An uncluttered beach of golden sand fringed with rows and rows of tall palms, a sheltered bay, a wide choice of water sports - Kovalam is about the perfect place for a seaside holiday. The fishing village of Kovalam lies 10 kilometers south of Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of Kerala. Kovalam is the only beach resort of Kerala, and is very popular with the Indian as well as international tourists.
Kovalam consists of three successive small crescent beaches; the most popular is the Lighthouse Beach, where majority of the visitors spend their time. The light house on the promontory at the southern end of the beach offers a spectacular view across to the Vizhinjam mosque. Photography is prohibited here. The middle beach functions every morning as a base for local fishers. The third beach is very little affected by the changing times. It is dotted with a few rudimentary wooden fishing vessels.
Access
Air: The nearest airport is in Thiruvananthapuram. Being close to Thiruvananthapuram, access is not a problem as it is linked by air from Male, Colombo and the Indian cities of Mumbai, Kochi, Delhi and Madras.
Train: There are a number of trains that connect Kollam and Ernakulam, Thrissur, Palakkad, Tamil Nadu.
Road: There are direct and regular daily bus services from Thiruvananthapuram. There are also bus links from all the major cities of Kerala, and also from Madras, Bangalore, Kochi, Madurai, Pondicherry, Nagercoil and Erode to Thiruvananthapuram. It is also well connected to all the major cities of the country by train.
Accomodation
- Kovalam Ashok Beach Resort
- Kovalam
Vizhinjam
Thiruvananthapuram 695527
Tel: (0471) 480101
Fax: (0471) 481522
- Hotel Palmshore
- Light House Road
Kovalam
Tel: (0471) 481481
Fax: (0471) 480495
- Surya Samudra
- Pulinkudi
Mullur P.O.
Kovalam
Tel: (0471) 480413
Fax: (0471) 481124
- Hotel Seaweed Seaside
- Light House Road
Kovalam
Tel: (0471) 480391/ 480791
- Rockholm
- Light House Road
Kovalam
Tel: (0471) 480306
- Hotel Neptune
- 850 Light House Beach
Kovalam
Tel: (0471) 489222
