Kerala Tours & Experiences

Things to do in Kerala

Most of these activities lie on one route, from Kochi up to Munnar and down to the backwaters and coast; each place has its own page of our trips.

A night on a houseboat

Built to haul rice and spices, the kettuvallam now carries travellers across Vembanad, Kerala's largest lake, and through the canals around Alleppey. Our Alleppey houseboat cruise boards around midday, moors for the evening and returns the next morning, with meals cooked on board. Couples can have a boat to themselves on our Kerala honeymoon houseboat; with no night to spare, our Kumarakom backwater day cruise covers the lake in a day. See Alleppey and Kumarakom.

Tea estates and the Nilgiri tahr in Munnar

Munnar's tea country lies at about 1,600 metres. On our Kerala Backwaters Tour — 7 days, a local guide takes you round a working estate and Munnar's tea museum, and the afternoon goes to a viewpoint and, when it is open, Eravikulam National Park, home of the endangered Nilgiri tahr. See Munnar.

A boat safari at Periyar

At Thekkady, the Periyar Tiger Reserve spreads over 925 sq km of forest around a lake, and the usual way in is by boat. Our Periyar boat safari books your slot and a private guide; from the water, elephants, sambar and waterbirds are far likelier than a tiger. See Thekkady.

Kathakali and Kalaripayattu

Kathakali, a dance-drama Kerala Tourism believes took shape in the 17th century, acts out episodes of the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. Our Kathakali performance in Kochi lets you watch the make-up being applied before a narrated scene. Our Kalaripayattu show gives an hour of the martial art's forms and weapons in a training pit in Kochi or Thiruvananthapuram. See Kochi.

Theyyam in North Kerala

Theyyam is worship rather than theatre: in the shrines and sacred groves of Kannur and Kasaragod, performers in towering headdresses embody local deities. Kerala Tourism puts the season at mid-October to late May, but each shrine sets its own dates, so our Theyyam ritual begins by matching shrines near your route to your travel window.

An Ayurveda course

Our Kerala Panchakarma retreat is a week or more at one centre: a doctor's consultation, oil treatments and a prescribed diet. The Kerala Ayurveda Retreat — 10 days sets treatment days at Thekkady and Varkala inside a full route, with each resort's physician deciding the programme. Neither promises a medical result.

A sadya, and Onam

A sadya is a vegetarian feast on a banana leaf: rice, sambar, rasam, curries and pickles, with payasam to finish. Our Kerala sadya experience books one and, with notice, makes it vegan or Jain. Onam's ten days of festivities begin at Atham in Chingam, in August or September; our Onam in Kerala experience adds flower markets, Pookalam-making, an Onasadya and, dates permitting, a snake-boat race.

Varkala's cliff

Kerala Tourism notes that no other beach in southern Kerala has cliffs standing beside the sea. Our Varkala cliff beach day walks the cliff-top path, spends time on Papanasam beach below and ends with sunset from the top. See Varkala.

Choosing between our tours and experiences

Our tours are private routes of seven to ten days with your own vehicle and driver, each with time on a houseboat. The Backwaters Tour suits a first look at hills, lake and coast; the Kerala family holiday is paced for toddlers and grandparents together; the Ayurveda Retreat is for treatment; and the 10 Days South India Tour Package comes to Kerala after Tamil Nadu's temples. Our experiences, from houseboats to performing arts and Ayurveda, are single activities of an evening to a week, to add to any route or book alone. Compare the routes on Kerala tour packages; the places themselves are in our Kerala travel guide.

When to go for these

On IMD's state averages, December to March is dry, with under 40 mm of rain a month: the easiest time for houseboat decks, beaches and hill views. October is among the wettest months, at about 300 mm, wetter than September, and November still sees about 150 mm. The monsoon is due around 1 June, with more than 600 mm in each of June and July: rough seas and high water for the boats, but the months Ayurveda tradition favours for treatment. Eravikulam shuts from 1 February to 1 April, and the snake-boat races fall between August and November.

Planning tips

Book houseboats early for December and January, the busiest weeks on our routes. The road up to Munnar winds for hours and makes some children carsick, so we allow for stops. At temples and shrines, dress modestly and take your guide's lead before using a camera.