Shangumugham Beach

     Shanghumugham Beach is easily accessible from the Kovalam Beach, Veli Tourist Village and Akkulam Tourist Village. Shangumugham beach is noted for its cleanliness. The vast stretch of white sand and the serene atmosphere, away from teh crowd in the city, provide all the ingredients for relaxation and for spending an ideal evening. The sculpture of Jalakanyaka - Mermaid by Kanayi Kunhiraman is an added attraction.

     There is also a small amusement park for children. There is a star fish shaped restaurant at Shanghumugham beach. Most of the times the Arabian sea is calm at the beach. Watching sunset at shanghumugham beach is a memorable experience.

  

     Indian Coffee house serves typical Kerala style food near the beach. The Coffee house is also a vantage point to watch the sunset.

     There is a long walkway beside the beach which can be used for an evening stroll. Fishermen bringing their catch in the early mornings is also a memorable experience to tourists visiting the beach. Many Trivandrumites spends their evenings at the Shanghumugham beach.

     There is an ancient stone pavilion on the beach.

     The skating school here offers the coaching on skating. Adjacent to the skating school is an indoor sports complex which provides facilities for Badminton and Table Tennis. The 'Jawaharlal Nehru Park of Traffic signs for children' is situated here, which is helpful for the children to understand the traffic rules while playing in the park. The park also provides cycling facilities for small children.

Veli Beach

      

     Veli Tourist Park is a waterfront park that has become a popular tourist destination. It is located in the outskirts of Thiruvananthapuram in Thiruvananthapuram District. The place is blessed with a calm serene atmosphere. The atmosphere gets livened up with the children, family groups and ‘love-birds’. Veli, developed as a major tourist spot by providing facilities for pedal-boating, row boating, swimming, get together, etc. is just the right place for an exciting outing Kerala tourism department has spent most money and efforts for the beautification of this tourism village. Aesthetically laid pavements, placement of trees among lawns bear testimony to this fact.

The charms of the lake can be explored by boat rides. Motor-driven safari launches, powerboats and pedal boats or rowboats can be hired from the tourist village. The eastern flank of the lake harbours two beautiful hillocks, good for hiking. Kayaking and hovercraft ride are also possible. Boating in Fibre Boats through the serene backwater watching the natural beauty of the surroundings is a fantastic experience to anyone who loves nature.  

The Veli tourist village is connected to the Veli beach by a waterfront park with a wooden floating bridge. The swinging effect of this hanging bridge thrills children as well as elders. A floating bridge and a floating restaurant are two notable attractions in this tourist place.

          

The floating restaurant was opened in early 2007 and is first of its kind in Trivandrum! The floating restaurant is being constructed out of wood to overcome corrosion. For the roof, light weight and anti rust material imported from U.S. is being used. In order to check pollution of the lake a treatment plant is being set up. The most striking feature of this restaurant is that it is constructed on a floating platform, which can be easily be tugged to any place in the lake.

Veli Lake where the lake and Arabian Sea meets is a place to be in –with your loved and near ones of course. People who throng here in the evening never miss the evenings that paint the western sky with different shades of orange-red and a perfect sunset.

There is a playground for children. Children can watch different varieties of back water fishes in the wadding pool. An open-air theater features cultural performances and an annual arts festival. The grounds of Veli Tourist Park are dotted with interesting sculptures designed by the well-known local sculptor Kanai Kunjiraman. Children enjoy climbing over the huge sculptures which dot the landscape.

         An excursion around Trivandrum takes to a breath taking place like Veli Tourist Village, which is worth a visit. The village provides an excellent atmosphere for relaxing. The village is borded by Veli lagoon and Arabian sea which makes it one of the picturesque location. The lagoon is separated from the sea by narrow sand bar. Besides water sports, am 18 acre waterfront park with floating bridge connects the village to the Shankhumukham beach and also there is a children's park around the floating bridge.

Kovalam Beach

     Kovalam first received attention when the Regent Maharani Sethu Lakshmi Bayi of Travancore constructed her beach resort, Halcyon Castle, here towards the end of the 1920s. Thereafter the place was brought to the public eye by her nephew the Maharaja of Travancore.  The European guests of the then Travancore kingdom discovered the potentiality of Kovalam beach as a tourist destination in the 1930s. However, Kovalam shot into limelight in the early seventies with arrivals of the masses of hippies. This exodus started the transformation of a casual fishing village of Kerala into one of the most important tourist destinations in all India.

    

     Kovalam means a grove of coconut trees and truly the coconut trees along the beaches gives it a ravishing look.The palm-fringed bays in secluded coconut groves, promise a relaxed stay. The boundless blue waters of the Arabian Sea and miles of white sands washed away by the surf at the feet of the stalwart palms and the rocky promontories, makes this beach paradise. This marvellous beach is a tourist's dream come true.

 

     Kovalam has three crescent shaped beaches separated by rocky outcroppings. Shallow waters stretching for hundreds of metres are ideal for swimming. The beaches have steep palm covered headlands and are lined with shops that offer all kinds of goods and services.  

    

                 

      The larger of the beaches is called Light House Beach for its 35 metre high light house which towers over it atop Kurumkal hillock. Lighthouse beach is the most popular beach, located at the southern part of the Kovalam beach Kerala. Enjoy the cool sea breeze, blowing from the Arabian sea and walk barefooted on the soft silver sands of the beach. Lighthouse Beach in Kovalam offers a spectacular view of the Vizhinzam mosque and its verdant surroundings.

     The Vizhinjam Lighthouse is one of the prime attractions in Kovalam that captivates the tourist for its mesmerizing view. The interesting fact about the lighthouse is that it still glows in the dark at regular intervals. Light emitted by it spreads all over and creates the romantic ambiance that delights the tourists utmost.

      Hawa beach was the first topless beach in India. It is another place of interest to spend a pleasant holiday vacation. Here, tourists can see the daily routine of local fishermen. Every morning they set out to sea to catch fishes, which is the main source of their livelihood. Travel to Hawa beach in Kovalam to have a unique and delightful experience that will surely offer you life time memories to be treasured.

      The northern part of the beach is known as Samudra Beach in tourism parlance. A large promontory separates this part from the southern side. Samudra Beach doesn't have tourists thronging there or hectic business. The local fishermen ply their trade on this part. Samudra beach enjoys the tranquil and serene atmosphere, an ideal place for nature lovers. Tourists can relax in the laps of nature while enjoying the soothing surroundings. The Samudra beach in Kovalam is also a perfect destination for sunbathing. Added charm of the beach is its rudimentary wooden fishing vessels. The sands on the beaches in Kovalam are partially black in colour due to the presence of ilmenite and thorazite.

  

    Kovalam Beach, a favorite haunt of foreign tourists, has crystal clear blue waters, rocky promontories and miles of white sands. The leisure activities at the beach include sunbathing, swimming and herbal body toning massages. Shops dealing in handicrafts, jewellery and clothes are situated along the beachfront. Delectable sea-food such as lobsters and king prawns are available at the beachside restaurants. Ayurvedic massage parlours, yoga centers and water sport facilities make Kovalam Beach a paradise for tourists from all over the world.

     Kovalam was among the most prominent tourist spots in India during the hippy era. It still has a high status among tourists, who arrive mostly from Europe and Israel. Kovalam is finding a new significance in the light of several Ayurvedic salons, and recuperation and regeneration resorts which provide a wide variety of Ayurvedic treatments for tourists.