AROUND KOVALAM

1. INTRO
2. MAIN
3. BUDGET
4. ITINERARY
5. OUTRO

INTRO

Hello everyone! This is my blog page about my travels in Kerala and around. In this post, I will be sharing all the insightful details about this beautiful place called Kovalam, which is one of the prettiest beaches in India. Kovalam is famous for the lighthouse surrounded by coconut trees and a long stretch of cafes offering sunset view from the beach. November to February is the best time to visit as the weather is pleasant. It’s recommended to avoid travelling here during monsoon or summer season. Apart from Kovalam, I will also mention about the nearby locations you can travel to and explore Kerala a little. All the details about budget and itinerary have been included.

MAIN

Kovalam beach is 20km from Trivandrum railway station and roughly the same from the airport. Now if you are on a Kerala tour, there are several ways to travel to Kovalam from the city. I personally took KSRTC bus from East Fort bus stand where I found a direct bus to Kovalam. The bus took around 1 hour and dropped me 500m from the beach. There I walked to the main stretch where all the cafes were waiting for me to watch the sunset from their windows. From one side where I was standing, the view was amazing as it covered the whole beach and the lighthouse on the other side. A slight hue of sunset started to appear and made everything even more ecstatic. Then I walked till the lighthouse and bought a ticket for the view upstairs. The wind was so strong at the top of the lighthouse and believe me, it was the best view. I walked to get the 360 degree view of the whole area which was breath taking. Soon it was the moment when the colorful clouds painted my first beach sunset experience in Kerala. As it got dark pretty quickly, I had to walk to the main highway which was 1.5km from the lighthouse and wait for the bus to Trivandrum. The direct bus wasn’t available, though the frequency of other buses were good (15 mins waiting).

So, that was about Kovalam. But wait, the blog isn’t over yet! When I decided to write this blog, I not only thought of writing about this major destination but all other hidden spots it carries. First, I will be talking about the places you can visit while in Kovalam and later I will mention the budget which will help you plan your itinerary. 8km to the south of Kovalam is a huge statue of lord Shiva placed in Azhimala Shiva Temple. This place should definetely be in your list as the structure is worth visiting. Right next to the temple is a small beach called Chowara beach. If you cross that beach, you will come across some rocks, next to which you will find a completely untouched beauty. Why am I calling it untouched? That’s because once you walk through that beach, you will find it full of variety of seashells in some unique designs. Plus there won’t be much crowd and thus no garbage. I am writing about such undiscovered location for mere purpose of enjoying the nature and not exploiting it. Be a responsible human, take a pleadge with me to always preserve the nature.

Moving on to the next part, I am going to talk about this backwaters which you can’t miss when you are around Kovalam. Imagine a set of islands with floating resorts and boat across a mangrove forest. Sounds amazing, right? Well you can find all this in Poovar, which is the last stop of Kerala. There you can spot the border shared with Tamil Nadu from really close. Poovar is famous for the golden sand beach, which is divided by the backwaters and Arabian Sea. In a nutshell, it’s a perfect getaway for anyone who would love to chill and enjoy the vibe of Kerala. Poovar is another 12km south to Azhimala Temple and all these three locations deserve to be on your next trip. To reach Poovar there is a direct bus from East Fort in Trivandrum that goes via Kovalam and Azhimala Temple. But for any of these locations, there is a minimum 1km walk from the drop point.

BUDGET

Now there are different scenarios for different kind of travelers. Like for me, who lives in Trivandrum, the budget would be entirely different compared to someone who is on an All-Kerala-Tour. So I will go step by step here. Firstly, if you are staying in Trivandrum, you can take the always available option, KSRTC bus. But let me warn your about the crowded buses and long waits in advance. I used this option because I didn’t have a vehicle at that time. You need atleast 3 days of planning to cover everything and it will cost you around 300 INR for the bus rides, 50 INR for the lighthouse and 2000 INR for the boat at Poovar (these boats have capacity of 7 people, so travelling in a group is better).

An alternate way is to hire an auto rikshaw for a combined tour. You can start your day from the lighthouse, followed by the shiva temple and then do the backwaters boating. The auto driver can charge you anything between 500-800 INR depending on your bargaining skills. Just make sure you keep the communication clear. In this case your total expenditure will be around 800 INR per head (assuming a group of 3).

The best way to reach is by a private vehicle. You can easily rent a two wheeler through Royal Brothers from Trivandrum or look online for agencies who rent a car. If you have booked your stay in Kovalam, you are all sorted for the next 2 days. Simply use the itinerary provided in the next header to plan. Reservation amount for hotels vary as there are budget stays as well as super luxury hotels. Alternatively, you can check the floating resorts in Poovar if you have an additional day in hand. There are a few options for hostels in Kovalam and there are some guest houses and homestays as well that offer pocket friendly stays. Don’t forget to call them personally to ask for discounts before booking online. Budget for this case is mentioned in the itinerary provided with details. I have also mentioned a few cafes I really liked in Kovalam but for other locations you have to rely on the local food joints offering South Indian meal and snacks.

ITINERARY

DAY 1:

• Reach Trivandrum and hire a vehicle to reach the hotel in Kovalam.
• Check-in. After taking rest, head to Azhimala Shiva temple. Chances are the temple would be closed but the path to the statue is generally open.
• Enjoy the Chowara beach and walk through the seashells beach.
• Head to Poovar Island and enquire about the boats available.
• Take the amazing 2 hours boat ride in the backwaters. You can stay at the golden sand beach for the sunset or head back to Kovalam.
• Take a walk for cafe-hopping in Kovalam for dinner. You can try German bakery, Beatles cafe, Abc cafe, Swiss cafe on the main beach.

DAY 2:

• Walk to the light house after your breakfast as soon as it open at 10am.
• The lighthouse is generally crowded in the evening, so it’s better to go there in the morning. Don’t forget to carry sunscreen and umbrella for your trip as the weather in Kerala is uncertain.
• Check-out. Head back to return the vehicle. There are some interesting cafes in Trivandrum which you can check if you have some time left before your train/flight. Check eat-at-tvm for awesome recommedations.
• You can extend the trip or reorder the itinerary according to your preference. If you wish to add another day, make sure to check the stay at any floating resort in Poovar.

OUTRO

Hope you liked my first blog. That was all about Kovalam and its beaches. I have explored more than half of the famous locations in Kerala after staying here for 10 months. I keep looking for hidden or lesser known places, you will definitely find their mention along with well sorted plans in my coming blogs. If there is anything you wish to enquire or comment, please write to me. I will be happy to talk more about it. This is the closure of my blog on Kovalam and the beautiful places it contains. Happy travelling.