Tourism News

Explore the eastern charms of Kollam district

Those who wish to explore Kollam (formerly Quilon) can now do so by traveling in a 17-seat tourist bus. A guide will accompany the tourists in the air-conditioned bus. Operated by the Kollam District Tourism Promotion Council on Saturdays and Sundays, this tourist bus will take visitors from the city to destinations in the eastern corridor of Kollam district.

The trip starts by 0800 hrs and returns by 1930 hours. The trip will take tourists to Palaruvi waterfalls in Aryankavu, more than 80 km away from the city. The first halt for 10 minutes will be at Elampallur in Kundara. And at Kundara the tourists will get to see the spot from where the freedom fighter Velu Thampi Dalawa made the historic Kundara Proclamation. The next halt for 30 minutes will be at Kottarakara, where tourists can visit the famous Kottarakara Ganapathi temple and the Kottarakara Thampuran Memorial Museum, which houses some of the unique aspects of Kathakali.

Then a short halt at Punalur to see the hanging bridge there, which is an engineering marvel of the colonial period. By noon, the bus will reach the Palaruvi waterfalls. From there the bus will leave for Thenmala at 1300 hours, where lunch will be served. After lunch, tourists will be taken to the Adventure Zone and the Butterfly Park at the Thenmala Eco Tourism site.

By 1500 hours the bus will be at Kulathupuzha and here tourists can watch the giant gold and silver carp fishes in the Kallada River, close to the Kulathpuzha Bala Sastha Temple. Even if the river is in spate during the rainy season or when the water flow recedes during summer, these fishes never leave the vicinity of the temple. The tourists will then be taken to the Kottukkal rock-cut cave temples and from there to Malamel, a rocky hillock for a picturesque view of the eastern sector of the district.

For more details contact, DTPC, Kollam: +91 474 2745625, 2750170.