Gagan had been visiting Bangalore very frequently, due to his official commitments, and most of the time we would meet. Every time we met, our discussions would veer around travel—especially around traveling down south. Somehow, the plans could not materialize due to his short trips. But finally, one week we were able to plan and set out for our voyage. After, tossing around with various options like Pondicherry, Mangalore, Chennai, etc. we decided to travel to Kanyakumari.

Kanyakumari, situated in Tamil Nadu, is known for its scenic beauty and religious significance in India. It is about 700 km away from Bangalore, the IT hub of India.

We took a bus from Bangalore on Friday night and reached Nagercoil, a major junction near the city, at 8:00 AM. We searched around for hotels and found a very good one just opposite the bus station — Hotel Udupi International. A good family hotel with good ambience and an amazing restaurant. It wasn't bad place to start the journey, after all.

After settling down for an hour, we headed for Kanyakumari in a local bus, and reached there in about 40 minutes. We went straight to the jetty, where we saw a mesmerizing view of Vivekananda Rock Memorial and Thiruvalluvar Statue.

The sight of the boat, from the outside, as well as inside, left a lot to be desired. I wish there were better boats... after all, this place is one of the most visited places by both people from the country and outside of it.

After spending a couple of hours at the memorial, we came back to the mainland. As soon as we were back, we headed towards Kanyakumari Temple but found its doors were closed. When someone told us that the temple doors will open at 4.00pm, we moved towards mantap. A lot of people were relaxing there, enjoying the windy and breezy weather. We spent couple of relaxed hours, enjoying the breeze and the sea view.

This place is also called the Triveni Sangam as it’s the confluence of the Indian Ocean, the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea.

We weren't done yet with the city. We moved on to the Beach Road that goes to the sunset point and discovered few more places on the way. This includes the Gandhi Memorial and the Fish Aquarium. We took a battery car to get to the sunset point. Though the sunset was expected around 6.30pm, we could not stay as we had a bus to catch at 7.00pm. Still, whatever time we spent there the view around was absolutely stunning. I am sure the view at sunset would have been even more marvelous to watch, but maybe next time.

If you are planning a trip to the southern tip of the country, here are some tips that will come in handy:

From Trivandrum

Day 1 Reach Trivandrum... it’s a well-connected city with trains, buses and flights. Book a room in a hotel, as there are plenty around in various ranges. You can move around the city if you have time left in the day, especially the Padmanabha Swamy temple, which can be covered on the same day.

Day 2 You may spend a day in there or go to Kanyakumari (it is about 90 km). Start early in the morning and come back by late in the evening. On the way, you can stopover at Padmanabhapuram Palace [1] (about 35 km before Kanyakumari) and Suchindram[2] Temple which is about 10 km from Kanyakumari.

Day 3 Travelling back to your destination if you do not have anything other planned.

From Bangalore

Take a night sleeper bus from Bangalore and arrive early in the morning around 8.00am at Nagercoil. Preferably, take the Trivandrum buses as they go fast and take less time, compared to others.

Day 1
Check into a hotel. There are 2 very good hotels opposite the Nagercoil bus sttion: Hotel Sahana Castle and Hotel Udupi International. We stayed in Udupi International and I can say that it is a good place to stay, especially if you are traveling with your family.

After settling down, you can travel to Kanyakumari same day which is 16 km away from Nagercoil and it takes about 30 minutes. You can spend the whole day at Kanyakumari and go to the sunset point. Come back to Nagercoil post sunset.

Day 2 Hire a taxi and go to Trivandrum. You can move around for the whole day and plan to reach back Nagercoil late in the evening.

Day 3 Start very early in the morning for Tiirunelveli (~85 km from Nagercoil), Tuticorin and Thiruchendur. You can be back in Nagercoil by end of the day. You may read my post if you are looking for some ideas around these places.

Alternatively, you can book your return journey to Bangalore from Tuticorin. In that case, you can start back for Bangalore on the third night and knock-off couple of hours of extra journey.

Day 4 Start back for Bangalore.

[1] Padmanabhapuram Palace on Wikipedia
[2] Suchindram on Wikipedia