Visit to Bangaram (Lakshdweep)

Bangaram island is popularly called “The Jewel of Lakshadweep”. It is  an uninhabited island frequented by occasional visitors. Bangaram presents a breathtaking spectacle of sparkling coral reefs, turquoise blue lagoons, silvery beaches and lush green coconut palms. It is one of the islands on which foreign tourist is allowed and it takes about an hour to reach the island from Agatti. The journey from Agatti to Bangaram itself is full of thrills and excitement.

 

On day 3 of our visit to Lakshdweep, the sun god did decide to favour us  and ultimately our much awaited journey to Bangaram began. I was ready with the camera to test my photography skills . We all were excited as we never entered deep sea before. The initial journey within the lagoon was pleasant something like going from Mumbai’s gateway of India to Elephanta caves . But soon we realised we are in the deep sea. The sea waves turned wild as the height of the waves increased . The sea looked rough and the pleasantness of travelling thorugh the lagoon was gone. My wife and son had vomiting sensations but the born traveller in me and my daughter were still enjoying the journey with coke and chips. It also occurred to my mind how arduous and dangerous the deep sea fishing could be. I also thought how easy its for us to make the policy for fishing in the country sitting in our air-conditioned offices, while the ground realities could be entirely different. It was a learning experience to me besides the vacations.

My thinking process was suddenly stopped by the breathtaking views of the approaching islands, which by now became very clear. We once again entered the lagoons as we approached Bangram. The sea was now calm and the ride was steadier.

 Bangaram Island with 2.3 km² is the largest island in the atoll. There is a long brackish pond in the center of the island fringed by screwpine and coconut palms. Bangaram offers an unspoilt natural beauty and a perfect place to interact with the nature. Bangaram is an island that does justice to all that romantic imaginations. This teardrop shaped piece of land is encircled by creamy sand and covered with swaying palm trees. The deep, warm, clear waters of the sea with its myriad flora and fauna are an irresistible invitation to the scuba diving fraternity of the world. The exquisite coral formation including the black coral formations, the variety and number of coral fishes - the angel, the clown, the butterfly, awesome -looking but harmless sharks, sting rays moray eels and turtles make diving here an addictive experience.

You name it and the Bangaram has all the water sports and adventure activities be it beach volleyball, scuba diving, para gliding, kayaking , snorkelling , ride on glass bottom boats or deep sea fishing.  As I mentioned earlier, Bangaram is primarily an international tourist destination and therefore is very costly. Staying on the island for a night or two means shelling a lot of money . Besides, its the place where one spots more foreigners then Indians and some Indians did complain that the resort staff were more interested in foreigners than Indian because they get better paid . We, however, did not face any such problems. We got a warm reception on the island . It was fun watching the underwater aquatic life on the glass bottom boat. We also had a stint at snorkelling and it was an experience in itself .It was something that we saw on National Geographic Channel or Discovery channel. The crystal clear water gave a mesmerising view of the underwater world. I was lucky to spot the real pearl in the oyster shell.

We spend half a day at bangaram and then proceeded to the nearby uninhabited islands , before sailing back to Agatti. I will talk about these smaller islands and our adventurous journey back to Agatti in my next post.