Travel in the Beaches of Lakshadweep Islands

We thought that a place like Lakshadweep deserved a special space on our blog. It was a mental break as well as a physical one and a mini trip within our travel through India. We will tell you the days that we lived in this paradise with special attention hoping to be able to clearly convey our feelings. Tourists can choose to stay in a couple of very luxurious and very expensive resorts in Agatti or Bangaram. There are also packages that the travel agencies make available for the Minicoy or Kavaratti island.

Day 1 - Arabian Sea

We felt a strange sensation in the morning before leaving the hostel in Fort Cochin. It was a mixture of emotions. Of course, we were also quite excited. We felt that we were heading towards a destination dreamed of by many people, a pristine place where we could reset our minds and then return home!

At about 9 o'clock we visit the tourism agency that takes care of our travel to Lakshadweep. We get the instructions, pay and know the place of boarding. While waiting for the ship we met an Austrian girl, traveling solo. In addition, there were a couple of old Finns, Danish girls, Romanians, a Polish, an Indian couple with daughter and a Colombian!

We got on the ship around 10 am and we sailed at half past one! Besides us, tourists the other people on the ship were all inhabitants of the island who go home after shopping or maybe just for a short holiday. Leaving the harbor we saw the first dolphins and at that precise moment, we understood that we would end up in a little corner of paradise.

Day 2 - Minicoy

20 hours later, this morning, we saw the first palm trees in the distance. Instead of dolphins, the giant turtles and an infinite number of flying fish welcome us. I have never seen anything like this. The landing maneuvers were slow and cumbersome. The ship obviously did not reach the island. It turned off the engines about 5 or 6 km away from the coast and small boats came to take us ashore.

We were the last to go down. On the boat, we had the feeling that they were taking us away from India to the Eden. It was very strange. Along the way, we have seen other turtles this time much closer, and the dark blue of the open sea has left gradually, to the turquoise lagoon. We were passing from crowded India to a cover of any magazine or brochure of a tour operator!

Arrived on the ground, we leave for our homestay, not exactly a resort. Seeing that it is not in a holiday village has raised our spirits! Our bungalow is about 15 steps from the sea water, a delight for our eyes! The place where we arrived is incredible, indescribable and simply divine.

The first thing we did was take off our backpacks and put on our beachwear and throw ourselves into the water. The day passed to the sign of total relaxation. Around midday, a guy approached proposing a kayak ride! Sure why not!

Then we went to a small island a few hundred meters from our beach towards the open sea. The idea was to snorkel from those parts where they say there are many live corals and different types of fish! The current, however, did not allow us to dive. So we landed on the small island a few square meters away.

We observed giant waves get infinitely small and disappear about 200 meters away from the shore. The coral reef brakes the sea, creating the fantastic lagoon that we have before our homestay! After the little island, they took us to the open sea and they made us snorkel at a point where the current was much calmer.

For about two hours we swim between corals and fish seen only on television. It was the first time for us. We discovered a completely new world that literally left us speechless. Although the means at our disposal were not the best our first time under the water was truly memorable!

We row until 2. Then they came to call for lunch. In the afternoon, we asked for and got some masks and fins, and we headed a few hundred meters away from our bungalows to try and do some snorkeling. Unfortunately, the attempt was only half successful as the current on that side of the island is quite strong.

While disconsolate we headed back to the calm beach in front of our homes. The guys offered us a boat ride proposing to go and do snorkeling in a better place where there should have been a quieter sea! Obviously, we accepted.

We were half an hour sitting under the sun in the cockpit with the engine that did not want to start! Then the two guys started to screw on and they clearly combined some damage. The fact is that the boat has begun to move and slowly we headed towards the open sea. The water is very low. Shortly after the engine stopped as expected we threw ourselves into the water and enjoyed a couple of hours in the indescribable sea.

In the late afternoon, the owner of our guest house took us on a tour of the island! We moved away from the area to the other side of the island. The town is like one of the many that we saw here in India, nothing particularly interesting. There are many mosques and many women who walk through the streets of the villages! The men were almost all out in the open sea to fish for tuna.

We ended the tour of the island with a visit to the lighthouse. After climbing the 200 steps we could enjoy all the splendor of Minicoy. Upon returning from our excursion, obviously, we dived into the water. The sea does not seem to let us go out. We spend endless hours between turtles and manta rays! We are really resting. Our choice to come and relax was really apt!

The evening is spent in absolute calm. We have a good dinner with tuna served with a simple slice of lemon on a banana leaf plate and various vegetables. We spent a couple of hours on the seashore to watch crabs and other animals of course! We cannot ask for anything better.

Day 3 - Bangaram

Like a child at Christmas time, who wakes up at dawn to open the presents, we too woke up very early today. We walked the 15 meters that separate us from the sea and we admired an amazing dawn! As the sun rose the lagoon took color. We see all the shades of blue. Today was our day of visiting the villages of the island.

At about 8:30 we have the breakfast with delicious omelets served at the beach cafe! The day is dedicated to an adventurous trip in a small turboprop. We move to Agatti in less than half an hour flight in the Arabian Sea! In Agatti, an exciting and fun helicopter flight awaits us to reach Bangaram.

We pass through the Suheli Par atoll protected by a great barrier reef. The separation between the blue and turquoise waters is superb. We arrive back in the evening when the sun is setting. So much is the desire for the sea that we do not deny a dip in the clear and calm waters of the lagoon within the coral reef that surrounds the island.

We spent the remaining part of the day lazing on the beach. I went away to take some pictures. Obviously, I started to investigate here and there, talking to all those who stopped me to ask me where I came from! I found the local market selling fish!

Towards the sunset we see some couples rowing perhaps in their honeymoon. However, the day was beautiful. In the evening we see the owner preparing a barbecue. Around 6:45 pm folding tables and chairs were installed on the corridor at the end of the kitchen.

The meat is roasted, and the cook is about to cut it. One guy brings the drinks as some Indian pop music starts playing. To complete, there are various meat and fish dishes to grill ourselves on the embers. A large pot of rice completes this treat. After the chocolate cake, some guests retire. We stay there until 1am. The evening was very successful. We are happy to be together. As we were tired we fall asleep soon!

Day 4 - Laccadive Sea

We would not like to tell you about the last day. Or rather we would like that the last day did not exist. But all the beautiful things end quickly and even our mini vacation at Lakshadweep is over today. We spent the last morning on the island snorkeling not far from the coast. We see corals, a thousand varieties of fish, and turtles. Nothing was missing from the appeal. It was perhaps the most beautiful and satisfying exit we have made here at Minicoy.

This makes our departure even more painful. We had the opportunity to change our ticket and stay another two days. But it would not have been correct. The journey back home must continue. We want to continue to discover this land. Our holiday was among the most beautiful things we have done up to now.

But a vacation is not a journey, and we have come here to travel. This belief of ours also helps us to overcome the sadness of farewell. I hate getting away from a place like this. Today, however, with thirty years on my shoulders I cannot cry. But I assure you that I had the desire. There are places that steal your heart, and Minicoy has done this to me.

A sense of nostalgia grips my minds! I do not know if I'll be back. I do not know until my memories are so clear that I can go back to dreaming of these magical places! We are on the ship in silence, savoring the last moments of our island! We salute our Eden with the hope that the world can offer us other places like Minicoy in the future.

We really hope that in years to come it will be still possible to enjoy a place like Minicoy. We hope for you that there will not be only old photos to admire but that you can travel and enjoy the beauty of the world!