Incredible India
7 Things to Do in Lakshadweep, India's Own Coral Atolls
India's smallest union territory is a scatter of coral atolls off the Kerala coast, where lagoon colour and limited access, rather than any single monument, are the actual draw.
Sep 24, 2026 · BigTravel.in
Lakshadweep, a group of coral atolls and reefs roughly 200 to 440 kilometres off the coast of Kerala in the Arabian Sea, is India's smallest union territory by both area and population, and one of its hardest to reach on a whim. Access is deliberately limited, both Indian and foreign visitors need an entry permit from the Lakshadweep Administration, arranged through an approved tour operator, and only a handful of the territory's roughly three dozen islands are open to tourism at all. That restriction is precisely what has kept its lagoons as clear as they are. Here are seven ways to spend time across the islands that are open.
1. Kavaratti, the capital island
Lakshadweep's administrative capital is also one of its more accessible islands, with a marine aquarium, a handful of mosques including the ornately carved Ujra Mosque, and a lagoon calm enough for beginners to snorkel close to shore.
2. Agatti, the gateway island
Home to Lakshadweep's only airport, Agatti is often a traveller's first, and sometimes only, stop, with a broad, shallow lagoon good for wading and kayaking right off its beaches.
3. Bangaram, the uninhabited resort island
Bangaram has no permanent local population and has instead been developed as a resort island, drawing on some of the calmest, clearest water in the territory for diving and snorkelling straight off the beach.
4. Kadmat, for scuba diving
Kadmat's lagoon is unusually wide on both sides of a narrow island, and it has built a reputation as Lakshadweep's most serious scuba destination, with a dive school and reef sites reachable by short boat rides.
5. Minicoy, for a different culture entirely
Geographically and culturally closer to the Maldives than to the rest of Lakshadweep, Minicoy (locally Maliku) has its own language, a tuna-fishing economy, and a distinctive lighthouse dating to the colonial era, worth climbing for a full view of the atoll's shape.
6. Pitti Island's bird sanctuary
An uninhabited islet near Kavaratti, Pitti is a protected sanctuary for nesting seabirds and is generally visited only as a boat-based day trip rather than a landing, since access is restricted to protect the colony.
7. A day trip to Thinnakara and Parali
Two small, uninhabited sandbanks near Bangaram, reachable by a short boat ride, are typically visited together for an afternoon of snorkelling and swimming away from any settled island altogether.
Traveller tips
- Apply for the mandatory Lakshadweep entry permit well ahead through a registered tour operator; independent, unpermitted travel is not possible.
- Agatti's airport is the only one in the territory; most other islands are reached from Agatti or Kochi by boat or seaplane transfer.
- Alcohol is restricted across most of Lakshadweep, with limited exceptions on certain resort islands; check current rules before travelling.
- The calmest sea conditions are generally October to March; the south-west monsoon can disrupt inter-island boat transfers between June and September.
Where this is
Lakshadweep, India