Kerala Tour

No tour in India can be completed without traveling to Kerala. With its enchanting history, tropical beaches, fragrant spice plantations, beautiful wildlife sanctuaries and scenic hill stations Kerala is a must travel destination in India. Kerala boasts of India's highest literacy rate, the oldest European church and the first freely elected communist government in the world.

In Kerala, beauty persists everywhere beginning from the low line serene backwaters to the sand studded unspoiled beaches; from towering hills to exotic wildlife. This never ending beauty of Kerala is indeed a heaven on earth and is rightly called God's own country.

Kerala with its world class health care system, ayurvedic health holidays, enchanting art forms, magical festivals and Historic and cultural monuments and an exotic cuisine offer you lifetime experience in setting.

About Destination

Area: 38,863 Sq Km
Capital: Thiruvananthapuram
Districts: 14
Languages: Malayalam, English, Tamil

People
The people of Kerala form a well educated society. Kerala is the first state in Indian with 100% literacy. The people of Kerala enjoy a unique cosmopolitan outlook, which is reflected in their tolerance towards other races and religions.

Climate
Kerala has a wet and maritime tropical climate influenced by the seasonal heavy rains of the southwest summer monsoon. Kerala's maximum daily temperature averages 36.7 ºC; the minimum is 19.8 ºC. Mean annual temperatures range from 25.0-27.5 ºC in the coastal lowlands to 20.0-22.5 ºC in the highlands.

Kerala Cuisine
Kerala has its own distinctive cuisine using the ingredients locally available. Sea food is famous among the non-Brahmins, Muslims and Christians. Breakfast in a Malayali household may consist of one or more of these dishes Appam, Puttu, Idiyapam, Idli, Dosa and Idiyapam.

These include banana chips, murku (friend rings made from a batter of rice, pulses and spices), shakaruperi (banana chunks coated with jaggery and ginger) and various kinds of halwa (thick pudding made from flour and sugar and flavored with fruits), which are eaten during the day.
The best Kerala cuisine can be had during the festival of Onam. A grand lunch called "Sadya" is the highlight of Onam day. A traditional festival meal, Sadya or Saddya as it is called, is served on a plantain leaf end with the narrow end to the left.

Major Attraction

Kerala is the land of unlimited enchantments and this majestic place is a personification of Nature. Kerala has plenty to offer like Sandy beaches, blue Lagoons, Hill stations, backwaters, Greenland plantations in the highranges, wildlife, high mountain peaks, picturesque valleys, magnificent forts and intricately decorated temples.

Kerala Beaches
Kerala boasts of one of the finest beaches in India. This land of beaches offers you surf, spice and sand like no other place. The beaches which are unspoilt and bewitching offer you great relax and peace of mind. On this paradise, you will find great tranquil shrine and rejuvenation center that will replenish your spirits will joy and elation. The famous beaches in Kerala are:

Kerala Backwater
The backwaters in Kerala are a place where serenity exists in full splendor and the soothing sound of water gives you great romantic feeling. Known as world of serenity and astonishment, the Backwaters in Kerala is a network of exquisite channels, lakes, lagoons and deltas of approximately 44 rivers emptying in the Arab sea. As you float on a Kerala backwater, the beauty of the serene waterways and quaint inlets and creeks along the coast of Kerala will enchant you. Over 900 Km of the Kerala backwaters are navigable and have been used for centuries by the local people for transportation.

In the unique ecosystem of backwaters in Kerala, there are many unique species of aquatic life present like crabs, frogs and mudskippers, water birds such as terns, kingfishers, darters and cormorants, and animals such as otters and turtles live in and alongside the backwaters in Kerala. Palm trees, pandanus shrubs, various leafy plants and bushes grow alongside the Kerala backwaters, providing a green hue to the surrounding landscape. You can see the amazing flora and fauna of the backwaters in Kerala, while on Kerala tours with Kerala Backwater.

Travel on these waterways on a traditional houseboat and enjoy the scenic beauty of the backwaters in Kerala and experience a treasured journey to this delightful realm.

Kerala Temples
The southernmost state of Kerala has so much to offer in terms of it temple tradition. The temples are a delight to the visitors' sensory faculties. The richness of their architectural wealth captivates the perceptions of the traveler, apart from providing them with an affluence of scholarly entropy.
The structural design of the temples of Kerala is unique, bringing about harmony between the natural resources as well as the climatic conditions of the region. Elephants are an integral part of temple construction. A colorful agenda of festivities and exacting protocols are associated with the scores and scores of temples that speckle the cultural as well as the physical landscape of Kerala.

Kerala National Park and Wild Sanctuaries
One fourth of India's 10,000 plant species along with 900 species of different medicinal plants could be found in National Parks & Wildlife Sanctuaries in Kerala. The 9,400 sq km space that is covered by the forest here in Kerela comprises of the tropical wet evergreen and semi-evergreen forests, tropical moist and dry deciduous forests, and montane subtropical and temperate forests. The other types of flora that can be noticed at National Parks & Wildlife Sanctuaries in Kerala includes the bamboo, wild black pepper (Piper nigrum), wild cardamom, the calamus rattan palm (Calamus rotang - a type of climbing palm), and aromatic vetiver grass (Vetiveria zizanioides)
An estimated number of 102 species of mammals, 476 species of birds, 202 species of fishes, 169 species of reptiles and 89 species of amphibians can be found at the National Parks & Wildlife Sanctuaries in Kerala. The wide range of fauna includes the Asian Elephant (Elephas maximus), Bengal Tiger (Panthera tigris tigris), Leopard (Panthera pardus), Nilgiri Tahr (Nilgiritragus hylocrius), Common Palm Civet (Paradoxurus hermaphroditus), and Grizzled Giant Squirrel (Ratufa macroura). The species of reptiles include the king cobra, viper, python, and crocodile. One can also find different types of birds at the National Parks & Wildlife Sanctuaries in Kerala.

Kerala Ayurveda
Ayurveda evolved around 600 BC in India. This new system of medicine stressed on the prevention of body ailments in addition to curing them. Followed by the Dravidians and Aryans alike, Ayurveda has been practised ever since. Today, it's a unique, indispensable branch of medicine - a complete naturalistic system that depends on the diagnosis of your body's humours - vata, pitta and kapha - to achieve the right balance.
Ayurveda believes in the treatment of not just the affected part, but the individual as a whole. Making it the natural way to refresh yourself, eliminate all toxic imbalances from the body and thus regain resistance and good health.
Kerala's equable climate, natural abundance of forests (with a wealth of herbs and medicinal plants), and the cool monsoon season (June - November) are best suited for Ayurveda's curative and restorative packages. In fact, today, Kerala is the only State in India which practises this system of medicine with absolute dedication.

Kerala Backwater Cruises
The backwaters of Kerala are a series of interconnected waterways, lakes, inlets and riverine estuaries that form an intermeshed network along the coast of Kerala, India. The local people of the Kerala backwaters, travel on these waters and carry out their traditional occupations, such as farming and fishing on its fertile banks. The scenic beauty of the backwaters has also led to its being developed as a tourist destination in recent times. You can travel on backwater cruises in Kerala, on Kerala tours with Kerala Backwater.
Backwater cruises in Kerala are carried out on large converted traditional boats. These boats called "Kettuvalloms" were traditionally used as grain barges, to transport the rice harvested in the fertile fields alongside the Kerala Backwaters. Converted to accommodate tourists, the houseboats have a sleeping area, with toilets, as a dining area and a sit out on the deck.
You can rest at ease on a houseboat at night and observe the beautiful countryside while sitting on the deck during the day. Food is cooked on board the houseboat by the accompanying staff. On Backwater cruises in Kerala with Kerala Backwater, you can have a relaxing time seeing the birds and aquatic life along the banks of the Kerala backwaters. See the local people in villages along the banks of Kerala backwaters carry out their daily routine of farming and fishing as you pass by on Backwater cruises in Kerala. Smile at friendly local children as they wave to you as you float along on your houseboat on Backwater cruises in Kerala.
Some of the best destinations for backwater cruises in Kerala are between the Kerala backwater destinations of Cochin now called Kochi, Alappuzha, Kasargod, Kollam, Kottayam, Kozhikode, Kumarakom, Kuttanad, Thiruvallam, Thiruvananathapuram. You can stop at each destination and explore its attractions, before returning to your houseboat for a ride back into the serene ambience of the backwaters of Kerala, while on backwater cruises in Kerala, with Kerala Backwater.

Museums in Kerala
A visit to the museums in Kerala encasing slices of history, culture and the heritage of " God's Own Country" will be enchanting as well as an enlightening experience.

Napier Museum: Located near the city zoo of Thiruvananthapuram and fashioned in an exquisite Indo-Sarsenic architecture, this museum holds a treasure of fascinating artifacts.

Kuthiramalika (Puthenmalika) Palace Museum: This museum its especially well known for its majestic edifice and roof beams carved skillfully with the faces of horses. Treasuring the precious objects of its royal residents, Kuthiramalika is an art lover's delight.

Tea Museum, Munnar: Established by Tata Tea Ltd. at the idyllic Nallatanni Tea Estate, this museum displays an array of artifacts and equipments considered as the turning points in the evolution of Tea industry.

Bay Island Driftwood Museum: Located at the picturesque village of Kumarakom in Kottayam district, this museum exhibits varied root and tree trunk sculptures in unique forms and designs.

Teak Museum, Nilambur: Situated at the campus of the Kerala Forest Research Institute (KFRI) it showcases details about teak plantation and its various usage.

Maritime Museum: This museum of Kochi preserves relics and artifacts to uphold the naval power of Kerala from and early period to the present time.

Indo-Portuguese Museum: located near the Parade Ground of Kochi Fort, this museum displays an invaluable collection of artifacts like statues and coins resulted out of the cultural synthesis between Indians and Portuguese.

Sree Chithra Art Gallery: This art gallery exhibits a fine selection of paintings by the celebrated nineteenth century painter Raja Ravi Varma.

Ambalavayal Heritage Museum: This museum, showcasing ancient weapons and artifacts provides viewers a rare chance to witness the cultural legacy of the tribal people in Waynad region.

Archeological Museum-Thrissur: It is well- known for a rare assortment of stone engravings, temple models, stone-age tools, excavated materials from Indus Valley and Harappa, stone sculptures ranging from 10th century to7thcentury and Bronze sculptures ranging from 12h century to 18h century.

Hill Palace Museum: Located at a distance of 12 km from Kochi, this former residence of Kochi royal family is now the largest archeological museum in Kerala.