Kerala flights and travel guide

Tucked away in the South West corner of India, Kerala is a narrow strip of land between the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghat mountains. The name means "land of coconuts," and palms still shade almost the entire state from the tropical sun. The tropical landscape is criss-crossed by dozens of rivers and countless waterways and visitors can spend idle days riding small ferries through the backwater lagoons and see village life close-up in this, India's most populous state.

Kerala has some of India's best coastal resorts, among the finest is the much photographed Kovalam, which many argue has the best beach in the country. Here visitors can take in Kerala's rich cultural and artistic life and enjoy the best vegetarian cuisine on the planet.

When the rest of India gets too hot to handle, Kerala is soothing and rejuvenating, whether you stick to the lowlands or head for the hills, passing through scenery dotted with churches and temples, past spice, tea, coffee and rubber plantations, enjoying natural forests with wildlife reserves filled with elephants.

Compared to the rest of India Kerala is short on monumental sights to see; the drawing card here, though, is the natural beauty. The countryside undulates westward from the mountains offering vistas of rich green valleys. Rivers glide across the plains towards the sea, creating attractions like the Athirampally Falls, ending in a linked chain of lagoons where the silence of the still waters is broken only by boats and canoes, and seagulls and cranes.

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Kerala Insider Information

• Drift along the backwaters – the lagoons and canals – behind the coast in a motor boat or a covered country boat to appreciate the beauty of Kerala. If you stay in homesteads along the way as a guest of a local family you experience the authentic hospitality and excellent vegetarian cooking. During Onan, the harvest festival in August and September, there are boat races on the backwaters. At Alappuzha. crews of over 100 men row in unison while the crowds on the banks shout themselves hoarse.
• Kerala is known for its coir, part of the coconut, which can be seen being made into matting and other products. Black pepper and cashew nuts are also important produce. The cashew plants grow up trees like ivy.
• See Kathkali, the 400-year-old dance-drama about Hindu mythology, which are no longer reserved for Hindu temples only. Ernakulam is a centre for the shows, and can go backstage to watch the dancers put on their makeup, or feel the unexpected weight of the traditional costumes.

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Kerala Airports

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