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BEACHES
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South India has a huge coastline with many golden sand
beaches fringed by palm trees. However, much of it is not
developed for tourism. Kerala’s main beach resorts are
Kovalam in the south and nearby Varkala. In central Kerala
is the Mararikulam area and in north Kerala the area around
Bekal is gradually being developed. In Tamil Nadu the main
beach area is south of Chennai along the Coromandel coast.
Karnataka does not yet have any beach resorts as such and
most people stay in Goa. Visitors should bear in mind that
tourism is still relatively new to South India and therefore
the beaches are still used by the locals (for fishing etc)
as well as tourists. This means that the beaches will not be
as clean as you may like but you have to accept this when
visiting developing countries. You should also be aware of
the fact that Hindu funerals and memorials often take place
on the coast (eg at Varkala in Kerala and Gokarna in
Karnataka). It is also important to be aware that the waters
around the southern coast of India can often have strong
currents. Visitors should seek local advice before swimming
in the sea. If you are looking for fine coral sand and clean
beaches then you need to leave the mainland and head for the
offshore islands (eg Lakshadweep, Andaman or Maldives).
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