Kovalam Review
Kovalam is one of the most visited tourist destinations of India. Located 16 km from Thiruvananthpuram, Kovalam is most frequented by many tourists, most of them foreigners throughout the year. The ideal time to visit this place is from September to May. Summers are too hot and hence not advisable. Kovalam is commonly referred as the ‘Paradise of the South' and it seems it does make sense.
Kovalam is actually known for its beaches. It is said that the beaches here are safe enough to swim and bathing, hence the place is more into water sports. Lot of snorkeling, paragliding, swimming, and motor boat rides are done here on the beach.
Out of the three known beaches, the Light House beach is much popular. The beach has a 35 meters tall Light House which gives it the name. One finds several hotels, lodges and restaurants here on this beach. It looks more popular than the rest of the two beaches. The Samudra beach is much quieter and less frequented beach out of the three. It is mostly visited by fishermen for their daily fish trading activities. The Hawah beach is one of those listed few beaches of India, where earlier topless bathing was permitted. It became popular because of that. However it seems this practice has been banned recently, and one finds good crowd over here. I believe these two beaches are very popular here in Kovalam.
The nearest airport and railway station for Kovalam happens to be Thiruvananthapuram. Thiruvananthapuram is around 15-16 km from Kovalam. Many taxis and private buses ply regularly from here to Kovalam. The approximate fare charged by the taxis is around Rs.350/- The buses cost you not more than Rs.8 to Rs.10/-, and hence they are the cheapest mode of transport here in Kovalam. These buses can also be caught from the Kovalam Junction. Also one gets to hire private vehicles, but that can be pretty costly
There are auto rickshaws too which can charge you around Rs.300/- overall for one trip. Apart from the beaches, there are many other tourist places that can be visited. The best thing to do is to hire a private taxi or a tourist taxi and go for a sight seeing. There are many other places that can visited when in Kovalam, including the Ponmudi, Neyyar Dam and Varkala.
Ponmudi is a small hill station located 70 km away from Kovalam. Varkala is an amazing beach around 50 km away from Kovalam. Neyyer Dam is a beautiful water reservoir worth paying a visit. One also gets to take Backwater trips here in Kovalam. The trips can be booked well in advance, during peak seasons. The booking is done on the Kovalam beach and they provide small boats which can accommodate around 4 to7 people at a time. The trip is from Kovalam to Thiruvananthapuram and it takes approximately three and a half hours.
Apart from ample of sight seeing, one also gets to try his hand on few of the water sports that are carried on these beaches. Surfing is one such sport that can be done here. There are very few beaches in India where surfing can be carried out, since the waves aren't so appealing for surfing. But here in Kovalam, the waves are much bigger around 2 or 21/2 m which can allow surfing. There are life guards on the beach and they always have an eye on you. One also gets to enjoy a wooden boat ride or a motor boat ride here in Kovalam. The rides are charged around Rs.500/- per person and they last for an hour or so.
Kovalam also have some good food joints and hence eating is never a problem here. There are many restaurants which serve some good local cuisine, which one must definitely try.
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