Kerala Travel Guide
Name: Kerala
Area: 38,863 sq. km. (15,005 sq. mi)
Population: 34,800,000
Language: Malayalam, English, Tamil
Captial: Thiruvananthapuram
Currency: Indian Rupee
Time Zone: UTC + 5:30 (IST)
Religions and Beliefs: Hinduism, Christianity, Islam and Judaism
Located in the southwest of India, bordering on the Arabian Sea, Kerala is probably tourist’s favorite holiday destination, which is renowned as the “God’s Own Country”. Home to the exotic flora and fauna, backwaters, sprawling coffee and tea plantations and palm tree-lined beaches, this state provides visitors with everything. Blessed with an intricate inland network of lagoons, canals, rivers, Alappuzha’s water network is not only used for transport, agriculture and fishing but also serves as a mode of entertainment for tourists to experience the beautiful scenery of nature on houseboat cruises. Apart from that, trekking through the cool mountains of Periyar National Park, exploring the multi-aspect historical sites at harbor city Kochi, and relaxing at hill stations of Munnar with vibrant vegetation are all unforgettable memories during the Kerala travel.
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Backwaters
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Fort Kochi
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Tea Museum
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Mattupetty
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Eravikulam National Park
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Top Station
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Kovalam Beach
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Chinese Fishing Nets
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Periyar National Park
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Padmanabhaswamy Temple
The backwaters are an intricate water network including several lakes and canals which run from Kochi to Kollam. Alappuzha is the gateway to Kerala’s backwater and Vembanad Lake is the heart of the whole system. A boat house cruise on the backwaters would be a romantic experience. Fort Kochi is a seaside town in Kochi where tourists can appreciate Chinese Fishing Nets and the colonial buildings like St. Francis Church. Tea Museum, Munnar displays lots of photographs and old machines that were used in the early tea plantations. Mattupetty Dam and Eravikulam National Park are also worth exploring for fulfilling your Kerala travel.
Jaipur is a semi-desert area, due to which, the city is very hot in summer. On the Jaipur travel during the time of October to March, people can expect pleasant weather with less intense sunlight and cool and dry climate since this time belongs to the cool season. The average temperature is between 5-22℃ (41-71.6 ℉), which means it can be chilly in the morning and evening. So in the daytime, you could wear thin and breathable clothes like shirts and dresses. And take some jackets and sweaters in case of cold nights.
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Appam with Stew
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Puttu & Kadala Curry
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Sadhya
Kerala cuisine is widely favored for being hot and spicy and characterized by coconuts. Appam is a type of pancake made with fermented rice batter and coconut milk, which is paired with vegetable or meat stew. As an extremely popular staple food as breakfast, Puttu & Kadala Curry is a cylindrical steamed rice cake cooked with coconut shavings. It’s usually served with black chickpeas. Sadhya is a feast serving with rice and 12-20 courses in a fresh banana leaf such as pickle, banana chips and ginger-tamarind paste. More Kerala Food you should try are Kappa & Fish Curry and Palada Payasam.
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Trilogi: Nh - 47 National Highway 47 Bypass Road Crowne Plaza Kochi, Maradu, Kochi. Charging ₹700-1,600, Trilogi provides nice options of Indian vegetarian diets and varieties of seafood in a wonderful dinner ambience.
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Villa Maya: Airport Road, Trivandrum Vallakadavu, Thiruvananthapuram. Very close to the Thiruvananthapuram Airport, Villa Maya setting in a heritage building offers Indian, Asian and international cuisines like Italian and Mexican dishes with enchanting surroundings.
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Brews & Burgers Bistro: Zero Junction, Mullakkal, Alappuzha First Floor, Alappuzha. The vegetarian-friendly restaurant is famous for Alappuzha’s best salads, sandwiches and burgers. Highly recommend trying the Cheese Blast Burger and beef burgers.
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Alappuzha: Backwaters
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Fort Kochi: Heritages
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Thampanoor: City Hub
Cruising through Alappuzha’s backwaters is the must-try experience during Kerala travel, which makes Alappuzha the most popular area to stay. Staying on a houseboat is a preference, and tourists can enjoy AC single, double or triple bedrooms. The average price for a stay on a houseboat per day varies between ₹7,000-17,000. Budget hotels and homestays are also available in Alappuzha. Fort Kochi is scattered with lots of ancient European-style buildings and gorgeous beaches, where you can find various serene hotels to relax. Thampanoor is the main geographical and commercial center standing Kerala’s major railway station and road transport system, remarkably convenient!
There are five major airports in Kerala, 4 international airports in Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Kozhikode and Kannur, as well as 1 domestic airport in Kollam. From Delhi by air, it takes 3h 15min to Thiruvananthapuram, 3h 10min to Kochi, 3h 05min to Kozhikode and 3h to Kannur. Kerala has a strong network of railways connecting from major parts of India, with about 178 train stations, among which the Calicut (CLT), Ernakulam Junction (ERS), Trichur (TCR) and Trivandrum Central (TVC) are the main stations in Kerala. They are well connected to other major cities in India like Delhi, Goa and Mumbai.
Kerala is directly connected by road to Karnataka, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. Buses and rental cars are the main modes of road transport. For internal Kerala travel, auto-rickshaws, taxis/cabs, buses and boats are common ways. Small cabs for 4 people charge ₹11/km; SUV cabs generally cost ₹17/km; it costs around ₹1,500 for a day’s sightseeing by AC taxi within 100 km and ₹12/km for additional distance. Houseboats are very popular for backwater tours, costing ₹7,500 with one bedroom for one day.
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Chalai Bazaar: East Fort Area, Trivandrum, Thiruvananthapuram. The most well-known market in Thiruvananthapuram, Chalai Bazaar is a bustling 2-km-long (1.2 mi) market road with dozens of shops selling from budget garments, jewelry to groceries.
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Lulu Mall: 34/1000 N.h 47, Edapally, Kochi. As India’s biggest mall, it provides a one-stop service for shopping, dining, and entertainment. Tourists will have a wide selection of international fashion brands and enjoy a huge food court that can seat 3,000 persons.
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Krishna’s Shopping Mall: Market Junction, Munnar, Kerala. In the heart of Munnar, Krishna’s Shopping Mall offers high-quality products at affordable prices, including items of daily, dresses, tea crockery, antiques, dry fruits and herbal beauty products.