and that is ” Agatti Island (AGX)”. No matter from which part of India your Departure Aiport is, there are no direct flights except from “Cochin International Airport (COK)”, Ernakulam, Kerala.

So make sure to fly to COK Airport firstly, to reach “Lakshadweep” hasslefree.

Even if you travel by air, you still are supposed to have a “Permit” to enter “Lakshadweep”. For which there are tour agents to help you out and we will be discussing about it in the later part.

2. By Sea: There are 3 ways to reach the islands through the sea route, such as

• Samudram Package (Offered by Governement and all the permits are included)
• Cordelia Cruises Package ( Departs from Goa )
• LakPort Ship ( for a self planned trip)

1) Samudram Package

( Permit Included)

This is a 5 day trip to Lakshadweep offered by the Government, departure from Kochi.

In this Trip, 3 Islands will be covered such as 1) Minicoy Island 2) Kavaratti Island and 3) Kalpeni Island

All the necessary Permits are provided by the Government itself for a hasslefree experience.

And this is a all inclusive package providing services such as accomodation on Ship, food, transportation to the above 3 islands along with the option of paid water water activities such as Kayaking, Scuba diving etc.

You will be exploring the islands during the day and brought back to the ship for the night sleep and food.

Therer are 2 classes to choose from to book this package according to your comfort and budget. Check out the pricings by clicking this.

2) Cordellia Cruise (Permit Included)

This trip is a luxury cruise package starting from the ports of “Mumbai”, “Goa” and “Kochi”.

Although you get to spend only 1 day in the Agatti island of “Lakshadweep”, the ultra lavish experience makes it worthy.

Talking of lavishness, this cruise has 11 floors with all the modern amenities such as pools, bars, gym, theatre, auditorium, restaurants, showrooms, spa, salons and much more to explore.

There are different kind of packages for different departure destinations, which will include accomodation, all the meals at food court, all the public venues on the Cruise, entertainment shows, access to Gym, Jacuzzi, Pools, Casino and Travel Insurance in the package.

While the fee of Shore Excursion tour at “Lakshwadeep” is excluded from the package and need to be done seperately on the Cruise or at the time of booking.

Permit is included for only those book “Shore Excursion tour”.

There are 4 classes in this cruise such as

1. Interior
2. Ocean View
3. Suite
4. Chairman’s suite

Pricings will vary depending upon the class and Departing port chosen by you. For proper view of pricing click here to check out.

3)Through a Public Ship (Permit not included)

This has to be the most affordable way to “Lakshadweep”, as there are 4 classes in this ship and the price from Kochi to Kavaratti starts from INR 1500/- in the bunk bed class.

But this Ships are not operated daily as they follow a schedule and they depart from Kochi and Mangalore only. This is an ideal trip only if you are a solo traveller as the ships get cancelled often due to weather.

The permit is not included with the tickets, so it is on you to get a permit before boarding the Ship.

For all the schedules of these ships and for the booking tickets click here to check out.

How to get the Permit to enter Lakshadweep

Although Lakshadweep is a part of India, you still are supposed to obtain a permit to enter the Islands.

There are 3 Ways to get this permit, such as

1. Through offline office of “Sports” in Kochi
2. Through online portal
3. By Tour Agents (Recommended as Permit requires an invitation letter from the residents)

Regardless of which method you have opted, you will be required to get a “Police Clearance Certificate” to get the Permit.

Different kind of Permits are required depending upon the Islands you choose to enter, make sure to convey your itinerary properly with the Tour Agents to get the all required Permits, if you are going on your own.

If you have opted for the Samudram Package, Cordellia Cruise or any other Package by Tour Agents, then all these Permits will be included in the Package itself.

Lakshadweep Itinerary

4 to 5 days are necessary to explore the beauty of Lakshwadeep Islands.

Day 1 – Agatti Island

If you are coming by Flight, then you would be reaching Agatti by noon. You could Check In to your hotel and explore the crystal clear beaches on your first day.

Day 2 – Kalpatti Island

On the second day you can do the water activities such as Snorkelling, Scuba Diving etc on this Island itself and head to “Kalpatti Island” (15 mins away from Agatti) in the evening for a magical sunset.

Day 3 – Bangaram Island

Today you could go to “Bangaram Island” through a private ferry as this Island is one of the top attractions of Lakshadweep. And it is completely owned by Government and has a resort.

This is the only Island where you could find Alcohol in the whole Lakshadweep Islands.

Explore this island and dont forget to visit Bangaram beach during night as you could probably encounter the very rare Plankton that glows in blue colour otherwise known as “Bioluminiscent” for a once in a lifetime experience.

Day 4 – Return back or explore Minicoy Island

Head back to Agatti Island so that could return back to Kochi for getting back to your hometown.

Or else you could visit the popular islands such as ” Minicoy Island’, “Kadmat Island” etc through a priavte ferry or through your travel agent’s package if you have booked one.

This is the proper Itinerary if you wanna explore Lakshadweep on your own/package without any hassle.

Additional Information

Suppose if you have booked the “Samudram Package” then they will guide you according to their own itinerary and schedules as it as a 5 day trip to 3 Islands.

If you have chosen the “Cordellia Cruise” then they will let you explore only a single Island (Agatti) of Lakshadweep for a day.

Or if you are going through a public Ship then you can explore the islands at your own pace, although it is a bit complicated due to the necessary permits for each Island and Ship schedules.

Weather Conditions

Note that transportation to Lakshadweep, especially by sea, may be subject to weather conditions. It is essential to check the weather forecast and travel advisories before planning your trip.

Conclusion

Reaching Lakshadweep might be a bit complicated as it requires a lot of planning and permits, but it is definitely worth it as “Lakshadweep” has got some hidden gems.

And some incredibly beautiful turquoise beaches and corals along with some of the adrenalline rush infused water activities.