KOVALAM

 
                                                                                   
                        Kovalam is a suburb and a beach town on the Arabian Sea in Thiruvananthapuram city, Kerala, India. It is located around 13 km from the Central business district.

Beaches

Kovalam has three crescent shaped beaches separated by rocky outcroppings. Shallow waters stretching for hundreds of metres are ideal for swimming. The beaches have steep palm covered headlands and are lined with shops that offer all kinds of goods and services.
The larger of the beaches is called Light House Beach for its 35 metre high light house which towers over it atop Kurumkal hillock. The second largest one is Hawah Beach named thus for the topless European women who used to throng there. It was the first topless beach in India.However topless bathing is banned now except in private coves owned by resorts. Visitors frequent these two beaches. The northern part of the beach is known as Samudra Beach in tourism parlance. A large promontory separates this part from the southern side. Samudra Beach doesn't have tourists thronging there or hectic business. The local fishermen ply their trade on this part. The sands on the beaches in Kovalam are partially black in colour due to the presence of ilmenite and Monazite. The normal tourist season is from September to May. Ashoka beach is also the part of Kovalam beach.

Tourist facilities

There are a large number of beach resorts in and around Kovalam. The sea port of Vizhinjam is about 3 km away and famous for its special varieties of fish, old Hindu temples, big churches and a mosque. The Proposed International Trans shipment Terminal at Vizhinjam is also close to Kovalam.
Kovalam was among the most prominent tourist spots in India during the hippy era. It still has a high status among tourists, who arrive mostly from Europe and Israel^. Kovalam is finding a new significance in the light of several Ayurvedic salons, and recuperation and regeneration resorts which provide a wide variety of Ayurvedic treatments for tourists.

Trekking in the Nelliyampathy Hills

But, easy for them..
Look at the scene, the jeep is rock-climbing the shaky pathways, leading to the Manmpara View Point at Nelliyampathy in Palakkad. The thrill and ecstasy of this adventurous trip should never touch you until you experience it. It is NOT to read, NOR to hear, but only to EXPERIENCE.....

An in-flight taxi-stand

Jeeps, the only vehicle that can conquer the hills are parked at the top of the Mampara view point. There are more than thirty jeeps that take services regularly in the sixteen-kilo metre long hillside pathways. The shuddering journey almost takes two hours to complete.

An aerial view from Mampara view point

A look from the Mampara may lead your eyes over the far-stretching fields and pastures of the Palakkad District. It may feel as you observing the land from an air-craft. No doubt, the aerial view should praise one more forgettable experience in your life.

Layered hills

See, the hills as layered one after the other. Several areas of Palakkad District and many parts of Tamil Nadu can be seen stretching ahead. The wide paddy fields and coconut trees below add to the beauty of the sight.