Kovalam

Kovalam With beaches, lakes, pleasant weather and spectacular natural views; Kerala’s Kovalam is one of the finest destinations to explore.

Introduction

Kovalam in Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram City is a pristine place with striking beaches. This beach town is immensely popular among domestic and international tourists. The pleasant climatic condition at the beach is something one must experience. This small town of Kerala is famous for its special varieties of fishes. It is an out-and-out beach paradise where one gets to witness the sunset with a beautiful tinge of orange, yellow and blue colours with abysmal sea, coconut and palm trees in the foreground. If you want to rejuvenate yourself, you must head for Kovalam.

Places to explore

Lighthouse Beach

The Lighthouse Beach is the largest one among the three beaches of Kovalam. The beach derives its name from the 35-meter-high lighthouse located on top of the Karumkal Hill. The lighthouse is made up of stones, painted in white and red colours, and is easily accessible.. Foreign tourists in a large number visit the beach to eye the spectacular vistas of its surroundings. Here you can indulge yourself in various recreational activities like sunbathing, beach volleyball, swimming, surfing and long walks along the coastline. You will also find many stalls lining the shore, offering superb sea food. There are many tourists who intentionally flock here to avail ayurvedic therapies and rejuvenating spas.  

Hawa Beach

Hawa beach, also known as Eve’s beach, offers you some extremely stunning views of swaying palm and coconut grooves and cadent sea waves. It lies opposite to the Lighthouse Beach. It is recommended that one should visit the beach early morning when fishermen with their boats are set out to sea to catch fish. All these fishermen, singing in their local language, bring out the vibrant culture of Kerala. Along with this, the rhythmic sound of sea waves increases the exquisiteness of the entire scene. Another major thing to do is capturing the splendid glimpse of amazing sunset.

Samudra Beach

Once you arrive at the beach, you will get a pleasant surprise in the form of awesome peace spread all over the place. Those who are looking to take a break from their busy city life, Samudra Beach is the perfect hub to unwind. For newly-married couples seeking some moments of solitude, the beach is the ultimate destination. It has successfully retained its original appeal and receives humble number of tourists as compared to other beaches. The beach is sparsely populated and best to spend some quality time.

Vellayani Lake

This popular and largest freshwater lake is located at 7 km from Kovalam. Famous for its crystal clear water, a visit to the lake is a must when the annual snake boat race is organised here during the Onam festival which turns the entire atmosphere lively. The beauty of the lake is beyond explanation during a moonlit night. It is a famous picnic spot where one can enjoy boat ride. With its unique ecosystem, one can see varieties of flora and fauna here.  

Vizhinjam Village

At a distance of merely 3 km from Kovalam, Vizhinjam Village is hugely popular for its various attractions. Its 18th century rock cut temple depicts the semi-carved relics of Hindu God Shiva and Goddess Parvati on its outer wall. The deity in this granite cave is Vinadhara Dakshinamurthi. This small temple is a brilliant piece of rock carving. The village is one of the most famous ayurvedic centres in Kovalam which is frequented by tourists for the amazing therapies it offers. One must visit the Marine aquarium in Vizhinjam which has got wide varieties of rare aquatic species.

Halcyon Castle

Built by M.R. Ry Sri Rama Varma Valiya Koil Thampuran in 1932, the Halcyon Castle was once used as a summer retreat for his spouse Maharani Sethu Lakshmi Bayi and the entire royal family. Now a five star hotel, the palace is a gorgeous edifice displaying customary traditional Kerala style architecture and well-known for the beautiful view of the sea and expansive lawns. Tourists from all over the world visit the castle and get fascinated by its beauty.

Veli Tourist Village

Popular as a picnic destination, the Veli Tourist Village offers horse rides, swimming pool, shopping stalls and cafeterias. The Veli Lake meeting the Arabian Sea offers various kinds of boat ride to tourists. The beautiful floating bridge is another attraction of the lake. There is also a floating restaurant where you can get amazing varieties of food.

Ayurvedic centres

Your trip to Kovalam is incomplete without a visit to its ayurvedic centres. Kerala Ayurveda is the most coveted thing among the tourists. There are numbers of ayurvedic centres where you can get natural treatment to cure different kinds of diseases. Body massages offered in these centres help in curing blood related diseases and also improve blood circulation. Yoga sessions and meditation classes provided by these centres would heal your entire body, soul and mind with complete mental peace and psychological liveliness.

Staying in Kovalam

There are various luxury hotels and comfy resorts for tourists in Kovalam ensuring amazing accommodations. The Leela Kovalam Beach Resort, with 182 well-furnished rooms, boasts of its opulence. With top-notch hospitality, the hotel offers fabulous views of the beach. The hotel comes with world-class accommodation, dining, recreational and business facilities along with its ayurveda wellness spa. The Le Meridien Kovalam Beach Resort, with its 190 well-equipped rooms, offers utmost comfort to its guests. Multi-cuisine restaurant, ayurvedic centre, swimming pools, banquet halls, tennis and badminton courts, catamaran and boat rides are some of the main facilities provided by the hotel. In addition, a stay in the Taj Green Cove Resort is impressive to the core. One witnesses the elegant hospitality in this seaside resort with enchanting views of the backwater, coconut and palm groves and exotic beach. It offers all amenities one expects in a luxury resort.  In addition, Hotel Samudra KTDC, Turtle on The Beach, Kovalam Beach Resort, Villa Sugerma Kovalam and Jasmine Palace are other prominent resorts making your trip to Kovalam an incredible one.

Shopping: Teakwood and rosewood items are Kovalam’s specialty.  Also, it is also famous for its ethnic clothes, jewellery made of seashells, Tibetan Knick- Knacks, aromatic and high quality spices, paintings, carpets and Kashmiri shawls. One can easily get these items from the local shops near the beaches at reasonable rates.

When to visit

Though Kovalam can be visited throughout the year, the best time to visit the place is from September to March.

Going to Kovalam

By Air: Nearest airport - Thiruvananthapuram

By Rail: Nearest railway station - Thiruvananthapuram Central

By Road: One can find regular buses and cabs connecting Kovalam to Thiruvananthapuram.

Kovalam - a place with unique elegance

Kovalam is truly a dazzling tourist destination which magnetises people with its pleasant surroundings.