Kanyakumari sunrise

Kanyakumari Sunrise and Sunset

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In most of the cities, you can either see sunrise or sunset in the sea but in Kanyakumari, it is possible to see both in the sea. The Kanyakumari sunrise is spectacular with Vivekanand rock and Tiruvalluvar statue in forefront of the rising sun. There is so much spoken and written about sunrise in Kanyakumari that it becomes one of the must experience things when at the southern tip of India. Though you can watch the sunrise in Kanyakumari from anywhere still there are few designated areas from where it looks spectacular.

Kanyakumari is at the southernmost end of the mainland of India in the state of Tamilnadu. Kanyakumari shares its border with Kerala. At Kanyakumari, the Arabian Sea, the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean meet. The confluence of three seas is referred to as ‘Thriveni Sangamam’. Sunrise is the most popular activity in Kanyakumari. Vivekanand rock memorial and Thiruvalluvar statue are iconic monuments that add to the beauty of this.

I traveled from Delhi to Cochin and than explored the Kerala for 10 days. Our last leg of Kerala journey was Trivandrum. After visiting some interesting places in Trivandrum we traveled to Kanyakumari.. We started from Trivandrum in early morning and reaches Kanyakumari at 8.00 AM.

Our hotel was on the main lighthouse road across the seashore and we can watch the sea from our balcony. On the first day, we explored places in the city and on the second day we went to places around Kanyakumari. My favorite thing in Kanyakumari was watching the sunrise and taking a boat ride to Vivekanand rock and Tiruvalluvar statue.

The culture of Kanyakumari in Tamilnadu was quite different from Kerala but I enjoyed my time. So, when I went a second time to Kerala I added two more days for Kanyakumari. This time I stayed on the other side of Vivekanand rock and I could see the great monument from my hotel room.

Read more about Places to Visit in and around Kanyakumari

My experience of Kanyakumari Sunset

I love watching sunrise and sunsets, I don’t mind walking up early to watch a beautiful sunrise in any part of the word. So how can I miss sunrise and sunset in Kanyakumari, which were high on my agenda in Kanyakumari? During my first trip, I planned to watch the sunset on the first day evening and sunrise the next morning.

After visiting places in Kanyakumari, I took an autorickshaw for sunset point in Kanyakumari. The sunset point of Kanyakumari is little outside from the main town and tourist area. To get a good view point, I reached the sunset point 45 minutes prior to the sunset.

At the sunset, point crowd starts assembling as the sun starts moving down. The environment at sunset point is quite lively. There is a small market with stalls and vendors sell different food items. Try some local snacks here, which are available at a nominal price. You can but some Indian souvenir and things made of sea shells and stuff made with different parts of the coconut tree.

There were tourists but not crowded. I came to know that on the weekend it is crowded. The beach was not very well maintained, it could have been cleaner. There is a parking near the sunset point and they charge 50 INR for a car.

The day was bright and sunny but by evening clouds appeared from nowhere. It got cloudy before sunset and we could not see the sunset.

The crowd disappeared very fast from sunset point and the whole area got secluded. There was nothing else there so we came back a bit disappointed.

My experience of Kanyakumari Sunrise

I was disappointed as clouds appeared before sunset but it didn’t affect my enthusiasm for watching the sunrise. I wake up before 5.00 AM and got ready.

Kanyakumari Sunrise point was 10 minutes walking distance from our hotel. I reach the sunrise point by 5.30 AM and there was already a big crowd at the sunrise point. Tamilnadu tourism department had made a special place with sitting arrangements for sunrise watching.

Some people were standing in the designated area but some more adventurous kinds descended to the seashore. The sea shore of Kanyakumari is few meters below the view points and these people reached there by climbing the boulders. I personally advise against it especially when it is dark because if you slip then there will be injuries. Moreover, after watching the sunrise, I realized it was better to watch from the top as the view was better and the place was much safer.

The sunrise point was full of people much before the actual sunrise. The moment everyone saw the first glimpse of sun, they started clapping and shouting. The environment got electrified with the energy of the crowd. It felt as someone hit a six in a cricket match or a goal is scored in a soccer match or got awarded.

Sun rose close to Vivekanand rock and Thiruvalluvar statue, these two monuments makes Kanyakumari’s sunrise unique.

The position of the sun moves right to left and vice verse of Vivekanand rock & Thiruvalluvar statue. The position of sunrise in Kanyakumari depends upon the time of year as earth’s position change against the sun. It was a spectacular sunrise though there were clouds.

Kanyakumari sunriseKanyakumari sunriseKanyakumari sunriseKanyakumari sunrise

Same day evening we boarded the train for Rameshwaram, so we could not go to sunset point. Fortunately, we saw the sun setting at the railway station. It was beautiful in its own way as you can see in below picture.

I made another short trip to Kanyakumari after traveling from Alleppey from Kollam on a tourist boat. I traveled by train to Kanyakumari from Kollam. This time sunrise was covered with clouds. To experience the sunset, I decided that I am not going to sunset point again.

Instead, I found a good place in my hotel and captured an interesting view and video of Vivekanand rock memorial with a statue of Thiruvalluvar. Both monuments are illuminated after sunset and look so different in comparison to how they look during the day.

Also, read 20 Most beautiful places in India and 20 Must see places in India

P.S. I could not go to Vivekanand Ashram for sunrise but my parents saw the sunrise from there also during their earlier trip and it was beautiful.

Kanyakumari Sunrise and Sunset

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