Early in the morning, while it was still dark, we reached the Kavaratti jetty to board the same HSC Veliyapani to Agatti. (To know more about HSC Veliyapani, read my previous post on Kavaratti.) From Agatti, we were supposed to catch our next ferry to the private, uninhabited island of Thinnakara.
We boarded the vessel and settled into our seats. As the vessel moved out of the jetty, the rolling began within minutes. Since it was still early morning, I decided to compensate for my compromised sleep.
We reached Agatti by 8:30 AM. This time, the vessel did not anchor at the jetty. Instead, it stayed at a distance, and passengers for Agatti were transferred to the shore in small boats, as the vessel had several other islands on its itinerary that day.
After arriving at the jetty, we realised this was not the same one we had frequented during our stay in Agatti. We were heading to the private island of Thinnakara. (Read my previous post on Agatti.)
Thinnakara Island – A Hidden Paradise in Lakshadweep
Thinnakara is an uninhabited island where a newly opened resort functions with numerous deluxe tents spread across the pristine shoreline. That is why I call it a private island.
The tiny teardrop-shaped island of Thinnakara lies around 8 km northeast of Agatti Island. Surrounded by light turquoise waters, this atoll feels like an isolated marine paradise, with the famous Bangaram Island — another uninhabited private island — nearby.
To cut a long story short, we had initially planned to visit Bangaram Island but finally decided on Thinnakara instead, thanks to our travel agent, who misguided us with resort pictures. Though we do not regret the decision, the journey itself turned out to be quite dramatic.
Back at Agatti, we discovered that we had arrived at the East Jetty. Until then, we had only known the West Jetty, which we used regularly during our stay. After multiple calls to the resort, someone finally answered and informed us that a cab would come to pick us up and take us to the West Jetty, from where a private boat would take us to Thinnakara.
We waited and waited under the harsh sun long after all the other passengers had left. Eventually, we decided to find transport ourselves. Sadly, there were no vehicles around anymore. With the help of a local shopkeeper, we somehow managed to get an auto-rickshaw to take us to the other jetty.
And then began another long wait.
Since Thinnakara is a private island, there are no public ferries to reach it. We were completely dependent on the resort’s boat transfer. We kept waiting, calling, and waiting again. At that moment, we cursed ourselves for choosing the wrong travel agent. Our Lakshadweep tour was slowly turning into a “waiting tour.”
Finally, after almost one and a half hours, a small 10-seater speedboat arrived to pick us up, along with another couple headed to the same resort in Thinnakara.
We were hungry and irritated because we had to skip breakfast, and there were no nearby shops to buy food. The speedboat left the jetty and headed northward, passing the resort where we had stayed in Agatti, the Lagoon Beach, and finally the open sea.
Soon, large waves began crashing onto the boat, soaking us repeatedly. Somehow, we managed to protect our camera bag from the salty water despite not having a rain cover.
Half drenched in seawater, we eventually left the deep sea and entered the shallow reef. Suddenly, all our annoyance disappeared.
We were mesmerised by the colour of the water.
We had already seen turquoise waters in Agatti and Kavaratti, but Thinnakara’s lagoon had a brighter, almost surreal shade of blue. It instantly transported us to what felt like an exotic tropical paradise. Soon, Bangaram Island appeared in the distance, and after passing it, we finally reached our destination — Thinnakara.
First Impressions of Thinnakara
The island had a floating pontoon jetty leading to the whitest beach sand I have ever seen anywhere. Hundreds of luxury tents were lined neatly along the shore.
After completing the check-in formalities, we finally reached our tent and relaxed after the long and exhausting morning.
What to Do in Thinnakara
Honestly, there was absolutely nothing to do on Thinnakara except relax by the sea and soak in the beauty of the island.
The resort was only three months old, and most activities had not yet started. We had two entire days to simply unwind beside the ocean.
However, the afternoons were brutal. The scorching sun made the island almost unusable from late morning until evening. The tents became unbearably hot — even an air-conditioner and a cooler together struggled to reduce the temperature.
At one point, I wondered why they had not built eco-friendly thatched cottages instead of tents.
Thankfully, things became pleasant once the sun started setting. Evenings in Thinnakara were magical. The beach came alive with countless crabs that soon became our little companions for the next couple of days.
We chased tiny crabs until they disappeared into their holes and spent hours observing hermit crabs hiding inside beautiful shells scattered across the beach.
The moment we picked them up, they immediately shrank inside their shell homes. But if we waited patiently, they slowly emerged again and crawled gently across our palms. They looked absolutely adorable.
Every shell on the beach was occupied. No matter how beautiful the shell looked, it already belonged to a hermit crab. 😀
This unexpectedly became our favourite pastime on Thinnakara.
Another fascinating feature of the island was the sandbar that emerged during low tide. It almost felt as though the sea parted on both sides, inviting us to walk through it. The serenity, crystal-clear waters, and untouched surroundings made the experience unforgettable.
The newly planted coconut grove added a vibrant green contrast to the endless stretch of white tents and white sand.
Exploring Thinnakara Island
The next morning, feeling adventurous, we decided to walk around the island. That turned out to be the best part of our stay in Thinnakara.
It was a cloudy morning, and thankfully, the sun stayed hidden behind patches of clouds, making the walk easier. Beyond the resort area, the island became completely wild and untouched.
Mangroves, coconut trees, and dense vegetation covered the inland areas, while the beach was scattered with dead tree trunks washed ashore. We also came across an old stone structure, probably built to prevent coastal erosion.
Suddenly, we heard a loud splash in the shallow water beside the beach. A small fish leapt out of the water while a medium-sized stingray attempted an unsuccessful hunt.
The stingray, a master of camouflage, quickly buried itself under the sand while the poor little fish gasped helplessly nearby. My husband gently picked it up and threw it back into deeper water, giving it another chance to survive.
Eventually, we reached the Thinnakara Lighthouse.
I was extremely excited to see it. Being my usual curious self, I immediately started wondering whether there was any way to enter the lighthouse — if not, then perhaps later in the afternoon, which is usually the visiting time for many lighthouses in India.
Unfortunately, public entry was prohibited, and I never got the chance to enter the Thinnakara Lighthouse.
A Bitter Memory from Thinnakara
Later that afternoon, during our usual beach walk and hermit crab observations, we noticed something disturbing.
There were noticeably fewer shells on the beach.
Soon, we discovered the reason. Two women staying at the same resort were collecting hundreds of shells containing live hermit crabs in a large plastic bag.
I immediately objected.
At first, I politely requested them to release the crabs, but they kept giving excuses. Then I tried warning them about airport security checks. That did not help either.
Eventually, the argument became heated, and one of them shockingly said that they would pour boiling water over the shells to kill the crabs before taking the shells home.
I tried every possible way to stop them, but failed.
Even today, whenever I think about Thinnakara, this incident leaves a bitter feeling behind.
A Night Walk and a Surprise Visitor
That evening, the weather became cloudy, and the sea grew rough. The sandbar never appeared during low tide, so we limited our walk to the stretch in front of our tent.
After dinner, we stepped out for a walk beside the dark sea. The roaring waves clearly indicated how rough the waters had become.
As we moved away from the lighted area, we noticed a large dark object slowly moving toward the shore.
Curious, we walked closer.
To our surprise, it was a Green Turtle, probably arriving to lay eggs.
We stayed at a distance and quietly returned without disturbing it. After what we had already witnessed earlier that day, we felt protective of the island’s fragile wildlife.
Leaving Thinnakara
The next morning, we had to leave early because our return flight from Agatti was scheduled for 9 AM. The same small speedboat would take us back to Agatti jetty, from where we would head to the airport.
By then, tension had already started building. We even kept a separate set of clothes ready because we fully expected to get drenched again during the boat ride.
The night had been windy and stormy, and we were genuinely worried whether the boats would even operate in such rough conditions. Missing the boat would mean missing our Agatti-to-Kochi flight and the connecting flight from Kochi to Pune.
Once again, we realised a major flaw in our travel planning. Our travel agent should never have scheduled Thinnakara as the final destination of the trip without considering weather-related risks. (Read about my Lakshadweep tour planning.)
We barely slept that night. The constant roar of the waves made it feel as though the sea itself had risen to our tent door. Before dawn, we were ready to leave. Thankfully, the sea was calmer than it had been the previous night.
We boarded the same small boat, now packed with passengers — all guests from the resort heading to the same flight from Agatti. In complete darkness, the speedboat left the pontoon jetty and headed into the open sea. It was one of the most surreal experiences of my life — travelling across the deep sea in total darkness on a tiny speedboat surrounded by nothing but waves.
The experience reminded me of my overnight ship journey to Little Andaman, except that this was far more intense. (Read my journey to the Little Andamans.)
Sitting beside the skipper, I carefully observed him navigating using the map on his phone, almost like driving with Google Maps on water.
Large waves crashed repeatedly against the boat as it rose and dropped over the rough sea. And then suddenly, the engine stopped. The skipper tried multiple times to restart it but failed.
There we were — stranded in the middle of the dark sea with no land, no lights, and no idea what would happen next. For a moment, my mind went completely blank. Surprisingly, all the passengers remained calm.
After nearly 10–15 minutes, the engine finally restarted. This time, the skipper drove much more slowly and cautiously. Gradually, dawn arrived, bringing both light and hope. Soon, Agatti Island became visible in the distance.
By then, we were completely soaked from head to toe. Even our hats had failed to protect us from the relentless seawater.
Thankfully, after reaching Agatti jetty, everything went smoothly. Cars were already waiting for every family. We quickly reached the airport, changed into dry clothes, completed the formalities, and finally boarded our flight back home. And with that, our unforgettable journey to Thinnakara, as well as Lakshadweep, came to an end.
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