This Island Group Belongs To India, And Lies Between 190km (118 Miles) And 300km (186 Miles) West Of Kerala. Of The 36 Coral Islands, With A Total Area Of 32.4 Sq Km (13 Sq Miles), Only Ten Are Inhabited. The Population Of 50,000 Are Mostly Muslim.
The Main Industry Is Fishing (Tuna And Sharks). That Could Change If They Were Opened Up For Unrestricted Tourist Development. On The Other Hand The Laccadives Are A Restricted Area, And Travellers Who Want To Visit The Islands Have To Get A Permit In Delhi. The Only Exception Is The Island Of Bangaram.
Related Travel Information
Formalities
You Have To Apply For A Permit At Least 4 Weeks In Advance At The Ministry Of Home Affairs, Or At The Indian Embassy In Your Home Country. It *S Simpler To Take An Organised Tour To Bangaram. If You Do That, Your Travel Agent Will Obtain A Permit For You.
Arrival
The Shipping Corporation Of India's MV Bharatseema And The M^
Frrnindivi Travel To The Laccadives A Few Times A Month. The Journey Takes 18 Hours, But They Don't Take Tourists During The Monsoon Season.
Accommodation
There Are Several Bungalows On Bangaram. You Can Also Stay On Kavaratti Island, Kadmat Island, Kalpeni, And Minicoy
A One Week Trip To Bangaram, All Inclusive, . Take Enough Film With You As Supposedly You Can't Buy It In Bangaram. The Glass-Clear Waters Of The Laccadives, With Their Multitude Of Fish, Are Every Diver's Dream. Some Diving Equipment Is Supposed To Be Available For Hire. Leave Your Harpoons At Home So Other Travellers Can See The Underwater World Intact.
The Backwaters Are The Inland Water Ways Of Kerala. They Are A Network Of Narrow And Wide Canals Fringed By Palms, Which Suddenly Widen Out Into Shallow Lakes Where Fishermen Cast Their Nets. Boats Chug Through Colourful Water Plants, Transparent Jellyfish Glitter In The Water, And On The Banks Children Swim And Wave.
There Seems To Be A Harmony Between Man And Nature. The Palm Thatched Huts Blend In With The Coconut Forests And Present A Picture Of Paradise, At Least For The Pas¬sengers Who Want To Get Away From Civilization For A While. The Backwaters Are An Experience. If
The Capital Of Kerala Has A Population Of 500,000, And Not Much Worth Seeing. It Is Rather A Clean And (For India) Prosperous Looking Town. It Is The Jumping Off Point For The Famous Kovalam Beach And There Are Flights From Here To Sri Lanka And To The Maldives.
Kerala, With An Area Of 38,863 Sq Km (15,001 Sq Miles), Is The Second Smallest State In India After Goa. It Has A Population Of 30 Million, And Is Densely Populated. The 575km (357 Miles) Long Coastal State Was The First State In India To Elect The Communist Party To Power, In 1956. Since Then The Congress Party Has Been Re-Elected.
This Can Be Explained By The Fact That Only Approximately 50% Of Its Population Can Read And Write. On The Street, Practically Only Malayalam Is Spoken And Understood. Kerala Produces About 70% Of India's Spices, About 70% Of Its
