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Kerala Beaches
Kerala is very popular as the land of beaches. Along the 600 Km. length of the lush
green vegetation of Kerala coast,
is blessed with many fine sanded, internationally renowned beaches and rocky promontories.
Kerala offers surf and sand like no other place.
Facilities at the beach include boating, sunbath, swimming, water sports and
Ayurveda.
Kovalam
Set amidst the blue of the Arabian Sea and the coast of Kerala, Kovalam is one of the most
popular beach hangouts in India as well as international tourists. Industry is relatively small scale in this area.
The long coastline lined with swaying coconut palm trees
and dotted with fishing hamlets is fast developing into
one of the world's best string of beaches.
Kovalam consists of three successive small crescent beaches; the southern most known as Lighthouse Beach, is where most of the visitors spend their time. The beach is bordered with low cost lodging houses, and restaurants which offer adequate facilities, at affordable tariffs - ideal for a long stay.
The light house on the promontory at the southern end of the beach, offers a spectacular view across to the Vizhinjam mosque.
The middle beach, overlooked from a rocky headland by the five star Ashok Radisson resort, functions each morning as a base for local fishers. North of
Kovalam
Beach Resort, is the third beach which is very little affected by the changing times. It is dotted with a few rudimentary wooden fishing vessels.
Swimming on the beaches is not always safe, as the undertow can be very strong, therefore it is essential to follow the warnings of the safety flags. However, days can be spent here just lolling around on the sands or retreating under the awnings of the beach cafes.
How to reach there
Location : 16 kms. from Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of
Kerala.
Thiruvananthapuram, is linked by air from Colombo, Male and the Indian cities of Mumbai, Kochi, Delhi and Madras. There are bus links from all the major cities of Kerala, and also from Madras, Bangalore, Kochi, Madurai, Pondicherry, Nagercoil and Erode to
Thiruvananthapuram.
There is direct and regular daily bus service from
Thiruvananthapuram. There are direct bus links to Ernakulam and Kanyakumari (Cape
Comorin), which is two hours away.
It is also well connected to all the major cities of the country by train.
Papanasam Beach (Varkala)
This is a holy beach, known as ‘Papanashini’ meaning, that which destroys sins. A narrow winding road leads away from Varkala town, flanked by thousands of palm trees and fertile paddy fields.
High cliffs border the excellent beach. Mineral water springs gushing out from these cliffs are well known for their medicinal
property. Ancient Janardhana Swamy (Vishnu) temple is near. Visitors can pay homage to Kerala’s saint and social reformer, Sree Narayana Guru.
Alleppey Beach
This is a long sandy spectacular beach with dense palm groves, that are so characteristic of Kerala’s landscape, at one end. One can cut across the sea waves lashing the shore in passionate fury, or indulge in the luxury of sitting on a sand dune and paddling your feet in the waters. A towering lighthouse overlooks the beach as a symbol of the past.
Kappad Beach
This is the historic beach where Vasco da Gama landed on 27 May, 1498 with 170 men in three vessels - a site which witnessed an event that changed the course of Indian
history.
16 km away from Kozhikode (Calicut), the pleasant, calm beach, locally known as Kappakadavu, is studded with rocks and caressed by friendly waves.
Bekal Beach
Bekal The old-fashioned little town of Kasargode, 153km north of Kozhikode, near the Karnataka border, is principally a fishing community.
Flanked on two sides by long, ravishingly beautiful palm fringed beaches, the Bekal Fort stands proud on a promontory. This is one of the largest forts in Kerala and has been under the control of various powers including Vijayanagar, Tipu Sultan and the British.
The fort’s commanding position, with views across the bays to the north and the south are breath-taking.
Shanghumugham Beach
This is a popular city beach lying near to the airport. An indoor recreation club, children's traffic training park and a star shaped restaurant are some of the facilities at the beach.
When to visit: November to February is the best time to visit.
For Kerala beach tour packages please
click
here.
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