Kovalam

Worth seeing in and around Kovalam

5 places within 25 km that the world writes about, in the order of how widely: the ones a visitor has heard of first, then the ones only a local would name.

1. 01
   Vellayani Lake

   Vellayani Lake, or Vellayani Kayal, is the second largest freshwater lake in the state of Kerala and is situated in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India. Vellayani is known for its lotus blooms and is considered a little eco-haven.

   500 m · lake in India · Wikipedia
2. 02
   Vizhinjam Lighthouse

   Vizhinjam Lighthouse or Trivandrum Lighthouse is situated near Kovalam beach in Kerala. It started functioning on 30 June 1972.

   1.9 km · Lighthouse in Keralam · Wikipedia
3. 03
   Vizhinjam rock caves

   Vizhinjam Cave Temple is an ancient Hindu temple at Vizhinjam, near Trivandrum in southern Kerala, India. The granite cave encloses a one-celled shrine with a loose sculpture of Vinadhara Dakshinamurti.

   2.4 km · building in India · Wikipedia
4. 04
   College of Agriculture, Vellayani

   College of Agriculture, Vellayani is the first agriculture college in Kerala under Kerala Agricultural University and situated in Vellayani, Thiruvananthapuram. The campus has an area of 250 hectare bordered on three sides by Vellayani Lake.

   3.5 km · agricultural college under the Kerala Agricultural University · Wikipedia
5. 05
   Halcyon Castle

   Halcyon Castle was built in 1932 in the princely state of Travancore, in the modern-day state of Kerala, India. It was constructed by M.R.Ry Sri Rama Varma Valiya Koil Thampuran, the consort of Maharani Sethu Lakshmi Bayi, as a retreat for their family.

   1.1 km · Castle in Thiruvananthapuram district, Keralam, India · Wikipedia

Ranked by the number of language editions of Wikipedia with an article on each, from Wikidata; the sentences are the openings of those articles, CC BY-SA 4.0.

What Wikivoyage says to see

1. 01
   Vizhinjam Cave Temple

   The granite cave encloses a one-celled shrine with a loose sculpture of Vinadhara Dakshinamurthi.

2. 02
   Vizhinjam Lighthouse

   The old lighthouse, at the southern beach is a local landmark, for being one of the oldest lighthouses of Kerala, guiding ships to the nearby Vizhnjam port.

3. 03
   Azhimala Shiva Temple

   The Tamil-style koil is known for the 18 m (59 ft) tall Gangadhareshwara sculpture, the tallest Shiva sculpture in Kerala.

4. 04
   Lighthouse Beach

   The largest and southernmost beach of Kovalam, known for its 35-m-high lighthouse which towers over it atop Kurumkal hillock.

5. 05
   Hawa Beach

   The second-largest beach of Kovala, and it takes less than five minutes to walk from Lighthouse Beach.

6. 06
   Samudra Beach

   The northernmost crescent, usually crowded on weekends.

From Wikivoyage: Kovalam, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.

Things to do

Motor Boat Ride - In 2009 local fishermen/catamaran people added a few motor boats to their fleet, destroying the peace and serenity of the coves. They hope to make some extra money from Indian tourists, but are not aware of the impact on the environment and Western tourism. Surfing - Some fine waves from time to time (0.5-2 m). You can hire surf boards and body boards on the beach from USD6 a day.

From Wikivoyage: Kovalam, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.

Where to eat

There are many restaurants along the beach front at Lighthouse Beach. The days catch is usually laid in front of them in the evening for those who like fish. Most restaurants have a leisurely approach to life and an hour between ordering and receiving your food is not uncommon. But don't get uptight, just relax and enjoy. You can grab a top fruit salad from the fruit ladies with all the trimmings for less than US$1.

From Wikivoyage: Kovalam, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.

Getting to Kovalam

Airports

Thiruvananthapuram (TRV), 11 km · Cochin (COK), 205 km · Coimbatore (CJB), 292 km

Stations

Vizhinjam International Seaport, 2.7 km

• Kochi → Kovalam

  193 km · quickest by road, 4h 47m · ₹1,430–1,790
  GuideToday
• Coimbatore → Kovalam

  293 km · quickest by air, 6h 10m · ₹4,890–7,490
  GuideToday
• Calicut → Kovalam

  347 km · quickest by road, 8h 38m · ₹2,570–3,220
  GuideToday
• From anywhere

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Road and air are today’s quick answer; timetabled trains, buses and ferries load on the results page from the operators’ feeds.

No local-transport research exists yet for Kovalam

Our researched notes are written from a sourced entry: every shared taxi, boat and village bus with its operator, its rule, its fare and the year we saw it, and what could not be confirmed. Nobody has done that work for Kovalam. What is above is what we hold from open sources; nothing here pretends to be more.

If you know how people move in Kovalam – the stand, the rule, the fare – tell us, and the note gets an entry.