Best Places to Visit in Kanniyakumari

Kanniyakumari is the town located right at the southernmost point of India in the state of Tamil Nadu. It is where the Bay of Bengal meets the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean. Here is our guide to the best places to visit in Kanniyakumari.

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How To Get To Kanniyakumari

We were travelling through Tamil Nadu and Kerala and had hired a driver, which worked out to be convenient and pretty reasonable value. It gave us a lot of flexibility.

Public transport is available but it will take a while to get to Kanniyakumari as it really is at the very furthest tip of India. There are railway connections from India’s major cities. We recommend booking your tickets in advance if you are planning to travel by rail. Buses are also available. The nearest airport is Thiruvananthapuram International Airport which is around 90 km away in Kerala.

Where To Stay in Kanniyakumari

There are loads of accommodation options to suit all budgets in the main town, and we recommend finding somewhere near the harbour area. Most of the town’s attractions are within walking distance, as is the beach. We stayed at the Ocean Heritage which was fine – a bed and bathroom, with buffet breakfast included, for just $22 per night.

Thiruvalluvar Statue and Vivekananda Rock Memorial

Kanniyakumari is a pleasant resort town. The most famous attractions are the Thiruvalluvar Statue and Vivekananda Rock Memorial, both of which can be found on islands just off the coast. It is possible to visit the Vivekananda Rock Memorial via boats which make regular trips between the harbour and the island.

It is the place where Swami Vivekananda, a monk who represented Hinduism and India to the Parliament of World Religions in 1883, achieved enlightenment. He was known for his oratory and literary works, particularly poetry. The Vivekananda Mandapam and the Shripada Mandapam are the main structures on the rock along with a meditation hall.

Best Places to Visit in Kanniyakumari Vivekananda Rock Memorial

The boats are easy to find – just walk to the harbour and follow the signs. The trips are popular and there is usually a queue but it’s well organised. And, like many queues we found ourselves in whilst travelling through South India, we got talking to the local people and other visitors, which was a very pleasant way to pass the time as the line moved on.

Life jackets are provided for the boat trip and should be returned at the end of the journey. Just leave them in the netting at the end of the ride.

On arrival you will need to purchase an entrance ticket then follow the path upwards. You need to remove your shoes before entering the memorial proper. It’s worth noting that the rock can get very hot underfoot if the weather is warm so we recommend making the trip earlier in the day.

Vivekananda Rock Memorial - the exterior of the memoria

Important: Another thing to note is that photography is prohibited in some parts of the memorial building. It is always important to abide by no-photography rules to show respect, but they are enforced here very strictly. We saw someone try to sneak a photo and their phone was rapidly confiscated by eagle-eyed attendants.

Thiruvalluvar Statue

There is also a closer view of the Thiruvalluvar Statue on the adjacent island, albeit the behind! Valluvar was a Tamil poet and philosopher who wrote the Thirukkural, an ancient work whose topic focused on morality. At 41m tall it is apparently the 25th tallest statue in India!

Endings and Beginnings at the Extremity of India

Some of the best places to visit in Kanniyakumari are the sunrise and sunset viewing points. These both look out over the vast, vast ocean and the meeting of the seas. There are two different locations – one looking east and the other west, for obvious reasons. We arrived in the afternoon, so our first stop was to view the sunset.

Serene Sunset

The sunset spot is about 2 km from the town centre which makes for a pleasant walk along the coastal path. Of course, if you don’t want to walk there will be tuk-tuk drivers aplenty. There are loads who will appear around town at the time the sun is due to set. If you walk you can’t get lost – just follow the crowds.

Kanniyakumari - road to the sunset viewing spot

There is a designated sunset viewing point – at the bottom left corner of the map below.

Map of Kanniyakumari showing the sunset view point

The sunset was lovely rather than spectacular but it was nice to catch it at the end of a long day.

Walking back there are all sorts of restaurants and food stalls along the beach front which come increasingly lively as the evening progresses.

The town is also famous for its myriad sea shells and there are loads of stalls selling these. They make great souvenirs. There are a number of shops where you can buy spices. We wouldn’t recommend buying them here if you are travelling into Kerala though, as the quality will be better there. Also, never buy powdered spices – the flavour fades all too quickly and you end up with a packet of dust if you don’t use them straight away. We always suggest buying whole spices.

Spectacular Sunrise

The sunrise location is helpfully close to the centre of town just behind the Amman temple on the Kanniyakumari Beach and looks east over the Thiruvalluvar Statue and Vivekananda Rock Memorial which are both beautifully lit up at night.

The Kanniyakumari Thiruvalluvar Statue and Vivekananda Rock Memorial lit up just before sunrise

The timing for sunrise when we visited required a 4:30am wake-up call and we were a bit groggy, but fortunately didn’t have too far to walk. As with the sunset, follow the crowds.

It’s worth getting to the viewing point early to try and find a good spot as a multitude of people will gather. The atmosphere is lovely and friendly as everyone has a sense of anticipation for the day ahead. We were rewarded with a most magnificent sunrise. And then went back to bed for a couple of hours!

Kanniyakumari sunrise looking over the Thiruvalluvar Statue and Vivekananda Rock Memorial

Final Thoughts

Kanniyakumari, being at the very tip of India, does take a reasonable effort to reach, but the sunrise and sunset viewing at the place where three seas meet, felt like a fitting conclusion to our 7 day Tamil Nadu itinerary. We absolutely loved Tamil Nadu – it’s not the most popular tourist destination in India but it has many wonders to explore. We went on to visit Kerala, and from there we would explore the hill stations and backwaters of another marvellous state.