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 Kovalam,
a small town located 16km from Thiruvanathapuram is famous for its beautiful
beaches. Its sandy beaches are lined with palm-fringed lagoons and rocky
coves. Kovalam with its unique and wonderful beaches is a sheltered bay
and is endowed with unusual natural beauty. The Arabian sea coast at many
places is lined with beautiful patches of coral reefs. An hours drive
from the capital, it is the most famous south Indian beach, popular for
sunbathing.
It was during the 1930's, that the potentiality of Kovalam
beach as a tourist destination was discovered by the European guests of
the then 'Travancore' kingdom. But the real fame as an ideal beach resort
was won later for the Kovalam beach in the early seventies with the arrival
of masses of 'Hippys'.
In the seventies Kovalam became a hippy idyll, a fishing
village providing fresh fish, fruit and toddy (coconut bear) nestling
a picture perfect tropical beach. Later it developed into a laid
back tourist hangout with a few basic but comfortable lodges and makeshift
restaurants. But today this tiny beach is ferrying thousands of tourists
from all around the world and has a wide range of accommodation for the
budget as well as luxury tourists.
Kovalam consists of three adjacent coconut palm fringed
crescent beaches separated by rocky promontories. The southern most beach,
marked by a prominent red and white striped Light House, known as the
Light house beach, is the most popular of the three. It is lined with
cafes/restaurants serving delicious seafood especially prawns and lobsters,
bars and vendors selling clothes, crafts, carpets, fruits etc. Further
south beyond the light house, is the small village of Vizhinjam. Vizhinjam,
scarcely visited by tourists is a major centre for fishing. It has a beach
of its own. The northernmost beach is the Samudra, dotted with traditional
fishing boats and is least affected by the changing times. In between
lies the Hawah or the Eve's beach. North of the Eve's beach on a rocky
promontory lies the award winning resort, the Ashoka beach resort which
divide the beaches into north and south sections. The resort has its own
small section of private beach and provides windsurfing and sailing boat
facilities. Its a 15min. walk between the Ashoka and the Light house.
 The
beaches are generally safe and clean. The best season is from December
to March. There are life guard patrols on the beach, but you still need
to be careful when swimming. It is safest to swim between the flags in
the area patrolled by the life guards. Besides swimming and sunbathing,
the natural bay is ideal for kayaking, surfing and skiing. Surfboards
and boogie boards can be hired on the Kovalam beach. Marine Angling for
deep-sea fishing is also available at the beach. The sunrise and sun set
cruises in country rafts or on logs of lashed woods on catamarans, provided
by local fishermen are quite popular.
Beyond the season from between April and October the powerful Arabian
Sea can roughen with swells of up to 6m. From May the sea level rises
removing the beach completely in places and swimming can become very dangerous.
Kovalam is also a centre for the traditional Ayurvedic
treatment. Many hotels offer complete health and revitalization packages.
Apart from Oil massages, intensive treatments that last up to 21 days
including special diet's and daily massages are offered. Yoga schools
offering meditation and yoga classes, are also plenty in and around Kovalam
beach. Cultural programmes at the beach include performances of the traditional
Kerala art form, Kathakali
and ethnic martial art, Kalarippayattu.
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Beaches 
