Childhood memories of visiting this place is a given for
most adults from South India - it ranks high in the list of excursion spots and
family outings. While the popularity is well-earned because of a number of
world-class attractions, the infrastructure supporting it has always been in
the doldrums. The result has been that for most people visiting the area, exhaustion
and dreariness often ended up being the adjectives primarily used when talking
about the visit. The infrastructure part has only improved slightly since that
time although the good news is that some of the issues can now be sidetracked,
especially if you are willing to loosen the purse a little.
Although the distance from Trivandrum is less than 100KM, it can take up to
three hours to get there because of the condition of the roads. Accommodation
options abound but none can be termed even three-star. The most
comfortable option is Sparsa Resort while the best value-for-money is the
government run Hotel Tamilnadu. Both are located along Beach Road
and have sprawling views of the ocean. Hotel Tamilnadu is closer to most
attractions - nicely placed between Sunset Point Tower and the
Lighthouse. Coming from Trivandrum, spotting both these places is easy as
access is from the main road - for Hotel Tamilnadu, turn Right next to
Lighthouse entry to get into the property. Hotel Tamilnadu has a stunning
location but Sparsa still steals the show as they promote more of a resort
setting. Hotel Tamilnadu suffers from bureaucratic problems that most
government establishments face. If you overlook those, the experience can be
quite good - The Double AC rooms on the main building and the cottages offer
good views as the buildings are located on a hillock within the 10-acre
property - there is an onsite restaurant but room-service is the only real
option as service at the restaurant is non-existent. Room Tariff is an outstanding
value, as the pricing goes down from Rs 3000 (including all taxes) for the
deluxe cottage to the Rs 1000 range for a non-AC room. Kanyakumari lacks good
restaurants as well: decent options include the restaurant at the Sparsa Resort further up
(walkable) on the same road (Seashore Road) from TTDC hotel, the restaurant on the 7th floor of Seashore
Hotel (has a good ocean view facing Vivekananda Rock and has a bar license),
and the Seaview Hotel Restaurant.
Seashore road is almost always chaotic and crowded with
street vendors and hawkers. But, walking along that road is still the best way
to get to all the major attractions. Very close to the hotel on this road on
the same side is the wax museum and aquarium - they are OK to visit, if you
need to kill some time. Sunset Point is right across from the hotel and there
is a viewing tower right on the beach (nominal fee applies). Walking a few
furlongs on Seashore Road gets you to Sunrise Point, in-front of the beautiful
Tsunami Monument. Kumari Amman Temple and the Gandhi Memorial are also en-route.
Both these places can be given a miss unless you are religiously or
patriotically inclined - the Gandhi Memorial is really a disgrace to Indians as
the place is very rundown - the facade however still looks nice.
Although Kanyakumari has a lot of ocean frontage and warm
water, swimming is not really an option. The beaches are rocky and the whole
beach frontage in the tourist areas are walled off - part of the work done
following the 2004 Tsunami. Beach access is present further up the coast-line. One
thing to be aware if you wander away from the main tourist area is that you may
get stopped by locals asking for an “entrance fee” of Rs 20 or so - you can
either stop and pay the money or just ignore them and drive through.
The other prime attraction in Kanyakumari is the twin
monuments of Vivekananda Rock and Thiruvalluvar Statue. The monuments are
located on two adjacent islands (giant rocks really) just off the coast of
Kanyakumari. The attractions are accessible only by boat and the service is run
by the government. Getting to the place involves buying tickets (Open 9AM to
4PM) and waiting in a very long line for the next boat to arrive. On a typical
day, the wait can easily run upwards of three hours. The ticket pricing is at
Rs 30. An alternative is to buy the privilege of cutting in front of the line
for Rs 150 (special ticket). If you go by this option, the average wait is only
around 15 minutes, as you are taken by the next boat - you still have to get in
the regular line for the return journey and so the privilege applies only
one-way. The ride is a very short ten-minute journey but the sea is very rough.
Once you get to the rock, there is another Rs 10 ticket to enter the memorial
premises and one has to walk on bare foot (there is a locker facility) - the
hot sun can really burn your feet, if you wander outside the painted pathway. The
views from the rock are stunning and the place is very serene and well kept - there
are no eateries and food is not allowed either. There are two buildings on the
rock and photography is restricted inside them - meditation is the main idea
here. There is a sunrise direction map on the side of the rock adjacent to one
of the buildings and that depicts the spot of sunrise for the entire year. The
return trip drops you off first at the adjacent rock that hosts the
Thiruvalluvar Statue. There is nothing to do there other than to admire the
architecture and the setting.
The lighthouse is supposedly open from 3-5PM but when we
went there around 4:15PM, it was closed. So, we had to give it a miss. Another option
to consider is the “Our Lady of Ransom Church” - the structure is beautiful,
the inside is stunning because of its vast emptiness, sand-floor, and the
beautiful statue of Mother Mary clad in a sari.
The street vendors throughout Kanyakumari has interesting
curios on offer - most of the items are inexpensive and the most popular are
the Seashell curios, especially the Shanku - they can inscript your name on it
for a small fee as well. Overall, two days with an overnight stay is amble to
cover the attractions in Kanyakumari.
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