Poovar Sightseeing, Quick Facts, History, Packages, Tours & Excursions

It is a place to laze around, soak in the unlimited stretch of green and blue hues that weave the landscape and feast on some sumptuous food. Sightseeing is more like a houseboat cruise on the Paruthiyur backwaters and picnicking on the coconut grove trimmed beach. Tour packages are available for those who wish to explore the city.

Activities:

The Ayurvedic experience, medicated steam baths and herbal oils for the health conscious, kettuvallam rides, a visit to the ancient kalarippayattu (martial arts) centre for the adventurers, and for the romantics, sunset and sunrise cruises.    

Department of Tourism, Government of Kerala

Park View, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India - 695 033

Phone: 91-471-2321132

Tourist Information toll free No:1-800-425-4747

Poovar is a small coastal fishing island at the southern tip of Thiruvananthapuram district in Kerala. The village is embraced by a beautiful beach on one side and the backwaters on the other. During high tides, an estuary links it to the sea.  It is very close to harbor of Vizhinjam and is a network of lagoons, lakes, canals, estuaries, deltas, interspersing forty-four rivers that join the Arabian Sea. Located 38km from the State capital, a fifteen-minute boat ride reaches you at Poovar.

Poovar has been a trading centre and port in ancient times where timber, sandalwood, ivory and spices were traded. According to legends the port Ophir where King Solomon's trading ships landed is said to be Poovar. Another legend describes this as the place as where Maharaja Marthanda Varma was given protection from his enemies by the powerful merchant, Moosa Marikkar. It is said that the picturesque sight of red kovala flowers floating in the Neyyar River led the Maharaja to describe the river as pu (flower) ar (river) or the river of flowers.