By road
~400 km off the Kerala coast; about 1.5 hours by air from Kochi
Arabian Sea islands, off Kerala · Lakshadweep
Lakshadweep
India's coral atolls, barely touched · ~400 km off the Kerala coast; about 1.5 hours by air from Kochi
Getting there
By rail
Not rail-connected; the mainland gateway is Kochi (Ernakulam)
By air
Agatti Aerodrome, the archipelago's only airport, reachable only from Kochi
Best time to visit
October to March — lagoon-flat seas
Don't miss
Agatti lagoon
Bangaram atoll
Kavaratti mosques and aquarium
Things to do
Lagoon snorkeling
Scuba
Glass-bottom boats
Island hopping
Where to eat
Sources: wikimedia, Photo: Lenish Namath · CC BY-SA 3.0
What to pack
Permits arranged ahead, reef-safe sunscreen, snorkel gear
A quieter corner
Kayaking a glowing lagoon at night off Bangaram
About Lakshadweep
- Island
Where it is
Lakshadweep is India's smallest union territory, an archipelago of 36 coral islands and atolls in the Arabian Sea some 220–440 km off the coast of Kerala, with Kavaratti as its capital.
History
The islands were settled by seafaring people from the Malabar coast, and Islam is traditionally said to have been brought by Ubaidullah in the 7th century. They were ruled from Kannur by the Kolathiri rajas and the Arakkal family, the northern Aminidivi group passed to Tipu Sultan in 1787 and to the British in 1799, and the islands became a union territory in 1956, taking the name Lakshadweep in 1973.
People
Most islanders speak Jeseri, a dialect of Malayalam, while on Minicoy people speak Dhivehi, the language of the Maldives. Fishing, especially for tuna, coconut growing and coir work are the main livelihoods; Kolkali and Parichakali are the best-known folk dances, and on Minicoy the Lava dance is the favourite.
Known for
- Coral atolls and turquoise lagoons
- Snorkelling and scuba diving
- Agatti and Bangaram islands
- Tuna fishing and coconut crafts
- The lighthouse on Minicoy
Did you know?
Lakshadweep means one hundred thousand islands in Sanskrit and Malayalam, yet the territory has only 36 islands, with a total land area of about 32 square kilometres.
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.