India
Kerala
A narrow green strip between the Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea: backwaters and rice fields, tea hills, spice gardens, and the old port of Kochi.
Kerala is the gentlest introduction to India: green, easy-going and with some of the best food in the country. It is also the home of Ayurveda, India's traditional medicine.
Most journeys start in Kochi, climb to the tea hills of Munnar and the forests of Periyar, then come down to the backwaters and end on the coast.
Written by the TravelZeg team in New Delhi.
In short
- Best for
- A slower pace, Ayurveda, food, families, the end of a trip
- Less suited to
- Grand monuments; Kerala is about landscape and daily life
- Best time
- October to March; June to September for Ayurveda, when the monsoon is considered the best season for treatment.
- Ideal length
- 7 to 12 nights.
Where to go
Where to go in Kerala
- Kochi
- Fort Kochi's Chinese fishing nets, Dutch and Portuguese houses, the synagogue and spice warehouses of Mattancherry, and an evening of Kathakali dance.
- Munnar
- Tea estates rolling over the hills at 1,600 metres, with walks between the bushes and a visit to a working factory.
- Periyar (Thekkady)
- A forest reserve around a lake, with guided walks, spice gardens and a chance of elephants.
- The backwaters
- A night on a private houseboat, or a stay in a village on the water near Kumarakom or Alappuzha, away from the busiest channels.
- The coast
- Marari for quiet beaches near Kochi; Varkala's cliffs and Kovalam further south.
Our view
What we rate, and what we would skip
What we rate
A village stay on the backwaters
Quieter than the houseboat routes, with canoe trips at dawn.
Kerala food
Appam and stew, fish in banana leaf, and a cooking lesson in a family kitchen.
Ayurveda done properly
At a real centre, with a doctor, for a week or more.
What we would skip
A houseboat on the busiest stretch
We choose routes and boats away from the traffic.
Elephant rides and "elephant camps"
We do not book them.
Too many stops
Kerala rewards longer stays in fewer places.
Practical
Getting there and around
- Getting there
- Fly to Kochi or Thiruvananthapuram through the Gulf, or via Mumbai, Bengaluru or Delhi.
- Combine with
- Tamil Nadu; Sri Lanka (a short flight); Mumbai.
Plan my journey
Tell us roughly what you have in mind
A specialist for that country replies within 24 hours, with a first idea of route and price. There is no charge and no obligation.
Or call us on +91 95571 00126