Beaches of Kerala. Review on Kerala, General

It is my earnest desire to write about my state, Kerala for quite some time. As I take you around through Kerala, though it is my desire to cover all aspects of Kerala?s tourist attraction, I will confine myself to the beaches of the place. In my opinion the beaches in Kerala are far superior to those found in Goa. I say this with conviction since I have found that Goan beaches are well promoted and popular all over the world, thus increasing congestion and are not isolated and away from the milling crowds as it should be.

One of the good aspects of visiting Kerala as a tourist is that the expenses are quite moderate and one can get along comfortably with Rs 700-1000/- a day. The people are courteous, clean and by and large helpful. Many of them are quite familiar with English and can converse intelligibly in the language. The Kerala Government has promoted tourism in a big way, so much so that it is the only industry in Kerala which actually grows! One of the areas where the tourism sector has named on is the health sector.

Ayurveda has become a rage nowadays and promises rejuvenation of all those jaded and stressed out individuals of the modern age. In fact, they are quite popular and effective too with Heads of states like our own PM, Atal Behari Vajpayee and the Srilankan President, Smt Chandrika Kumartunga being among the high profile clientele.

Coming back to the tropical beaches of Kerala such as Kovalam, Varkala, Shangumugham, Vizhinjam, Alappuzha, Kappad, Payyambalam and Bekal. The beaches I have named are just illustrative and not exhaustive. There are many more beaches which are not just as good as the above named ones but not being popularized due to lack of access, facilities. I will be trying to educate readers on the merits of a few beaches in Kerala.

The foremost and most popular among them all is Kovalam, which is about 10 kilometers of Trivandrum. This beach has been world famous since 1930 where it is popular with both the foreign and domestic tourist. This picture perfect tropical beach is bounded by sky blue waters and lush coconut groves. In 1970?s, it gained notoriety as a haunt for the entire back-pack hippie crowd from the USA, UK and other Western countries.

Kovalam Beach.

? Kovalam? actually means a grove of coconut trees and this beach has got three parts and is in the shape of a crescent. The southern most beaches and the most popular beach is the light house beach which overlooks the famous vizhinjam mosque. The northern samudra is an isolated one and is a laidback and is best suited for westerners who would love to get a sun tan. The middle, Hawah beach at the crack of the dawn funds itself sizzling with activity, with fisherman going out to cast their nets. Moon lit nights are the best of them all when the calm blue seas, the star lit sky and the rock Cliff Mountains combine to create a romantic effect which can be compared to the Taj Mahal on a moon lit night.

Kovalam can be visited and enjoyed all year round and with a view to enhance the quality of tourists, the Kerala Government has started an Ayurvedic Massage Centre. A visit to this centre manned by trained Ayurvedic practitioner will rejuvenate and reinvigorate leaving you full of beans to face the world.

Chowara Beach

The next beach on a traveler?s itinerary visiting Kovalam beach should be the Chowara beach which is nine kilometer south of Kovalam. It is almost akin to Kovalam minus the milling crowds but with lush greenery, surf and sand. It is fringed by Ayurvedic Resorts like Samudram and Surya Samudra.

Shanghumugham Beach

Staying close to Thiruvanathapuram, this beach is near the city airport and much frequented by Trivandrumians there is an indoor recreation club and a unique star shaped restaurant to cater for the gourmets.

A large enticing mermaid sculpture welcomes the visitors and with a fishing village close by, tourists can have a clear feel of a fisherman?s village.

Varkala Papanansam Beach

Varkal Spa, around 42 KM away from TVM is one of the best spot to watch the sun set. It is a sunset which rivals one at Kanyakumari. The sight is breathtaking and to watch the golden orb slowly sinking into the sea is truly a mystical experience. It is claimed by the locals that the water gushing from the hill is supposed to have curative and medicinal properties. You can check that out.

The 800 years old Tanasdhan temple, dedicated to Lord Ayyapan and Hunuman, is no highly thought of by the devotees that it is called Southern Kasi. Sree Narayan Guru, much revered by Keralaites all over the world established his headquarters at varkala which attracts a lot of adherents to his philosophy.

Bekal Beach

The beach lies in the northern most tips of Kerala i.e., Kasargode. It is about 14 Kilometers away from Kasargode town and here lies the Bekal fort which is one of the well preserved forts in Kerala. It was made famous by Mani Ratnam famous film director who shot a song from the movie ?Bombay? there. Readers, who have seen the song, need no description of the beauty of the beach and fort.

I hope I have been able to summarize the beauties of the beaches of Kerala and I do hope that my article motivates readers to have a vacation in Kerala.