Area- 2,192 sq.km.
District Population- 29,46,650
Temperature- Mean Max. 36.2 deg.C
Mean Min. 19.9 deg.C
Clothing- Tropical
Altitude- Sea level
Rain Fall- 170 cm (May to November)
Tourist Season- September to May

Conveyance to
Air : Thiruvananthapuram International Airport at Valiyathura: Flights to Cochin, Madras, Delhi, Bangalore, Goa and Bombay. International to Colombo, Mali, Dubai, Abudhabi and Kuwait. Pre-paid taxi service available in the airport.
Rail : Thiruvananthapuram Central Railway Station, Thambanoore. Rail services to all important cities in India.
Road : State owned Transport Corporation runs buses from its major depot. at Thampanoore to all major cities in Kerala and Tamilnadu. A few services are also to Bangalore, Capital of Karnataka. Round the clock services to major cities. City bus services from early morning to late night.

Thiruvananthapuram which was previously called Trivandrum, is an ancient city with tradition dating back to 1000 BC. Thiruvananthapuram became the capital of Raja of Travancore in 1750.The city gets its name from the word, Thiru-anantha-puram, meaning the city of Anantha or the abode of the sacred Serpent Anantha on which Lord Vishnu, the preserver of the Hindu trinity, reclines. Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of the state of Kerala is a beautiful seaside city built on seven hills. It is located on the west coast of India near the extreme south of the mainland spreading over a total of 2,192sq.km. The city is characterized by its undulating terrain of low coastal hills with narrow winding lanes and busy commercial alleys. The best season to visit Thiruvananthapuram is during September to May. King Marthandavarma, the erstwhile founder of Travancore made Thiruvananthapuram his capital. After Marthandavarma, it remained the capital of Travancore and after independence, became the capital of State of Travancore-Cochin.In 1956, when Kerala state was formed, Thiruvananthapuram was again chosen as the capital of Kerala. Being the state capital, it also throbs with political activity. Thiruvananthapuram and its famous beaches are one of the top tourist destinations in India. Thiruvananthapuram derives its name from the deity at the Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple, which is the most recognisable icon of the city, nearly 2000 years old. The city has grown as a tourist and commercial centre, with the International airport becoming the main gateway into Kerala.

Delightful waterfront park.An ideal picnic spot where the lake merges with sea. The wadingpool,gardens,exquisite sculptures, a floating bridge and a wide range of aqua sports facilities.

Formally known as "Napier Museum" name dafter a former Madras Governer General, John Napier. It is a gem of architectural exuberance, combining traditional Kerala styles and good doses of Chinese and Mughal Influences.

Many people from different countries and cultures, intermingling their languages get together in this paradise of the South and spend their leisure time joyfully. It makes moments heavenly. A former fishing village, Kovalam is just 16 kms away from Trivandrum, Kerala's capital city.
Kovalam offers you some unique beaches in the range of colours from white to black sands. Its palm-fringed beaches enchants you and enhance the pleasure in your life. The beaches that expectedly waits you are : Samudra beach, Aluwa beach, Lighthouse beach and Ashok Beach. Today Kovalam beach is known as the "Paradise of the South". With high rock promotory and a calm bay of blue waters, this beach paradise creates a unique aquarelle on moonlit nights.Over the past three decades, the place has been well developed, and now figures prominently on the world tourism map. The grilled seafood items such as lobster, king prawns and kalamari which are got fresh from the sea at Kovalam and Ayurvedic massage parlours, yoga centres and water sport facilities, makes Kovalam a popular heaven for tourists from all over the globe. It is warm and clean by the coconut trees and the white sandbed as the seabreeze gently plays with the waves. Swimming and bathing are very refreshing and exhilarating in the waves. Most of the visitors like to have a sunbath here. Many people from different countries and cultures, intermingling their languages get together in this paradise of the South and spend their leisure time joyfully. It makes moments heavenly.

Built in the Roman architectural style, this is the centre of government administration in Kerala and houses the offices of ministers and the bureaucracy.

Has a rich collection of paintings of Raja Ravi Varma and Roerich.It also has copies of paintings of the Ajanta, Rajput,Mughal and Tanjore Schools besides some works from China, Japa,Tibet and bali.

Is one of the best maintained zoos in the whole of Asia and has a beautiful sprawling lawns.

The Observatory situated 60m above sea level is located on a hill near the Museum.It is one of the oldest in India. There is a well laid out garden in front of the hill, with a beautiful rose collection.

It is popular city beach adjacent to the airport. An indoor recreation club, children's traffic training park and a star shaped restaurant are some of the facilities at the beach.

Located near Mascot Hotel, the Museum is of high educative value for students of science and Technology.

One of the first zoos in India, it is located in a well-planned botanical garden. With huge trees like frangipani and jacaranda dotting the sprawling lawns and wild fowl swimming in the lake, it is like a small jungle in the heart of the city. A reptile house with different species of snakes is also located in the premises.

The Napier Museum: Built in the 19th century, the Indo - saracenic structure boasts a "natural" air conditioning system and houses a rare collection of archaeological and historic artifacts, bronze idols, ancient ornaments, a temple chariot and ivory carvings. The use of plastic is banned in the museum premises. Ph: 316275

The home of the late maharaja Sree Chithira Thirunal Bala Rama varma and his family is off limits to visitors but you can have a glimpse from the main gate. If a friendly guard is on duty, he will let you walk a bit inside the grounds where you can get a view of the grand old building at the end of its long drive.

9 km away from the town. It is a popular retreat for the city dwellers. The lake has boating facilities and has largest children's Park in Kerala.

16 km north of Thiruvananthapuram and gifted with lavish scenic beauty is Aruvikkara, with an ancient temple dedicated to Durga on the banks of the river.(16 km - ½ hour): This picturesque picnic spot is on the banks of the Karamana river. Near the Durga Temple here is a stream full of fish that fearlessly come close to the shore to be fed by the visitors.

29km from Thiruvananthapuram is Neyyar Dam a picnic spot and dam site. There are facilities for boating at the reservoir. There is a lion safari park and crocodile farm.

An idyllic hill resort with narrow, winding pathways and cool, green, wooded environs, Ponmudi is located 915 metres above sea level. Along with a variety of beautiful mountain flowers, exotic butterflies, small rivulets, springs and the deer park nearby, this hill station also has excellent trekking trails. * Food: KTDC restaurant; the government guesthouse

50km from Thiruvananthapuram, Peppara is accessible from Vithurai on Thiruvananthapuram-Ponmudi Road. This sanctuary with its rich fauna and birds is emerging as a big attraction to wild life enthusiasts. It is spread over an area of 53 sq.km on the western ghats. This is doted with large hills and numerous hillocks with forests and eucalyptus plantations. Elephants, Sambar, Leopard and Lion tailed macaque are commonly seen.

Part of the Sahyadri range of mountains, Agasthyakoodam is the second highest peak in Kerala, at a height of 1890 metres above sea level. Teeming with wildlife, the forests of Agasthyakoodam abound in rare medicinal herbs and plants and brilliantly hued orchids. A bird watcher's paradise, this legendary mountain is accessible by foot from Kotoor, near Neyyar Dam, as also from Bonacaud. The season from December to April is advocated for trekking, for which a forest pass has to be obtained from the Wildlife Warden, Forest Department, PTP Nagar, Thiruvananthapuram.

The seat of the erstwhile rulers of Travancore, this splendid palace is situated at Thuckalai, on the way to Kanyakumari. This is a well preserved wooden palace, a glorious testimony to the traditional Kerala school of architecture. The extraordinary murals, exquisite floral carvings and the black glossy granite floor have withstood the test of time.

Puthen Malika is also known as Kuthira Malika.This palace was built during the time of H.H Maharaja Swathi Thirunal the king of Travncore who was also a great poet and musician. This palace has wood carvings in the traditional Travancore style. The museum presently displays various painting collections of the royal family.

Lord Parasuraman's temple is here by the river at Thiruvallam, Chithranjali, the State Film Development Corporation's studio is at Thiruvallam. This is on the Thiruvananthapuram-Kovalam route,10km from the city.

Lying just 15kms from the state capital ,that is a historic spot, which was left unnoticed for a long time. The capital of Ay-Vel kings of the 8th-9th century, the only thing that was withstood time is a rock temple, as signed to the period of the Cheras because of a strong influence to the Pallava Pandya architecture. The rock temple is just a little off the main junction ,and is a protected monument under the Archeological Survey of India.

This is at Nedumangadu,18km from Thiruvananthapuram.This ancient palace built during the 15th century is on the way to the Ponmudi Hill Station and the Courtallam Water falls. This is built on the traditional nalukettu style.

Just 60km from Thiruvananthapuram and 7kms from the Bonecaud estate in the Peppara forest range.This 4 ft cascade is one of the most verdant and unspoiled spots in Kerala. Road accessibility is only upto Bonecaud,thereon the Kanni tribesmen accompany trekkers along the mountain path. Prior permission from the Forest Department is required before approaching the area. Kanyakumari has a number of interesting sites that you can include in your excursion.

Vattakottai (literally, circular fort) is an 18th-century fort overlooking the sea, located six km from Kanyakumari.

The Udayagiri Fort (34 km), built by King Marthanda Varma (AD 1729-1758), has a foundry for casting guns. The king's trusted European general De Lennoy's grave is located within this fort.
Situated 13 km from Kanyakumari, Suchindram bears the imprint of various kingdoms. The Thanumalayan temple here is a repository of art treasures belonging to those kingdoms. The temple is famous for its musical columns and its impressive six?m-tall statue of the monkey god, Hanuman. The main deity in the form of a shivling represents Shiva, Vishnu, and Brahma, the trinity of the Hindu pantheon. Ancient inscriptions dating back to the ninth century are found in this place.
The Nagaraja Temple at Nagarkoil (20 km) is a magnificent temple with Nagaraja as the main deity. There are also shrines dedicated to Lord Shiva and Vishnu. The entrance to this temple is reminiscent of the Chinese architecture of a Buddhist Vihar. Nagercoil is 19 kms from Kanyakumari on the way to Padmanabhapuram.

Padmanabhapuram Palace (45 km) is a large mansion of the Travancore Kings. It is known for its fascinating natural splendor.
Tiruchendur (85 km) is the site of a beautiful temple dedicated to Lord Subramanya. The temple located here on the shore of the Bay of Bengal is one of the six abodes of Lord Subramanya. The location of the temple draws a perennial stream of devotees. The temple overlooking the singing sea is an inspiring sight.
The Courtallam Fall (137 km) is perched at a height of 167 m. Its water is believed to contain medicinal properties.

Varkala, a new destination in Kerala, is for those who prefer to do absolutely nothing while holidaying. Due to a spillover resulting from the over saturation of Kovalam, foreigners started coming to the town about six years ago. The trend that started as a trickle became a steady flow within two years. Today, there is a constant stream of visitors. However, because of the area's comparative inaccessibility, a large influx of 'outsiders' has not happened here. At the Varkala platform, there is no indication that this town is on many a tourist itinerary.
Varkala is located 45 kms from Thiruvananthapuram city is an important hindu pilgrimage center. Varkala is known for Papasnanam Beach and 2000 years old Sree Janardhana Swamy Temple. Sivagiri is also the final resting place of Sree Narayana Guru, the great social reformer.
The 'Sivagiri Pilgrimage' is usually conducted between 30th December and 1st January every year. The Sivagiri Mutt - a religious retreat was founded by Sree Narayana Guru (1856 - 1928) the renowned philosopher and social reformer of modern Kerala. Even decades after the Guru breathed his last here in 1928, his Samadhi (resting place) continues to be thronged by thousands of pilgrims. The Sivagiri Mutt is also the headquarters of the Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Sangham, a religious organization established by the Guru to propagate his concept of 'One Caste, One Religion, One God'.