Flights to Agatti Island

  About Agatti Island

One of Lakshadweep's finest islands and well-connected places is Agatti. The 6km long Agatti island is not just home to a wide range of marine life but is also the only place in the archipelago to sustain an airstrip. The fact that the island has an airstripe makes the flight connectivity to Agatti Island extremely convenient. With regular flights from Kochi and Bengaluru and ships services, Agatti easily becomes a place that can be visited. Folks who wish to escape from the noise of the city or multitude of people on beaches should pick this island as their destination.

With pristine white-sand beaches, clear blue waters and opportunity for a bunch of water sports activities, Agatti island easily manages to draw a certain kind of crowd. You can find yourself swayed by the quaint vibe and beauty of the island. Not to mention, the population is also quite less, which makes it all the more tempting. Not just underwater but diversity prevails even on the surface with Islam as the main religion for the habitants. While Malayalam and Tamil are the primary languages spoken here, English is also becoming a native tongue for the locals as it is easier to communicate with travellers.

The island might be easy to reach, but there are some restrictions which make travelling a wee bit difficult. Even though tourism is open and the island sees a lot of tourists, there are some essential documents and paperwork that the traveller must carry with them. You will require an Entry Permit from the administration of Lakshadweep to enter the island. The permit is granted to individuals who have already confirmed an accommodation, ahead of their voyage. Interestingly, the island also has only two hotels which means you must be certain of making your hotel bookings for Agatti Island before time to secure a worry-free trip. The tropical island is undoubtedly beautiful and definitely worth visiting.

You should know that while the tropical island has some of the best beaches, it has a very humble background. The people, the lifestyle, the hotels and basically the entire experience here would be nothing like what the Maldives has to offer. However, the simplicity of Agatti Islands will draw you to the island and especially the shores.

Best time to visit Agatti Island

Monsoon is a bane to islands, and Agatti is no different from the phenomenon. Hence, it is usually advised not to venture out to take up a trip to the quaint island between May to September. Since monsoon begins in the second half of May at the Arabian Sea, travelling becomes a big risk. In fact, the cruises and ship services are also suspended, owing to the challenges involved during this season.

The months between October to the first half of May are practically perfect, though. The weather is delightful and relaxed, with temperatures ranging from 22 to 36. It is ideal, especially for a tropical setting. The bearable heat further makes it an attractive travel option for individuals who wish to escape from the city's bustling. These months are also perfect for sailing and to pick up a cruise as a travel option. With lesser disturbance at sea, the risk of seasickness also drops tremendously.

The clearer summer and winter months also make it easy for divers to explore reefs and the wide sea. The added benefit of this is how it will enable you to experience the tropical bliss that Agatti Island has in store. With Agatti Island, picking the right season is imperative as that will decide how your trip will transpire.

Places to see in Agatti Island

The options of places to see in Agatti Islands is quite minimum since the place is rather tiny. Interestingly though, you can take up island-hopping and explore more of the islands such as Pitti Island or Bangaram Island as these two are close to Agatti. It'll take you minutes of a ferry ride to reach both the islands mentioned. Here's a fun fact, the Bangaram Island is the only place with a private resort. The accommodation is swanky and beautiful. The best way to spend time in Agatti is to put your energy towards exploring the sea and the marine habitats.

Things to do in Agatti Island

Agatti's azure blue waters touching the white sand coasts don't just make for a postcard-worthy setting but also offer a fun underwater adventure. The beauty of the place makes it possible for you to sit by the beaches and relax your soul. The calm waters and soothing sound of waves hitting the shores make for the perfect getaway from the city's noise. Soaking yourselves under the scorching sun is not the only fun activity that you can do on this island. From scuba diving to exploring the reefs, there are a plethora of activities that you can indulge in during your stay.

The place promotes water sports so you will get to sail on the waters as well as ski on it. Take a lovely kayak for yourself and go rowing towards the sea. You can explore Agatti's waters by kayaking. At the same time, if taking up scuba diving is something that you have always wanted to indulge in then that option is also available here. The crystal clear waters will make you spot an abundance of quirky and colourful fish. It is definitely going to be a joyride for all the water babies.

Snorkelling, fishing, water skiing and diving in the delicious seafood platter are some of the other things that will keep you occupied during your Agatti trip. Much of the cuisine has seafood, and if you are an enthusiast, their curries will go down well with your system. If all the water activities sound a little too overwhelming for you, then you can take it easy, throw on your flip flops and plop on a beach chair.

Restaurants and food in Agatti Island

The island is a tiny place with a bunch of activities to do but hardly many places to eat. There are literally only two hotels and limited restaurants too. Thanks to the small population and the few travellers who visit Agatti, there aren't many restaurant options to pick from. However, the positive here is that these hotels do offer phenomenal seafood. You will be amazed by how perfectly they emulate the traditional Kerala cuisine and service to the customers. If seafood is something that excited you, then Agatti would undoubtedly be the best place to explore more of the food sphere. From giant fish to octopus, you can experiment with the seafood that they offer.

How to reach Agatti Island (Transportation)

By Air

Agatti Island is the only island in all of Lakshadweep to have an airport. Since the islands are spread out on the Arabian Sea and not all of them, have the capabilities to host an airport Agatti is the only island to make it possible. In fact, the bird's eye view of the airport is simply marvellous and the kind to blow your mind. Do not fall asleep ahead of landing for you should definitely witness the beautiful airport's setting.

There is only one airline that offers services to charter planes to Agatti Aerodromes. You can make your flight bookings to Agatti Island by selecting Air India Regional. Although Agatti Island is not well-connected in terms of air as well as other modes of transport, you can always find flights to the island from Kochi, Chennai and Bangalore. In fact, the flight connectivity to the Agatti Island from the major metropolitan cities, including Mumbai and Delhi, is excellent so you can easily get your travel plans in order.

By Water

Since the Lakshadweep Islands is located in the middle of the Arabian Sea, there are no routes to Agatti by rail or road. The only way for the islands to connect to India is via the air route or the waterway. Luckily, for those who have never travelled by ships and cruises, this could be the best opportunity to give waterways a go. Two ship services can be found in Cochin. The ships named Bharat Seema and Tipu Sultan are the only ones to voyage to Agatti.

While these are government-run ships to Agatti, there are some private cruises too namely Star Cruises and Ocean Cruises. These private ships come with a plethora of luxurious benefits with swanky lounge settings, first-class accommodation, jacuzzi and more. They easily become a choice for many travellers as a journey by water can be quite tedious, especially if you are seasick. The luxury cruises run from Mumbai and Goa.

Aside from the government and private services, there's a travel-centric cruise service too that takes the domestic route to Agatti Island from Cochin and back. These trips basically have five islands listed out and will only go as per the itinerary. Going by the name Lakshadweep Samudram, the cruise goes on an island-hopping voyage from Agatti to Kavaratti. However, this is subjective to the kind of package that you choose and the perks that come with it. The cost of the package is also quite reasonable, so many couples do opt for this over the other ways.