VANAMCOVE 
Old English fort and anchorage
Why this weekend?
The day-by-day plan
Half day · The fort point
- Morning arrival
- Fort bastions
- Lighthouse
- Beach & backwater
- Onward or return
Geography & terrain
Anchuthengu — the old Anjengo — lies on the Kerala coast 25 km north of Varkala, where the sea meets the backwater country of Thiruvananthapuram district; the crumbling Anjengo Fort and its lighthouse sit above the beach and the coconut palms of the fishing village.
History & culture
The East India Company planted its first permanent station on Kerala's coast here in the 1690s — the fort's bastions and the old cemetery mark the factory-town that traded the region's pepper for two centuries; the town's name ('five coconut trees') and the church, the graveyard and the fort's memories of the Anjengo queens keep the colonial story vivid.
Where to stay
Budget
₹1,500–3,500/night
Mid-range
₹3,500–7,000/night
Comfort
₹7,000+/night
Things to do
- Fort bastions
- Lighthouse
- Fishing beach
- Backwater mouth
- Colonial graves
Eat & drink
- Karimeen pollichathu
- Appam with stew
- Malabar porotta
- Sadya on banana leaf
Getting there
- Fly
- Kochi (COK) / Thiruvananthapuram (TRV) / Kozhikode (CCJ)
- Train
- Kochi, Kollam, Kozhikode junctions
- Road from Kochi
- varies by district — 50–400 km
- Getting around
- Autos, KSRTC buses, ferry networks
Budget snapshot
- Total
- ₹6,000–14,000 (2 days)
- Per day · Stay
- ₹1,500–7,000/night
- Per day · Food
- ₹600–1,000
- Per day · Transport
- ₹600–1,000
- Per day · Activities
- ₹1,000–1,400
Month by month
- Jan · Best
- 20–31°C · None rain
- Feb · Best
- 21–33°C · None rain
- Mar · Hot
- 23–35°C · None rain
- Apr · Hot
- 25–36°C · Moderate rain
- May · Pre-monsoon
- 26–35°C · Moderate rain
- Jun · Monsoon
- 24–32°C · Heavy rain
- Jul · Monsoon
- 23–31°C · Heavy rain
- Aug · Monsoon
- 23–31°C · Heavy rain
- Sep · Monsoon tail
- 24–32°C · Heavy rain
- Oct · Good
- 24–33°C · Moderate rain
- Nov · Best
- 22–32°C · Light rain
- Dec · Best
- 20–31°C · None rain
Practical info
- Language: Malayalam (English understood in tourist spots)
- Best window: Sep–Mar
- Connectivity: good 4G in towns
- UPI/cards widely accepted; keep small cash for hill and market stops
Practical tips
- The fort is a short, ruined visit — the sea view is its reward
- Mornings hold the calmest water at the backwater mouth
- Pairs with Varkala's cliffs for the coastal day
Frequently asked questions
What is Anchuthengu?
The site of the East India Company's first permanent Kerala station — the Anjengo Fort and lighthouse above a fishing beach.
Why does the fort matter?
It anchored the pepper trade from the 1690s and holds the region's oldest colonial memory.
Is a half day enough?
Yes — the fort, lighthouse and beach walks fill it comfortably with Varkala.
Old English fort and anchorage
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