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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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