It's that time of the year. The rains are on their last stretch, and temperatures will soon begin to fall on the Celsius scale. When there's a nip in the air, one must head out to a beach destination, relax in the sun and sand. We recommend a holiday in Lakshadweep, India's smallest Union Territory. The coral islands of Lakshadweep, which consist of a set of islands strewn across the Arabian Sea, appear to be places which man and nature have conspired to keep more or less pristine. The name means "100,000 islands" in Malayalam. Minicoy and the Amindivi group are the main islands in the area. Here is a guide to the stunning islands of Lakshwadeep.
Each island boasts a magnificent lagoon and coral reef with striking marine life. You can swim, snorkel, or dive. Agatti is one of the most beautiful isles in Lakshadweep: milky white sands on the beach and turquoise waters with multicoloured fish. The coconut and palm groves and a reef complete the picture. Agatti also has Lakshadweep’s only airport, which must be among the tiniest in the world.
Things To See And Do In Agatti
Walk along the eastern beach for brilliant white coral of all shapes and sizes. In the shimmering waters, there are schools of colourful fish, live coral, sea anemone, starfish, and sea cucumbers. The easiest way to access this amazing world is to snorkel around the reefs or take a glass-bottomed boat ride.
Golden Jubilee Museum
This simple museum houses a model of a traditional Minicoy sailboat, and a room full of jars and wooden chests recovered from islands and a few shipwrecks. On the ground floor are two busts of the Buddha (dated between 9th and 12th centuries CE), found on Androth Island.
Mohiyudeen Mosque
Visit the oldest mosque on the island, built in the 16th century in the style of a Malabar temple, with red Mangalore tiles. A stone panel with Arabic lettering decorates its front cornice.
Bangaram and its satellite islands of Thinakkara lie 5 to 6 nautical miles north-east of Agatti. The beautiful lagoon offers calm waters in all seasons and the extraordinary variety of underwater life along the coral reefs attracts divers from around the world.
Things To See And Do In Bangaram
On the sandbars, crabs swarm out of tiny pinholes or larger hideouts with an alarming mound of sand heaped close by. Striped orange crabs hunch their bodies high. A walk in the shallows at low tide gives a more prickly experience of the lagoon. For divers and snorkellers, there is live coral: branch coral tipped with fluorescent blue or lumps stained in patches of red, bread-like growths, brain coral and table coral.
Kavaratti, the administrative centre of the Lakshadweep Union Territory, is a busy place. People are everywhere. In the sea, on the land, in boats, working on the off-shore water pipeline, on the jetty, and on the trees. Unlike other islands, Kavaratti’s shore is an apology for a beach. Narrow, busy, and littered with waste, it almost spoils the beauty of the magnificent lagoon, which is home to starfish, anemones, and sea cucumbers.
Things To See And Do In Kavaratti
Take off to the north towards the Lakshadweep Diving Academy. The Professional Association of Diving Instructors or PADI is the largest leisure-diving organisation in the world and has certified millions of divers worldwide. They have a range of programmes from beginners’ to advanced.
The museum-cum-aquarium here has different varieties of shells, including the cowries once used as money across the Indian Ocean, amazing corals and many, many species of fish.
Minicoy was annexed by the British in 1908 and became a part of the Indian Union in 1956, but the people here speak a different language (Mahl), write in religious sonnets (Thana script), and dress like the Maldivians (in long toga-like capes). This beautiful crescent-shaped island is the southernmost island in the Lakshadweep Sea.
Things To See And Do In Minicoy
The magnificent lagoon includes a secluded beach complete with a lake surrounded by the only clump of mangroves on the Lakshadweep Islands. A walk through the villages is rewarding, particularly nearer the shore, where one can admire the colourfully painted houses. Look for an old sundial near Aloodi village. Built in 1885 during the British regime, the Minicoy lighthouse here offers unparalleled views at the southern end of the island. The structure is 49.5 metres tall, and has a range of 40 nautical miles.
Unknown and unexplored till the 18th century, Kadmat served as a fishing outpost for the villagers of neighbouring Amini Island, who’d explore its waters during the monsoons, when fishing in the sea became dangerous. To its west lies a large bewitching lagoon and to its east, a rich coral outcrop.
Things To See And Do In Kadmat
The island is ideal for swimming and spending lazy, uninhibited hours of pleasure. Elsewhere on the island, life goes on as usual. There are coconuts to be picked and dried, fish to be caught and coir to be soaked, dried and turned into rope.
Lakshwadeep has several options for accommodation, including budget and luxury. Here are a few to consider.
Bangaram Island Resort offers AC and non-AC rooms, a restaurant, and access to various water sports.
Minicoy Resort is a government-run resort on the island's southern tip, near the lighthouse. Every cottage features an open-air bathroom with coral-tiled floors.
Kadmat Island Beach Resort offers sea-facing rooms in whitewashed villas with panoramic views of the sea.
Kochi in Kerala is the gateway to Lakshadweep. The islands can be reached by ships. Agatti and Bangaram islands can be reached by flight from Kochi.