The beautiful coastal city of Kollam or Quilon in the state of Kerala is an ideal honeymoon destination. It is also perfect for tourists looking for a peaceful and serene vacation spot by the sea. Kollam, considered to be the gateway to the backwaters of Ashtamudi, also offers tourists a leisurely cruise along the picturesque waters of the lake. There are several interesting places to visit in Kollam, such as Amritapuri Asramam, the Thangassery Church Ruins, the Summer Palace in Thangassery, the Thangassery Cathedral, a temple dedicated to Sri Vishnu and Mahalekshmi, and Neendakara, famous for fisheries and which was built by the Portuguese and restored by the Dutch. Backwater tours are very popular among tourists, with breathtaking views as the boat glides along the calm waters of Ashtamudi.
Best Time to Visit Kollam
While Kollam’s climate is humid all year round, the summer season, from March to May, can be quite uncomfortable and it is better to avoid visiting Kollam during these months. The monsoon season begins in June, but the temperatures in Kollam are usually high in June and July as well, cooling down only in August. Therefore, the best time to visit Kollam would be between the months of August and March. As temperatures cool down, the days and nights are a lot more pleasant and this is when Kollam’s abundant natural beauty is at its best.
Weather Of Kollam
Kollam’s climate is tropical with hot and humid summers and lots of seasonal rainfall. Summers in Kollam last from March to May. The highest temperature recorded is 34 degree Celsius. Humidity is often high during the summer and monsoon seasons. The rains begin to fall in June and continue till September. October and November often experience some amount of rainfall as well. The winter, from December to February is relatively dry. The lowest recorded temperature is 21 degree Celsius. The average rainfall experienced in Kollam ranges between 1100 mm and 1500 mm.
How to Reach Kollam?
By Air : The now-defunct Quilon Aerodrome or the Kollam Airport was functional during the 1920s and continued to be functional until 1932, even when the Trivandrum International Airport became the main airport. The Trivandrum International Airport is well connected to several cities via airlines such as Air Arabia, Air India, Air Pegasus, Emirates, Etihad Airways, flyDubai, Gulf Air, IndiGo, Jet Airways, Kuwait Airways, Maldivian, Malindo Air, Oman Air, Qatar Airways, SilkAir, Spice Jet and SriLankan Airlines. There are flights to and from domestic and international cities like New Delhi, Kochi, Chennai, Bangalore, Mumbai, Riyadh, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Muscat, Mangalore, Kozhikode, Bahrain, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Pune, Doha, Dammam, Kuwait, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Sharjah, and Colombo.
By Rail : The Kollam Junction railway station is the second largest railway station in Kerala. It is well connected to several cities in India. These include Ahmedabad, Alappuzha, Bangalore, Bhopal, Bilaspur, Bikaner, Chennai, Coimbatore, Goa, Guwahati, Indore, Jodhpur, Kanyakumari, Kochi, Madurai, Mangalore, Mumbai, Nagpur, New Delhi, Palakkad, Pune, Rajkot, Salem, Surat, Vadodara, Vellore, Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam.
By Road : Kollam is connected to several cities by bus. KSRTC or the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation has buses plying to and from Kollam at a regular frequency, connecting it to several places within Kerala. Private buses connect Kollam to many cities such as Bangalore, Chennai, Coimbatore, Ernakulam, Erode, Kalpetta, Kannur, Kanyakumari, Kozhikode, Madurai, Mallapuram, Mangalore, Mysore, Palakkad, Pune, Salem, Sulthan Bathery, Trichy, Trichur, Udupi and Velankanni.