Lakshadweep Travelogue

This is about ‘Samudram’ trip organised by SPORTS (http://www.lakshadweeptourism.com). It is 5 day trip onboard MV Kavaratti to three islands - Minicoy, Kalpeni and Kavaratti. The trip starts and ends at Kochi. The stay is onboard MS Kavaratti. You visit the island during the daytime and the ship sails to next destination while you comfortably sleep in your cabin.

Day 1: Landing at Kochi

This trip is about nature and it starts on interesting note - Kochi airport is the world's first international airport which is fully powered by clean solar energy. The lush greenery of Kerala is evident even before you land. It is a treat to watch the green landscape around the airport from the air - so please opt for a window seat.  

Be sure to know the address of your hotel in advance and explain it well to the pre paid taxi counter in the airport. Taxis are nice with chauffeurs in gleaming white ‘mundus’. The solar array farm in the airport campus can be seen as you drive off the airport. It is a good reminder to everyone that clean energy can be made a reality  - even in large scale. This was acknowledged during COP21 in Paris - http://cop21.org/1st-airport-in-the-world-to-go-solar-is-in-india/.

While prepping up for onward ship journey to Lakshadweep, Kochi is beautiful place to explore. Fort Kochi with its chinese fishing nets and seafood outlets is a favorite among international tourists. Fusion Bay (https://www.zomato.com/kochi/fusion-bay-fort-kochi)  is one such place where we went again and again. The beach at Fort Koch is dirty but the sunset is worth the wait. Synagog in Kochi is a standing testimony to the tolerance of the Hindu kings of Kerala which can be visited in Jew Town, it is open only till 5 pm so plan accordingly. 

Lulu mall is an expensive place to hang around in Kochi but the ice skating rink is a unique feature here. Kids love it. It takes one half an hour session to get the hang of it. Other activities for kids are also nice. Galito’s chicken are worth a try. 

Sunset at Fort Kochi - Welcoming the ships

Chinese Fishing Nets at Fort Kochi

Approaching ships at Fort Kochi

Day 2 : Boarding MV Kavaratti

Boarding time must be confirmed a day or two prior to the day of journey. As for any travel, travel light but must carry these:-

• Extra change of innerwear.
• Raincoat / umbrella.
• Swim wear that dries fast. 
• Waterproof sunscreen, if you are worried about your complexion.
• Sunglasses.
• Snacks and munchies.
• BSNL mobile.
• Hangers.
• Small Lock for cupboard.
• Binoculars.
• Medicines

Reach for boarding at Lakshadweep Ship’s Passenger Terminal at Wellingdon Island.

MV Kavaratti

The SPORTS counter is in the first floor. They provide tickets, badges and complimentary t-shirts and caps. Don't forget to take tags for your luggage. Note the cabin number allotted and match it with what is written on the luggage tags. The heavy luggage will go separately from the the passenger terminal to the ship and a bus will take the passengers with only handbags to the ship separately. The bus, unlike the cabin, will NOT be air conditioned. So be prepared for the sweaty 10 min journey. Though it may take longer to start!  Board the ship and find your cabin, explore the decks and take pictures everywhere as per the tourist ‘dharma’. 

All announcements in the ship will be for ‘tourists’ and ‘passengers’ separately. The buffet lunch for tourists will be laid out after the lunch for passengers are over. Pl listen to the announcement clearly. There will be a tourist manager onboard the ship. He will brief everyone about the subsequent program for next three days. Pl note his cabin number. 

Cabins in the ship are small but air conditioned. The attached bathroom is also small but neat and clean. Hot water is available in tap and shower. The cupboard doesn't have shelves, so pl carry hangers. Bunk beds are spacious and comfortable. There are charging points for phone and camera. The cabins cannot be locked so keep your luggage lockable so that once you leave for the island you don’t have to worry about the things left in the cabin. You can lock the cupboard if you have a spare small lock. 

Phones will work for only an hour more in the sea, thereafter, there won't be any coverage. In the island that will be visited BSNL is available everywhere so it is prudent to have a mobile phone with BSNL connection. Else, enjoy the bliss of being out of coverage! I wish SPORTS open STD booths in each of their resorts. Though the resort managers are extremely helpful and even offer their own mobile to call home if you are in need. 

The ship will set sail at about 3 pm and it is good time to be at the deck and be on the lookout for an opportunity to catch sight of a dolphin or flying fish!! Be sure to wear sunglasses, sunscreen and caps while on the deck. Sun will be hot even in winters. Dinners on board the ship will commence about 7pm. Rest of the time can be spent on deck, entertainment room or just catching up some sleep in the cabin. 

You may feel slight seasick during the first night on the ship. So keep some medicines with you. The ship is also equipped with a clinic and a doctor. You eventually get used to the swaying of ship and later you even start enjoying it. 

Sunset at Arabian Sea

Day 3: Minicoy 

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minicoy)

Being the first stop this may be the most exhilarating experience on the island. But for those who have not travelled onboard a ship, there awaits a boat ride. The ship anchors quite far from the island and it takes about 20 min boat ride from the ship to the shore. For the first timers boarding the boat using the embarkation door of the ship is an experience in itself, especially if the sea is rough. Every tourist is asked to put on life jacket and strap it properly before disembarking the ship. This happens at about 8am and therefore the breakfast time on board the ship is from 7 to 7:30 am. They are punctual about closing the dining hall so it is a must to be in time. And yes, there is a morning tea at 6:30 am also. No, it is not served in the room. 

If the weather is adventurous, you might be welcomed by welcome shower while on boat. There wont be any place to hide so please be prepared to be wet or have an umbrella / raincoat ready. Lakshadweep receives little rains during the winter, but climate is changing and you never know. Welcome rain and a welcome rainbow can make the trip even more memorable. 

The trip from the jetty of Minicoy island to the historic lighthouse starts on open vehicles - interesting again. 

Lighthouse of Minicoy was built in 1885, it is 162 feet high and is accessible to tourists who are willing to climb its over 200 winding steps. It is a beautiful view from the observation deck on top. Of course there is a complimentary tender coconut water for all before going up the lighthouse. Everyone leaves for the resort from the lighthouse.

The resort is made on the beautiful serene sandy beach of minicoy with transparent water. Kayaking is complimentary, scuba diving and snorkeling is also available on payment. A sumptuous buffet lunch at the resort is also part of the package. One can relax on the beach, swim in the shallow water of the lagoon or do many of the other activities possible there …. 
You may like to keep a bench or a chair for yourself if you reach the beach early.

Late afternoon there is an opportunity to visit the village and have tea with them with some local snacks and then back to ship before the day ends. A fun filled day at the beach may not leave you with much energy other than having a nice shower and dinner. The sunset can be breathtaking at times, so you might like to check up on the deck. 

There is a small snacks outlet onboard the ship which opens only for a short while once tourists are back on the ship. One can buy soft drink, tea coffee etc from there. But it is open for a very short while. So be on the lookout.

Early to bed is a good advice here because the next day also start early and disembarking at the next destination - kalpeni will start immediately after breakfast i.e. at 7:30 am. 

Rain clouds following our ship

Blessings from the heavens on Minicoy 

Welcome rains and rainbow at Minicoy

Serenity at Minicoy

A wild fruit - can you name it?

Anchored

Day 4 : Kalpeni  

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalpeni)

In Kalpeni you are taken straight to the resort with lots of shade and beach. There are a couple of smaller islands very close to this beach. One of them is the actual destination for the complimentary snorkeling. It is a five minute boat ride to this island where there is little space to change and wash so it is advisable to change in swimwear before coming to this island. One can leave the backpacks etc in the resort and come here for kayaking and snorkeling. 

It is surprising to see corals and other aquatic life so close to the beach. I wish I had a waterproof camera cover for my DSLR. The marine life is beautiful. SPORTS has limited number of snorkeling sets, so get there fast and finish it in time so that others can also enjoy this natural marvel. One can come back to the resort after the activities, have a fresh water shower and enjoy lunch. Those interested in scuba diving can do that on payment separately. 

Locals perform some dances in the resort before you are taken for visit to the coconut factory where they extract coconut oil. And then back to the ship. 

Island for water sports at Kalpeni

Locals at Kalpeni

Roughing it out at sea

Sunset at Kalpeni

 Kalpeni - The light

Day 5:  Kavaratti 

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kavaratti)

Kavaratti is the administrative capital of the Union Territory of Lakshadweep. It is the largest island. The resort here is next to the jetty and everyone can walk down to it. Beautiful stretch of sandy beach and serene sea. The resort here offers a glass bottom boat ride which is good for those who could not do snorkeling and scuba diving. They also offer snorkeling and scuba diving on payment. They have a full fledged scuba diving academy at Kavaratti. They take you to the coral reef wall where you can see the wall like structure under the sea where the reef starts. There is also a tour through the narrow roads of Kavaratti to Fisheries museum which houses specimens of various aquatic life and a skeleton of Sperm Whale. 

Coral and marine life at Kavaratti 

Coral and marine life at Kavaratti

Coral and marine life at Kavaratti

Coral and marine life at Kavaratti

Coral and marine life at Kavaratti 

Coral and marine life at Kavaratti

Feeding friendly fishes

Beach at Kavaratti

Resort at Kavaratti

Goodbye Lakshadweep - Lighthouse bidding farewell

Day 6:  Back to Kochi

On its way to Kochi you can enjoy beautiful sunrise, and if lucky a few glimpse of dolphins or flying fish. There are floating buoys on the way to Kochi which are often used as perchings by the birds. Entering Kochi harbour is also a beautiful sight, so don't forget to be on the deck. As you approach Kochi you will see other vessels … don't forget to wave them ;-)

The ship reaches Kochi by about 9 am on the last day. After a memorable trip some advice to be have a comfortable departure. The farewell by the SPORTS leaves much to desired. There are no announcements about what to do once the ship has docked. When should the tourists disembark the ship. You will be asked to keep the heavy pieces of luggage out of the room with their tags on. Once the ship reaches the harbour luggage is separately taken out. The tourists once disembarks the ship are taken to a place just outside the wharf where there are number of autos (tuktuk) and taxis lines up with exorbitant prices to take everyone wants to go. There is no possibility of bargaining so it is prudent to use services of online taxi like -http://www.taxio.in. As per the tour plan provided by the SPORTS, the ship may get delayed to reach Kochi if there is bad weather, so have enough margin for your next leg of itinerary. 

A flying fish

Welcome back to Kochi

Dolphin 

Fishing off Kochi

Kochi skyline

More information about this and other package tours can be found out at - http://www.lakshadweeptourism.com/tourpackages.html. The advices given here are based on my personal experience and may differ from person to person. SPORTS may change the contents of the package in future. The booking for the trip was made in Aug for a trip in Nov, so one needs to plan well in advance. One may avoid dealing with private travel agents as we heard about tourists landing in difficulty with bogus tickets and unconfirmed reservations. SPORTS executives are responsive on email and accept NEFT. The people and numbers with whom we were in touch are as follows:-

For Booking & Information

Manager (Information & Booking)
SPORTS Lakshadweep Tourism
Lakshadweep Office
Willingdon Island
Kochi-682003
Land Phone: +91 484 2666789, +91 484 2668387
Mobile: 09495984001
Fax: +91 484 2668647
Email: laksports.reservation@gmail.com

Current contact details can be found at - http://www.lakshadweeptourism.com/contact.html

A memorable trip to Lakshadweep can be made more memorable if you are better prepared to enjoy it. Hope this blog helps you do that. Pl do share your pictures, stories and tips in the response.