Mangalore to Lakshadweep Ship Ticket Price 2026
No tourist fare is published for a Mangalore to Lakshadweep ship. Here are the official 2026 fares from Kochi, straight from the government order, plus permit rules and how booking really works.
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There is no published tourist fare for a Mangalore to Lakshadweep ship. Mangalore is an official embarkation port on the government booking system, but the only mainland fares the administration publishes are from Kochi, where a tourist pays ₹2,100 for a bunk and ₹14,860 for a VIP cabin, one way to Kavaratti.
That gap is the whole story, and it is why every page you have read gives a different number. This guide works through what the Lakshadweep administration actually publishes about the Mangalore to Lakshadweep ship ticket price, what it does not, and what a traveller starting from Mangalore should do instead.
Prices and policies change. Confirm on the official portal before you book or travel.
Is there a ship from Mangalore to Lakshadweep?
Yes, on paper. Mangalore appears in the departure port list on the government booking portal, and the portal's own text says ships and high-speed craft run between Kochi, Beypore, Mangalore and the islands. There is an official ticket counter in Mangalore. What there is not is a scheduled tourist service you can plan a holiday around.
The distinction matters more than it sounds. Two different kinds of vessel serve Lakshadweep, and they follow different rules:
- All-weather passenger ships (MV Kavaratti, MV Arabian Sea, MV Lakshadweep Sea, MV Corals, MV Lagoons). These run from Kochi year round, including through the monsoon. Their fares are published in a signed government order.
- High-speed craft. Six vessels, 50 to 150 passengers, restricted to the fair-weather window of 15 September to 15 May, and described by the Port department as operating primarily between the islands. Mangalore is served by these. No tourist fare for them appears on any official page we could find.
So Mangalore is real, and it is official, and it is also seasonal, islander-oriented and unpriced for visitors. Here is the honest timeline behind it:
- November 2010. MV Minicoy made an inaugural Mangalore to Kadmat voyage carrying around 140 passengers at roughly ₹5,000. This single trip is where the internet's "₹5,000 Mangalore fare" comes from.
- May 2024. The high-speed craft Parali arrived at Mangaluru Old Port with about 160 passengers, cutting the crossing to roughly seven hours. Press coverage at the time called these trial runs.
- February 2025. The administration added more Mangaluru sailings, serving Kadmat and Kiltan, while declining to restart Beypore.
- December 2025. A dedicated Lakshadweep jetty at Old Mangalore Port was reported as proposed, at ₹65 crore under Sagarmala, with environmental clearance still pending.
A route with a settled weekly passenger service does not have its jetty announced as future infrastructure. We checked the portal's live alerts on 21 July 2026 and all three announced sailings were from Kochi, with no Mangalore departure listed. That is expected in July, since the high-speed craft season is closed, but it does mean you cannot book one today.
We could not verify whether Mangaluru sailings will run in the 2026-27 season. The last firm datapoint is February 2025. Call the Mangalore counter on 0824-2424130 before building a trip around it.
Mangalore to Lakshadweep ship ticket price 2026: what is actually published
Nothing. The Lakshadweep administration's fare order does not contain a single Mangalore figure. We read the order itself rather than another website, and its subject line explains why: it revises fares in all-weather passenger ships only, and no all-weather ship works the Mangalore route.
The order is F.No.LD-10003/2/2019-PORT-UT-LKS(1)/285, issued by the Department of Port, Shipping and Aviation at Coral Bhavan, Kavaratti, dated 31 May 2025 and signed by Dr. Giri Sankar, IAS, Director of Port, Shipping and Aviation. Clause 2 states the revised fares take effect from 01.07.2025. It is a four-page scan with no searchable text layer, which is the likeliest reason no travel site has quoted it.
Its only mainland departure column is KOCHI. Not Mangalore, not Beypore.
Two numbers do circulate for the Mangalore crossing, ₹450 from May 2024 and ₹650 from February 2025. Both come from news reports, both describe high-speed craft, and both sit at islander price levels. For scale, on the Kochi to Androth high-speed route an islander pays around ₹510 while a non-resident pays around ₹3,500. Treat any Mangalore figure under about ₹1,000 as an islander fare that a tourist will not be charged.
Lakshadweep ship ticket price from Kochi, official 2026 fares
These are the real numbers, taken from the 31 May 2025 order and in force since 1 July 2025. They apply to non-residents, which the order defines as passengers other than residents, including tourists. All figures are one way, per person, in rupees, as of July 2026.
| Kochi to | Distance (NM) | Bunk | Second class | First class | VIP cabin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Androth | 160 | 1,640 | 3,830 | 5,970 | 10,840 |
| Kalpeni | 160 | 1,640 | 3,830 | 5,970 | 10,840 |
| Kiltan | 210 | 2,100 | 4,920 | 7,770 | 14,200 |
| Kavaratti | 220 | 2,100 | 5,340 | 8,150 | 14,860 |
| Kadmat | 220 | 2,100 | 5,340 | 8,150 | 14,860 |
| Amini | 220 | 2,100 | 5,340 | 8,150 | 14,860 |
| Minicoy | 220 | 2,100 | 5,340 | 8,150 | 14,860 |
| Chetlat | 230 | 2,360 | 5,420 | 8,530 | 15,570 |
| Agatti | 250 | 2,480 | 5,930 | 9,240 | 16,960 |
| Bitra | 260 | 2,480 | 6,140 | 9,620 | 17,620 |
The same order sets a token ticket of ₹5 for infants under one year, and half fare for children aged one to twelve.
The cheapest way to reach Lakshadweep by sea is therefore a bunk to Androth or Kalpeni at ₹1,640 one way. The cheapest berth to the capital, Kavaratti, is ₹2,100.
Why tourists pay about 4.5 times the islander fare
The fare order contains two separate tables, not one. The first is for residents, meaning islanders and government servants working in Lakshadweep with their immediate families. The second is for non-residents including tourists. Almost every article and news report about Lakshadweep ship fares quotes the resident table.
Set side by side for Kochi to Kavaratti, as of July 2026:
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| Class | Resident fare | Tourist fare | What you are buying |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bunk | ₹470 | ₹2,100 | A berth in a shared air-conditioned hall |
| Second class | ₹1,820 | ₹5,340 | Four-berth air-conditioned cabin |
| First class | ₹4,920 | ₹8,150 | Two-berth air-conditioned cabin |
| Owners / VIP cabin | ₹8,560 | ₹14,860 | The ship's best cabin, limited availability |
At bunk level a tourist pays 4.5 times what an islander pays. When Kerala newspapers covered the July 2025 fare revision and quoted ₹470, ₹1,820 and ₹4,920, they were reporting an islander cost-of-living story. Those numbers were correct for the story they were telling and wrong for anyone planning a holiday. If a page quotes you ₹470 for a Lakshadweep ship ticket, it has copied the wrong column.
What is bunk class on a Lakshadweep ship?
Bunk class is an open berth in a shared air-conditioned hall, not a room. There is no door and no privacy, your luggage sits with you, and you share washrooms with everyone else in the hall. For a crossing of 14 to 18 hours it is the cheapest way across at ₹2,100 to Kavaratti.
The administration describes the accommodation as first class with two-berth cabins, second class with four-berth cabins, and push-back or bunk class with air-conditioned seating. In practice the ladder works like this:
- Bunk. Cheapest, communal, fine if you sleep anywhere and are travelling light.
- Second class. A four-berth cabin. You share with strangers unless your group fills it, but you get a door.
- First class. A two-berth cabin. The usual choice for couples and for anyone worried about seasickness, because you can lie down flat in private.
- Owners or VIP cabin. One or two per ship. Books out first.
If you are prone to motion sickness, the cabin classes are worth the difference. This is the Arabian Sea overnight, not a harbour ferry, and there is a small dispensary on board rather than a doctor on call for every passenger.
How to reach Lakshadweep from Mangalore
Travel from Mangalore to Kochi first, then sail or fly from there. Kochi is roughly 10 to 12 hours by road or rail from Mangalore, and every published fare, every current sailing and both flight options start there. This is slower on paper and far more reliable in practice.
The three realistic options, ranked by how likely they are to work:
| Route | How it works | Reliability |
|---|---|---|
| Mangalore to Kochi, then ship | Rail or road to Kochi, then an all-weather ship to your island | Highest. Runs year round, fares published |
| Mangalore to Kochi or Bengaluru, then fly to Agatti | Connecting flight, no direct service exists | High, and the fastest of the three |
| Mangalore direct by high-speed craft | Officially listed, seasonal, islander-oriented | Low for tourists. No published fare, none sailing in July 2026 |
Travellers coming from Bengaluru, Mysuru or anywhere else in Karnataka face the same picture. There is no Karnataka departure you can rely on, so route through Kochi.
Put another way: there is no Mangalore to Lakshadweep ship ticket price to compare against a Kochi fare, so the comparison that matters is between sailing from Kochi and flying to Agatti. Both of those have real numbers behind them.
How to book Lakshadweep ship tickets online
Book at lakshadweep.irctc.co.in, the official portal now run by IRCTC. Booking opens only about 9 to 14 days before each sailing, at a specific announced hour, and each ship has its own opening time. You cannot book months ahead, which is the single most common mistake.
The older lakport.utl.gov.in portal has been retired. Any guide still walking you through that interface is out of date, and several of the top results for this search still do.
The booking window is not a rumour. These were the three live announcements on the portal when we checked on 21 July 2026:
| Ship | Sails from Kochi | Booking opened | Days ahead |
|---|---|---|---|
| MV Arabian Sea, MV Corals | 25 and 27 July 2026 | 16 July, 1400 and 1500 hrs | 9 to 11 |
| MV Arabian Sea, MV Lagoons | 29 July 2026 | 17 July, 1500 and 1600 hrs | 12 |
| MV Corals, MV Lagoons | 1 and 3 August 2026 | 20 July, 1400 and 1500 hrs | 12 to 14 |
The steps, in order:
- Apply for your entry permit first and wait for approval.
- Register on the IRCTC Lakshadweep portal as an islander or a permit holder.
- Watch the Alerts page for the opening time of your sailing.
- Log in before that hour, then select ship, date and seats.
- Pay and confirm, then complete web check-in and download your boarding pass.
Web check-in is compulsory, not a convenience. The portal sets out a seven-stage boarding process, and passengers who fail to have the boarding pass scanned at any stage may be penalised by the administration. Baggage is screened by CISF at the port, and you carry photo ID plus your permit throughout.
Sailings are announced individually. No fixed timetable is published for any route, so do not trust a page that prints a weekly schedule.
Do you need a permit to visit Lakshadweep?
Yes. Every person who is not a native of the islands needs an entry permit, Indian citizens included, under the Laccadive, Minicoy and Amindivi Islands (Restriction on Entry and Residence) Rules, 1967. Apply at epermit.utl.gov.in. An adult tourist pays ₹250 in total.
The official fee structure, as of July 2026, is ₹50 application fee per applicant, plus a heritage fee of ₹100 for children aged 12 to 18 and ₹200 for anyone over 18. There is no separate processing charge, despite a number of sites listing one.
Two requirements were dropped and much of the internet has not caught up. The permit portal now states plainly that sponsorship is no longer required for tourist applications, and that a police clearance certificate is no longer required to be uploaded for tourist applications. Guides still telling you to obtain a PCC before applying are working from old rules.
Practical points worth knowing:
- One application covers a maximum of six applicants.
- Name every island you will set foot on, including transit stops, or you can be refused entry there.
- Foreign nationals need a valid Indian passport and visa. The official tourism portal states that foreign nationals will be permitted only with a tourist visa.
- Get the permit approved before you buy anything non-refundable.
We could not verify an official processing time. Advisories suggest applying at least 14 days ahead, but the administration publishes no figure, so treat 14 days as a floor and not a promise.
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Beypore to Lakshadweep ship ticket price
Beypore has no published tourist fare either, and its service has not been running. Beypore still appears as a port on the booking portal, but the administration declined to restart sailings from there in February 2025 and moved services to Mangaluru instead. Being listed in the system is not the same as having a ship.
The stated reason was draft depth. The port director cited an available depth of 3.4 metres at the Beypore wharf against a 3.5 metre requirement. Beypore's own port officials and local traders have disputed that reading. The dispute is unresolved in public reporting, and we found no announcement of a restart.
If you are in Kozhikode and looking at Beypore, the practical answer is the same as for Mangalore: go to Kochi.
Mangalore to Agatti by ship or by flight
There is no direct Mangalore to Agatti flight and no direct Mangalore to Agatti ship fare on the books. Agatti has the only airstrip in Lakshadweep and is served by Alliance Air and IndiGo using ATR-72 aircraft, flying from Kochi. From Mangalore you connect through Kochi or Bengaluru.
By sea, Agatti is the most expensive island to reach from Kochi at 250 nautical miles: ₹2,480 bunk, rising to ₹16,960 for a VIP cabin, one way, as of July 2026.
Flying is faster and the ship is cheaper, but the honest comparison depends on the day you travel, so we are not printing an airfare that will be wrong next week. Our guide to the Kochi to Lakshadweep flight ticket price covers that leg in more detail. Check IndiGo and Alliance Air directly, and confirm baggage limits with them, since ATR-72 operations to Agatti have historically run tighter allowances than a standard domestic flight.
Helicopter transfers link Agatti and Kavaratti year round, which matters in monsoon when inter-island boats stop.
When is the best time to sail to Lakshadweep?
October to March is the best window, and the official fair-weather season for high-speed craft runs 15 September to 15 May. That window governs the Mangalore route specifically. Ships from Kochi are a different matter, and the common advice that everything stops in monsoon is wrong.
What actually stops and what does not:
- All-weather ships from Kochi keep running through the monsoon. The July and August 2026 sailings we saw announced prove it.
- High-speed craft stop outside 15 September to 15 May. This is the Mangalore service.
- Inter-island boats are withdrawn in monsoon, with helicopters covering Agatti to Kavaratti.
- Agatti to Kavaratti and Kadmat boats run in the fair season, October to May.
Sea conditions between June and September are rough even on the all-weather ships. If you get seasick, sail between November and March and book a cabin rather than a bunk.
What does a Lakshadweep trip from Mangalore actually cost?
Budget from about ₹6,000 per person for travel and permits alone, before any accommodation. That covers a return bunk to Kavaratti at ₹4,200, a ₹250 adult permit, and roughly ₹1,500 to get from Mangalore to Kochi and back. Cabin classes and island stays push it up quickly.
A realistic stack, per adult, as of July 2026:
| Item | Budget | Comfortable |
|---|---|---|
| Mangalore to Kochi return | ₹1,500 rail | ₹6,000 flight |
| Ship, Kochi to Kavaratti return | ₹4,200 bunk | ₹16,300 first class |
| Entry permit | ₹250 | ₹250 |
| Travel and permit subtotal | ₹5,950 | ₹22,550 |
Accommodation sits on top and varies far too much to average honestly. The government tourism society, SPORTS, sells packages that bundle ship, permit, meals and island stay, and for most first-time visitors that removes the two hardest parts of the trip. Its Samudram cruise is the best known. We are not quoting its price here because two pages of the official SPORTS portal currently show different figures for the same package, and until that is resolved any number we print would be a guess. Confirm directly with SPORTS.
Once you have worked out the crossing, the next question is where to spend the days you have bought. Our guide to the best places to visit in Lakshadweep covers the islands a permit will actually get you onto. If you would rather sail as a holiday than as transport, the Cordelia cruise from Mumbai to Lakshadweep is a different proposition entirely.
Sources
- Order F.No.LD-10003/2/2019-PORT-UT-LKS(1)/285, revision of fare in all-weather passenger ships, Department of Port, Shipping and Aviation, 31 May 2025, effective 01.07.2025
- Notice page for the above fare order, UT Administration of Lakshadweep
- Official ship ticket booking portal, IRCTC and UT Administration of Lakshadweep
- Sailing and booking alerts, checked 21 July 2026
- Department of Port, Shipping and Aviation, fleet list and fair-weather season
- Official ticketing counters, including Mangalore
- How to reach Lakshadweep, crossing duration and class descriptions
- Lakshadweep entry permit portal, permit rules and fees
- Entry permit information and forms
- SPORTS, Society for Promotion of Nature Tourism and Sports, package operator
Fares are taken from the signed government order dated 31 May 2025, in force since 1 July 2025 and current as of July 2026. Sailing and booking details were checked against the official portal on 21 July 2026. Prices and policies change, so confirm on the official portal before you book or travel. Researched and drafted with AI assistance, then fact-checked against the Lakshadweep administration sources listed above on 21 July 2026.
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