Kollam (Quilon) - Kerala - കൊല്ലം (ഖ‌ിലോന്‍ )

Co-ordinates 8.912207, 76.637878 State Kerala Nearby Stations Kollam Junction Nearby Places Varkkallai, Kayankulam Wikipedia Link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kollam Other Langauge Names Hindi: कोल्लम (कुइलों) केरल Malayalam: കൊല്ലം (ഖ‌ിലോന്‍ )

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Kollam beach offers a full range of lives and activities and some of the most beautiful scenery imaginable. Kollam (Quilon) is a charming old port city on the banks of the picturesque Ashtamudi Lake. It is also known as the center of cashew industry. Traces of a once prosperous trade with China are still seen in the form of Chinese fishing nets, huge Chinese water pots, blue and white porcelain and sampan-like boats.

It is said that Kollam (Quilon) is the place where backwaters of Kerala starts. It is 72 km away from Trivandrum and is fairly important for the State's trade and commerce. It is the center of the country's cashew trading and processing industry. It is also an important hub for the State's marine products industry, with the port of Neendakara being the center for travelers and ice plants. Lazy River in Kollam.

Kollam possess plenty of natural gifts in form of wide rivers, dominant hills and forest, lakes and plains. This place equally represents the modern age with the traces of a bygone era. Quilon has all the representative feature of Kerala - sea, lakes, plains, mountains, rivers, streams, backwaters, forest, vast green fields and tropical crop of every variety both food crop and cash crop.

You can relax in the tourist bungalow, former palace of the British resident on the shore of the great Ashtamudi Lake. It has extensive grounds, age-darkened regal furniture, an atmosphere of old times. Many tourists pick up the Chinese pottery shards from the beach and visit the cashew factory.

Standing on Neendakara bridge, you can view the backwaters stretching before you. A boat trip around the lake or have a picnic to the huge light house at Thanasseri is one of the favorite activties of the tourists. You can also hire a scheduled boat and make the 9-hour trip through the most picturesque backwaters in the world to Alleppey.

The temperature varies between 19 degrees minimum to 36 degrees maximum. The tourist season in Kollam starts from October and lasts till end March.

Located 71 km to the north of Trivendrum, Kollam is the centre of the country's cashew trading and processing industry. One of the oldest ports on the Malabar Coast, Kollam was once the port of international spice trade. Cruising down the backwaters in Ashtamudi, housing in a boat and living life at ease. Kollam is the ultimate place to be. Apart from the immaculate backwaters, there are several other interesting places worth a visit in Kollam.

How to Reach

Air

The nearest airport is the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport,

Rail

Express, Super Fast and Passenger trains stop over at Kollam Junction.

Road

Kollam lies on NH 47. Kollam is well connected with roads.

Accommodation

Aquaserene.

Palaruvi Waterfalls

Located near the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border, 5 km from Ariankavu is the lovely waterfalls at Palaruvi, at a height of 300 feet. Being the pristine spot, the waterfalls give the impression of following milk, which falls steeply down into a small shallow pool which is ideal for swimming nearby there are also smaller cascades, which gives a beautiful sight.

Ashtamudi Lake

Kollam is situated on the banks of scenic and calm Ashtamudi Lake. Lake Ashtamudi is one of the biggest Backwaters of Kerala.

Shendurni Wildlife Sanctuary

70 km from Kollam on the Kollam -Shencotta Road is the Shendurni Wildlife Sanctuary. The sanctuary is situated on the banks of the River Shenduny.

Sasthamkotta (Fresh Water Lake)

29 kms from Kollam, on the bank of River Kallada, is a small town called Sasthamkotta, which is famous for Kerala's largest freshwater lake. In this town there is also a temple dedicated to ford Sastha.

Thirumullavaram Beach

6 kms north of Kollam town, is the beautiful and quiet little Thirumullavaram Beach, which is a lovely picnic spot and is also ideal for swimming or bathing in the sun .It has frequent bus connections from the town.

Thangasseri Beach

Situated 5 kms from Kollam Town, this seaside has ruins of an old Portuguese fort and churches built in 18th century.

Paravoor

Paravoor, 20 kilometres from Kollam, is a narrow skirt of land stretching in between the backwaters and the sea. A beach resort by KTDC and a major water sports complex by Kollam DTPC will adorn this place very soon. The famous Varkala beach is a mere 15 kilometres drive from here. Paravoor is well connected by road and rail.
Quilon travel offer tourists the opportunity to savour the rich traditional art forms of Kerala like Kathakali, Koothu, Ottamthullal, Pattakam, Harikatha, Kaikottikkali, Thiruvathirakkali, Kolattam etc., which are unique to Quilon. A great place to tour and travel in Kerala.