PUTHUVYPE BEACH, KOCHI

One of the less visited but yet very beautiful beach is the Puthuvype beach which is the nearest (if you could discount the Fort Kochi) beach to Kochi (around 20 kms). We visited the place just out of curiousity since there was a tourism mela going on there, but found it as good if not better than Cherai. But this place has not been developed for tourism and the local administration is making a lot of efforts to promote this place as an alternative to Cherai, being closer to the city of Kochi. The Tourism mela was organised as part of this programme.

The route is the same as Kochi-Cherai which i had mentioned in one of my earlier posts. On the Cherai route, you will come across a sign board on the left showing the way to the Light house. Take a turn left here and after a km, turn right for the light house. The beach is immediately after the light house. The entry to the light house closes at 5 pm and we reached there exactly at 5. The guard told us to come back again as he had closed for the day. There are tickets to be bought (Rs.10 I think) and you could see the lighthouse from the inside.

The approach road is under repairs and it was a rough ride. The beach and its surroundings are almost virgin territory and we could see only a few local visitors and some foreign tourists who must have been let in on this information by some helpful tour guide. The beach is serene, quiet and picture perfect.

The mela had a giant wheel and other rides for children. There were food stalls and shops selling toys. There was a podium erected for cultural programmes, but was scheduled for a day later. The organisers had planned beach bike races and other exciting events during this period. I only hope that these endeavours brings this unexplored beauty to the attention of the tourists and gives it the recognition it deserves.

However, there are no restaurants or resorts near the beach, like in Cherai. In the absence of melas like these, to get to a restaurant, you have to leave the beach area and drive on. I only wish all these facilities are soon set up so that it is possible to spend an entire day on this lovely beach. The place is also safe for swimming and provides a vast area to engage in beach games.