Lakshadweep Islands - Paradise in the Indian Ocean

 

 

LAKSHADWEEP – PARADISE IN THE INDIAN OCEAN

The beautiful islands of Lakshadweep have suddenly come into prominence after Honourable PM Shri Narendra Modi posted photos and videos of the pristine sea shores and blue sea on his social media accounts Twitter YouTube

Suddenly there has been a frenzied interest in Lakshadweep ,  but the irony is that even though Lakashadweep is very much part of India since 1947, very few people had heard about it and a few actually thought that the islands are some foreign country!!

So where and what is Lakshadweep exactly ?  Read on to find out !!

Lakshadweep islands are actually an archipelago (group of islands) situated in the Arabian Sea about 400 kms west of the Kerala coastline. The name Lakshadweep means “Hundred Thousand Islands” in the Malayalam language and also in Sanskrit .The whole archipelago with about 36 islands is spread  out over an area of almost 20,000 sq km in the Arabian Sea. Even though this area is huge, individual island are quite small with the average breadth just 1.6 kms. Interesting thing is that most islands are uninhabited and only 10 of them are inhabited!! Namely Agatti, Amini, Andrott, Bitra, Chetlat, Kadmat, Kalpeni, Kavaratti, Kiltan and Minicoy. Kavaratti is the Administrative Headquarters of the Union Territory of Lakshadweep.  

Almost all the inhabited islands are coral atolls, What are atolls ? Find out here; Basically small  islands  surrounded by a ring of coral reefs and a lagoon (body of water).

 

Photos by Anuj Chauhan on Unsplash

 

The above Photos  look  like Maldives ? YES, these islands are similar to the ones in Maldives!! And why not, Maldives is only 700 kms to the west of the Lakshadweep islands and are geologically built quite similarly!!

How to Reach Lakshadweep ?

One can reach Lakshadweep via air or ship.

The airport is on Agatti island There are flights of Alliance Air from Kochi (flying time of just one and half hour)  and Bengaluru but the schedule is quite erratic. They have said that they will soon have two daily flights to Agatti from Kochi. New airline Fly91 has also announced that it will start flights from Goa’s Mopa airport to Agatti. The other islands can be accessed by short ferry rides from Agatti Island.

People who want a ship journey to these exotic islands, then there are the round trip packages by boat organized by the Lakshadweep Tourism; the most popular one is the 4 nights / 5 days itinerary by the ship M.V. Kavaratti that starts from Kochi and stops at the exotic islands of Minicoy,  Kavaratti and Kalpeni. The ships offer AC cabin accommodation of two types – two berth and four berth cabins. All meals are included in the package price. Days are spent on the islands  to do various water based leisure and sports activities, night stay on the ship. Bookings can be done online or The Lakshadweep Tourism Department has appointed GSAs  in various cities in India or Contact your favourite travel agent for booking of these trips. But please book much in advance as the trips get sold out very very fast!!

 

For the ardent sun and sea seekers, there are of course options to stay on a few islands – namely Minicoy, Kavaratti, Minicoy, but the most popular of them is the resort on Bangaram Island. You reach Bangaram by a short ferry ride from Agatti Island. The Bangaram Island Resort has 30 elegantly furnished AC huts built on the beach, added advantage being the numerous adventures like scuba diving, beach games, swimming, snorkelling and deep-sea fishing that one can while staying there!!.

There also lot of other resorts mainly on Agatti Island like the White Pearl Beach Resort, Turtle Nest Resort, Wundervoll Resort, and some others like Coral Paradise Beach Resort, Caroline Resort, Agatti Beach Resort, Se Shells Resort, White Paradise etc and one good resort on Kadmat Island , namely the  Kadmat Island Beach Resort  

Cordelia Cruises which is a 5 star cruise also has 3 / 4/ 5 nights itineraries that take you to Lakshadweep from Mumbai /Kochi / Goa. In their itineraries, the ship reaches Agatti Island  in the morning and you can take an optional shore excursion which takes you onto the island. Here you an enjoy a plethora of water sports like snorkeling, Kayaking, canoeing etc etc. You can also take trip around the island if that interests you. A special cultural show is also organized.

Which is the best time to visit ?

The Lakshadweep Islands have a typical  tropical climate with temperatures in summer from March to June going upto 33° C and not so cool winters with average minimum temperature a bearable 20° C. Like other parts of India, the monsoon season is from June to September bring plenty of rainfall to the islands. Best time to visit is of course from October to May. Light cotton tropical clothes are ideal throughout the year.

Why to go to Lakshadweep ?

Lakshadweep is relaxed, pristine, untouched, virgin, unhurried – an ideal location for a relaxed holiday. The shallow sea with a protected lagoon, crystal white beaches, plus the vast expanses of the shallow lagoons provide an ideal setting for water sports enthusiasts. A whole range of water sports can be done here.  All the islands with resorts offer kayaks, canoes, pedal boats, sail boats, wind surfers, snorkels sets,  glass-bottomed boats and other facilities to tourists who wish to indulge in water sports in the unpolluted lagoons. Kadmat, Kavaratti , Minicoy and Bangaram have facilities for scuba diving. Deep-sea fishing buffs can pursue big game fishing. Barracuda, Sail Fish, Yellow Fin Tuna, Triveli and sharks are abundant in the seas around Lakshadweep. Local boats with experienced crew can be hired.

For the adventure enthusiasts and scuba divers, you can explore three ship wrecks in the sea south of Minicoy Island. These wrecks are virtual underwater museums and fish species found here are larger than average normal size found else where perhaps due to consumption of Ferrous material leaching out of the shipwrecks!! Manta Ray can be seen in almost all dive sites along with  Sharks, bull rays, turtles, school of jacks, red snappers, black snappers, napoleon wrasse, barracuda, sweet lips.

Most importantly, you don’t need a passport to visit these exotic islands!!  Indian Nationals just need to apply for a permit to visit.

Even though currently the flight options are not so plenty, in the near future many airlines will have flights to Agatti . There will be many more hotel and resort options also with the Taj Group of hotels having announced two Greenfield hotel projects on Suheli and Kadmat islands. Soon other hotel groups will also follow suit in setting up resorts here.

So next time you want a beach holiday, don’t think of Maldives or Mauritius, but think of Lakshadweep!!

  AIRPORT LOUNGES  Are they really useful ?

Reached the airport much in advance, check in , immigration and security all cleared and then you realise that the boarding time of the flight is still 2 hours away !!

 OR

 You are at the airport and before boarding the flight, you  have some urgent emails to send or a quick modification to a presentation needs to be done or a few minor changes need to be done to the proposal you are preparing, you need a comfortable and quite place to sit and work.

OR 

Reached destination airport after a long flight and you just need a place to have nice shower and a place to relax for some time with a hot cup of coffee and some light snack so that you are fresh to start work immediately

OR 

Need to finish a call before boarding the flight and you need a quiet place for it, can’t do it in the departure area where there is too much noise around

OR 

Tired after a hectic day at work and before you board a long flight you need some "Me" space to relax, maybe have a glass of beer to cool off and release the tensions of the day

In all the above scenarios , What do you do ? Where do you go ?

 

The place to go to in the airport in any of the above instances is the Airport Lounge !!

 

What is the Lounge in the airport and where is it located ?

Lounge is designated area after check in and security and after immigration (in case of international departure) where not all the passengers have access and entry is restricted to a privileged few!! It’s a quiet enclosed area with comfortable seating , light snacks, tea/coffee/juices and also alcoholic drinks plus newspapers, magazines , high speed internet. Some Lounges also have a small shower area where you can have a quick shower and get fresh before the flight or before exiting the airport.

Most  domestic and international airports in India have one or several lounges depending on the number of passengers it handles.

In many foreign countries, airlines  (for Example Lufthansa , Emirates) have their own special lounges for their customers, but again for a few selected customers booked in a special class of booking. Lounges for Business class passengers are also very common where passengers booked in business class get free access to such lounges located in domestic or International terminals. 

In India lounges are there in all major domestic and international airports. Like International airports, there are lounges reserved for Business class passengers only.

But there are other kinds of lounges also where passengers traveling in economy class can get access either because they are members of Frequent Flyer programmes of selected airlines or they hold certain credit cards  which allow them access and if the above two are not there in your case, you can always pay and enter in any lounge.

Most Credit card holders in India who have Mastecard   Visa Amex Diners Club franchised cards of any public sector or private bank are eligible for lounge access with number of entries per year depending on the card terms and conditions. Wait -  Most entry level credit cards dont have this. The privilege of access to airport lounges is reserved for cards like Platinum / Signature/ Millennia / Diners Club/ Elite/ Infinity/ Prime etc etc, basically cards which are given to selected high net worth customers of the bank. There are also co branded credit cards which are issued with the co branding of an airline. Such cards also offer free lounge access.

Certain Debit cards also give the holder access to airport lounges. 

In the case of both Credit and Debit cards, please do check with the card issuing bank about Lounge access - you will be surprised to know that you already had access but did not use it !!

Now what about passengers who are not eligible with either of the above two criteria ? 

Dont worry, you can always pay and enter any lounge in any airport - domestic or international. Lounge entry fees in India typically range from Rs. 800 per person in smaller airports like Amritsar, Chandigarh, Indore to 1500 to 2800 per person in bigger airports like New Delhi , Mumbai, Bengaluru etc. Some lounges also have sleeping pods which can be booked at a nominal additional cost.

To use Encalm  lounges in New Delhi airport in both the domestic (T1)  and international terminal (T3), pricing starts at Rs. 1900 for domestic terminal and Rs. 3100 for the lounge in the International terminal. Cost includes 2 hour use of lounge facilities including tea/coffee, snacks, wifi.  

 Aviserv Lounge in Mumbai International  Airport has starting price at INR 2773 plus taxes including 2 hours use , sleeping pod, shower, meal and wifi!!

 For frequent travelers especially if it involves international travel , its beneficial to take a Priority Pass membership or sign up for Plaza Premium Lounge . Priority Pass also has manages a lot of lounges in domestic terminals in India.

 Compared to the cost of an international or most domestic tickets in India, the cost of the lounge access (in case you are not among the privileged few who have free access) is quite nominal and absolutely worth the price you pay for.  

 So next time you are at the airport and have a LOT of time before boarding or have some work to quickly finish before the flight you know where to go!!

 

Happy Lounging!!

 

 

 

 

SRI LANKA – PEARL IN THE INDIAN OCEAN 

Long weekend coming up and want to plan a short romantic getaway abroad but are stuck with visa issues ? Want to travel abroad, but high expenses are a deterrent ?  Last minute travel plans and no visa appointments available ? Want to experience, sun, sea, beach, hill stations, culture, tea gardens, adventure activities , all in one short holiday ?

The Answer to all the above questions is – SRI LANKA, the Pearl in the Indian Ocean.

 Forbes magazine has ranked Sri Lanka as the fourth most popular tourist destination in the world for 2024.  Sri Lanka has been placed 13th out of 50 in the “The 50 Best Islands in the World for 2023” to visit for 2023 by global travel website, Big 7 Travel.

Easily accessible from all major airports in India via direct ( Sri Lankan Airlines , Vistara Airlines  or one stop flights Indigo Airlines , Sri Lanka’s major airport the Bandaranaike International Airport at Katunayake is about 45 minutes drive from the Capital city of Colombo. The other international airport is Jaffna which is at the northernmost tip of the island which has flight connectivity (Alliance Air ) from Chennai. For the adventurous ones there is a 4 hour ferry connection from Nagapattinam in Tamil Nadu to Kankesanthurai in Sri Lanka. And most importantly visa is free for Indian Nationals till 31^st March 2024.

The climate pattern  in Sri Lanka is  same as India with the main monsoon from June to September, winters from October till Feb and Summers from March to June.  Monsoon is actually a good time to travel within Sri Lanka as the greenery is at its best shade of green, hotels offer a good rate because of low season and its not too much crowded.  Winters of course have their own charm with thick foggy mornings and evenings in the hill country area which has the popular destinations of Nuwara Eliya and Kandy.

With so much to offer to  the tourist in terms of sightseeing options, you can choose to cover this country as per your choice of type of vacation and also the number of days that you have.

For a short 3 nights vacation, the best is to cover the beach destinations down south from Colombo which are just 2 – 3 hours drive from the airport. Best places to stay are Bentota, Hikkaduwa, Mirissa, Unawatuna, Galle and choice of stay depends on the kind of holiday you are looking at.

 If you want a relaxed holiday with not much sightseeing or activities, then Bentota is the place to go. If you want to do a lot of activities like Snorkelling, Scuba diving, coral viewing, whale and dolphin watching then the best places to stay are Unawatuna or Mirissa. There is also a thriving night life in Unawatuna with a lot of night clubs, pubs and discotheques in the area. Another option is to stay in Colombo to enjoy the night life and casinos there and may be do a one day excursion to see the beaches in and around Bentota.

For a longer duration holiday of 5 or 6 nights, then best to go for an itinerary covering the major highlights in Sri Lanka – Kandy (the former capital and has the Temple of Tooth Relic, the holiest shrine in Sri Lanka), Nuwara Eliya (famous for the Seetha Temple) , Bentota (beaches) and Colombo. In this short 5-6 days itinerary you get all of Sri Lanka in a short capsule – culture and heritage, Ramayana sights, vast vistas of tea gardens, cool weather, beaches and of course the capital City of Colombo

For the adventure and wildlife lovers there is whole gamut of experiences waiting for you. From hot air ballooning,  trekking, wildlife safaris and birding at the Wilpattu , Kaudulla, Minneriya or  Yala National Parks , rainforest ecosystem inside Sinharaja Reserve,  Ziplining at Ella, snorkelling and scuba at Unawatuna , surfing at Arugam Bay, White water rafting in Kithulgula etc etc.

Who can forget the centuries old relation between India and Sri Lanka through The Ramayana !! An itinerary of about 7 – 8 days can cover all the important locations in Sri Lanka associated with the Ramayana from temples founded by Shri Rama, Ashok Vatika, Hanumans Footprints, Seetha Temple, Agni parkisha place, caves where Ravana used to meditate and so many other such locations.

India and Sri Lanka share another centuries old relation bound by Buddhism. There is a rich tradition of Buddhism in both the countries and an itinerary of about 6 – 7 days can cover all the major Buddhist sites in Sri Lanka  - Dambulla, Sigriya, Anuradhapura, Pollonaruwa, Mihintale, Kelaniya  and so on.

So a travel to Sri Lanka must be on the bucket list of every traveler because the destination has so much to offer to all age groups and for all holiday themes.  Accessible with a short flight from most major cities in India, easy and free visa, breathtaking scenery, very hospitable people and most importantly a holiday at a budget that doesn’t pinch your pocket !!