KOVALAM BEACH

Kovalam is famous for its beaches,among the most pristine in India.It is about 17 km from Thiruvananthapuram city,the capital of KERALA,Kerala is one of the southern state in India.Kovalam is a popular region comprising three beaches.The southern most,known as the Lighthouse Beach,is the most popular among the three.Many hotels,restaurants,lodges and shops are located here.It is frequented by tourist and locals,who stay and enjoy Kovalam.

The Northern most crescent is crowded on the weekends,is very popular with the locals,day-travelers,and passing-by tourist buses.Hawa Beach,is among one of the beaches in India where,frequently visited by the tourist and the locals,who come on the weekends to admire this view.The tourism department provides a vigilant life guard service on both Lighthouse and Hawa beach.There are strong currents,so it is wise to follow their instructions.Most places will serve a thali meal during the day.

History:
Kovalam was brought to the public eye by the Maharaja of Travancore.The European guests of the then Travancore kingdom discovered the potentiality of Kovalam beach as a tourist destination in the 1930s.However,Kovalam shot into limelight in the early seventies with arrivals of the masses of hippies.That started the transformation of a casual fishing village of Kerala into one of the most important tourist destinations in all India-the Kovalam beach.

Getting There:
Kovalam is about 16 km (20 minutes in a taxi) from Trivandrum.Taxis can charge around 400-500 rupees to get to Kovalam.When asked where you want to go, say Hawa Beach,Leela Beach/Main Beach or Lighthouse Beach in Kovalam.In an auto-rickshaw 250-300 rupees is a fair price,avoid going above 300 rupees.If in doubt ask to use the meter,but in reality they really don't work at all.Advice being if they are trying to rip you off go to leave for another rickshaw and they will often back down and offer you a fair price,if not,get in a different rickshaw.Even if India is a cheap country,the prices for gasoline are international standard,so don't expect super cheap private transportation.If you go by public bus from Trivandrum-East Fort to Kovalam Beach you only pay 8 Rps.for the half hour trip.

Best time to visit:

Being near the sea makes Kovalam really a year-round destination weather-wise. The actual season is from September to March. The prices shoot up during the Christmas-New Year week as do the number of tourists,so it might be wise to avoid this period.

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