Kerala
Photos: DdraconiandevilL (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Sathyaprakash01 (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Kno-Biesdorf (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Narrow tropical state on India's south-west coast: backwaters and houseboats, tea and spice hills, beaches, wildlife reserves and a strong food and festival culture.
Plan a loop that mixes coast and hills: Kochi for history and food, Munnar and Thekkady for tea, spice and wildlife, a night on an Alappuzha or Kumarakom houseboat, and Varkala or Kovalam for the beach. September to March is the main season; December to March is also Theyyam season in the north.
Highlights: Houseboat or public ferry on the Alappuzha and Kumarakom backwaters · Fort Kochi and Mattancherry: Chinese fishing nets, St Francis Church, Paradesi Synagogue · Tea estates and Eravikulam National Park in Munnar · Periyar Tiger Reserve boat cruise at Thekkady · Clifftop beach at Varkala and the lighthouse beach at Kovalam · Edakkal Caves and Chembra Peak in Wayanad · Kathakali and Kalaripayattu performances · Thrissur Pooram, Onam and the Nehru Trophy snake boat race · Kerala sadhya, appam with stew, karimeen and Malabar biryani
When to go
Green best · blue good · red avoid · this month outlinedDestinations
Towns, valleys and cities worth the trip, with how they rate this month.
Thiruvananthapuram
Kerala's capital: the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple, Kuthiramalika Palace, Napier Museum and zoo, and the gateway to Kovalam and Varkala.
Kochi
Kerala's port city: colonial Fort Kochi and Mattancherry with Chinese fishing nets, churches and the Paradesi Synagogue, plus the modern Ernakulam mainland.
Kozhikode
Historic Malabar trading port where Vasco da Gama landed in 1498 (at Kappad); famous for halwa, biryani and SM Street.
Varkala
Laid-back beach town where red laterite cliffs drop to Papanasam Beach, with clifftop cafes, Ayurveda and the Sivagiri pilgrimage centre.
Munnar
Tea-estate hill station in the Western Ghats with Eravikulam National Park, Anamudi (South India's highest peak) and Top Station views.
Alappuzha
Backwater hub with canals, houseboats on Punnamada and Vembanad lakes, an old pier beach and the Nehru Trophy snake boat race.
Kumarakom
Quiet resort village on the eastern shore of Vembanad Lake, known for its bird sanctuary, houseboats and country-boat rides.
Kovalam
Crescent beaches south of Thiruvananthapuram: Lighthouse, Hawah and Samudra, with a hilltop lighthouse, seafood and Ayurveda resorts.
Cherai
town in Ernakulam District, Kerala, India
Kalpetta
town
Bekal
town in Kasargod District, Kerala, India
Vagamon
popular tourist destination village in Kottayam District, Kerala, India
Thekkady
Kumily
Vythiri
Sulthan Bathery
Fort Kochi
Mattancherry
Athirappilly
Guruvayur
Sabarimala
Muzhappilangad
Thenmala
Munroe Island
Top sights
Cherai Beach
Long golden beach on Vypin island, about 31 km from Ernakulam, where lagoon and sea lie close together.
Hill Palace
1865 palace of the Cochin royal family at Tripunithura, now a museum of royal collections.
KDHP Tea Museum
Tea museum of Kannan Devan Hills Plantations near Munnar with old machinery, a film and a factory demonstration.
Varkala Beach
Varkala's main beach below red laterite cliffs, with the resort strip on the clifftops.
Chinese Fishing Nets
Giant shore-operated cantilever nets at the harbour mouth in Fort Kochi, the city's best-known sight.
Edakkal Caves
Hilltop rock shelters near Ambalavayal with Neolithic carvings, reached by a 1.5 km climb.
Santa Cruz Basilica
Fort Kochi's Catholic basilica; first a Portuguese cathedral (1558), the present building was consecrated in 1905.
Chembra Peak
Wayanad's highest peak (about 2,100 m); the guided trek goes to a heart-shaped lake.
Nature and outdoors
Mattupetty Dam
1953 hydro-electric dam and reservoir about 10 km from Munnar, popular for boating.
Banasura Sagar Dam
Large earthen dam (1979) on a Kabini tributary below Banasura Hill, with speedboats and a garden.
Mangalavanam Bird Sanctuary
Tiny mangrove bird sanctuary behind the High Court in central Kochi.
Pookode Lake
Natural freshwater lake near Vythiri with pedal and row boats.
Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary
14-acre bird sanctuary on Vembanad Lake, known for winter migrants.
Eravikulam National Park
Grassland national park near Munnar protecting the Nilgiri tahr, with views of Anamudi.
Lighthouse Beach
Kovalam's busiest beach, below the lighthouse, with a promenade of cafes and lifeguards on duty.
Subhash Bose Park
One of the largest parks in Kochi.
Things to do
Wonderla
second largest theme park in South India. Spread over 50 acres of land with more than 50 Rides and various shows, it has well maintained gardens and five restaurants as well as small cafes
Matsyafed Milky-way Aqua-Tourist Village
A unique concept where a large shrimp farm of the state-run cooperative Matsyafed is converted into an aqua-tourist village with options to fish for fresh prawns, crabs and shrimp for a nominal fee, canoeing within a mangrove forest, sun-bathing, swimming at a private beach nearb
Rajayoga Meditation @ Brahmakumaris
Meditation centre. Free Sattvic food, meditation practice and lecture sessions. Beautifully furnished meditation hall upstairs.
Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium
Indoor Stadium at Kochi, Kerala, India
Greenfield International Stadium
international stadium in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala
KCA Cricket Stadium, Alappuzha
Cricket stadium at SD College, Alappuzha
Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium
International multi-purpose stadium in Kochi, Kerala, India
Jawahar Municipal Stadium
building in India
Where to eat
Kashi Art Cafe
Art gallery cafe on Burgher Street in Fort Kochi, known for its breakfasts, bakes and partly open-air seating.
Fort House Restaurant
Waterside restaurant on Calvathy Road in Fort Kochi serving Kerala dishes and seafood.
Dal Roti
Popular North Indian restaurant on Lilly Street in Fort Kochi.
Fusion Bay
Small Fort Kochi restaurant near Santa Cruz Basilica known for Kerala-style seafood.
Dhe Puttu
Restaurant on the NH Bypass at Edappally built around puttu, the steamed rice cake, in many versions.
The Rice Boat
Fine-dining seafood restaurant at the Taj Malabar hotel on Willingdon Island, looking over the harbour.
Brindhavan Vegetarian Restaurant
Vegetarian restaurant at Palarivattom serving South Indian breakfasts and meals.
Vasantha Vihar
Budget pure-vegetarian restaurant on MG Road, Ernakulam.
Shopping
Food to try
- Sadhya: Vegetarian feast on a banana leaf with up to 24 items: avial, olan, thoran, sambar, pappadam, pickles and payasam
- Appam and stew: Lacy rice hoppers (palappam, kallappam) with coconut-milk stew
- Puttu and kadala: Steamed rice cylinders with black chickpea curry, a classic breakfast
- Karimeen (pearl spot): Backwater fish, fried or cooked as pollichathu in banana leaf
- Kappa and fish curry: Tapioca with spicy red fish curry
- Malabar paratha (porotta): Layered flaky bread, usually with beef or chicken curry
- Kozhikode halwa and banana chips: Sweets and snacks sold on SM Street, Kozhikode
- Pazham pori and unniappam: Banana fritters and sweet rice-jaggery dumplings
Festivals
- Onam: Months: 8 · 9; Description: State harvest festival of about ten days with sadhya feasts, flower carpets and boat races
- Vishu: Months: 4; Description: Malayalam New Year, around 14 April
- Thrissur Pooram: Months: 4 · 5; Description: Temple festival with caparisoned elephants and chenda melam drumming
- Nehru Trophy Boat Race: Months: 8; Description: Snake boat race on Punnamada Lake, Alappuzha, on the second Saturday of August
- Theyyam season: Months: 12 · 1 · 2 · 3; Description: Ritual dance performances at shrines in North Malabar (Kannur, Kasaragod)
- Keralappiravi: Months: 11; Description: Kerala Formation Day, 1 November
- Christmas: Months: 12; Description: Widely celebrated, especially in Kochi and Kottayam
- Sivagiri pilgrimage: Months: 12 · 1; Description: Pilgrimage to Sree Narayana Guru's samadhi at Varkala, usually 30 December to 1 January