2 week guide to Kerala – Lighthouse Beach, Kovalam

Kovalam Lighthouse Beach, South India. Continuing our 2 week guide to Kerala.

Kovalam’s Lighthouse Beach is one of the most photographed scenes in Kerala, a crescent shaped bay of white sands speckled by black mineral powder with the landmark red and white old lighthouse beaconing from the rocks at the far end.

Juan and I got a tuk-tuk from Trivandrum city for the 30 minute drive to Kovalam some 18 kilometres down the South Indian coastline. The auto-rickshaws, as the typical three-wheeler vehicles are called in Kerala, are cheaper than a taxi and more convenient than catching the local bus. The driver took us down the steep hill from Kovalam junction and dropped us off close to our accommodation at the bottom of the valley, a small hostel beside a small canal surrounded by coconut groves, just behind Lighthouse Beach.

Famous in the hippie heydays this seaside town has no doubt seen better days, the dilapidated seafront is lined with souvenir stores and overpriced restaurants with fresh seafood on display. Popular with young Indians on their honeymoon and day trippers from the city, Kovalam still entices visitors from Western countries with its Ayurvedic centres and laidback atmosphere.

The majority of hotels and amenities are located behind Lighthouse Beach promenade in the unique maze of high walled pedestrian alleyways and footpaths. There are interesting little craft shops, tailors selling silk pants, grocers offering tropical fruits, and vegetarian eateries.

Hawa beach is just around the corner continuing on from the northern end of Lighthouse Beach, it’s a picturesque bay backed by cliffs with typical fishing boats and leisure craft on the sands. This is the Arabian Sea and although the bays are shallow there are strong undercurrents so you have to take care out swimming.

We followed a footpath across the headland passing discreet resorts such as The Leela Kovalam, a luxury hotel with gardens leading onto Samudra Beach. This is a popular local beach with no promenade as such and a coach park at the back, fronting the sands there’s a prominent green and white mosque which is bizarrely surrounded by cheap souvenir kiosks and food stalls.

The coastal path eventually comes out at a beautiful lagoon… this is a stretch of the Trivandrum backwaters, part of an extraordinary system of canals and lakes that stretch hundreds of miles through the coastal areas of Kerala. The lakeside is immaculately upept and appears to be part of a golf course grounds where gardeners meticulously hand-weed the flawless lawns. A seawall shelters the path from the waves which roll in over a strip of sand where wooden fishing boats are moored up and, on this particular day, a flock of white herons were looking out to sea. Who knows, maybe they knew the storm was brewing…

The opposite side of the lagoon is just as scenic but a stark contrast to the affluent resorts. Wooded hillsides hide modest dwellings, the homes of tuk-tuk drivers to judge by the vehicles parked outside. As usual, the villagers were polite and friendly although we were the only strangers around.

In the late afternoon sunshine we walked along the road back towards our hotel. Together with a lot of other curious people, we peered over the walls of the posh Leela hotel where a wedding party was in full swing, everyone dancing to very loud music. Indians love weddings and we have been invited to two so far but not this particular one! The groom was wearing a golden cloth outfit and turban, the lady guests in beautiful saris and the elegantly dressed men wore orange turbans on their heads – I guessed this was the groom’s friends and family. Marquees were set with gorgeously decorated tables in the seafront grounds ready for the wedding banquet. Men in bright pink turbans appeared from the hotel who I assume were the bride’s family, perhaps she was changing in her room after the ceremony or maybe they were going to be married in the gardens, but we didn’t stay longer to see.

Our first evening in Kovalam, we sat at our favourite seafront restaurant watching the lights of dozens of fishing boats out at sea while we enjoyed dinner. I had a Keralan chicken curry cooked with hot spices and creamy coconut gravy while Juan tried an egg Biriyani rice dish for the first time. The chilled bottle of Kingfisher lager was served in an oversized coffee mug, which gives an idea of the local licensing laws and how to evade them! The night was serene and balmy, the lull before the tropical storm next day.

Continue reading here…Cyclone in Kovalam and Vizhinjam Fishing Village.