I would like to go to the Lakshadweep Islands, but not too sure what would be the best way to get there. I have traveled in trains, buses, tractors, planes and to be honest don't have an issue with what transport is used, as long as I am feeling good and happy. I would like some details about how to reach Lakshadweep from Chandigarh? Mentioning the different options that are available. Including details of how to get to the island as well, not just about reaching to the port. I know that taking a flight would be the costliest option, but please give an indication of the cost if it is known.
Hello, @Cuz! Welcome to the forum! The distance between Cochin and Chandigarh is about 2,925 kilometres. Cochin is the gateway to reaching Lakshadweep so you need to reach it first. It can take you around two days to reach Cochin from Chandigarh. The most reasonable and economical way to reach Cochin from Chandigarh is by train though since the distance to cover is quite long. You have different transportation options though from Chandigarh to Cochin: 1. By Direct Train - There is only one train plying directly from Chandigarh to Ernakulam. This is the: Kerala Sampark Kranti Train No. 12218 - This departs from Chandigarh during Wednesdays and Fridays at 8:55. It then arrives in Ernakulam Junction two days after at 12:55. So journey duration is around two days and five hours. This is your best option when it comes to convenience and cost. Regular fares are around Rs. 980 for Sleeper Class, Rs. 2,525 for AC 3 Tier, Rs. 3,780 for AC 2 Tier and Rs. 6,580 for AC First Class. Once you reach Ernakulam Junction, you can just ride a taxi or tuk tuk to reach the Cochin Port which is about 11 kilometres away. 2. By Mixture of Bus and Train - If somehow, you are not able to board the only one train directly plying from Chandigarh to Ernakulam, then you can opt to ride a train from Delhi. To reach Delhi, you can opt for a bus ride from Chandigarh. So your route would be: Chandigarh > Bus to Delhi > Train to Ernakulam. So for buses from Chandigarh to Delhi, I'd recommend the Punjab Roadways. They have several buses plying through this route: Punjab Roadways (Volvo Bus) - They have many bus timings from 7:40 am, 8:10 am, 8:40 am, 9:35 am, 11:35 am, 1:40 pm, 4:20 pm, 4:35 pm, 5:50 pm, 6:15 pm and 9:00 pm. Journey duration is around 5 hours. Fare would be around Rs. 589 per passenger. They depart from the Chandigarh ISBT Sector 17. Next, once you reach Delhi, you can board a train going to Ernakulam. Here are their timings: Kerala Express Train No. 12626 - This train departs daily from New Delhi at 11:25 and arrives in Ernakulam Junction at 9:40. Mangala Lakshadweep Express Train No. 12618 - This train departs daily from Hazrat Nizammudin at 9:15 and arrives in Ernakulam Junction at 12:00. Trivandrum Rajdhani Express Train No. 12432 - This train departs during Sundays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays from Hazrat Nizammudin at 10:55 and arrives in Ernakulam Junction at 4:10. Kerala Sampark Kranti Train No. 12218 - This train departs during Wednesdays and Fridays from New Delhi at 13:40 and arrives in Ernakulam Junction at12:55. Himsagar Express Train No. 16318 - This train departs during Tuesdays from Shakurbasti at 12:40 and arrives in Ernakulam Town at 14:00. Hazrat Nizammudin Kochuveli Special Superfast Express Train No. 04426 - This train departs during Sundays from Hazrat Nizammudin at 5:55 and arrives in Ernakulam Town at 5:35. Fares would be around Rs. 850 for Sleeper Class, Rs. 2,210 for AC 3 Tier, Rs. 3,270 for AC 2 Tier and Rs. 5,670 for AC First Class. Duration of journey is around two days. From Ernakulam Town or Ernakulam Junction, you can just ride a taxi or tuk tuk to reach the Cochin Port. Note - I won't recommend going to Cochin from Chandigarh purely by bus as it can be very tiring. It's better to ride a bus until Delhi where there are more trains plying to Ernakulam. 3. By Air - From Chandigarh, there are direct flights to Cochin. Here are some information about them: Go Air G8 382 - This departs from Chandigarh at 11:30 and arrives in Cochin at 19:05. Fare is around 9,002 per passenger. Air India AI 464 - This departs from Chandigarh at 13:40 and arrives in Cochin at 21:25. Fare is around 10,523 per passenger. Indigo 6E 463 - This departs from Chandigarh at 14:30 and arrives in Cochin at 20:55. Fare is around 10,628 per passenger. Jet Airways 9W 469 - This departs from Chandigarh at 12:25 and arrives in Cochin at 8:25. Fare is around 12,484 per passenger. From Cochin Airport, there are buses plying to Thoppumpady, which is just a few kilometres away from Cochin Port. Cochin Airport itself is about 40 kilometres away from Cochin Port. So here are the bus timings: Bus No. JNK19 - Departs from the airport at 6:25 and arrives in Thoppumpady at 8:00. Bus No. JNK1 - Departs from the airport at 7:50 and arrives in Thoppumpady at 9:00. Bus No. JNK2 - Departs from the airport at 9:30 and arrives in Thoppumpady at10:30. Bus No. JNK3 - Departs from the airport at 9:55 and arrives in Thoppumpady at 11:00. Bus No. JNK19 - Departs from the airport at 11:10 and arrives in Thoppumpady at 13:00. Bus No. JNK14 - Departs from the airport at 13:00 and arrives in Thoppumpady at 14:00. These are low-floor AC buses which depart from the Departure Gate of the International Terminal of the Cochin Airport. From Thoppumpady, you can just ride a tuk tuk to reach the Cochin Port. If you're taking a flight, then there are direct flights from Cochin Airport to Agatti Island of Lakshadweep. So now that we're done on how you can reach Cochin from Chandigarh, we go to the ways you can reach Lakshadweep from Cochin: 1. By Passenger Ship - You can reach Lakshadweep from Cochin Port by riding a passenger ship. Journey duration would be around 18 hours to 20 hours. In Cochin Port, the Lakshadweep Administration Office is located at this address: Indira Gandhi Road, Willingdon Island, Kochi, Kerala 682003. Here is their contact number: +91 484 266 6262. You can obtain your ticket as well as entry permit in here for Lakshadweep. Here are some of the schedules of the ships for the month of October 2016: MV Arabian Sea - There are ship schedules for October 2, 4, 6 and 8 for this year. For October 2, the ship leaves from Cochin at 15:00 and for October 4, the ship leaves from Cochin at 8:00. Then, for October 6, the ship leaves from Cochin at 13:00 and for October 8, the ship leaves at 8:00. MV Corals - There are ship schedules for October 2, 5, 7 and 10 for this year. For October 2, the ship leaves from Cochin at 14:00 and for October 5, the ship leaves from Cochin at 10:00. Then, for October 7, the ship leaves from Cochin at 13:00 and for October 10, the ship leaves at 10:00. MV Kavaratti - There are ship schedules for October 2, 6, 8, 12, 14, 18, 21 and 25 for this year. For October 2, the ship leaves from Cochin at 15:00 and for October 6, the ship leaves from Cochin at 9:00. Then, for October 8, the ship leaves from Cochin at 13:00 and for October 12, the ship leaves at 8:00. For October 14, the ship leaves from Cochin at 16:00 and for October 18, the ship leaves at 8:00. For October 21, the ship leaves from Cochin at 13:00 and for October 25, the ship leaves at 8:00. These schedules are subject to change so it's best to contact or inquire at the office itself. Fares would be around (from Cochin to Agatti): First Class I at Rs. 2,300, First Class II at Rs. 3,390 and First Class III at Rs. 3,380. Second Class I at Rs. 650, Second Class II at Rs. 1,090 and Second Class III at Rs. 1,080. Bunk I at Rs. 240, Bunk II at Rs. 460 and Bunk III at Rs. 450. These rates are from the official website of the Lakshadweep Tourism. You can visit that site for more information but these are the average rates. 2. By Air - There are also direct flights from Cochin Airport to Agatti in Lakshadweep. For October 12, 2016, here is one flight I was able to find: Air India AI 9505 - This departs from Cochin at 10:05 and arrives in Agatti at 11:25. Fare is at Rs. 4,842 per passenger. With a direct flight, your journey duration would be around 1 hour and 20 minutes only. So there you go, your options when it comes to reaching Lakshadweep from Chandigarh. I hope this helps you!
