Things to do in Kovalam
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Kovalam
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Best months: dry, 22 to 33 degrees, sea calm enough for lifeguarded swimming and surf lessons.
Still good but heating up, with prices easing after February and fine mornings and evenings.
Hot and humid, 28 to 36 degrees, cheaper and quieter, with the beach best before 10am and after 4pm.
Southwest monsoon: heavy rain, rough seas, red flags and no swimming, but classic Ayurveda season and lowest rates.
Wet shoulder from the northeast monsoon; October is the second wettest month and November settles only late.
What's on
- Onam Late August to early September, main day Thiruvonam
Kerala's ten day harvest festival of flower carpets and the Onasadya feast on a banana leaf.
- Attukal Pongala February to March, main day varies
The huge women's offering festival at Attukal Bhagavathy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram, a day trip from Kovalam.
- Nishagandhi Dance Festival January, about one week
Kerala Tourism's classical dance festival at Kanakakunnu Palace grounds in Thiruvananthapuram.
- Christmas and New Year Late December
Kovalam's adopted peak, with special beach dinners, full resorts and the year's highest prices.
Best things to do in Kovalam
Lighthouse Beach
The largest of the three bays, lifeguarded in season, with cafes and the sunset view that defines Kovalam.
Vizhinjam Lighthouse
The red and white tower above Lighthouse Beach with the best view over all three bays and the harbour.
Hawa Beach
The calmer middle bay, best at sunrise when the fishing boats are silhouetted and the promenade is empty.
Samudra Beach
The quiet northern bay with a sea wall and fishing boats, made for walking and watching rather than swimming.
Aazhimala Siva Temple
A cliff temple with a towering Shiva statue against the sea, best paired with the beach below at sunset.
Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple
One of India's great Vishnu temples, the heart of a culture day trip into Thiruvananthapuram from Kovalam.
Napier Museum
A compact 19th century museum of bronzes and Travancore artefacts in leafy museum and zoo grounds.
Somatheeram Ayurveda Resort
The original Ayurveda resort from 1985, with daily doctor consultations and full panchakarma programmes.
Where to stay in Kovalam
Lighthouse Beach
first visits, short stays and surfers
Walk to dinner, surf lessons and the lighthouse, at the cost of promenade noise and steep lanes.
Hawa Beach
swimming and sunset for a nearby base
The calmer middle bay, served by hotels on the Lighthouse seam and in Samudra rather than its own large hotels.
Samudra Beach
families, longer stays and quiet nights
Set back resorts, pools and space, with dinner on the Lighthouse strip a walk or short auto ride away.
Kovalam cliffs and Chowara
couples, luxury and Ayurveda stays
Cliff views, privacy and treatment resorts south of Vizhinjam, using shuttles and taxis for the beach strip.
Think twice about
- Lighthouse Beach promenade front row
Noisy until late and touted at every meal, and still up a steep lane. Sleep one or two lanes back instead.
- Vizhinjam harbour edge
A working fishing port with dawn auctions and no visitor infrastructure. Visit at dawn, sleep elsewhere.
- Isolated Azhimala to Chowara cliff lanes
Steep, narrow and largely unlit lanes with rough unguarded coves below. Base at staffed resorts with shuttles.
Best restaurants in Kovalam
Curry Leaf
The beach strip benchmark for seafood, with a big catch display and tandoor and Kerala preparations.
Lobster Pot
A quieter seafood kitchen up the steps from the beach, known for its mixed seafood platter.
3rd Rock
A sea wall restaurant with tables close to the water and a reliable run of grilled fish and curries.
Sanjeevini Restaurant
The strip's tandoor specialist, where whole fish from the display is the order to build a meal around.
Oyster Restaurant
A small, plain seafood room below the Uday Samudra hotel that regulars rate for simply cooked fresh fish.
Banana Leaf Restaurant Kovalam
A wholly vegetarian and largely vegan kitchen that is the most loved cheap eat in Kovalam.
Lonely Planet Pure Veg Restaurant
A long established pure veg restaurant for dosas, idlis and thalis, especially useful at breakfast.
Anithas Bistro & Cafe
A friendly bistro cafe for Indian food, pizza and cafe plates when the table wants a change of pace.
Outdoor things to do in Kovalam
Kovalam Surf Club
A community surf school on Lighthouse Beach where lesson fees support free education for local children.
Poovar Island
Where river, backwater and sea meet across a golden sandbar, explored on a one to two hour boat cruise.
SAI Trivandrum Golf Club
A historic 9 hole course from the 1850s in the city, tight and tree lined, played by prior permission.
Neyyar Wildlife Sanctuary
A green inland day at the dam lake with boat rides, a crocodile centre and forested sanctuary slopes.
Vivekananda Rock Memorial
The offshore rock memorial reached by ferry on the full day trip south to India's land's end.
Veli Tourist Village
A lakefront family park where Veli Lake meets the sea, with pedal boats, gardens and a floating restaurant.
Vizhinjam Fishing Harbour
A big working fishing harbour just south of Lighthouse Beach, best walked at dawn during the landings.
Best hotels in Kovalam
Gokulam Grand Turtle on the Beach
A full service beach hotel on the Hawa side with sea facing rooms, a pool and easy walks to both main bays.
Hotel Jasmine Palace Kovalam
A long running budget hotel up the hill behind Lighthouse Beach, booked for price, views and location.
Taj Green Cove Resort & Spa Kovalam
A hillside Taj resort above Samudra with a lagoon, cottages in coconut groves and a private beach area.
Uday Samudra Leisure Beach Hotel & Spa
A large, good value Samudra resort with multiple pools and a spa, the default family resort base.
The Leela Kovalam, a Raviz Hotel
Kovalam's clifftop flagship, with infinity pools over the sea, a club wing and buggies down to the beach.
Niraamaya Retreats Surya Samudra
Heritage cottages in a cliff coconut grove near Azhimala, with a sea facing pool and a noted Ayurveda spa.
Abad Harmonia Ayurveda Beach Resort
A compact mid range wellness resort near Chowara Beach, with an Ayurveda centre, yoga and a pool.
Is Kovalam expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | ₹3,500 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | ₹9,000 a person |
| Splurge | ₹25,000 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Somatheeram Ayurveda Resort: weeks ahead
- Dr. Franklin's Panchakarma Institute and Ayurveda Centre: weeks ahead
- Kovalam Surf Club: a few days ahead
- Poovar Island: a few days ahead
- SAI Trivandrum Golf Club: weeks ahead
- Vivekananda Rock Memorial: a few days ahead
- The Tides: weeks ahead
- Bait: a few days ahead
- Book rooms six to eight weeks ahead for 20 December to 2 January.
- Reserve Ayurveda programmes at Somatheeram and Dr Franklin's before flying in peak months.
- The Tides requires reservations and Bait should be reserved, especially by non residents.
- Message surf lessons a day ahead for the morning conditions window.
Is Kovalam safe?
- Swim only between lifeguard flags at Lighthouse and Hawa, and never in the monsoon sea.
- A calm patch between breaking waves can be a rip current; float, signal and swim parallel to shore.
- Do not swim at Samudra's wall, Azhimala, Poovar's estuary mouth or off the cliff coves.
- Cover up on lanes, in villages and at temples, and arrange cars for moves after dark.
Kovalam travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Agree the total price for a display fish, including cooking, before it goes on the grill.
- Promenade Ayurveda sold by touts is an oil rub, not a medical treatment.
- Drivers steering you to one spice or handicraft shop are usually on commission.
- Never pay a hotel advance demanded by WhatsApp link; verify on the hotel's own number.
Getting around Kovalam: public transport and more
- Walk the three bays and promenade, but expect lanes and steps everywhere.
- Trivandrum International Airport is about 14 km away, 30 to 45 minutes by road.
- Agree every auto rickshaw price before getting in, and ask your hotel the fair price first.
- Book a hotel car for the Kanyakumari and Neyyar day trips.
Who Kovalam suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Kovalam your trip
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