Why It’s Worth Visiting Kanyakumari, the Southernmost Tip of India

I wasn’t sure what to expect when my husband and I decided to take a spur-of-the-moment trip to Kanyakumari, famously known as the southernmost tip of India.

With so many other Indian destinations on our bucket list and so little time, we weren’t even planning to visit this small city. But a chat with my sister-in-law, who lived in Chennai for a few years and knows Tamil Nadu extremely well, convinced us otherwise.

Boy, are we glad we took her advice! Now that we’ve spent two days here, soaking up the spiritual vibes and natural beauty, I can tell you that Kanyakumari, the southernmost tip of India, is indeed worth visiting.

Related: Why My Husband and I are spending most of the year in India. 

Where is Kanyakumari?

Kanyakumari is a small city located on the southern coast of Tamil Nadu, a state in South India. Not only is it the southernmost tip of India, but it’s also the place where three bodies of water meet: the Indian Ocean, the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea. For this reason alone, it’s worth visiting. However, there’s so much more that this city offers beyond its geographical location.

How Do You Get to Kanyakumari?

My husband and I traveled from Chennai. Since we only had a couple of days, we opted to fly. The closest airport to Kanyakumari is 67 km away in Trivandrum, Kerala. We flew into Trivandrum and hired a taxi from the airport.

You can also take the train to Kanyakumari from various cities, including the Kanyakumari Express which travels to Bangalore and Mumbai. There are also plenty of bus options from cities all over India. And if you’re up for it, you can always drive to the southernmost tip of India. (That would be a pretty cool travel brag!)

Things to See on the Way to Kanyakumari

If you’re driving to Kanyakumari from Trivandrum airport, as we did, there are many places along the way to stop and sightsee.

Kovalam Beach

Just south of Trivandrum airport, you’ll find Kovalam Beach. We stopped here for lunch. There are many cafes (mostly catering to Westerners) along the promenade. We ate at Fusion Restaurant Coffee Bar and I highly recommend it.

We feasted on a Malabar fish curry and grilled calamari, all while enjoying an ocean view. The restaurant also has an extensive list of fruit juices, smoothies, and coffee drinks. I recommend trying the Papaya and Coconut Milk smoothie or the Golden Milk. (We loved both!)

Afterward, stroll along the promenade, and take in the local vendors hawking their wares. Make your way to the rocky outcrop at the end of the beach, where you’ll get a great view of the Kovalam lighthouse at the opposite end of the beach.

 Padmanabhapuram Palace

If you want to make an additional stop on your way to the southernmost tip of India, I highly recommend visiting the Padmanabhapuram Palace in Thuckalay, which is northwest of Kanyakumari. The palace’s claim to fame is that it is the oldest wooden palace in Asia. (You can also visit this palace on your way back to the airport if that better fits with your schedule.)

Constructed in the 1600s, the impressive structure spans 6 acres. In addition to intricate rosewood and teakwood carvings throughout the palace, you’ll also encounter carved stone pillars, black granite floors, and murals of previous kings and the royal family.

Hours are 9:00 am – 12:30 pm, 2:00 pm – 4:30 pm every day except Mondays and national holidays.

Why Kanyakumari is Worth Visiting:

Now onto the southernmost tip of India – Kanyakumari – and why it is indeed worth visiting!

Kanyakumari is a feast for your eyes. With green hills to the north and the sea to the south, along with the town’s colorful buildings dotting the shoreline, the setting is iconic.

But the main reason many come to visit this city is a chance to see the two commanding monuments that have been built on rocky outcrops just off the coast.

One of the islands boasts the Vivekananda Memorial. It is a large pavilion, dedicated to the poet, philosopher and influential leader, Swami Vivekananda. In 1892, he visited Kanyakumari at the end of an extensive tour of India. Upon arriving, he spent three days meditating on this large offshore rock. In 1970, his story was memorialized with the pavilion.

The second, smaller island is home to a towering statue, (131 feet tall) of the great Tamil poet Thiruvalluvar. The foundation was laid in 1979 but it would take 20 years to complete the building of the statue.

But there is also significance to Kanyakumari beyond its architectural delights. According to Hindu mythology, it is where the virgin goddess Kanya Kumari (an incarnation of the goddess Parvati), did penance to get Lord Shiva to marry her. She stood on one foot, on the same large rock where Swami Vivekananda mediated. Ultimately, Lord Shiva was tricked on his way to meet his bride, and the wedding did not take place. It is said that the large boulders and rocks that dot the coastline now are the grains of rice that were being saved for the wedding but were never used.

Many Hindu pilgrims come to Kanyakumari to pay their respects at the Kanya Kumari Hindu temple. They also bathe in the holy saltwater, at Triveni Sangam to absolve their sins. This is the actual southernmost tip of India, and the site where the three bodies of water meet.

Things to Do in Kanyakumari

There is plenty to see and do in Kanyakumari. My husband and I did not want to travel at a breakneck pace, so we chose a few iconic things to see but also took time to enjoy the slower pace of the city.

Watch the Sunrise and Sunset:

Kanyakumari is actually one of the best places to watch the sunrise and the sunset in India because of its geographic setting. The horizon here almost takes on a circular shape, with a panoramic view of the ocean.

Honestly, watching the sunrise here is an incredible and spiritual experience. It’s one of the main reasons I think Kanyakumari is worth visiting.

The sun rises alongside the Vivekananda Memorial and the Thiruvalluvar statue. Despite the overcast weather, we still enjoyed watching the sunrise and observing how the monuments changed in the morning light.

The best places in town to view the sunrise fill up quickly. I recommend getting to one of the sunrise points early, to ensure you get a good spot. (Both sunrise points are literally marked as such on Google maps.)

If you’re not a fan of crowds (like us), head to one of the rocky piers along the coastline. This gave us a great vantage point of the sun rising over both monuments, away from the swarms of people.

For the sunset, head to Sunset Point. It’s literally called Sunset Point in google maps, and it’s easy to find.

While the sunset is not as magnificent as the sunrise, it’s still worth seeing. The point is actually another stretch of beach, with scattered boulders and rocks. It’s a beautiful setting and many people come here prior to sunset to take in the ocean air and enjoy the view.

It is a bit of a hike to get to sunset point from the center of town. If you don’t feel like walking (or don’t want to walk back in the dark, because the sky loses light here very quickly), take an auto or taxi.

Visit the Vivekananda Memorial and Thiruvalluvar Statue

Not only can you admire this memorial from afar, but you can also visit the island itself. To get there, take a ten-minute ferry ride. During the high season, you can purchase a premium ticket to avoid the long ferry lines.

Do check the timings of the ferry because the hours change depending on the time of the year. Also, note that you need to purchase an additional ticket to explore the island once you disembark from the ferry.

Once on the island, spend time taking in the 360 degree views of Kanyakumari, the ocean, and of course the Thiruvalluvar statue. If you’re lucky, you might get to visit the Thiruvalluvar statue as well. The ferry from Vivekananda will stop there depending on the tides, as long as the island isn’t closed for maintenance.

Unfortunately, the island was closed when we visited. But we still enjoyed seeing the statue up close from the Vivekananda Memorial and on the ferry ride itself.

Pro travel trip: This is India, so be prepared for a massive crowd on the ferry. They do give life jackets to every passenger, but in true Indian fashion, boarding and exiting the ferry involved a lot of pushing and crowding. If you get claustrophobic in crowds, then you might want to avoid taking this ferry.

Watch the Bathers at Triveni Sangam

On our second morning in Kanyakumari, (after a bit of a sleep in!), we strolled down to Triveni Sangam. This is the actual spot where the Indian Ocean, Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea meet. Hindus consider it a sacred spot and pilgrims will visit Kanyakumari from all over India just for the opportunity to dip themselves in this holy saltwater. This spot also provides another incredible view of the Thiruvalluvar monument.

Pay Your Respects at the Kumari Amman Temple

This Hindu temple, situated right next to Triveni Sangam, is dedicated to Kanya Kumari. Westerners are permitted inside. Everyone must remove their shoes and check their bags before entering and photography is not permitted inside the temple. Hours are 4:30 am – 12:00 pm and 4:00 pm – 8:00 pm.

Visit the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial

Right next to Triveni Sangam, abutting the beachfront is the Gandhi Memorial. This location is where some of Gandhi’s ashes were kept in an urn before they were scattered in the sea. While visiting, I learned an interesting architectural fact. On October 2^nd, Gandhi’s birthday, the sun’s rays shine through a hole in the roof directly onto the place where Gandhi’s ashes were kept.

Browse the Many Street Vendors

You won’t have to look far to find a beautiful seashell in Kanyakumari! It’s the main handicraft that street vendors sell, along with the usual Indian souvenirs you’ll find elsewhere.

Where to Stay in Kanyakumari:

If you want to be at the heart of the action, there’s the Hotel Sea View or The Seashore Hotel. While you will get great views of the Vivekananda and Thiruvalluvar memorials, I can’t vouch for the service. Both hotels have average ratings online.

The Seashore Hotel also has an excellent rooftop restaurant with 180-degree views of the city and the monuments. They serve Indian and Chinese cuisine. We ate lunch there and thoroughly enjoyed it.

We opted to stay at Annai Resorts and Spa, a quieter location away from the center of town. It’s also the only 4-star hotel in Kanyakumari and it opened up just a few months ago.

While there are a few kinks the hotel still needs to work out, in general, we enjoyed our stay. The main problem we had was that the wifi didn’t work in our room. However, the hotel did what they could to help us, and provided us with a hotspot.

If you stay here, I recommend booking one of the villas for a more tranquil experience. The premium rooms are part of the main hotel, which might be a bit noisier.

Also, look for discounted fares online. We booked our room on the site Make My Trip,  and the price was almost half off the normal rate. This included breakfast as well.

The hotel has two restaurants (with the same menu). You can either eat in the air-conditioned space on the ground floor or at the open-air, rooftop terrace. We enjoyed both settings. The hotel also has a bar, which is worth noting because it’s not a common feature at hotels in Tamil Nadu. (This does not include the Western brand hotels in Chennai.)

Pro Travel Trip: Drinking alcohol is not very common in South India, particularly in Tamil Nadu. In fact, the state imposes a 58% tax on all imported liquor. Usually, I’m a wine drinker, but it’s very hard to find good wine in Tamil Nadu unless you’re visiting a high-end hotel in one of the major cities like Chennai. If you do want a drink, I recommend sticking with beer and local spirits.

For our last night of the trip, we wanted to relax a bit, so we headed to Anantya Resort, an eco-friendly, luxury resort on the banks of the Chittar Lake. We had such a great experience, I wrote an entire post about it! You can check out my hotel review of Anantya here.

Are You Going to Visit Kanyakumari, India the Southernmost tip of India?

Now that you’ve learned all about Kanyakumari, the southernmost tip of India, do you agree that it’s a place worth visiting?

I hope your answer is yes! Put this destination on your bucket list. It is a bit off the beaten path, but well worth the time and effort to get here.

I promise you won’t be disappointed.

Interested in more travel guides about India? Check out these posts:

The Best Places to Visit in Tamil Nadu

Everything to See and Do in Ooty

The Taj Mahal: Everything You Need to Know to Plan Your Visit

A Week-Long Itinerary for The Golden Triangle