Chavara

Chavara


The quite and peaceful village of Chavara is situated 14 km north of Kollam on Kollam-Alappuzha road. It is an industrial village having four major industrial establishments; i.e the Indian Rare Earths, The Kerala Premopipe factory, Kerala Minerals and metals and Titanium complex. Thousands of tonnes of mineral sand, mainly titanium are exported from Chavara to various countries. The notable Malayalam poet O.N.V Kurup belongs to Chavara. Kovilthottam beach and light house, sinking islands in Ashtamudi lake, St.Andrews church, Kottamkulangara temple are some of the tourist places in Chavara. Kovilthottam, a good tourist spot and pilgrim center, is a strip of land located in between Chavara TS canal and the Arabian Sea, having only a width of 100 meters. Thalappoli Mahotsavom- offerings of lighted lamps in decorated small pans - in the Kottamkulangara temple here, which falls in March - April is very famous. The interesting feature of the festival is that men dress themselves as women and carry lamps. This is a time-honoured custom. The 66ft tall lighthouse tower, painted with black and white horizontal bands, has been provided to serve the port of Neendakara situated at the entrance to Ashtamudi Back waters.

Munroe Island

Munroe Island

The beautiful, sleepy island of Munroe also known as Munrothuruthu, surrounded by the Kallada River on the western side and Ashtamudi Lake, is located 25kms away from Kollam. Blessed with a lot of zigzagging water channels, this island is named after Colonel Munroe, the British Resident of the erstwhile Travancore state. This place is host to many migratory birds. The idyllic, village of Munroe Island is a unique one which is connected with other two islands namely Pattomthuruthu and Pezhumthuruthu. District Tourism Promotion Council (DTPC) operate cruises to the island twice a day; i.e at 9.00AM in the morning and 2.00PM in the afternoon. The fare is Rs.300 per head and special fare is available for group booking with a maximum of 15 persons.

Thenmala

Thenmala

Situated 67 km east of Kollam, Thenmala is a small village at the foothills of Western Ghats covered by dense forest, rubber and tea plantations. In local jargon Thenmala means ‘honey hills’ and the honey collected from this region is famous for its medicinal value and quality. The major attractions here are the reservoir, dam and meter gauge.

Thenmala is the first eco tourism destination in India and the eco-tourist center provides all the needful assistance and facilities and enables the tourist to enjoy the nature at the very best. To explore every tourist destination, the region has been divided into culture, leisure and adventure zones. Musical dancing fountain along with amphitheatre, shop court and restaurants are the main attractions of the culture zone. In the leisure zone, sculpture garden, sway bridge, broad walk etc offers amazing view to the tourists. Besides the sculptures of father and child, some of the charecters of Indian myths such as Ekalavya, Vikramadithya and Vethalam are there in the sculpture garden. Adventure zone comprises of Elevated Walkway, Mountain Biking, Rock Climbing, River Crossing, Nature Trails, Resting Spots, Lotus Pond etc.

One of the important resources of Thenmala Ecotourism is Shenduruney, declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1984, with a large variety of flora and fauna. Sprawling over an area of 100.32 Sq. km., this deciduous man made rain forest consists of around 1500 flowering plants, 43 species of mammals and 475 species of birds. The construction of the Parappar Dam across the confluence of the Shenduruney, Kazhuthurutty and Kulathupuzha rivers has resulted in the creation of an artificial lake of about 26 Sq. Km. which spreads along the middle of the sanctuary. Boating through this lake is the major attraction of the sanctuary.

Palaruvi waterfall that is 16 km from Thenmala towards Shenkotah is mind blowing.

Contact:
Thenmala Ecotourism Promotion Society,
Thenmala Dam Junction, Thenmala PO 691308 Kollam District, Kerala, India.
Phone: 91-475-2344800
E-mail : Contact Now

Corporate Office :
Thenmala Ecotourism Promotion Society
(A Government of Kerala Undertaking)
Gokulam, TC 15/1170, Krishnavilasom Road, Vazhuthacaud,
Thiruvananthapuram 695013, Kerala, India
Phone: 91-471-2329770
Fax: 91-471-2337037