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India Tours - Lakshadweep Island Tours

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"Kerala" - Welcome to God's Own Country Lakshadweep is the smallest union territory of India. The name of the archipelago literally translates as "hundred thousand islands" (laksha = "one hundred thousand", dweep = "island"). Geographically similar to that other divers' haunt, Lakshadweep is like the Maldives without the crowds. Situated in the Arabian Sea, 400 kilometers off the coast of Kerala, consists of 12 Coral Atolls, 3 Coral Reefs, 5 banks, and numerous islets The total land area of the territory is 32 km². Eleven of the islands are inhabited. Lakshadweep is the northern part of the erstwhile Old Lakshadweepa.   Unique Feature: "Lakshadweep is the only coral reef island in India with rich flora and fauna. Great tourist destination for Water sports, Fishing etc. Virgin, Fragile eco-system. A unique and quiet getaway destination." The word Atoll comes from the Dhivehi (an Indo-Aryan language spoken on the Maldive Islands) word atholhu. The term was popularized by "Charles Darwin"  who described atolls as a subset in a special class of islands, the unique property of which is the presence of an organic reef.   Atoll: "An Atoll is a type of low, coral island found in tropical oceans and consisting of a coral-algal reef surrounding a central depression. The depression may be part of the emergent island, but more typically is a part of the sea (that is, a lagoon), or very rarely is an enclosed body of fresh, brackish, or highly salinated water.."

History:

There are many different theories about how the Lakshadweep Islands were formed. The most prominent and accepted one among them is given by the famous English evolutionist, Sir Charles Darwin in 1842. He was of the opinion that below the reefs in the base of these islands is a volcanic formation. Over this formation the corals get settled and get formed in the shape of fringing reefs. Further they get turned into barrier reefs and afterwards atolls because of geological submersion of the volcanic base.

Islam made inroads into local Lakshadweep culture sometime in the 7th century. St. Ubaidulla of Mecca, after he dreamt that prophet Mohammed wants him to visit Jeddah, took a ship and traveled to distant places. On his journey, he sailed near the small islands of Lakshadweep and his ship was wrecked by a storm. He saved his life by floating on a plank. He spend his night ashore the Amini Island. Afterwards, he stayed here and began to propagate Islam in these islands.

According to legends, people in small settlements began to line in the islands of Kavaratti, Amini, Andrott and Kalpeni. Later they moved on to the other islands of Agatti, Chetlat, Kiltan and Kadmat.

Demographics:

The people of the islands speak a dialect of Malayalam. It is a folk belief that they are descendants of traders who where washed up on the islands during a particularly heavy storm.

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, except on the southernmost and largest island, Minicoy, where people closely resemble Maldivians, speak Mahl, a language closely related to Dhivehi (Maldivian) which could even be a dialect. 93% of the indigenous population is Muslim and were converted by the Arab traders. The locals call themselves the Div-i or the Amadivi (from the mother island).

Festivals of Lakshadweep Islands:

Majority of the people are Muslims. Hence most of the Muslim festivals like Muharam, Id-ul-Fither etc are usually celebrated at the islands and they are most colorful and enthusiastic.

Traditional folk dances of the islands are performed by local men. Performances are available on request.

Shopping in Lakshadweep Islands:

Most items of food supplies, rice, vegetables, tinned food etc. as well as a whole range of consumer goods have to be transported, at some pains, from Kerala. Hence the few shops that do exist cater very specifically to the everyday needs of the locals. Good brands of toiletries and cigarettes are available on major islands. Books and periodicals in any language other than Malayalam are difficult to find but inhabited islands have excellent libraries. Biscuits, tinned milk and similar provisions are not difficult to find.

Locally made handicrafts are plenty in all the resorts. Craft works of seashells, coconut shells etc are available here. Most of the cases tourists are depending the city of Cochin, on the main land, for shopping.

What to Pack when going to Lakshadweep Islands:

Lakshadweep has a tropical climate, with summer temperatures ranging from 35^oC to 22^oC and winter temperature between 32^oC  to 20^oC . Northeast monsoon is felt in October-November in the form of light transitory showers which cool the place. You can carry

• Sunscreen with high SPF (Sun Protection Factor)

• Sunglasses

• Hat or Cap for shade from the sun

• Light Cotton Clothes

What to Wear in Lakshadweep Islands:

As the local Islanders are very conservative, while being in the public one should be very formal in dressing. Nudity is strictly prohibited here in the beaches. Tropical clothes throughout the year are sufficient. A waterproof coat during October- November will be useful.

Entry Formalities to Lakshadweep Islands:

Indians:

All visitors to Lakshadweep require entry permits from Lakshadweep administration. Out of 10 inhabited island only 4 islands viz., Kalpani, Kavaratti, Minicoy, and Kadmat have been opened for domestic tourists and SPORTS, a wing of Lakshadweep Administration is organizing package tours by ship covering the above 4 islands from September to May every year and suspended during the monsoon period.

Foreign Tourists:

Foreign tourists are allowed to visit Bangaram island and Kadmat island only. There are dive centers on both these islands. They are not permitted to visit any other islands in Lakshadweep. 

Permits For Bangaram: All foreigners need to send their names, nationality, date of birth, passport number, date of issue and expiry to the resort. The resort at Bangaram will obtain the permits through the Lakshadweep Administration. A minimum of 3 days is required for this.

Permits For Kadmat: 6 photographs along with the first and last three pages of your current passport have to be submitted to the office of the dive center. Permission for Kadmat comes from the Home Minstry via Lakshadweep Administration. Please allow 4 to 6 weeks for this process.

Activities / Water Sports :

Apart from the usual sunbath and surfing, many marine activities are possible in Lakshadweep Islands. The local fishermen provide sunrise and sun set cruises in fishing boats. The boat cruises for deep-sea angling, on the country raft is very popular here. The visit of colorful villages and lagoons are totally novel experiences to the visitors.

The major activities here are diving, scuba diving, wind surfing, snorkeling, yachting etc. Surfboards and boogie boards can also be hired from the resorts. There are two diving centers in the islands in Bangaram Island and in the Kadmat Island. No dives are permitted below 35 m. The resorts provide the equipments for marine activities. Although only the Katmat and Bangaram isles are permitted for foreigners fortunately both are blessed with beautiful coral reef.

High quality equipment of international standards has been imported for the Kadmat Institute of Water Sports. This includes snorkels, glass- bottomed boats, rowing and motor boats, equipment for wind surfing, scuba diving, Para sailing and water skiing. Water sports facilities like kayaking, sailing, paddle boats, inflatable motor boats, glass - bottom boats and water skiing are available in the islands of Kavaratti, Kalpeni, Kadmath and Minicoy. 

The Agatti Island beach resort is also have a clean beach and also restricted only for its own residents.