India Beach Holiday
Both the west and east coast of India offers an amazing number of exotic beaches on the Arabian Sea shores or the Bay of Bengal. On the west coast there are miles of sandy beaches broken into attractive bays by rocky headlands. The most popular ones are the beaches of Goa and Kovalam at Kerala. The beaches on the eastern coast are less developed. The best known are the beaches of Mahabalipuram and a small but exquisite beach in Orissa called Gopalpur-on-Sea.
Goa blends scenic beauty with a latin heritage and a leisurely way of life. The beaches are complete with tourist friendly facilities and accommodation including several beach resorts. Among the major beaches are Colva, Betul, Dona Paula, Anjuna, Baga, Calangute, Bogmalo and Vagator, all of these provide scenic beauty with palm trees stretching out in the horizon. Goa is connected by air with Delhi, Bombay, Bangalore, Cochin, Madras and Ahmedabad. Now there is a catamaran service operating between Bombay and Goa.
Kerala is very popular as the land of beaches. Along the 600 kilometers length of the lush green vegetation of Kerala coast there are many fine sandy beaches. Close to Thiruvanthapuram (Trivandrum), the capital of Kerala, lies the pristine beach of Kovalam. This beach resort of Kerala is very popular with the domestic as well as international tourists due to its natural beauty. Originally Kovalam was a small fishing village and it actually consists of three adjacent crescent beaches. The southern most is known as Lighthouse Beach, Eve Beach is in the middle and the Third and northern most beach is just to the north of Ashok Radission Resort.
Marina Beach lies to the east of Madras (Cennai), adjoining the Bay of Bengal, is one of the loveliest beaches in India and the longest beach in Asia. The fine sandy stretch of beaches extends to a length of 55 kilometers, from Fort St. George all the way to Mahabalipuram. The commercial capital of India, Mumbay, also has some fine beaches. Chowpatty, Juhu Beach, Arangal Beach, Marve Beach, Manori Beach are some of the well known beaches.
Gopalpur-on Sea is a quiet beach on the eastern coast in Orissa. It is ideal for boating. Coconut palms and Casurina plantations play hide and seek with the sun along this coastline. The hot springs of Taptapani are nearby. Beside these, there are lesser known but equally beautiful beaches along the coastline of India. To name a few Mangalore and Mahe on the west coast and Pondivherry on the east coast. Some of the Indian islands are perfect places for water sports, among these are the coral reefs of the Lakshadweep Islands, off the coast of Kerala in the Arabian sea and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal.
