Lakshadweep:
Lakshadweep, literally means the
land of thousand islands. It is
a virgin tourist destination with
a coastline that stretches to
220-440 Kms from Kochi. Lakshadweep
is actually an archipelago replete
with 12 spectacular atolls, 3
magical reefs and 5 sunken banks.
Only 10 islands of Lakshadweep
are inhabited while the rest 17
island have no human habitation.
Lakshadweep is small in size with
an area of just 32 sq. Kms. Lakshadweep
is well connected Cochin by both
land and sea. It is especially
recommended to embark on a sea
voyage from Cochin to Lakshadweep
which takes around 20 hours. The
journey by ship is beautiful and
there are endless stretches of
pristine beaches, magnificent
coral reefs and graceful coconut
groves all of which makes holidaying
at Lakshadweep a truly outstanding
experience.
Kovalam:
Holiday Tours to Cochin India - Kovalam is a world famous beach
with three additional semi-circular
beaches adjacent to the principal
beach. Kovalam has been the most
sought after beach retreat especially
for visitors from the affluent
Western countries like USA, UK,
Canada, Scandinavian countries,
Australia and New Zealand since
the 1930s. The beach is conspicuous
by its immense rocky peninsula
which in turn has shaped a gorgeous
bay of tranquil waters which is
perfect bathing.
As far as leisure and recreation
is concerned Kovalam will not
disappoint you and there are plethora
of aqua sports like wind surfing,
scuba diving, snorkeling, para
sailing, jet skiing etc. to indulge
in. However, if you are a lazy
beach bum, facilities for holistic
Kerala Ayurvedic massages too
are easily available. Kovalam
is unlike any other beach. Here
the beach comes alive late in
the evening and goes on well into
the night. The exclusive beach
tourist complex has a plethora
of budget category hotels and
cottages inclusive of Ayurvedic
health resorts, convention facilities,
shopping plazas, sparkling swimming
pools, Yoga massage centers etc.
The capital of Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram
is within close proximity to Kovalam
and is just 16 km away.
Ponmudi:
Ponmudi is located within close
proximity to the capital city
of Thiruvananthapuram. It is a
beautiful hill station replete
with narrow meandering lanes and
alleyways and of course cool mountain
air. Ponmudi is renowned for its
wide array of mountain flowers,
unusual butterflies and gushing
rivulets. There are many interesting
trekking trails and Ponmudi is
much preferred by the avid trekkers.
Tea estates abound in Ponmudi
and a range of accommodation options
are available here.
Varkala:
Varkala is an enchanting seaside
resort. Apart from being a beach
resort, Varkala is also an important
Hindu pilgrimage site. It is the
place where the "samadhi" of the
great social reformer, Sree Narayana
Guru, is located on top of a hill
near Varkala.
Legend has it that sage Narada
was once approached by a group
of mendicants who acknowledged
to having sinned. Hearing their
confession Narada threw his valkkalam
and the place where it fell was
consequently named Varkala. The
mendicants were advised by Narada
to offer their prayers in the
newly formed place and accordingly
the place where they prayed for
salvation was named as Papanasham
Beach. There is majestic 2000
year old Sree Janardhana Swamy
Temple and a Nature Care Centre
at Varkala which are worth visiting.
Kollam - Holiday Tours to Cochin India:
Kollam is located at a distance
of 71 Kms to the north of the
capital city of Thiruvananthapuram.
Kollam is the nerve center of
India's burgeoning cashew trading
industry. It is also among the
oldest ports on the South Indian
coast. In the days of yore Kollam
used to be a much prefferred port
for the global spice trade. Kollam
is the gateway for the tranquil
Kerala backwaters and the shimmering
Asthamudi Lake meanders through
much of the town. Most of the
enchanting houseboat cruises origin
from Kollam and end at Allapuzha
covering vast stretches of the
picturesque backwaters. This backwater
cruise takes almost eight hours
and is by far the most popular
cruise trail with high end foreign
tourists. Kollam is also renowned
for its numerous temples which
are among the finest specimens
of the traditional Kerala temple
architecture.
Allapuzha:
Allapuzha is bounded by the azure
blue Arabian Sea on the west and
an endless network of lakes, lagoons
and rivers enveloping it. Alappuzha
is a place of awesome natural
beauty. It is popularly referred
to as the "Venice of the East"
by travelers from across the world.
This land of tranquil backwaters
is also teeming with many varieties
of wildlife and avian species.
Being located in close proximity
to the Arabian Sea, this place
has played a pioneering role in
Kerala's naval history.
Today, Alappuzha is the nerve
center of Kerala's fabled backwaters
which attracts countless tourist
from all over the world. Alappuzha
is renowned for its snake boat
races. As far as houseboat holidays
are concerned, some of the most
beautifully designed houseboats
are available at Alapuzha.
Alapuzha is also renowned for
marine and coir products. The
Kuttanad region which literally
means the "Rice Bowl of Kerala"
is also located in Alapuzha and
is replete with luxuriant paddy
fields. Kuttanad region is unusual
in the sense that cultivation
is done below sea level, which
is indeed surprising but true.
Kumarakom:
The picturesque village of Kumarakom
is actually a cluster of little
islands huddled on the shimmering
Vembanad Lake. Kumarakom is also
an integral part of the "Rice
Bowl of Kerala" i.e. the Kuttanad
region. One of Kumarakom's most
enduring tourist landmarks is
the bird sanctuary here, which
is spread on a sprawling 14 acres
of marshy surroundings. The sanctuary
is home to a large variety of
avian species. Both migratory
as well as resident species breed
in this exotic sanctuary. Avid
bird watchers marvel at the sight
of birds like darters, Egrets,
teal, wild duck waterfowl, cuckoo,
herons as well as migratory birds
like the endangered Siberian Stork
that that literally flock to this
sanctuary every year. Boats are
easily available at Kumarakom
which can be hired for bird watching
across the islands of Kumarakom.
The stunning beauty of the Kumarakom
backwater has attracted the renowned
Taj group of hotel to set up a
luxury hotel- The Taj Garden Retreat
which is housed in an old colonial
bungalow of Kumarakom. The Kerala
Tourism Development Corporation,
Government of Kerala has set up
a fabulous tourist complex - The
Kumarakom Tourist Village Complex
of the Kerala which has numerous
eco-friendly cottages built on
the edges of the water surrounded
by tropical coconut and banana
plantations.
Anayirangal:
(22 km from Munnar):
Anayirangal is located at a distance
of 22 Kms from the popular hill
station of Munnar. This place
is the hub of the esteemed Tata
Tea estates. Most of the picturesque
tea estates here are owned and
managed by Tata Tea. One of the
chief attractions of Anayirangal
is the reservoir and it attracts
tourists from far and near who
come here for picnics
Guruvayoor:
Guruvayoor is a sacred pilgrimage
spot for the Hindus. The temple
of Lord Krishna here attracts
devotees from far and near. Legend
has it that this sacred temple
was created by Guru, the preceptor
of the Gods and Vayu - the God
of winds. There is a "Nada" at
the eastern end of the temple
which also serves as the main
entry point to the templ. The
outer area of the temple popularly
referred to as the "Chuttambalam"
in the local parlance rises to
a towering height of 33.5 meters
and is conspicuous by its golden
flag post or "Dwajasthambam" as
it is generally referred to by
the locals. The temple also has
a 7 meters high lamp post or "Dipastambham"
which has as many as thirteen
spherical shaped receptacles which
makes for a truly ethereal sight
when lit. The square Sreekovil
is the sacred sanctum sanctorum
of the temple, housing the main
deity. Within the temple there
are also the images of Ganapathy,
Lord Ayyappa and Edathedattu Kavil
Bhagavathy. Only Hindus are allowed
inside the temple.
Kappad:
Kappad beach is located at a distance
of 16 Kms. from the town of Kozhikode.
Kappad beach is conspicuous by
its rocky landscape and in the
local parlance the Kappad beach
is also known as "Kappakkadavu".
It is among the most pretty and
virgin beaches of Kerala. In fact,
compared to the world famous Kovalam
beach which is highly commercialized
due to the exodus of mass tourism,
the Kappad beach comes as a breath
of fresh air. The essence of this
beach is privacy, discreet privacy.
Kappad in the days of yore used
to be the gateway of the Malabar
coast. It is here that the great
Portuguese traveler - Vasco De
Gama landed and thus began a new
era of Kerala's contact with the
outside world. Kappad has witnessed
some of the most turbulent phases
of India's socio-political association
with the principal European colonial
rulers like the Portuguese, the
Dutch as well as the British.
The European colonizers were drawn
like magnets to the Malabar Coast
due to its exotic spices and of
course its prosperity and wealth.
Not only Europeans, even the Arabs
came to Kappad for trading purpose.
In the present day Kappad, the
only reminder to visitors of its
rich virile past is nondescript
monument made of stone located
at the beach which is indeed not
a true reflection of Kappad's
glorious past. There is an old
temple, believed to be 800 years
old which is much venerated by
Hindus. Tourists intending to
visit Kappad would do well to
reach Kappad via the tranquil
backwaters. In fact, the journey
to Kappad on the fabled Kerala
backwaters is half the fun. A
houseboat cruise down the shimmering
Korappuzha river carry you right
to the Kappad beach.
Bekal - Tours in Cochin India:
Bekal is located at a distance
of 16 Km south of Kasaragod and
one huge advantage for tourists
intending to visit Bekal is that
they can use the national highway
that passes through the district
of Kasargod which happens to be
a land of majestic temples, impressive
forts, shimmering rivers, undulating
hills and pristine beaches.
One of Bekal's most enduring tourist
landmarks is the impressive Bekal
Fort. It is a fort with globular
design and is easily amongst most
well preserved forts in this part
of the world. The beach is right
next to the impregnable Bekal
fort, which in recent times has
been developed as a much sought
after tropical beach retreat under
the aegis of Bekal Resorts Development
Corporation (BRDC).
Along the beach promenade one
will come across two exquisite
sculptures of "Theyyam" that has
been built by using the finest
variety of locally available laterite.
There is also a beach hut replete
with frescoes fashioned by renowned
artisans of Nilambur. The Rock
Garden located at the parking
bay is conspicuous by its finely
sculpted laterite sculptures.
Every evening the Bekal beach
is illuminated and tourists are
known to laze around on the beach
well into the night. |
