Kerala
Kerala: An Emerald and Ivory Odyssey
Wellness · Backwaters
11 nights
Back to Destinations
Destinations
Kerala
Backwaters, Ayurveda and a slower southern pace.
Kerala suits families wanting a gentler trip: houseboats on the backwaters, genuine Ayurvedic wellness, tea country in the hills, and a coastline that's easy to enjoy without a packed itinerary.
It pairs well with a more culturally intense region earlier in the trip, as a place to properly rest before flying home.
The name
Why it is called Kerala
The popular explanation is "land of coconuts", from the Malayalam kera (coconut palm) and alam (land), and the palms do cover the state. Most historians trace it instead to Cheralam, the land of the Chera kings. The oldest written mention is in one of Emperor Ashoka's rock edicts, from the 3rd century BCE, which names Keralaputra as a neighbouring kingdom.
The essentials
- Capital
- Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum)
- Language
- Malayalam; English is widely understood
- Best time
- November to March; June to August for Ayurveda
- Main airports
- Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode
Places
Where to go in Kerala
Fort Kochi
Two thousand years of sea trade in a few streets: the Chinese fishing nets, St Francis Church, where Vasco da Gama was first buried, the Dutch Palace murals and the Paradesi Synagogue in Jew Town.
Alappuzha and Kumarakom
The heart of the backwaters. A night on a kettuvallam houseboat on Vembanad Lake, past paddy fields, villages and coconut groves.
Munnar
Rolling tea estates at around 1,600 m. Eravikulam National Park protects the rare Nilgiri tahr, and the hills turn blue when the neelakurinji flowers, once every twelve years.
Thekkady
Periyar Tiger Reserve, with boat rides on the lake to see elephants and gaur, and cardamom and pepper plantations to walk through.
Thiruvananthapuram and Varkala
The capital's Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple (open to Hindus only) and Napier Museum, then the red laterite cliffs and beach at Varkala.
Thrissur
Kerala's cultural capital: the Vadakkunnathan Temple, the Kerala Kalamandalam arts academy nearby, and the great Pooram festival.
Wayanad
Green highlands in the north, with forests, waterfalls and the prehistoric rock carvings of the Edakkal Caves.
North Malabar
Kannur and Kasaragod, where Theyyam rituals are performed in village shrines, alongside Bekal Fort and quiet beaches.
Wildlife and nature
Periyar for elephants, Eravikulam for the Nilgiri tahr, Silent Valley for the lion-tailed macaque, and the Thattekad and Kumarakom bird sanctuaries.
At the table
What to eat in Kerala
Sadya
The vegetarian feast on a banana leaf: avial, thoran, sambar, olan and payasam.
Appam with stew
Lacy rice pancakes with a mild coconut-milk stew.
Puttu and kadala curry
Steamed rice cylinders with black chickpea curry, the classic breakfast.
Karimeen pollichathu
Pearl spot fish, spiced and cooked in a banana leaf.
Malabar biryani
Made with short-grain kaima rice, from Kozhikode and Thalassery.
Banana chips and Kozhikode halwa
The snacks to take home.
Timing
When to go to Kerala
November to March for backwaters, beaches and hill stations. The monsoon is not simply the off season here: June to August is the traditional time for Ayurvedic treatment, when humidity is thought to help the body absorb it, and the landscape is at its most striking. Which of those two trips you want changes the answer entirely.
Jan
32-22 degrees Celsius, typical high and low
Ideal
Dry, warm and clear. The best month for backwaters and coast.
Feb
33-23 degrees Celsius, typical high and low
Ideal
Excellent throughout. Warm sea, calm water, hills comfortable.
Mar
34-25 degrees Celsius, typical high and low
Good
Getting hot and humid on the coast. Munnar and the hills stay pleasant.
Apr
35-26 degrees Celsius, typical high and low
Good
Humid. Fine for hill stations and Ayurveda, sticky at sea level.
May
34-26 degrees Celsius, typical high and low
Best avoided
Very humid with pre-monsoon storms building.
Jun
31-24 degrees Celsius, typical high and low
Good
Monsoon breaks, dramatically. Peak Ayurveda season and the landscape at its greenest.
Jul
29-23 degrees Celsius, typical high and low
Good
Heavy rain, lowest prices, best Ayurveda availability. Not a beach month.
Aug
29-23 degrees Celsius, typical high and low
Good
Rain easing a little. Onam falls here, which is Kerala at its most itself.
Sep
30-23 degrees Celsius, typical high and low
Good
Showers tailing off. Green, quiet and good value.
Oct
31-23 degrees Celsius, typical high and low
Good
A shorter second monsoon. Improving week by week.
Nov
31-23 degrees Celsius, typical high and low
Ideal
The season opens properly. Everything green, rain largely done.
Dec
32-22 degrees Celsius, typical high and low
Ideal
Dry and clear. Peak season, and Christmas and New Year book out early.
Worth timing your trip around
Onam
One of the best places for itAugust or early September
Kerala's harvest festival and the biggest event in its calendar: ten days of flower carpets, feasting, boat races and the Onam sadya served on a banana leaf. If you have Kerala family connections this is the week to be there, and it is the strongest single argument for travelling during the monsoon.
Thrissur Pooram
One of the best places for itApril or May
The largest temple festival in Kerala, with caparisoned elephants, percussion ensembles and an all-night fireworks exchange between two temples. Intense heat and enormous crowds, so not one for a gentle-paced itinerary.
Festival timings shift each year with the lunar calendar, so we have not published dates that would be out of date by the time you read them. See the full calendar for Kerala, or tell us the year and we will confirm the dates for you.
Good to know
Before you go
- Many temples admit Hindus only, and men may be asked to remove their shirts inside.
- Book houseboats through licensed operators, and stay overnight: a day cruise misses the evening and the morning, which are the best of it.
- The hill roads to Munnar and Thekkady are slow and winding, so allow more time than the map suggests.
- Dress modestly away from the tourist beaches.
Journeys
Journeys through Kerala
Ready to start planning?
Tell us about your family and what this trip means to you.
