What to see & do in Kerala Kerala

Known for its backwaters and idylic landscapes, Kerala is a major tourist destination. If you’re just coming for the wedding, we’ll try to give a taste of local color in the few days we have in Calicut. If you have the time, it’s worth exploring beyond Calicut. Note: Because of its colonial past, place names in Kerala often have several names. For instance, ‘Calicut’ is alternatively called ‘Kozhikode’.

Set on a magnificent estuary, serene Kochi has been drawing traders, explorers and travellers to its shores for over 600 years. It has an eclectic cultural heritage that is unusual in India: giant Chinese fishing nets, a 450-year-old synagogue, ancient mosques, Portuguese- and Dutch-era houses and the crumbling remains of the British Raj. It’s a delightful place to explore, laze in arty cafes and relax at some of India’s finest homestays and heritage hotels. Don’t miss Mattancherry’s old town and antique warehouse. Daniel thinks Kochi is the prettiest part of India that he’s seen, but what does he know.

A 1.5 hour drive from Kochi, Alleppey is the hub of Kerala’s backwaters, home to a vast network of waterways traversed by houseboats. Rent a houseboat and disappear into a watery world of villages, punted canoes, and toddy shops.

Kabini is a favourite haunt of wildlife enthusiasts and photographers as it provides sightings of animals that are usually elusive in other areas. The shadowy beauty of the Black Panther is a rare sight indeed and Kabini is one of the few places in the world where one can view this magnificent creature in its elements. Sightings of tigers, elephants, bears deers, and other critters are common on safaris in the sanctuary.

The rolling hills around Munnar, South India’s largest tea-growing region, are carpeted in emerald-green tea plantations, contoured, clipped and sculpted like ornamental hedges. The low Western Ghats scenery is magnificent – you’re often up above the clouds watching veils of mist clinging to mountaintops. Munnar itself is a scruffy, traffic-clogged administration hub, not unlike a North Indian hill station, but wander just a few kilometres out and you’ll be engulfed in a sea of a thousand shades of green.

Thekkady, with its unspoilt tropical forests and incredible wealth of animal and plant life is a nature lover’s paradise. The journey to the best places in Thekkady will take you through quaint little hill towns and soft contoured hill slopes. It is a delight for tourists because of its unending chain of hills with scented spice plantations along with tea, coffee and cardamom. Periyar sanctuary in Thekkady offers some of the best wildlife sighting in India.

Two beach towns in southern Kerala set on the Arabian sea with copper colored cliffs. Varkala is a bit younger and more bohemian while Kovalam has more polished luxury accommodations.

If you’ve flown halfway around the world for our wedding and have some extra time, why not explore some more of India? Try Bombay if you want sublime insanity or Goa if you want beautiful beaches and vibrant nighlife. It’s a big country! Theres lots to see!