Paradise of the South... This phrase exactly describes this enchanting place of golden sands called Kovalam, a dreamy beach just 16 kms away from Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum). This is an ideal place where you can enjoy the warmth of the gentle sea breeze to get a good suntan sitting in the sandbed laced with coconut palms. Kovalam consists of three adjacent crescent beaches - The Light House beach, Eve's beach and Ashok beach. The southernmost beach ' Lighthouse' is the most popular amongst the three. The coast is at many places lined with beautiful patches of coral reefs. Kovalam is a natural bay and is free from high waves and spurts.

The main attractions of this scenic place are water sports like Surfing, Skiing, Kayaking, and theatre that stages traditional Kathakali performances. The sea is quite shallow for about 100 metres and one can walk till there without any difficulty. Swimming and bathing in this blue water is a very refreshing experience. It is safe to swim between flags, in the area patrolled by lifeguards. There are also Ayurvedic massage centres and Yoga centers to cater the best of their services to the tourists.

Kovalam was a traditional fishing village since 1930. It became a centre of attraction later and was patronised by the then of Maharaja of Travancore. Over the years it has grown into a world famous tourist destination, which also has a place in the world tourism map.
Though Kovalam is a well-developed place with all facilities we still can find fisherman in traditional country crafts or cattamarams with massive fishing nets. Fishes availiable here in plenty are choora, sardine, seerfish, pomfret and mullet.

Malayalam, English, Hindi and Tamil are widely spoken by the people here. There are plenty of Hotels and Restaurants, from five star hotels to budget hotels catering to the demands of various people here with wide choice for food, continental, Chinese or Indian. The grilled seafood items such as lobster and king prawns are the specialities of the restaurants in Kovalam.

Marvellous beauty of the place and ideal climatic conditions make Kovalam, one of the best tourist attractions around the globe. Many people from different countries and cultures enjoy memorable moments in the lap of this paradise of south India.

Source: www.kovalam.com