Kovalam, Tourism, Tourist ,Attractions, Sightseeing, Destinations, Places, Tour, Tours, Packages

Kovalam means a grove of coconut trees and true to its name the village offers an endless sight of coconut trees. 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. It is also known as the paradise of the south. 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.

Beaches
Kovalam has three beaches separated by rocky outcroppings in its 17 km coastline; the three together form the famous crescent of the Kovalam beach.

Lighthouse Beach
The southernmost beach, the Lighthouse Beach is the one most frequented by tourist. Lighthouse Beach got its name due to the old Vizhinjam Lighthouse located on a rocky promontory here. Its intermittent beams at night render the beach with an unearthly charm.

Hawah Beach
Eve’s Beach, more commonly known as Hawa Beach, ranks second, in the early day, is a beehive of activities with fishermen setting out for sea. With a high rock promontory and a calm bay of blue waters, this beach paradise creates a unique aquarelle on moonlit nights.

Samudra Beach
A large promontory separates this part from the southern side. Samudra Beach doesn't have tourists thronging there or hectic business. The local fishermen ply their trade on this part.

Detour past Kovalam junction to land on Samudra Beach which is to the north of Ashoka Beach. One has the option to walk along the sea-wall too. The sight of the waves lashing on the rocks below is awesome. Shallow waters stretching for hundreds of metres are ideal for swimming. The beaches have steep palm covered headlands and are lined with shops that offer all kinds of goods and services.

The larger of the beaches is called Light House Beach for its 35 metre high light house which towers over it atop Kurumkal Hillock. The second largest one is Hawah Beach named thus for the topless European women who used to throng there. It was the first topless beach in India.[citation needed] However topless bathing is banned now except in private coves owned by resorts. Visitors frequent these two beaches. The northern part of the beach is known as Samudra Beach in tourism parlance. A large promontory separates this part from the southern side. Samudra Beach doesn't have tourists thronging there or hectic business. The local fishermen ply their trade on this part. The sands on the beaches in Kovalam are partially black in colour due to the presence of limonite and Monazite. The normal tourist season is from September to May. Ashoka beach is also the part of Kovalam beach.

By Air:
Trivandrum International Airport is the nearest airbase to Kovalam, a distance of 15 km away from it.

By Rail:
The nearest railway station to Kovalam is in Thampanur, Trivandrum. Almost all the major cities of India are well linked with Thampanur.

By Road:
Private as well as Government owned buses are available from Trivandrum and the other neighboring cities.