Cherai Beach

Approach to Cherai beach has some interesting landscapes. While driving on the highway, we see houses, small towns and plenty of buildings and there is hardly any change in the pattern no matter how long you drive. Turn away and head towards the beach and there is a sudden change in the way the world appears. Dense concrete structures give way to dense coconut forests. See where you can, you only have endless array of coconut trees with a house or two in the middle of them. They are uniformly planted at distances that make their leave just touch their neighbor and eventually block the hot sun from reaching the ground. There were puddles of water here and there amidst the forest of coconuts, and they probably remain filled through the year. The land looked marshy and it looked as though the sea tried to expand further and left its traces. We drove through this maze of coconuts for a few kilometers before we hit some lakes. I am not sure if they were lakes or lagoons or just backwaters. Some sections of the waterbody were barricaded, probably to rear fish or prawns. The strip of land between the sea and this lake, which formed the Cherai beach was a narrow landmass which was again inhabited by coconut trees and a few houses. The lake shore had some homestays or lodges which were built on stilts and looked very picturesque. We drove along the narrow land strip along the beach for a few kilometers, and the landscape all the way was similar. After finding a secluded place, we whiled away some time near the beach relaxing. An hour or so before sun was about to set, we decided to head to Kochi(Cohin), go around the town and then settle down at Fort Kochi for the day.
Cherai is a short 20 minute drive from Kochi. If you are staying in Fort Kochi, you can take a boat to Vypeen Jetty, from where you take the road along the sea for 11kms until you reach Cherai beach. If you intend to stay near the beach, there are some homestays and budget accommodation spread near the beach, but I did not see any upmarket hotels or resorts close by. Just like Kappad beach, the sea is deep here and you can't go too far into the water. The beach is very narrow and quickly gives way to the road built close to the beach.