Kerala India: Discover the Hidden Gem

If you haven’t already taken a look at our India Overall post, read that first. It will give you so many tips and tricks to prepare for your trip. Here we will dive into the specific region of Kerala India to give our recommendations on this beautiful state in southern India. 

The state of Kerala is one of the cleanest and greenest states in India. The air is so clean, the streets are generally well picked up (there has been a push to stop using plastics like water bottles and bags so there is definitely less trash), and the risk of getting sick from water is much lower here than other states in India. Also the greenery and plant biodiversity is unmatched. It is said that Ayurveda (health practice and way of life) was founded in Kerala due to the wide variety of plants and natural remedies here. 

We also found out that Kerala is one of the most literate states in the world. The state boasts the highest literacy rate in all of India even surpassing western countries like the USA! There are many book stores and schools, we even saw a guy selling books on the train that people bought! They value education and it is seen throughout their culture for sure. With so many languages spoken, we noticed that South Indians tend to default to English when they don’t speak a common language. English was everywhere on signs, in stores, and so many people reached out asking us about ourselves. 

Kerala is also a really welcoming place. Not only will you get a ton of smiles and hellos, we noticed that they are really accepting of so many religions. We learned that the kings of long ago accepted many religions including Hindu, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, etc. So now you will find many churches alongside temples, mosques, and synagogues. It’s really just so friendly and welcoming that it doesn’t seem out of place. Even in artist shops, we saw paintings of Jesus next to depictions of Vishnu.

The weather tends to always be hot and humid with so much coastline on the Arabian Sea. Max temp is 37C / 99 F and minimum is 19C / 66F. The hottest month is April and the coolest month is July with the monsoon rains. The mountains to the east can definitely be much cooler than the low lying coastline so make sure to look up the exact location and time you are going. The winter (November to March) is the best time to visit as it’s the driest it will be. This is when the rains have passed and the wildlife viewing is the best. With two monsoon seasons, May to August and August to October, it can make travel almost impossible. There have been mudslides and impassable roads during monsoon season so we’d recommend you plan around if possible. 

The diversity of things to do in Kerala is amazing: beaches, backwaters, mountains, cities, you name it, it’s here. 

Beaches of Kerala India

Kerala is blessed with 367 miles (590 kilometers) of coastline meaning there are hundreds of beaches on the Arabian Sea coast. While the water isn’t the crystal clear blue of the Mediterranean, it is very warm and delightful to swim year round. The sand is easy on the feet with virtually no rocks. 

Here is a list of a few of the beaches and recommendations:

• Kovalam Beach is great for action not only in the water but on the land as well. This is a very popular and well developed beach. With two main coves and a promenade with restaurants, you’ll find many people hanging out and enjoying the beach. It’s also a popular surfing destination with surf schools to teach you! 
• Varkala Beach is one of the best in Kerala in terms of ambience and facilities. Although more tourists are coming, it’s less crowded than Kovalam. You can stay right on the cliff and enjoy some stunning views of the beach and waves. 
• Samudra Beach is more secluded with stunning rock formations, amazing sand and blue green waters. It’s a great place to catch a sunset or watch the fisherman bring in their boats. 
• Marari Beach is a great place to enjoy the clean beach sands. While the waves can get pretty intense here, the water is warm and delightful. Also with less tourists, you’ll only be sharing the beach with friendly locals enjoying time with their families. 
• Muzhappilangad Beach is the only beach where you can drive or cycle on the sand. In April there are many beach festivals and you can watch people perform fun stunts in their vehicles. 

If you want to stay on the beach itself, here are two great ways to enjoy the beaches. First, you can do a homestay to rent just a room in a family’s home right on the beach. While the accommodations can be basic, it’s a great way to meet more travelers, make some connections and get some great local recommendations. Also the families usually provide breakfast. Second, there are many luxury resorts right on the beach that offer ample amenities and are a great way to relax for a few days. Either way, you can’t go wrong with some beach adventures in Kerala! 

Kerala Backwaters 

The Kerala Backwaters is a series of 38 rivers and 5 big lakes with over 930 miles (1,500 km) of canals both man made and natural. Formed by the action of the waves and shore currents creating islands from the many rivers flowing from the Western Ghats mountains, this area is only separated from the Arabian Sea by a small strip of land. With colorful houses dotting the canals and flanked by farmland and rivers, this area is truly unique. Life is lived on the water. You’ll notice that all houses have small steps leading to the water where they bathe, do laundry, and for some houses, boats are the only mode of transportation since roads don’t reach those houses. 

While there are 34 different backwater areas throughout Kerala, we recommend the Alleppy Backwaters as they are the best example of local life, easiest to get to, and have the nicest houseboats. 

A very unique and fun way to experience the backwaters of Kerala is to rent a houseboat. Many companies provide a range of services from basic to luxury, shared to private. Board the houseboat and a crew will take you meandering through the canals and lakes that make up this area. The houseboat provides your accommodations for the night so you go to sleep and wake up on the water. They also provide all your meals on board. There is nothing like waking up on a boat in the river to the most beautiful and serene sunrise or having appetizers while watching the sunset. During the cruise, you’ll see local life with people fishing, doing laundry in the river, kids playing and just experiencing what life is like when living surrounded by water. It’s truly a unique experience. Also don’t get me started on the scenery. It’s beautiful! Palm trees, greenery for miles, it’s gorgeous!

I will warn you that these houseboats are very disconnected which can either be a dream or a nightmare, depending on what you are looking for. With no WiFi service, no TVs, and no connection to the outside world, make sure to bring a book, a game or something to pass your time as you lazily float down the river. It’s honestly a peaceful way to disconnect but some people may not enjoy it as much. 

In terms of how many days to do the houseboat, if you only do one night, you’ll be able to get the full experience however due to the short nature, you’ll stay in the more crowded areas with lots of other houseboat traffic. If you want the most serene and peaceful experience, I recommend two nights. On the second day, we were able to navigate waters where we were the only boat around. It was so peaceful to go down the river, see the rice fields, and wave to the friendliest local people on shore.

If a house boat is not up your alley, you can still enjoy the waters at one of the many resorts on Vembanad Lake, the largest lake in Kerala. The Kumarakom side is very pretty. Most resorts offer a beautiful pool, lakeside view, complementary sunset boat rides, and are a great way to enjoy the beautiful plants all around. We recommend Rhythm Kumarakom as this resort has the longest pool in India. Each room walks out to the pool that ends in a lakeview. It’s truly spectacular. Also check out the Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary to see hundreds of different types of birds. We recommend a morning ride with Village Life Experience where a guide on a shikara (small boat) will take you to three surrounding villages to learn how to make banana palm leaf roofs and sleeping mats, how to harvest coconuts and toddy, and learn all about the local vegetation in the area and all its uses. We love learning and this was a great hands-on experience. 

Mountains of Kerala India

Kerala is full of mountains and great hiking. In fact, 48% of Kerala is covered by the Western Ghats. The Western Ghats is a mountain range stretching most of Kerala and continuing into other states in India. The lush beauty that covers these mountains in incredible plant life is due to the monsoon season in the summer that drenches the area. We recommend coming in the winter (November to March) if you want to enjoy the mountains and to make sure rains won’t interrupt your trip with landslides or washouts in the mountain road. 

Wayanad, Northern Kerala India

With a combination of rolling hills and tall mountains, the Wayanad area has hiking for all levels. Here are a few trails that are highly recommended in the area. Banasura Hills Trek is a 3 hour moderate hike through rolling grasslands with amazing views of the mountains. Chembra Peak is the highest peak in Wayanad. Although you are not allowed to hike to the top, you are allowed to hike to the cutest heart shaped lake just below the summit with the most amazing views. Pakshipathalam Trek is accessible through the Brahmagiri Hills. The trek is through steep ascents and descents, dense forests, and rocky paths with many bird watching sights and caves to explore. This trek is often considered a moderately difficult trek.  

If you’re looking for an amazing place to stay near Wayanad, we’d recommend Pepper Trail. Located just outside of the city of Sultan Bathery, Pepper Trail is 200 acres of silent, serene coffee, tea, and spice plantations. With top notch rooms, excellent service and beautiful grounds, you can walk for hours around the tea and coffee plantations. Take a dip in the tranquil infinite pool to bask in the sun and soak up all the sunshine and blue skies. The resort also offers a morning bird watching walk, an open air jeep ride through the plantations, and a tea tasting in the afternoon. Your troubles will melt away as you sip your coffee and enjoy the greenery and flowers all around. This is a great place to relax and unwind. While breakfast is included, lunch and dinner are available for an additional cost. It’s well worth the price as the food is delicious and the restaurant is situated among the trees for a serene dining experience! The small town nearby doesn’t offer much. You’d have to drive to Sultan Bathery if you need something else. 

Munnar, Middle/Southern Kerala India

Munnar is home to the best tea plantations in Kerala. It’s honestly worth the 4-5 hour drive from Kochi out here just to see the vibrant greens against the bluest skies. The mountains are cascading with tea plantations. It’s incredible. Unfortunately, we don’t think it’s the best tea to actually drink but it is gorgeous to look at. For drinking tea, we always recommend tea from Yunnan China. 

If you’ve never seen how tea is grown, harvested or processed, you can head to one of the major tea factories for a tour. The tea estates to visit are: Kannan Devan Hills Plantation, Kolukkumalai Tea Estate, or Sevenmallay Tea Estate. Here they will show you the process from start to finish including learning about the different types of tea and you can even taste a few of them. The history of this area is fascinating as the tea trees were all planted in 1890-1920’s. Once the foreigners realized the growing conditions were suitable for tea, they planted Chinese tea in this area and it has exploded over the years.

Back to the mountains, Munnar is home to the two tallest peaks in Southern India. The first highest (Anamudi) is not available for hiking as it’s a nature reserve for wildlife. But the second highest peak, Meesapulimala, can be climbed and we did it. These hikes are highly regulated to preserve the mountains and to protect the many wildlife in the area. Due to the regulations, you have to organize the hike through the Kerala Forest Development Corporation (KFDC) in Munnar. They will meet you in town with a jeep, drive you out to the Meesapulimala Base Camp which is not accessible without permission due to the road going through privately owned and guarded land. Once at base camp, you will begin hiking a gorgeous loop to the summit of Meesapulimala. You can experience this hike in a day trip or for the very adventurous, you can sleep at Base Camp (by renting tents and sleeping bags from KFDC) and wake up early to hike to see the sunrise. Either way, be prepared for much colder temperatures. Munnar in general has much cooler temperatures than the coastline but the mountain top was even colder. We got caught in a fog/rain so we were cold and wet by the end. 

While driving to Munnar, the winding roads start to get really crowded as Munnar is a popular destination for domestic travel as well. I was worried that it would be overly crowded and, while the main streets were packed, I recommend staying in the surrounding hills for some peace and quiet. We stayed at Tall Trees Resort and it was so peaceful. Situated on the side of a mountain on a cardamom plantation, the tall trees tower over you providing the perfect canopy of shade. The resort offers so many lovely ways to enjoy the nature including a hiking trail on the property, an outdoor playground for children, an outdoor workout center for adults, an indoor heated pool and jacuzzi with views of the trees, guided walks throughout the day, a campfire at night, and the most delicious food at their balcony restaurant. We felt so secluded and away from the hustle and bustle of the crowded Munnar city streets. 

Cities in Kerala India – Kochi

The trade capital of India is Kochi with roughly 2.2 million people. It was originally a harbor city for trading and that tradition has stayed true today. You can see large shipping vessels in the harbor loading up spices and goods to transport all over the world. The city is a vast network of islands (both man made and natural) with many ferries and boats used to transport people between. 

Old Fort Kochi is generally a place a lot of foreigners come to stay. It’s an eclectic blend of really high end hotels and restaurants with beautiful art galleries and local shopping but also very run down abandoned lots with lots of trash and a stagnant water smell near some of the canals. So it’s a mixed bag in our opinion. While I’m glad we got to see it, I wouldn’t spend many days here. We really enjoyed Jew Town on the east side which has a lot of adorable shops with antiques, clothing, and great gifts at decent prices. The area is named Jew Town as the Maharaja gifted the land to the Jewish people who came over in 1,000 AD. The area once housed thousands of Jews hence the synagogue and Jewish goods in the stores. But today only 3 elderly Jewish men remain. The area is still really amazing to walk around, visit the Paradesi Synagogue and Mattancherry Palace which the Portuguese built as a gift to the Maharaja in 1555. It is now a museum that holds artwork, maps, history, and insight into the past. For some delicious local food at a great price, stop at Cafe 27. We recommend the veggie pancakes! On the west side, you’ll find St. Francis CSI Church where Vasco da Gama, the Portuguese explorer, was originally buried. His body has since been moved back to Portugal. He found the trade route to India by way of the cape of Africa which was the first route to link Europe and Asia by an ocean in 1497. Also on the west side, there are beaches but I wouldn’t recommend swimming. Here you’ll find many Chinese fishing nets set up as the fishermen catch fish right off the pier. You can also watch the fishing boats return from their morning catches in the Arabian Sea. 

If you want to immerse in the traditional culture, head over to Great K V Kathakali Centre. This arts center provides many opportunities to experience traditional art forms including morning yoga and meditation, Kathakali shows, martial arts and classical music/dance. We attended a Kathakali show which was a fun experience to watch the actors put on their intricate makeup, change into elaborate costumes but the best part is the demonstration of how facial expressions are used to communicate emotions. 

Overall we fell in love with Kerala. The diversity in things to do, the natural beauty and fabulous climate helped us relax and enjoy the surroundings. We highly recommend Kerala as a first place to start your trips to India. It’s so warm and welcoming and now we can’t wait to come back!