About Poovar Beach
Poovar Beach of Kerala presents an enjoyable and rejuvenating view and homes to a wide array of exotic wildlife. Tourists across the globe visit here to stroll along the stretched golden sands. Clean and golden sand spread over miles here exhibits a spectacular beauty of this place making it one of the best holiday destinations of the world.
This place is delicate juncture where your Neyyar River flows all its way to meet and hug the mighty Arabian Sea. It looks as if the Arabian Sea greets his child travelling all its way along to have a glimpse of its parent water body. Lying at the opening of River Neyyar, Poovar forms a part of Trivandrum located on its southern side. It is a reckoned natural wonder presenting a mesmerising beauty where all the significant forms of water bodies (Beach, lake, sea and river) amalgamate within each other.
Tourists visiting Poovar admire this beautiful place as the one blessed with pleasant weather and exotic floral and faunal species to spend quality time with. There are vast varieties of swaying coconut trees and luxurious grooves of banana to gaze all over when you feel it difficult to pass on your time.
Still holding its pride high above in the air with the tags of unspoiled and unexplored land, Poovar remains one of the rare finds of Southern India. People never miss on to include this natural wonder, when they sit down to plan on their Kerala itinerary. Poovar Beach accounts for one of the serene and soothing backwaters of Kerala making it a perfect destination to rule out all the stresses.
This wonder holds its ancestral roots with the legendary great King Marthanda Varma Maharaj. He hailed from the princely state of Travancore. His success story holds extensive ties with this beach of Poovar. A picturesque beauty blended with a calm atmosphere makes every photographer halt and capture the magnificence of this place.
Enfolding the backwaters, Poovar proclaims itself as one of the unspoilt and cleanest eco-tour spots of Southern India. To add-on the final flavour, Poovar homes to beautiful lagoons making it an ideal weekend destination. Either plan your holidays with family or friends, Poovar makes sure that every single head enjoys life to the fullest. And guess what? Here, you have a lot of leisure activities to take care of your drowning mood.
This place homes the fishing community of Kerala. So make sure that you are going to spend some quality time enjoying their culture. Spare a day or two for enjoying your time with them and acquaint yourself with their customs and traditions. Natives of Poovar are best at their hearts and love to share their rich and sophisticated culture with one and all.
At times, they can even guide you with your Poovar trip if you haven’t planned it before. Once a while, this fishing village was a major trading centre for ivory, sandalwood, timber and spices. This beautiful paradise and the serenity of it ensures that you will carry a lot of endearing moments back with you. Confused on how to plan on your itinerary? Here we go with some of the quick to refer things to do once you land here at Poovar.
Best time to visit Poovar Beach:
The best weather to plan a visit to this delightful Poovar Beach is in falls. During winters, you have pleasant weather here with a comfortable temperature for all tourists. According to Poovar tourism, winters sounds the best season for visiting the places of interest here. So, try to plan your Poovar retreat anywhere between October to February and explore this place to its fullest.
As Kerala lies close to the equator, summers here are sweltering as well as humid. You can even make it here in monsoons to enjoy the greenery that encircles all around. Yet, take care of the tidal drifts as monsoons might bring about an alteration to the water level.
How to reach Poovar Beach??
Reaching Poovar is no longer a whammy situation as it is accessible by all three primary routes of transportation- rails, roads and airways. You can make your way to Poovar Beach by flying to Thiruvananthapuram International Airport which is at a distance of approximately 28km.
Tuticorin Airport lies at a distance of 126km from Poovar. Although the nearest railway station is Dhanuvachapuram (9km away from Poovar), there are no regular trains scheduled here from major cities of India. Or, you can board off at Parassala railway station situated at 9km away. Poovar, itself doesn’t have any bus stop; yet, Neyyattinkara stands as the nearest one.
Top things to do at Poovar Beach:
When it comes to activities, your Poovar Beach has a lot in store for a real beach explorer. As Poovar is reckoned for its shiny golden sand, strolling all over the beach stands as the top-most pastime activities of those who love Poovar. While you stroll around, you can snap down some awful moments of your child indulged in building sand-castles.
Sand-castling has been in practice in India since ancient times. If you are lucky enough, you may even get to see sand artists working out brilliant art forms through their imaginations. Never forget to click a shot of sun at dusk and dawn! Photographers are sure shot to find a lot of happy moments to add-on to their Poovar portfolio.
Swimming is generally not recommended here. If you still want to try a hand at swimming, you can enjoy it from October to May. This is the only time when the beach maintenance authorities allow for public swimming. Surfing lovers might be disheartening with this beach as neither any private parties nor the government itself allows for such things to do.
Hence, if you want a calm place to relax from all the city blunders, this place is ideal, during monsoons (Jun to August), this place is not accessible even for strolling and swimming on account of heavy underwater currents. Local governmental bodies here are trying their best efforts to start off with the adventurous activities here. A proposal for paragliding and allied activities is still lagging behind for the final approval.
Meanwhile, you can enjoy boating as a pastime activity here. There are lots of mangroves and estuaries to count down while enjoying your boat ride here. You can even take a trip to the Poovar village accompanying your children and acquaint themselves with the rich Keralite culture. People of this village engage in rigorous activities such as working in paddy fields or carving out sturdy boats to embrace Poovar tourism.
Try to be as friendly as you can with the fishing community residing here. They might take you along on their fishing zone and guide you with the fishing culture basics. And yes, do not forget to try their fish delicacies, cuisines and a cup of refreshing coffee prepared by them.
They are best at it and the tourists visiting here feel home away from home in their company. Besides the activities, do not forget to ask the Poovar natives about the Kerala Ayurveda, waterfall getaways, and holy shrines to visit. There’s a lot more in Poovar than you can ever imagine.
Places to visit in and around Poovar Beach:
When we have dealt with the things to do in Poovar, here are some of the places you can head towards during your beach stay.
Fishing Village: Out of all, Poovar natives love to engage themselves in fishing activities. The fishing community here has developed a water-based lifestyle and rely on river and sea to earn their daily lives through transportation.
Kovalam Beach: Located at a distance of around 18km away from Poovar, this beach accounts for a coastline running 17km and homing to three more beaches. Out of all, the one labelled as Light House Beach stands high on the priority list of Poovar visitors.
A lighthouse here is about 35m in height and located on a point called Kurumkal hillock. Hawah and Samudra Beaches falls next in queue. Sands here appear blackish marking the presence of monazite and limenite. If you are lucky enough, you can have a sight of The Great Elephant Race concluding here at Kovalam.
Besides, Kovalam holds a food festival of its own on an annual basis where the best chefs of Kerala exhibits their culinary brilliance with a wide of both Indian and Kerala cuisines.
Thiruvallam Parasurama Temple: Once you step down at Kovalam Beach, you can then head towards Thiruvallam Parasurama Temple situated at a distance of around 9km. Reckoned as the only temple dedicated to pious Lord Parasurama, religious tourists visiting here pay homage to the souls of their forefathers. Archaeology Department of Kerala is the one to protect this temple from all blunders of man-made or natural calamities.
Vizhinjam Marine Aquarium: Established in the year 1997, this aquarium homes to the rarest exhibits of invertebrates as well as ornamental fish species around the world. Situated at a distance of 1.3km from Kovalam, Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute looks after it. You can later walk around the Vizhinjam seaport or seek a road guide to Ayurvedic centres. Here, there are lots of beach resorts possessing international recognition.
Thiruvananthapuram: If nothing attracts you, the city of Thiruvananthapuram is waiting to greet you with a warm and welcoming smile. It lies nearby of Poovar village and organises Nishagandhi Dance and Music festival in February. To enjoy this festival, you need to re-direct yourself towards Kanakakannu Palace which once a while was a cultural venue of Thiruvananthapuram Maharajas.
Situated near to the Thiruvananthapuram district is the temple of Shri Arumanoor Koyikkavilakom Sree Bhadrakali Devi. For exploring the compelling story behind the existence of this temple, you can approach the religious head of this place.
Places to stay near Poovar Beach:
Now, we head towards the concluding yet most crucial section of this Poovar guide- the places to visit. Although there are many, we will be highlighting those that fits best to your pocket and ensures appropriate care and comfort throughout the stay.
Poovar Island Resort: A Floatels India Pvt. Ltd. venture, Poovar Island Resort has been serving for the past 25 years. The entire resort stands on 25 acres of land and lush green swaying coconut trees encircle it. Right from superior quality rooms to floating cottages, Poovar Island Resort stands luxurious in all its hospitality.
Location: 0.4km away from the Poovar Island
Amenities: Swimming pool with a lily pond, sports and recreational activities, wedding and conferences facilities, satellite TV services and laundry facilities.
Price: On average, a room here starts at INR 4500
Poovar Estuary Island Resort: Poovar Estuary Island Resort is one of the gentle stay places here with a lot of indoor as well as outdoor activities for every single guest. Conferences, weddings and honeymoons, are events to organise here. People generally visit this Poovar Estuary Island Resort for it’s a day at Estuary initiative.
Under this, the staff serves you with a welcome drink followed by lunch and evening complimentary snacks accompanying a small cup of brewed coffee. Volleyball, cricket, football and badminton are few of the outdoor activities to do while indoors you have chess, table tennis and carrom.
Location: There is a distance of 0.2km between Poovar Island and this place of stay.
Amenities: garden rooms, cottages, leisure and pool villa, leisure packages, dine and wine, Ayurveda and spa packages.
Price: On average, you will have to spend around INR 6000 to accommodate yourself here.
Isola Di Cocco Beach Resort: Reckoned as a resort for enjoying the Ayurvedic culture of Kerala, swaying coconut grooves cossets this place. Here, you will find a virtual view of the waters of Poovar and homes to secluded villa clusters each accompanying a balcony.
Location: This beautiful resort stands at a distance of 0.3km from the central Poovar Island.
Amenities: Library, Pool table, beach volleyball, free wi-fi connectivity, toiletries, 24-hours security services and a powerful backing. Chargeable facilities are inclusive of medical help, travel desk facility, multi-cuisine restaurants, laundry services, STD and ISD facilities.
Price: Accommodating yourself here might cost you around INR 7000 on the lower end.
Havelia Island Resort: A tranquil and peaceful resort situated amidst the backwaters is a place away from all the city disturbance. On one hand, you have elephants within reach of 5min while on the other you have the beach at a distance of boat ride (5-min).
Location: Poovar Island lies at a distance of around 0.4km from this resort.
Amenities: Deluxe river view and superior cottages, king suites, Wi-Fi, medical help, restaurants, room servicing, swimming facility, and 24-hour accessible front desk help.
Price: Here, you can avail a room at the least of INR 3500
