Field note · India · Lakshadweep

Agatti

Agatti is the only airstrip in Lakshadweep, so almost everyone flies in from Kochi, clears an entry permit, then leaves the island again by boat – resort speedboat to Bangaram and Thinnakara, government high-speed craft to Kavaratti and Kadmat, and in the monsoon a helicopter, because the fast boats stop running.

Researched: 21 September 2026
Reviewed: not yet
Ways of moving: 8, 19 sources
Not confirmed: 7
Fares seen: 2024–2026

The place

Agatti Island is a 7.6 km long island, situated on a coral atoll called Agatti atoll in the Union Territory of Lakshadweep, India. It is 459 km (285 mi) west of the city of Kochi.

Adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. The place page has what to see, do and eat, and every way there from the planner.

How transport works here

8 ways of moving, each with its rule

We confirmed seven ways of moving to, from or around Agatti: three by water, one by air, two hired or on demand and one under your own steam, from 19 sources. One entry is not a service at all but a rule that decides whether travel happens: a permit, a closure, a border, a season or an authority's say-so. One of them runs only on demand or when the seats are full, so there is no timetable to show; the rule is written where the timetable would be. One needs a phone call or a message before you turn up.

The fares were seen in 2024 to 2026; a fare from an older year is a floor, not a price. Four fares carry no year, because they could not be confirmed and the field says so. We rate 2 of the 8 high confidence, our own judgement of the sources. The entry was checked on 21 September 2026, and ends with seven things we could not confirm.

One way

Rules, permits and closures

permit

Lakshadweep entry permit

Applies before you board anything – the flight at Kochi, Bengaluru or Goa, or the ship at Willingdon Island

Apply online at epermit.utl.gov.in under the Tourist category; up to six people per form. Most visitors let the resort or SPORTS file it with the stay booking. Permits are checked closely on arrival at Agatti airport.

When: One permit per trip; processed in about seven working days and valid 30 days
Takes: Allow two to three weeks before travel
Fare 2024: ₹300 Protected Area Permit per person, ₹50 application fee, plus ₹300 green tax collected on arrival at Agatti airport

SeasonYear-round. Permit windows are tied to your confirmed accommodation dates. Bookingepermit.utl.gov.in, or through the resort or SPORTS. Run byLakshadweep Administration.

3 ways

By water

speedboat

Agatti – Bangaram – Thinnakara resort speedboat

Agatti jetty to Bangaram, and on to Thinnakara

Not a public service. The boat is arranged with the island stay and meets the Kochi flight; you take an auto from the airstrip to the jetty and the crew is waiting with your name. SPORTS runs the Bangaram and Thinnakara cottages, so the booking and the boat come from the same office.

When: On demand, timed to flight arrivals and departures – no published timetable
Takes: About 1 hour Agatti to Bangaram; Thinnakara is a short further hop
Fare 2024: ₹5,200 per person quoted as the Agatti transfer fee on a Bangaram booking; other agents quote ₹3,500–5,000 return, so confirm before you fly

SeasonFair weather only. Boats are withdrawn in the southwest monsoon, roughly May to September, when the helicopter is the fallback. BookingWith the stay, via samudram.utl.gov.in or the resort; phone +91 949 598 4001. Run bySPORTS Lakshadweep and resort boat crews.

boat

Government high-speed craft between the islands

Agatti to Kavaratti and Kadmat, and on round the group

These are administration vessels, not tourist boats. Six fair-weather craft run the inter-island network – HSC Cheriyapani, Valiyapani and Parali carry 150, HSC Blue Marlin, Black Marlin and Skip Jack carry 50. Ask at the Port Office at Agatti jetty, or have the resort or SPORTS put you on a sailing; schedules change and are not posted online in advance.

When: Runs 15 September to 15 May only; sailings vary week to week
Takes: About 2.5 hours Agatti to Kavaratti
Fare: Not published online – ask at the Port Office

SeasonWithdrawn during the monsoon; the official window is 15 September to 15 May. BookingPort Office counters on the island, or through SPORTS or the resort. Run byDepartment of Port, Shipping and Aviation, UT of Lakshadweep.

boat

Mainland passenger ship, Kochi to Agatti

Lakshadweep Wharf, Willingdon Island, Kochi to Agatti

Board at the Lakshadweep Wharf near the FCI godown on Indira Gandhi Road, Willingdon Island, Kochi. Five all-weather ships work the mainland and inter-island runs – MV Kavaratti (700 berths), MV Corals and MV Lagoons (400 each), MV Arabian Sea and MV Lakshadweep Sea (250 each). Sailings are published a month or two at a time, not as a standing timetable.

When: A handful of sailings a month, varying by ship and island
Takes: 14–18 hours to Agatti
Fare 2026: ₹3,800 return in an air-conditioned seat per Wikivoyage, undated; agents list roughly ₹800–1,500 bunk, ₹1,500–3,000 second class seat and ₹4,000–8,000 first class cabin one way

SeasonAll-weather ships sail year-round, but sailings thin out and get rougher in the May–September monsoon. BookingAdministration ticket counters at Willingdon Island; announcements and online sales via lakshadweep.irctc.co.in. Run byLakshadweep Administration, Department of Port, Shipping and Aviation.

One way

By air

helicopter

Pawan Hans inter-island helicopter

Agatti to Kavaratti, Bangaram and other island helipads

Three Dauphin N helicopters are leased by the administration and based at Kavaratti, where the hangar and refuelling are. Seats exist mainly for medical evacuation and administration; tourist seats are released through SPORTS or the resort, subject to availability. Helipads include Kavaratti, Kadmat, Bangaram, Minicoy, Andrott, Kalpeni, Amini, Kiltan, Chetlat, Bitra and Suheli.

When: Not a scheduled tourist service; flown as required and to connect flight passengers in the monsoon
Takes: Minutes rather than hours – it replaces a 2.5 hour boat to Kavaratti
Fare: US$150 return quoted for Agatti–Bangaram on Wikivoyage; the quote carries no date and no official tariff was found

SeasonMost useful May to September, when the inter-island vessels are withdrawn and this may be the only way off Agatti by sea route. BookingThrough SPORTS or the resort; subject to helicopter availability. Run byPawan Hans, on lease to the Lakshadweep Administration.

2 ways

Hired, booked and on demand

tuk tuk

Agatti auto rickshaws

Airstrip to the village, the jetty and the guesthouses, end to end along the single island road

Autos wait outside the small arrivals shed and at the jetty, and are the only motorised taxi on the island. There are no buses. Most guesthouses and resorts send one to meet the flight, often included in the room rate – agree the fare before you get in if you flag one down.

When: Turn up when the daily flights and the boats land; otherwise ask your host to call one
Takes: 10–15 minutes from one end of the island to the other
Fare: No fixed tariff found; short distances so fares are small, but negotiate first

SeasonYear-round. BookingNone, pay the driver. Run byowner-drivers.

tour package

SPORTS Lakshadweep packages and the Samudram ship cruise

Samudram sails from Kochi and calls at Kavaratti, Kalpeni and Minicoy; the island packages fly you to Agatti and boat you on

SPORTS is the administration's own tour arm and the practical route in for most visitors, because it bundles the permit, the flight or ship, the boat transfer and the room. Book on samudram.utl.gov.in or phone +91 949 598 4001. Note the standing SPORTS notice that there is no government-approved resort on Agatti itself, so Agatti stays are private guesthouses.

When: Samudram is a five-day sailing run on set dates; island cottages are booked by the night
Takes: Samudram 4 nights, 5 days
Fare 2025: Samudram per adult: Diamond class ₹42,500, Gold class ₹33,500, with a 10% December surcharge. Bangaram AC cottage ₹18,000 a night, Kavaratti AC suite ₹11,000 a night.

SeasonRates effective 1 October 2025; the island season runs roughly October to May. Bookingsamudram.utl.gov.in. Run bySociety for Promotion of Nature Tourism and Sports (SPORTS), UT of Lakshadweep.

One way

On foot, by bike, or otherwise

bicycle hire

Bicycle hire and walking

The one road the length of Agatti, lagoon side to reef side

Guesthouses and the dive centre lend or rent bicycles; there is no hire shop as such, so ask where you are staying. The island is narrow and about 6 km long, so walking covers most of it.

When: Whenever a bike is free
Takes: An hour or so to ride the length of the island
Fare: No confirmed daily rate found; guide sites quote roughly ₹100–200 a day but none is sourced to an operator

SeasonYear-round; wet and windy May to September. BookingAsk at your accommodation. Run byguesthouses and dive centres.

Not confirmed

What we could not find out

7 things the researcher looked for and did not find, in their own words, with where to ask instead. None of this goes into the planner; it stays here until someone confirms it.

01
No published fare or timetable for the inter-island high-speed craft (HSC Cheriyapani, Valiyapani, Parali, Blue Marlin, Black Marlin, Skip Jack). Ask the Port Office at Agatti jetty or the Department of Port, Shipping and Aviation.
02
Helicopter tariff for tourists is unconfirmed. The only figure found is an undated US$150 return on Wikivoyage; there is no public Pawan Hans fare sheet for the Lakshadweep lease.
03
Speedboat quotes for Agatti–Bangaram vary widely between agents – ₹3,500 to ₹5,200 per person – and it is unclear which are per person, which return, and which include Thinnakara. Confirm with SPORTS at +91 949 598 4001.
04
Agatti auto rickshaw and bicycle rates are not published anywhere reliable. Ask the guesthouse on arrival.
05
Mainland ship sailing dates are released in short blocks; no annual timetable exists. Watch lakshadweep.irctc.co.in for booking-open notices.
06
Whether a tourist can buy a seat on a routine inter-island vessel independently of a package could not be confirmed.
07
No source found on cargo boats, dinghies or fishing-boat hire between Agatti and the uninhabited islets, which locals clearly use.

In the planner

What the planner can route today

The options above live on the place page, not in the departure board: a boat that comes when you phone has no time to show. What the board can do for Agatti is this.

N: Scheduled flightsnearest airport IXE is 374 km away
Y: Trains and coachesTransitous carries 2 timetable feeds for this country, 1 with real-time
Y: FerriesAgatti, 0 km; sailings estimated
Y: Driving and taxiOpenStreetMap roads; cab fare from the country band
N: Bike and scooter shareno share feed known
N: Cruisesno open itinerary source anywhere

Y routable now · F found, not yet implemented · N no source known. Nearest place with more: Kāsaragod, 354 km.