Thirty years ago, Kovalam was a hippy idyll: a picture perfect tropical beach; a traditional fishing village providing fresh fish, fruits and toddy (coconut beer). Today this tiny beach is the focus of a multi-million dollar business, drawing thousands of tourists for a week dose of ozone, UV and a refreshing Indian Experience. Kovalam was brought to the public eye by the Maharaja of Travancore. Over the past three decades, the place has been well developed, and now figures prominently on the world tourism map. Kovalam is just 16 kms away from Trivandrum.Today Kovalam beach is known as the "Paradise of the South". "Kovalam" means a grove of coconut trees and true to its name the village offers an endless sight of coconut trees.

The southern most beach, and the most popular, is light house beach. It offers an amazing sight of Vizhinjam mosque. The northern Samudra is a laidback one and time seems stands still here. The middle, hawah, in the early day, is a beehive of activities with fishermen setting out for sea. With a high rock promontory and a calm bay of blue waters, this beach paradise creates a unique aquarelle on moonlit nights. Azure water and favorable climate make Kovalam a favorite year-round spot for swimming. Sea here is pacific and shallow where you can take a dip in the saline waters. The clean white sandy beach will arouse a temptation irresistible: to lie idle on the sands and tan your body.You could get into any of the Ayurvedic massage centre and indulge in a rejuvenating herbal, body-toning massage and holistic therapies.

Its scenic beauty and serenity is supplemented by the availability of excellent accommodation . There are a lot of restaurants which provide western style food as well as Indian, which is delicious. The grilled seafood items such as lobster, king prawns and kalamari are got fresh from the sea at Kovalam. Ayurvedic massage parlours, yoga centers and water sport facilities, makes Kovalam a popular haven for tourists from all over the globe.

Highly commercialised and very crowded through most of the year, Kovalam manages, against all odds, to retain much of the charm which made it a popular beach in the first place. Surfing and swimming are among the other water sports possible in Kovalam beach.Many people from different countries and cultures, interminlge with each other and get together in this paradise of the South and spend their leisure time joyfully. Kovalam is located in the district of Thiruvananthapuram. It claims high tourist footfalls every year between September and March and is probably, the most celebrated tourist destination of God’s Own Country. In this land of sun, sand and coconuts, water adventure sports draws people in hordes. The water adventure sports lovers can indulge in swimming, kayaking and host of others that is sure to give them an adrenaline rush. You can also try your hands at fishing on a sail boat. The Valliathura Pier is an interesting place to visit. It is located at a distance of 10 kilo meters from Kovalam. Hundreds and thousands of them flock to this place to see the fishermen cast their boats into the water from the wharf and then nose dive into the water.