Kerala Travel Guide: Places to Visit, Seasons and Routes

Kerala Tourism describes the state in three bands: the highlands of the Western Ghats, the midlands below them, and a coastline of about 580 km laced with backwaters, canals and rivers. Most first trips stay in the centre and south, between Kochi, the tea hills of Idukki district and the coast down to Thiruvananthapuram. Wayanad and the far north suit a longer stay.

Fort Kochi and Mattancherry

Kochi's old quarter lies on the islands south-west of the mainland, about 10 km from Ernakulam town, and Kerala Tourism traces it to Fort Manuel, the first European fort on Indian soil. Within a few streets stand St Francis Church, which Kerala Tourism calls India's oldest European church, the Chinese fishing nets on the shore, the Dutch Cemetery, Mattancherry Palace, the Jewish synagogue and Santa Cruz Basilica. Ferries leave the Fort Kochi jetty for other parts of the city. Our Kochi travel guide has more.

Munnar's tea hills

Munnar sits at about 1,600 metres in Idukki district, where three mountain streams meet, and was once the summer retreat of the British administration in South India. Tea covers the slopes, and the Tea Museum on the Nallathanni estate tells the story of the plantations through old machinery and photographs. About 13 km from town, Eravikulam National Park protects the endangered Nilgiri tahr below Anamudi, at 2,695 metres the highest peak in South India; the park closes from 1 February to 1 April for the calving season. See our Munnar travel guide.

Alleppey and the Kuttanad backwaters

Alleppey, officially Alappuzha, stands on Vembanad, the largest lake in Kerala, at the edge of Kuttanad, the low farmland known as the rice bowl of Kerala, where paddy grows below sea level. The kettuvallam, a boat once used to carry tons of rice and spices, now carries travellers through the canals as a houseboat. Every year the Nehru Trophy snake-boat race is rowed on Punnamada Lake, part of Vembanad. Our Alleppey travel guide covers the canals, beaches and temples.

Kumarakom and Vembanad Lake

On the eastern shore of Vembanad, about 14 km west of Kottayam, Kumarakom is a cluster of small islands with a bird sanctuary on the lake front. Kerala Tourism and the Kottayam district administration name June to August for watching the resident birds and November to February for the migrants. Pathiramanal, a wooded island out in the lake, can be reached only by boat and makes a halt on a cruise between the Kumarakom and Alappuzha shores. Read our Kumarakom travel guide.

Thekkady and the Periyar Tiger Reserve

At Thekkady, in the spice hills of Idukki, the Periyar Tiger Reserve covers 925 sq km of the Western Ghats around a lake that formed when the Mullaperiyar Dam was built across the Periyar river in 1895. Kerala Tourism names a boat ride on the lake as the best way to see gaur and sambar, and the reserve's programmes include nature walks, bamboo rafting and treks. Elephants, deer and birds are far likelier from the boat than a tiger. Our Thekkady travel guide explains the options.

Varkala's cliff

At Varkala, in Thiruvananthapuram district, red laterite cliffs stand right above the sea. Kerala Tourism says it is the only place in southern Kerala where cliffs meet the sea, and the Geological Survey of India has declared them a national geological monument. Below lies Papanasam beach, beside the old Janardhana Swamy temple to Vishnu, where Hindus come to offer rites for the dead, and a path along the cliff top is lined with cafés and guesthouses. See our Varkala travel guide.

Kovalam and Thiruvananthapuram

Kovalam, 16 km from the state capital, has three crescent-shaped beaches beside a rocky headland, with the Vizhinjam lighthouse standing over Lighthouse Beach. In Thiruvananthapuram, the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple, a Vishnu temple built in a blend of Kerala and Dravidian styles, and the Napier Museum are the main sights. Kovalam's resorts and the airport close by make it an easy last stop. More in our Kovalam travel guide.

Wayanad

Wayanad, in the Western Ghats of the north, takes its name, Kerala Tourism says, from Vayal Nadu, the land of paddy fields. Among its spice plantations and forests are the Edakkal Caves, a rock shelter reached by about 300 steps whose engravings go back to the Stone Age, and Chembra Peak, at about 2,100 metres the highest point in the district, with a heart-shaped lake halfway up the trail. Our Wayanad travel guide explains how to fit it into a trip.

Athirappilly and Vazhachal falls

At the entrance to the Sholayar forest ranges, 63 km from Thrissur, Athirappilly is what Kerala Tourism calls the largest waterfall in Kerala. Vazhachal, less than 5 km further on, runs over a broad bed of rock rather than dropping, and the surrounding forest is known for its hornbills. Kerala Tourism warns that the rocks at Vazhachal are extremely slippery and the water deceptive, so keep off the wet rocks and out of the stream.

Bekal and the Theyyam country of the north

In Kasaragod district, close to the Karnataka border, Bekal Fort stands on high ground above the sea, built of laterite slabs in a polygonal plan, with ramparts and towers that look along the coast. This is also Theyyam country. In the sacred groves and village shrines of Kannur and Kasaragod, performers in towering headdresses and painted faces embody local deities, in a season Kerala Tourism puts at mid-October to late May. Each shrine keeps its own calendar, so our Theyyam ritual begins by matching shrines to your dates.

On the India Meteorological Department's (IMD) state normals, December to March is the dry season, with 8 to 35 mm of rain a month. Kerala then has two monsoons. The south-west monsoon normally sets in around 1 June, and June and July are the wettest months, at 643 and 720 mm. The north-east monsoon follows: October, at 303 mm, is wetter than September, and November still averages about 150 mm. March to May is the hottest stretch, and May already averages about 224 mm of rain.

Plan around a few fixed points. Eravikulam National Park in Munnar closes from 1 February to 1 April. Onam's ten days of festivities begin at the star of Atham in the Malayalam month of Chingam, in August or September, and the snake-boat races run from August to November. Kerala Tourism names the monsoon as the season for Ayurvedic rejuvenation treatments. Our month-by-month best time to visit Kerala guide goes region by region.

• By air: Kerala has four international airports: Kochi (COK), Thiruvananthapuram (TRV), Kozhikode, also called Calicut (CCJ), and Kannur (CNN). Cochin International Airport has flights from cities across India and abroad, including the Gulf and Singapore. Fly into Kochi for the centre, Thiruvananthapuram for Varkala and Kovalam, and Kozhikode or Kannur for the north.
• By train: long-distance trains serve Kochi at Ernakulam Junction and Ernakulam Town, and the line runs on down the coast to Thiruvananthapuram. The railway does not reach Munnar, whose nearest stations, Aluva and Angamaly, are about 108 km away.
• By road: Munnar is about 153 km from Madurai and about 160 km from Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu; the Idukki district administration puts the Coimbatore drive at up to four hours.

Distances are short but the hill roads are slow. Alappuzha is 62 km from Kochi, an hour's drive by the district's reckoning; Munnar is about 130 km from Kochi, which the Idukki district administration puts at about four and a half hours; Thekkady is 110 km on from Munnar; and Thiruvananthapuram is 196 km down the coast from Kochi. Our routes use a private car and driver throughout, and allow stops on the winding road up to Munnar, which makes some travellers carsick.

On the water, houseboats and government-operated boats link the backwater villages, and ferries cross Kochi's harbour. Where you sleep shapes the trip: in Munnar our advice is to stay among the tea estates rather than in the town, and at Alleppey the night is spent on a houseboat. Kerala Tourism advises booking stays early for the busy season, and on our routes December and January are the busiest weeks on the houseboats.

• Malayalam is the official language; English is widely spoken in tourist areas, Kerala Tourism says.
• For Ayurveda, Kerala Tourism advises choosing a centre certified by the state's Department of Tourism, with qualified practitioners. Our programmes are a therapeutic tradition, not a medical cure.
• In wildlife reserves, follow the rules the forest authorities give. Treks to Anamudi, inside Eravikulam, need their permission.
• At temples and Theyyam shrines, dress modestly and follow your guide's lead before using a camera.
• Carry some cash for small purchases and taxis; most shops and hotels also take UPI payments, Kerala Tourism notes.
• In the monsoon, IMD's Thiruvananthapuram centre issues heavy-rainfall warnings for each district; check them before driving into the hills.