Kerala, God's own country, indeed!
“God’s own country” is not a mere slogan, rather it’s a feeling. I experienced this when I first visited Kerala in August 2009. It’s such a unique place! Nowhere in the world will you find a landscape like Kerala. The tranquil backwaters lined with coconut trees is a sight to behold. Crisscrossing rivers and canals (over 900 kms!) connecting the backwaters with the sea and lakes are such an enchanting view! Not for nothing it’s called the “Venice of the East”. Combined with the unique culture of Kerala, it’s truly God’s own country. In this article, I am sharing my pick of the 5 best places to visit in south Kerala, adding insights from my experiences.
For a similar travel plan, read: Odisha- Enjoy 5 days in the golden triangle.
South Kerala : My first multi-destination trip
It was a dear friend’s (Sujith) wedding that gave me this opportunity. And because it was a wedding, I was excited about witnessing the unique culture of Kerala first hand. The icing on the cake was Onam- Kerala’s main festival. Plus, it was going to be my first multi-destination trip. Cochin, Alleppey, Munnar, Eravikulam National Park, Trivandrum- 5 best places in south Kerala, plus Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu (map below). I couldn’t have asked for more.
1. Kochi (Cochin)
I landed in Kochi (Cochin) with another friend (Sajith, the groom’s cousin), and spent a day there. As Sajith was from Alleppey, and accompanied me for the whole trip, my journey became hassle-free.
A city established in the 11th century CE, Kochi has a long history of trade with outside world, especially spice trade. Since fourteenth-fifteenth century, it remained under foreign rule till India’s independence. First the Chinese, then Portuguese, Dutch and English dominated the power scene. Thus, one can see various cultural heritage of those countries even now in Kochi.
I visited the Fort Kochi harbor, Chinese fishing nets and St. Francis Church. But I missed out a few places: Mattancherry palace, Kerala Kathakali center, Jew town, Willingdon island, Veeranpuzha backwaters, Bolgatty palace, Santacruz basilica. Because I didn’t have the time. I will definitely visit them next time. But one should plan for at least 2-3 days in Kochi.
St. Francis Church is historically important as it housed the mortal remains of Vasco da Gama, the world famous explorer who discovered the sea route to India from Europe. Though his body was transported to Portugal fourteen years later, the gravestone still remains.
We took a boat ride in the Arabian sea from fort Kochi. It gives a good panoramic view of the city’s coastline and an opportunity to observe movement of all those big ships moving in and out of the harbor. However, the most interesting and exciting part of my Kochi visit was the Chinese fishing nets.
Chinese fishing nets:
The huge cantilevered fishing nets overlooking the waterfront look fascinating! Introduced by Chinese explorer Zheng He in the 14th century, they still are in operation, adding to the charm of Kochi coastline.
The huge nets need at least four fishermen to operate. Fishing is done generally during sunrise and sunset. They lower the net into the water for some time, and then raise it out of water by pulling the ropes attached to the cantilever to check for fish. It’s such an interesting sight, we couldn’t resist trying our hands at.
The same evening, we left for Cherthala, my friend’s home, 37 kms from Kochi (and 20 kms before Alleppey). I was happy to meet Sujith’s family, and soaked in the wedding atmosphere. There was a lot of excitement around with the wedding and Onam round the corner.
2. Alappuzha (Alleppey) | Chertala
Next on the list of best places in south Kerala has to be Alleppey. It’s all about backwaters and small canals with coconut groves and green paddy fields by the sides. A boat-ride in the canals and the backwaters takes one through the villages. Watching the villagers engaged in their household daily routines is a pleasant sight.
One can choose to stay in a houseboat– a popular tourist experience. The houseboats offer overnight cruises and authentic Kerala food onboard. And they anchor in the middle of the backwater overnight. Watching a sunrise or sunset from the houseboat is an amazing experience. Since it was August when I visited, the houseboats were still getting renovated and getting ready for the upcoming tourist season. I moved around some of the houseboats and checked out the facilities for myself; but didn’t take any overnight cruise.
My friend’s house is just by the backwaters. We took a small country-boat and rowed through the canals and backwaters. It was such an unforgettable experience!
{Further reading suggestion: Alleppey backwaters: how to experience}
Celebrating Onam in Alleppey
I had the opportunity of celebrating Kerala’s only major festival- Onam with my friend’s family. It’s a harvest festival that is celebrated across Kerala irrespective of cultural/ religious affiliations. Legend has it that Kerala saw its golden period during the reign of King Mahabali. But the Gods killed him due to his ego (he considered himself bigger than the Gods!). However, for all his good deeds, the Gods granted his soul an opportunity to visit his land once a year to meet his people. Keralites celebrate that time of the year as Onam. Interestingly, the festival is unique to Kerala.
People have grand feasts, play games, decorate houses with flowers, enjoy with dance, music and carnival. The festival is celebrated for ten days. I got a chance to wear the traditional dress of Kerala. Participating in floral decoration of the house was an interesting experience. And then enjoyed authentic traditional Kerala food.
The next day, we moved to Munnar, a hill station 150 kms north of Cherthala. From there, we proceeded to Kanyakumari and Trivandrum before returning to Cherthala for the friend’s wedding.
3. Munnar
Munnar will definitely be among everyone’s best places to visit in south Kerala. The beautiful hill station of Munnar is known for its tea gardens. Kerala is among the largest producers (4th) of tea in India, and Munnar is one of the principal tea growing area in Kerala. The sprawling tea plantations across the hill-slopes covered in clouds was a sight to behold. {More reading on tea gardens: Ooty}
The best part was that we visited Munnar in monsoon. So, the otherwise green hill station was even greener and scenic with clouds engulfing the hills. We took an auto-rickshaw to move around the hill station enjoying the beautiful valley. I remember visiting a lovely greenhouse garden.
{If you are interested in more similar hill stations, elsewhere in India, check out: Darjeeling}
One of the important places to visit in Munnar is the Mattupetty dam over Muthirapuzha river. Though the principal purpose of the dam is soring water for generating hydro-electricity, its recreation value is immense. The lake created by the backwaters of the dam surrounded by hills and pristine forests is a beautiful sight. Boating in the lake is surely a very popular activity among visitors.
4. Eravikulam National Park
While in Munnar, don’t miss the opportunity to visit Eravikulam national park, just 10 kms from the town. The national park offers beautiful landscapes (part of the Western Ghats), streams and waterfalls. The highest peak in the region is Anamudi at 2695 meters; in fact, it’s the highest peak in the peninsular India. A Game reserve till 1971, it became a wildlife sanctuary for Nilgiri Tahrs in 1975 and a National Park in 1978.
As we reached inside the national park area, the most impressive sight was the gushing waters from the Lakkom waterfall in the Shola forest area. We hiked up to the waterfall (an easy hike) and strolled around the curvy slopes. From the slopes when we looked back downhill, we could see the charming tea estates.
Further, it’s home to hundreds of species of wildlife, especially the endangered Nilgiri Tahr (ibex). The innocent Tahrs move around the hill slopes. I could go very near to them near the Lakkom waterfalls and take some nice clicks.
For more information, follow this link of the forest department of the government of Kerala.
An interesting fact about the park:
Neelakurinji, a wild flower that blooms in the national park area, comes up only every 12 years! If you are lucky to be in that bloom-year, you will be treated with some gorgeous blue landscape. As per my information, the last time it bloomed was in 2018; so the next year should be 2030. I will definitely look forward to that year.
Popular things to do in the national park:
- Trekking/ hiking to enjoy the forests and sighting wild animals
- Camping in the wild
- Some visitors love staying at the Lakkom Log House
{To read more on another such national park in this site, check out:
Great Himalayan National Park ||| Kaziranga N.P. ||| Sundarbans N.P.}
Kanyakumari
Kanyakumari, the southern tip of India, falls in the state of Tamil Nadu. However, just borders Kerala. So, I didn’t miss the opportunity to plant my feet there- a childhood dream. We took an overnight bus from Munnar to Kanyakumari, 475 kms away and arrived there early morning. We reached just in time to witness the beautiful sunrise over the Indian Ocean. This is where the two great seas meet- the Arabian sea (west) and the Bay of Bengal (east).
After the sunrise, we took a boat ride to the Vivekananda Rock Memorial. It is built over a small island 500 mts off the coast, where Vivekananda is said to have attained enlightenment. Very close to the Vivekananda rock, is the statue of Thiruvalluvar (on another island). He was an ancient Tamil poet who wrote the Thirukkural, a book of virtue and morality. The height of the statue is 133 ft signifying the 133 chapters of the Thirukkural.
5. Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum)
Our next stop was Thiruvananthapuram, the capital city of Kerala. It’s about 95 kms from Kanyakumari. We visited the popular Kovalam beach, 22 kms from the city center. The crescent shaped rocky- sandy beach has gained international popularity in recent times. So, it’s a bit crowded these days. But the view of the beach from the nearby hill is magnificent.
Coming back from the beach, we walked around the streets of the city a bit. In the evening, we enjoyed the popular tiger dance that is performed by street artists during Onam. The whole city looked like a large wedding destination with neon-lit buildings and people in colourful dressing. There were merry-making all around the streets of Trivandrum and one could feel the carnival-like atmosphere.
We missed out on two important places though- Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple, and Poovar island.
{To read about some best beaches in India, click here: North vs. South Goa ||| Odisha beaches}
Back in Cherthala for my friend's wedding
After visiting Thiruvananthapuram, we returned to Cherthala (near Alleppey) for my friend’s wedding. Afterall, this was the principal purpose of my visit. I cannot explain my feelings of being part of a wedding of a dear friend from a culture that I knew very little of. A lovely village temple was the destination of the wedding, with friends and relatives witnessing the traditional Hindu rituals. Interestingly, the bride and the groom both ate with everyone else in the same community-feast. And then it was time to return home.
South Kerala paving the way for my future multi-destination trips
With that, my first Kerala experience, a nice road trip around the 5 best places in south Kerala came to an end. I took the train back to Ahmedabad the next day. The long train route encompassed the famous scenic Konkan railway through the Western Ghats. I will forever cherish the experience. Surely, I will visit Kerala again, mainly to explore north Kerala. But nothing can match the first experience.
The trip included everything- historic cities, heritage places, scenic locations, and most importantly witnessing a different culture from close quarters. Moreover, it gave me the confidence to travel multiple locations in one trip; plan my trips myself, and plan budget-trips. In those days, I had very limited resources. But I could pull off a complex trip with a small budget, of course with the help of my friends.
South Kerala : Life, livelihoods and people
Though Kerala is a visual treat with stunning variations in landscapes, life and people are perhaps the best part of a Kerala trip. Whether rural, or urban, they are all educated; in fact, it’s the most educated state of India. People believe in socialism and equality of all sections of the society. It’s the only state in India where Hindus, Muslims and Christians make for almost similar population, and yet they live in the most harmonious way.
The people may not be the richest in monetary sense, but they definitely are the richest by heart. They lead very simple life, always content and happy with their lives. Their culture is very unique, very different from what rest of India is all about.
Livelihoods vary from region to region within Kerala- from agriculture to fishing and industries. However, plantation crops (rubber, areca nut, tea, coffee, cardamom, etc) are definitely among the major contributors to its economy. I had the opportunity of having an eyeful of rubber plantations across the hillslopes while coming back from Munnar.
South Kerala : Travel Tips
Best time to visit:
- For pleasant weather: Winter months of November to February
- For best cultural experience: August
How to plan the trip:
- Either start at Kochi and finish at Trivandrum, or start at Trivandrum and end at Kochi
- Plan for at least a week (to 10 days) for a road trip
How to move around:
- For a budget trip: Government and private buses have very good frequency; train connectivity is good too except for the hills
- At the destination, auto-rickshaws are quite budget-friendly
What to eat:
Idiyappam | Puttu and Kadala curry | Thattu dosa with chutney | Appam with Stew | Banana fritters | Erissery | Karimeen Pollichathu | Malabar paratha | Palada payassam | Kerala prawn curry | Fish Moilee |
Are they your 5 best places in South Kerala?
I hope you liked my pick of the 5 best places in south Kerala. Notable exclusions are: Thekkady (and nearby Periyar National Park), Sabarimala temple, Varkala beach, Kottayam and Kumarakom back waters. I have not included them as I have not been there yet. There are so many amazing places in that region that it’s difficult to choose the best 5 places in south Kerala. But you can make your own list of best places in south Kerala, and share with me. Or, maybe let me call them just ‘favorite places’ rather than ‘best places’.
Do share your feedback on the article. If you have already been there, please share your experience of traveling through south Kerala. Or, share your favorite five destinations.
Sajith
Its me, Sajith. It was an amazing trip with Suvendu. A marathon trip but explored a lot of places, had a lot of fun, enjoyed the scenic beauties’. It was really awesome. Will join together for another trip.
stampedmoments
Thanks a lot, Sajith, in general, and for that trip. It will always remain special in my heart. Looking forward to another family trip 🙂 Let’s do it quickly.
iraivan
hai dear suvendu really great writting..travel with a friend like you is always awsome .This blog is ofcourse touching one becze i am a keralite and am there…keep going bro…all the best
stampedmoments
Hi dear! At last, you read it! I so dearly wanted you to check this out!
It was an amazing trip, thanks to you and you lovely adorable family.
Unforgettable experience. Coming back soon.
Thanks a lot for the feedback; looking forward to much more engagement from you.
Jayvanti Einjen
Wow very nice place
stampedmoments
Yes, it is. Not for nothing it’s called God’s own country! 🙂
Soumen Chatterjee
God’s Own country and Venice of East Combined with the unique culture of Kerala, it’s truly God’s own country. 5 beautiful places has its own charm and adding to that visiting a wedding ceremony helped understanding the cluture of Kerala. Whether it be cocin , Allayppe back waters house boat ,Munnar hill station, beautiful landscapes of Eravikulam National Park is breadth taking, Kanyakumari has its own charm( i have visited the place ), and finally Trivandrum beach i have also visited. all having its own significance. Overall it must have been a great experience.
stampedmoments
Thanks for sharing your experience. Kerala is truly unique!
One can spend days and days together in the tranquil backwaters.
And there are so much more to explore!
Omveer singh
Wow very Nice place and have lots of to learn
stampedmoments
Thanks Omveer for reading, and the feedback.
Glad that you liked.
Jitendra Mallick
I’m planning my first ever trip to Kerala, in fact South India, will keep you posted on my experience.
stampedmoments
I’m glad that the blog provided you with some clues.
Do share your experience.
And you can always reach out to me for more information.
Thanks a lot, Jitendra.