Kerala

The overview

A narrow state between the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghats, with a lagoon network inland, tea plantations at altitude and one of India's great regional cuisines.

Kerala is unusually easy to travel for a first trip to India: distances are short, literacy and health indicators are high, and the transport works. The classic route runs from Kochi's colonial-era harbour through the backwaters around Alleppey and Kumarakom, up to the tea country at Munnar, and down to the beaches in the south. The backwaters are a genuine working landscape of rice paddies below sea level, canals and village ferries — the public ferry from Alleppey to Kottayam costs a few rupees and shows more than most houseboats. Monsoon runs June to September and is dramatic rather than miserable, and it is also when Ayurvedic treatment traditionally happens.

Highlights

• The public ferry through the backwaters
• Fort Kochi's Jewish quarter and spice warehouses
• Munnar's tea estates and Eravikulam National Park
• A kathakali performance, including the makeup preparation
• Theyyam ritual performances in the north, December to March

Best seasons