Kerala Backwaters Escape
Destination
Kovalam is a seaside town on the Arabian Sea about 16 km (10 miles) south of Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of Kerala. Its shoreline is made up of three small crescent beaches separated by rocky headlands, with a red-and-white striped lighthouse standing on the cliff at the southern end. Fishing boats still pull up on the sand in the early morning, and coconut palms come right down to the beach. It was a quiet fishing village until the late 1960s and 1970s, when Western backpackers started arriving, and it's been one of Kerala's main beach destinations ever since.
What makes Kovalam different from many beach towns in India is how compact and walkable it is. A paved promenade runs along the main beach, lined with small hotels, seafood restaurants, Ayurveda centers, bookshops, and tailors. You can stroll from one end to the other in about 20 minutes, have fresh fish for lunch with your feet almost in the sand, and walk back up to your hotel for an afternoon massage. It suits travelers who want a few easy days of sun and rest without the size and party scene of Goa.
For most international visitors, Kovalam works as the relaxing final stop on a Kerala tour, after the hills of Munnar and the backwaters of Alleppey. It also makes a comfortable base for Trivandrum sightseeing, a day trip to Kanyakumari at the southern tip of India, and a visit to the wooden Padmanabhapuram Palace. The international airport is only about 30 minutes away, which makes it easy to end a trip here.
Lighthouse Beach, Hawa Beach, Samudra Beach, Vizhinjam Lighthouse, Vizhinjam Rock Cut Cave, Poovar
October – March
Calm sea and sunny, dry days
3 Days
Add 1 day for Kanyakumari or Padmanabhapuram Palace
Malayalam, English.
English widely spoken in hotels, restaurants, and Ayurveda centers
Kovalam is one of the best places in Kerala to try Ayurveda, the traditional Indian system of medicine, and many visitors build their whole stay around it.
Fresh seafood is the highlight here. In the evenings, restaurants on the promenade display red snapper, kingfish, tuna, tiger prawns, lobster, and calamari, and you can ask for them grilled, fried, or cooked in Kerala style. Try Karimeen pollichathu (pearl spot fish wrapped in banana leaf with spices), a Kerala fish curry made with kokum or raw mango, and prawn moilee in coconut milk. For breakfast, local eateries serve appam, puttu with kadala curry (steamed rice cake with black chickpeas), and idiyappam (string hoppers). Beach cafés also cook pancakes, fresh juices, and Western-style breakfasts. Ask about the price of seafood by weight before ordering, as it's priced on the day's catch.
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Kovalam
Lighthouse Beach is the longest and liveliest of Kovalam's three beaches, and it's where most visitors spend their time. It takes its name from the lighthouse on the rocky point at its southern end. The beach promenade behind it is packed with seafood restaurants that lay out the day's catch on ice in the evening, so you can choose your fish or prawns and have them grilled or cooked in Kerala masala. Lifeguards patrol the swimming zones during the day and use flags to mark safe areas. The beach faces west, so sunsets here are excellent, and it's at its most pleasant in the early morning and late afternoon.
Just north of Lighthouse Beach, past a small rocky outcrop, is Hawa Beach, also known as Eve's Beach. It's shorter and a little calmer, and in the early morning it's where local fishermen bring in their catch and haul nets onto the sand. Watching the boats land and the fish being sorted is one of the most interesting things to see in Kovalam. Later in the day the beach fills with sunbathers and swimmers, and a few cafés and small shops line the back of the sand.
Samudra Beach, on the northern side of a large headland, is quieter and less developed than the other two. It's mostly used by fishing families and by guests of the larger resorts built along this stretch. The water here can be rougher, so it's better for walks and sunset views than for swimming. If you want space and a slower pace, this is the part of Kovalam to explore.
The Vizhinjam Lighthouse, sitting on Kurumkal Hill above Lighthouse Beach, is the most recognized landmark in Kovalam. Built in 1972, the tower is painted in red and white bands and stands about 36 meters (118 feet) tall. Visitors can climb the spiral staircase inside the tower to reach the viewing gallery, which looks over all three beaches, the coconut palms behind them, and the fishing harbor at Vizhinjam to the south. It's open to visitors on most afternoons, but timings change, so check locally before you walk up.
A short drive south of Kovalam, the small Vizhinjam Rock Cut Cave Temple is one of the oldest monuments in the Thiruvananthapuram area, generally dated to around the 8th century. Carved into a single granite boulder, it holds an image of Vinadhara Dakshinamurthy (Shiva as a teacher holding a veena) inside, with unfinished relief carvings of Shiva and Parvati on the outer walls. It's protected by the Archaeological Survey of India and only takes 15 to 20 minutes to see, but it's an interesting reminder that Vizhinjam was once an important port and the capital of the early Ay kings.
Next to the cave temple, Vizhinjam is one of the largest traditional fishing harbors in Kerala, and a busy place in the early morning when hundreds of colorful wooden boats return with their catch. The town has a large mosque and a church sitting near each other on the waterfront, reflecting the mixed Hindu, Muslim, and Christian community that lives from the sea. A new deep-water international container port has been built nearby, which has changed part of the coastline, but the old harbor still has its traditional character.
About 30 minutes south of Kovalam, Poovar is where the Neyyar River meets the Arabian Sea. A boat ride here takes you through quiet mangrove channels and backwaters to a strip of golden sand beach that separates the river from the sea. Many travelers find it a nice taste of the backwaters if they're not heading north to Alleppey. Several floating cottages and island resorts are located around the estuary. Book the boat through your hotel or tour operator and agree on the duration beforehand.
On the coast between Kovalam and Poovar, the Azhimala Shiva Temple sits on rocks right above the sea. It's known for a huge sculpture of Gangadhareshwara (Shiva releasing the river Ganga from his hair), about 58 feet tall, carved into the seaside rocks. There's a small meditation hall inside the sculpture. It's a popular stop with Indian visitors, and the setting, with waves crashing below, is impressive.
Inland from Kovalam, Vellayani Lake is one of the largest freshwater lakes in the district, surrounded by paddy fields and coconut groves. In the morning it's good for birdwatching, and the quiet village roads around it are nice for a slow drive or a cycle ride. It gives a gentler, rural contrast to the busy beachfront.
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Getting there
Kovalam sits just south of Thiruvananthapuram, so most travel goes through the capital.
Trivandrum International Airport (about 30 minutes), with flights from the Middle East, Sri Lanka, and major Indian cities
Thiruvananthapuram Central Station (about 30–40 minutes), with trains to Kochi, Chennai, Bangalore, and Mumbai
Coastal roads from Trivandrum, Varkala, and Kanyakumari, and highway links to Kochi and Alleppey
Tours that include Kovalam
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Kerala Backwaters Escape
Kerala Backwaters Escape
Kerala Backwaters Escape
Kerala Backwaters EscapeN.S. Rathore & Mrs. Omlata Rathore · Managing Director
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