How To Reach Kanyakumari

Kanyakumari lies in the southernmost tip of India. The district of Kanyakumari belongs to the state of Tamil Nadu and is bordered by Thirunelveli (Tamil Nadu) in the northeast, Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) in the west, Gulf of Mannar in the southeast and the confluence of the Bay of Bengal, Indian Ocean and the Arabian Sea in the south.

Kanyakumari is a major pilgrim and tourist centre which is visited by travellers from all over India and from the world around. Apart from the temples, the region has the lush mountain ranges of the Western Ghats, unspoiled rivers and wide beaches that would give anybody the pleasure of a perfect holiday getaway. Kanyakumari has good access by rail and road and travelling to the town should not be a bother. The best means of transport to Kanyakumari is by rail.

The nearest airport to Kanyakumari is the Trivandrum International and Domestic Airport that serves flights from most major cities in India and some countries in the Middle East, like Dubai, Doha and Kuwait. The Trivandrum Airport is about 89 km from Kanyakumari. You can hire prepaid taxis from the Airport to take you to Kanyakumari. There is a bus stand near the Airport which has buses to Kanyakumari. Otherwise you could board a train from Trivandrum Pettah Railway Station to Kanyakumari. The Trivandrum Pettah Railway Station is about 1.8 km from Trivandrum Airport.

The easiest and probably the most interesting route to Kanyakumari is by train. Kanyakumari at the southern tip has a number of trains chugging in from all over the country. The town has daily trains from Chennai, Mumbai, Trivandrum, Bengaluru, New Delhi and Howrah and a number of long distance trains like the Dibrugarh-Kanyakumari Vivek Express (Assam-Kanyakumari) and the Himsagar Express (Jammu & Kashmir-Kanyakumari). The Himsagar Express for instance, travels 3787 km to a number of states from Jammu & Kashmir all the way through Punjab & Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Tamil Nadu before it reaches Kanyakumari; giving you exposure to a fascinating mixture of milieu.

There are many buses that trip to Kanyakumari from Kerala, Bengaluru, Chennai, Madurai, Hyderabad, Mumbai and New Delhi. There are many travellers with the exploratory spirit of taking a bike ride to Kanyakumari. The longest national Highway in India is NH 44 that runs all the way from Jammu And Kashmir to Kanyakumari. You could drive or hire a cab to the town from any part of India. Driving through the Highways towards Kanyakumari with the cool breeze blowing in from the seas and the multitude of windmills in the farms are an exhilarating experience. The distance from the capital city of Chennai to Kanyakumari is 706 km, while Trivandrum the capital of neighbouring Kerala, is the closest at 90 km.

The most economical means of transport in Kanyakumari is its set of local buses. Then there are auto rickshaws, but you must hone up your bargaining skills for them, and the cabs which the hotel you stay in might arrange for you. You could also find motorbikes on hire.