How to go to Lakshadweep from Kochi?

I am from Kochi, and I plan to take my family on holiday to Lakshadweep. I require some help from members to provide me with some information on how to go to Lakshadweep from Kochi?

I need to know the smallest details as to which port I need to reach, how to get there from Kochi and also how to reach the islands from the port?

Getting a flight to any of the destinations may be easy, but I would also like to know about the other transport options which would be slight affordable.

 

Hello, @Thiro. Welcome to the forum!

Passenger ships plying to Lakshadweep leave from the Cochin Port. Cochin Port itself is located quite close to the city centre of Cochin. If however, you come from further places like Aluva, Vyttila or MG Road, there are buses plying from these places to Thoppumpady. From Thoppumpady, you can just walk the remaining distance, which is merely seven minutes away from the Cochin Port. Here are a few buses plying through these places and reaching Thoppumpady:

Buses from Cochin to Cochin Fort

Bus Number	Departure from Airport	Arrival in Destination	Route Covered
JNK19	6:25	8:25	Airport, Aluva, MG Road, Thoppumpady & Fort Cochin
JNK1	7:50	9:25	Airport, Aluva, Vyttila,Thoppumpady & Fort Cochin
JNK2	9:30	11:05	Airport, Aluva, Vyttila,Thoppumpady & Fort Cochin
JNK3	9:55	11:30	Airport, Aluva, Vyttila,Thoppumpady & Fort Cochin
JNK14	13:00	14:35	Airport, Aluva, Vyttila,Thoppumpady & Fort Cochin

So as you can see, the buses depart from the airport and passes by different places. If you reside in any of these places or near it, you just need to reach the bus stand and board the bus from there. Then, you need to be dropped off at Thoppumpady, before the bus reaches the Cochin Fort. You just need to cross the bridge and you can easily see the Cochin Port from there.

Once you reach the Cochin Port, you need to go to the Indira Gandhi Road and find the Cochin Office of the Administrative Officer. You can get your permit here for visiting the islands and also your tickets for ship journey. It is best to go to the Lakshadweep website for the official schedules of the different ships but for the months of October and November, here are some of the schedules though:

MV Arabian Sea Ship Schedules (Cochin Port to Kavaratti)

Date	Timing
November 1	14:00
November 3	7:00
November 6	14:00
November 8	8:00
November 10	14:00
November 12	8:00
November 15	14:00
November 17	8:00
November 19	15:00
November 21	8:00
November 24	14:00
November 26	8:00

MV Corals Ship Schedules (Cochin Port to Kavaratti)

Date	Timing
October 24	13:00
October 27	8:00
October 29	13:00
November 1	8:00
November 3	16:00
November 6	8:00
November 8	14:00
November 11	7:00
November 14	17:00
November 17	7:00
November 19	12:00
November 22	7:00

As you can see, ship schedules are not that regular and you need to fit your vacation schedule within these dates. Just check the official Lakshadweep Tourism website for a complete list of the ship schedules. For the ship fares, they also vary depending on the ship and class of ticket. For the MV Arabian Sea, here are the fare rates:

MV Arabian Sea Fares (Cochin Port to Kavaratti)

Class	Fare
First Class I	Rs. 2,030
First Class II	Rs. 2,990
First Class III	Rs. 2,980
Second Class I	Rs. 580
Second Class II	Rs. 970
Second Class III	Rs. 970
Bunk I	Rs. 200
Bunk II	Rs. 380
Bunk III	Rs. 380

There are also other classes like VIP and Ladies but their rates are higher so I didn't include them. Anyway, these are passenger ships so there's limited on-board entertainment. You need to bring your own gadgets like tablets or music players in case you get bored along the way. These rates are not yet inclusive of meals so you have to take that into account.

You can also avail of the SPORTS packages, which are all inclusive packages. The SPORTS tour operator is under the government's management as well. With their packages, the accommodation (either in the ship or at a resort), the sightseeing, island hopping and meals are already included. One of their best packages is the Samudram Package, where you get to tour three islands during the day, as well as indulge in water sports like snorkelling and scuba diving and stay in the ship during the night. This package costs Rs. 25,000 for adults and Rs. 18,000 for children. It's a five-day cruise/tour starting from Cochin. This is the contact number of the SPORTS tour operator: +91 484 266 6789.

I hope this helps you even a bit.