Kovalam Beach Thiruvananthapuram Kerala

Kovalam Beach Thiruvananthapuram Kerala

Place :Kovalam Beach

Location :Just 16 km from Thiruvananthapuram city,south Kerala.

Best time to visit: September to March, though it is an all year destination.

The palm-fringed bays in secluded coconut groves of the Kovalam Beach, promise a relaxed stay. The boundless blue waters of the Arabian Sea and miles of white sands washed away by the surf at the feet of the stalwart palms and the rocky promontories, makes this beach paradise. This marvellous beach is a tourist's dream come true.

A sheltered natural bay with cool soothing palms and gentle waves. Where when you are tired of aquatics, swimming or sunbathing, you can explore the handicrafts, jewellery and cloth shops spread along the waterfront. Not to speak of the delightful sea-food fare including lobsters available at the beachside restaurants.

Kovalam is an internationally renowned beach with three adjacent crescent beaches.It has been a favourite haunt of tourists,especially Europeans,since the 1930s.A massive rocky promontory on the beach has created a beautiful bay of calm waters ideal for sea bathing. The leisure options at this beach are plenty and diverse-sunbathing, swimming, herbal body toning massages,special cultural programmes, Catamaran cruising etc.The tropical sun acts so fast that one can see the faint blush of coppery tan on the skin in a matter of minutes.Life on the beach begins late in the day and carries on well into the night.The beach complex includes a string of budget cottages,Ayurvedic health resorts, convention facilities, shopping zones, swimming pools, Yoga and Ayurvedic massage centres etc.

The beaches of Kovalam can be divided in three parts. The southern most beach and the most popular from the three, is the Lighthouse Beach. Further south on the beach one can have a spectacular view of the Vizhinzam mosque, but photography is prohibited here. The middle beach is called Hawah. Each morning this beach acts as a base for the local fisherman. The northern most beach, Samudra, is least affected of all by the changing times. It is dotted with few rudimentary wooden fishing vessels.

Thiruvananthapuram,the capital city of Kerala, is just 16 km away from Kovalam and getting there is no hassle.But if you are on holiday it is better to stay in Kovalam and visit the city.Thiruvananthapuram has interesting places to see like the Napier Museum, the Sri Chitra Art Gallery,the Padmanabhaswamy Temple,Ponmudi hill station etc.SMSM Institute, a State owned handicrafts emporium,is the ideal place to pick up ethnic curios and other articles.To know more about the crafts on sale here see Treasure Chest from the Archives dated 14 January '99 to 15 July '99.

Getting there:

Nearest railway station :Thiruvananthapuram central,about 16 km

Nearest airport :Thiruvananthapuram International Airport,about 10 km.