Beautiful places are not confined to a specific region, rather they all are scattered across the entire world. Each and every place has its own distinct physiognomy. Some places may attract people for its scenic beauty while many are known for their architectural designs.
If you are in Kerala, then you would be hard pressed to have one of the most mesmerising, beautiful and relaxing experiences of a lifetime. If you are visiting Thiruvananthapuram (earlier known as, Trivandrum), then visiting Kovalam (a small coastal town in the southern Indian state of Kerala, south of Thiruvananthapuram) is a must, especially, for all those who have strong affinity towards calm sea, mirror still lagoons, shallow backwaters, low tidal waves and greenery all at one place only. It has the accolade of being the “Evergreen city of India” by Mahatma Gandhi. I feel the best time to visit is from October to March. For people who loves gushy winds and rainfall, the monsoon season can also be in their travel list as the experience during that time is also one of a kind. The city is characterised by its undulating terrain of low coastal hills. The breath-taking view of the palm-backed beaches from the lighthouse in Kovalam beach is worth mentioning.
The coconut laden backwater boat rides in Poovar island (approximately 20 km from Kovlam and 40 km from Trivandrum) is simply exhilarating. This mini boat ride will take you to some of the very beautiful sceneries. You will be able to experience the beauty of mangroves, mangrove forest, amazing views of variety of birds, floating restaurants and cottages, golden sand beach, elephant rock and lastly the point where you get to see the view of Neyyar river merging with the sea.
The golden beach is absolutely picturesque and a treat for photographers. The water is almost blue, aquamarine and turquoise in colour depending on the sun’s position.
One cannot miss the house boat tours in Alappuzha (also popular by name of Alleppey). It is often regarded as the “Venice of the East”. From the local people, I came to know the real meaning of the name Alappuzha. It means “the land between the sea and network of rivers flowing into it”.
The name indeed did a justice to the place as it is a hub of a vast network of waterways or canals (which is actually referred to as Alappuzha’s lifeline), backwaters, beaches and lagoons in and around the city. Water carnivals using the gigantic snake boats and the country canoes of varying sizes and the serene and enchanting backwaters of the Vembanad Lake will be indeed a treat to your eyes.
