Kerala

"God's Own Country," known for backwater houseboats, tea-covered hills, beaches and Ayurvedic retreats.

Kerala occupies the southwestern tip of India along the Malabar Coast, where coconut groves, waterways and the Western Ghats intertwine, earning it the name "God's Own Country." The backwaters around Alappuzha can be explored by houseboat; Kochi retains Portuguese and Dutch colonial-era quarters and Chinese fishing nets; Munnar is blanketed with tea plantations, Periyar Reserve at Thekkady offers wildlife viewing, and Wayanad is hilly forest; Varkala and Kovalam have sea cliffs and beaches. Ayurvedic treatments and Kathakali dance are also distinctive attractions. The best season is October to March, and Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram are the main airports.

Destinations

• Varkala & Kovalam
• Kochi & Alappuzha
• Munnar
• Wayanad
• Thekkady (Periyar)
• Kannur
• Thrissur
• Kozhikode
• Bekal
• Valparai

Itineraries

• Classic Kerala – Fly into Kochi and out of Trivandrum, taking in tea plantations, a tiger reserve, backwater houseboats, and red cliff b…
• South India Coast-to-Coast: Chennai to Kochi – From the Bay of Bengal to the Arabian Sea, traverse temple plains, Chettinad, tea hills, and backwaters.
• Malabar Coast & Theyyam Ritual Dance – Explore North Kerala via Beypore, Wayanad, Kannur Theyyam, and Bekal Fort.
• Madurai to Twin Hill Stations (Munnar) – Ascend from the ancient temple city to two hill stations, crossing the Western Ghats into the tea hills of Kerala.