LUXURY KERALA HOLIDAYS
Somatheeram Beach Resort - Kovalam Tourist
Attractions in Kovalam
Apart
from the usual sunbath and surfing, many marine activities are possible at
Kovalam. The local fishermen provide sunrise and sun set cruises in fishing
boats.
Catamaran Cruises
The Catamaran cruises, on
the country raft is very popular here. Very recently an innovative tour
operating company of Trivandrum has introduced a new package for marine
Angling for deep-sea fishing. This new project is concentrated near
Vizhinjam fishing harbor, just 4 km away east of Kovalam beach. Surfboards
and boogie boards can also be hired on the beach.
Ayurvedic
Massage
At Kovalam many hotels and resorts offers the Ayurvedic
massage and treatment. Yoga (Indian way of meditation) centers are also
plenty in Kovalam. Some theatres perform the traditional Kerala art form,
Kathakali and ethnic martial art, Kalarippayattu.
Private
Beaches
Among
innumerable beach holiday resorts Kovalam Ashok Beach Resort, Surya Samudra
Beach Garden, Somatheeram, Niki's Nest, Cocunut Bay Beach Resort, Uday
Samudra Beach Resort, Hotel Samudra etc own private beaches famous for their
cleanliness and secluded location. Most of these private beaches are located
near Vizhinjam at least 8 km far from Kovalam
Excursions
Around Kovalam
The holy city of Anantha, Thiruvananthapuram City is
located just sixteen kilometers north of Kovalam. Sri Padmnabhaswamy Temple
is the major landmark of the city. Though non-Hindus are not entitled to
enter inside the temple one can visit the premises, which is an
architectural marvel. Puthan malika or Horse Palace is a wooden palace,
situated very near to the Temple. The belongings of the Royal Family and the
very construction of the palace make the visitors amazing. The Chalai Market
is a big market just meters away to the temple is a fine example of the
typical market of Kerala. The Napier Museum is a building in Indo-Saracenic
Style, situated just 3 km away is yet another site to be visited. The hill
resort, Ponmudi is located 60 km away from Thiruvananthapurm city. The
resort is famous for its tea plantations and jungle streams. Another
important site to be visited is Kanyakumari (Cape Comorin), the Southern
most tip of Indian subcontinent. Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu state is 90 km
East of Kovalam is the place where three oceans meet together. A visit to
Vivekananda Rock located exactly on the sea is worth full. Kanyakumari is
famous for sunrise and sun set watching. Padmnabhapuram palace, the second
largest wooden palace in Asia is on the way to Kanyakumari, which is a major
center of tourist attraction.
Nearby
Attractions
Welcome to the holiday at Kumarakom the
ornithologist's paradise. Bask in the beauty of nature amidst marvelous
mangrove forests, coconut canopies and Pulsating paddy fields sprinkled with
enchanting waterways and canals decked with while lilies. For everyone
looking forward to a lazy and laid back holiday Kumarakom is the place to be
at. While at Kumarakom visit to the Vembanad Lake is a must. The fresh water
lake acts as an integral part of the backwater cruises in Kerala.
Water
Bird Sanctuary
A 14-acre bird sanctuary is situated on the eastern banks of the Vembanad
Lake. The sanctuary adds to the natural beauty of Kumarakom. Birds
(waterfowl, water ducks, cuckoos, wild ducks etc.) nest and spend happy
summers here. Birds like Siberian storks migrate here every year. At the
water-bird sanctuary you can spot domestic birds like cuckoo, wild duck,
egrets, darters, herons, teal, and waterfowl as well as migratory birds like
the Siberian storks. Further ahead from Kumarakom you may visit the
backwater town of Kottayam. At Kottayam you must check out the rubber
plantations and the old churches.
Backwater Cruise
The
backwaters of Kerala - endless miles of snaking waterways flanked on either
side by emerald palms. Tranquil and alluring, they offer you the experience
of a lifetime. While Kumarakom the boat races, houseboat cruise, canoeing
and fishing are something not to be missed. A stay at the houseboat, called
Kettuvallom is an unparallel and unique experience. The scintillating beauty
of nature and the simplicity of the people will not fail to touch you at
Kumarakom
The Vembanad Lake
Kottayam is a vast
network of rivers and canals, which empty into the great expanse of water
called the Vembanad Lake. The lake, an enchanting picnic spot and a fast
developing backwater tourism destination, provides boating, fishing and
sightseeing experiences that are truly exhilarating.
Aruvikkuzhi
Waterfalls
Located 18 km from Kottayam town, is this beautiful
picnic spot where streams tinkle as they make their way through the
landscape and waters roar as they cascade down the mountains from a height
of 100 ft. Tourists can also enjoy the shade of the rubber plantations here.
Butterfly Garden
Birds
and 330 butterfly species, 37 of which are endemic to this region. Many
believe that after the Indian subcontinent detached itself from the African
continent about 100 million years ago, and before it collided with Asia (80
million years afterwards) it had no butterfly fauna of its own. Although
once connected to the African continent, India now is a part of the oriental
Zoogeographic region. Its flora and fauna have their origin and present
distribution in the tropical areas stretching from India to Southern Chinas
and from there South to Malaysia, Philippines and Indonesia. Though there
are quite a few species that are found only in the Indian subcontinent, they
really belong to oriental groups. A good example is the Common Sailer
(Neptis hylas) which is found in India and throughout Asia. Another is the
prettiest visitor to Kerala's gardens - the Common Jezebel (Delias
eucharis). The delicately winged Map butterfly (Cyrestis thyodamus) is yet
another but it is found only in reasonably wet jungles.
Of all
biospheres, the tropical rain forests are the richest in flora and fauna.
The Western Ghats complex that starts from South Gujarat in the North and
extends upto Kanyakumari in the South, has some of the finest tropical
rainforests. It is here that we find some of the finest and most interesting
butterfly species anywhere in India. Among some species that are found in
both these areas, the best example is Five Bar Swordtail (Pathysa
antipathes) which is found in the wettest forests of Western Ghats. Western
Ghats also has certain representatives from the Afrotropical region like the
Joker (byblia ilithyia& Red Tips (colotis sp& Kerala. Some are also
from the Palaearctic region like the Yellow Pansy (Junonia hierta), common
Grass Yellow ( Eurema hecabe).
The study of Indian butterflies
started with the arrival of a Danish medical doctor Gerhard Koenig, a
naturalist and student of Carl Linnaeus in South India in the year 1767.
During the 18 years of his life here he made extensive collections of
plants, insects and butterflies. His butterfly collection was sent to JC
Fabricius in Copenhagen and 35 of them which were probably the first ever
scientifically described butterfly species in the world, are still preserved
in the Zoological Museum of Copenhagen. Carl Von Linne's Systema Natura
contained many Indian species and many more were described by Fabricus and
Cramer. Soon after, the Nilgiri mountains were visited by professional and
amateur explorers and naturalists. The first of these was the Austrian
nobleman and naturalist Baron Von Hugelin the late 1830's. But the first
systematic account of the Nilgiri butterfly dates back to more than a
hundred years when Sir George Hampson (1888) made a comprehensive list of
butterflies he came across during his five year stay in Nilgiri - Wayanad as
a coffee planter. His list contains about 260 species in all.
A
little earlier (1878) in Travencore, (Princely state that is now Kerala),
the famous planter naturalist H S Ferguson started collecting butterflies
from Ponmudi and Ashambu hills. He continued collection for about 2 years
and published his findings in the JBNHS of 1891. He reported 220 species
from this part of the Western Ghats.The next list of butterflies of Nilgiris
was by Wynter Blyth who from 1944 to 46 worked as Headmaster of a school
near Coonnor, near Ooty. His list came to 290 species. Then again 40 years
later elapsed before an extensive documentation of Nilgiri butterflies was
carried out by D Torben Larsen, an authority on South Indian, Arabian and
African butterflies. He listed 299 species from the Nilgiris. However, the
most recent compilation of butterfly species of South India has been done by
Harish Gaonkar of Copenhagen Zoological Museum, Denmark. He has made several
visits to Kerala. He firmly believes that all the 330 species of butterflies
found in South India can be met within Kerala. some of the most beautiful
regions of India.
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