Worth getting out of bed for
Highlights the best Kerala has to offer, from art and culture to fun-packed activities; we've even found the most inspiring place to enjoy the views from.
- Viewpoint
- Take a trip to Kanyakumari, or Kanniyakumarithe, the tippy toe of India, or Cape Comorin, where the three seas meet: the Arabian Sea, the Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal.
- Arts and culture
- With such a fascinating history, which has had influences from so many cultures, Kerala’s offerings are rich, both architecturally and artistically. If you get the chance to see a Kathakali dance performance, they’re worth catching, just to ogle the theatrical headgear and brightly coloured make-up alone.
- Something for nothing
- Take a stroll through Fort Cochin and watch the Chinese fishing nets at work – a postcard-perfect photo opportunity if ever there was one.
- Shopping
- There are handicrafts emporia, to purchase the many artisan-produced goods such as Kathakali masks – based on the colourful traditional dance costumes. And don’t go home without purchasing spices – every aroma and seasoning is on offer here, more than likely at a fraction of the cost back home. The antique shops of Fort Cochin's Jew Town are worth a browse, although the bargains are long-gone. For clothing and pretty toiletries, we love FabIndia (www.fabindia.com). In Alleppey, Maheshwari Fabric Shop on Mullickal Street for cotton shirts, saris, silk.
- Daytripper
- Spend a day sightseeing around historic Fort Cochin by rickshaw; see the famous Chinese fishing nets, the Dutch Palace, Jewish Synagogue and Jew Town, St Francis Church where Vasco da Gama was buried. Alleppey is another city worth a decent ogle. Once a bustling trade capital, and known as the 'Venice of the East', it is centred on two canals, and a good place to see artisans at work; keep an eye out for the flocks of bats at dusk…
- Best beach
- The white sands of Marari Beach, near Alleppey.
- Activities
- Nature lovers must pay a visit to Thekkady – thick, evergreen forest interspersed with spice plantations. There, in the southern Western Ghats mountain ranges is Periyar Tiger Reserve (www.periyartigerreserve.org), home to elephants, hornbills and monkeys as well as the large stripey cats.
- And...
- One anti-bug bite theory is to dose up on Brewer’s Yeast, which is rich in vitamin B and then you just won’t seem so tasty to the little bloodsuckers.
Diary
January The Great Elephant March in Alleppey (Alappuzha) and Trivandrum (Thiruvananthapuram). April–May sees the most spectacular festival in Medom, Thrissur Pooram, the temple festival. August The second Saturday of the month sees Nehru Snake Boat Race in Alleppey: 100 men in a long, slim boats, rowing and chanting songs and racing along the famous Kerala backwaters. In 2006, a group of foreign women took part for the first time.