Travel to Kerala

coastal castles, tea plantations and wildlife reserves

Kerala is a province of India, located on the southwestern Malabar Coast.

The reputation of this area as a major trading entrepot goes back thousands of years and was even mentioned by the great Greek explorer and writer Pliny around 100 AD.

Around 1450 the Portuguese were the first Europeans to arrive in the Indies. They came primarily in search of spices and were delighted to discover that much of the precious cargos that they sought originated along this coast.

During the 1500s the Portuguese took control of the area and established a string of fortified ports, the largest of which was Cochin, now the heart of the modern city of Kochi. By the end of that century these first Europeans were ousted by the Dutch East India Company. After considerable periods of local resistance, the British East India Company took control in the 1790s, after which Kerala became a part of the British Raj.

The whole region has a distinctly tropical feel.

Beaches lined by palm trees are backed by a coastal forest laced with an extensive network of lakes, rivers and man-made waterways, surrounded by scenic villages, rice-paddies and palm plantations.

Further inland the ground rises through extensive tea and coffee plantations, to reach the Western Ghats, a range of mountains cloaked in tropical evergreen forests which are renowned for their bio-diversity, with animals including Indian elephants, Bengal tigers and Indian leopards.

Visitors to Kerala are attracted to the historic port of Kochi (Cochin), the tropical beaches of the Kovalam, Neeleshwa and Mararikulam, the scenic Backwaters, the tea plantations, hill stations and inland towns of Munnar, Palakkad, Wayanad and Kothamangalam, the mountain forest areas of Thekkady and Periyar, as well as the remarkable temples of Madurai.

Although the state of Kerala has a great deal to offer, an acute shortage of high quality accommodation options really limits its appeal. However, if you are an experienced India traveller and are looking for a new and interesting area to explore, it might be worth considering.

The best time of year to visit the Kerala area is generally considered to be during Dec-Mar.

November is the transition period between the end of the monsoon rains and the start of the dry season. During November the daytime temperatures usually rise to around 30C/86F, whilst the nighttime low temperatures remain up around 23C/73F. Rainfall remains high at around 150mm (6”) per month. Sunshine is around 6 hours per day (around 55% of daylight hours), meaning that skies are often overcast.

Dec-Mar is the main dry season. During Dec-Mar the daytime temperatures usually rise to around 31C/88F, whilst the nighttime low temperatures hold up around 23C/73F. There should be very little rainfall. Sunshine is around 9 hours per day (around 80% of daylight hours), meaning that skies are usually clear.

Apr-May is the hot season, the often uncomfortable build-up to the main monsoon. During Apr-May the daytime temperatures can climb steeply to around 34C/91F, whilst the nighttime low temperatures are up around 25C/77F. Rainfall increases to a very significant 175mm (7”) per month. Sunshine is around 9 hours per day (around 85% of daylight hours), indicating that showers tend to be occasional, set against a usually clear sky.

Jun-Oct is the main monsoon season and is generally considered to be the least favourable time to visit. During Jun-Oct the daytime temperatures drop off slightly to around 30C/86F, whilst the nighttime low temperatures remain up at a stifling 23C/75F. Rainfall climbs to a massive 750mm 30”) per month. Sunshine drops to around 5 hours per day (around 40% of daylight hours), meaning that skies are very often heavily overcast.

Getting there

The Kerala area can be accessed in a number of different ways…

By air

The main airport at Kochi (COK) is located around 40 km northeast of the city, with regular flights from cities including Chennai, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Colombo and the Maldives.

By train

The Kerala region is widely serviced and well connected by train lines, but we rarely recommend their use here. There are no luxury train services.

By road

The Kerala region is rarely accessed by road, but is usually explored by car, in the company of an experienced driver-guide.

Where to stay

The only part of Kerala that contains a decent choice of accommodation options is the city of Kochi, where there are some pleasantly historic lodges inside the historic Fort Cochin.

The coastal and the Backwaters areas contain plenty of places to stay, but precious few which are comfortable or characterful enough to wholeheartedly recommend.

Up in the mountains there is a sprinkling of simple but appealing hills station guesthouses, but there are unfortunately no high quality lodges providing access to the safari areas.

a challenging climate and a shortage of good accommodation