Recommended places in Kerala

Hi,

I'm flying to Chennai from Singapore. From Chennai, where in Kerala should i head to? i'm thinking of spending about 8-10 days in Kerala because i'll be heading to Goa after that.

Given my time constraints, what are the places you would recommend that i should see? i'm really excited about visiting "God's Given Land"! =)

Also, is spending 4 days in Goa too long a time?

thanks in advance!

Hi peut-etre,

I am so jealous that you get to go to Kerala. I would recommend going to Munnar. It is a hill station full of tea fields. If you like mountains, green color and oxygen, you should definitely go to Munnar.

Allepey is probably the most popular destination in Kerala. You shouldn't miss it either. A boat ride on backwaters is a must.

I don't know what kind of route you are taking from Chennai but if you can include, you should include Kanyakumari in Tamilnadu, the southernmost tip of India.

I haven't been to Goa so I have no idea about that.

Hi, I would second Munnar. The climate is cool & freshing compared to the humid coastal areas. It's really beautiful travelling through the tea plantations and cardamom hills. I also stopped at a place called Kumily, which is well known for herb gardens and the Periyar National Park, where you can do some easy treks.

I also spent some time in Cochin, which is a fort town with some interesting history. And of course what gocebe suggested, there is nothing more relaxing then taking a trip down the back waters. I only did a day trip as I was on my own, but if you're with a companion I'd recommend doing an other night trip.

I only spent 6 days in Kerela but managed to cover all this. I had been working in Bangalore & flew down to Kerela. As it is a small state you can cover quite a bit.

Have a fab time, I loved it.

[ Edit: Edited on Nov 26, 2008, at 2:28 PM by Laura_B ]

Hii Peut,

Gocebe and Laura has given right suggestions...

i will add up some thing...

You can see Athirappilly water fallls on the way(slight deviation from the route) to Munnar.

In cochin you can attend End of VOLVO Ocean race.. It is a ceremony for a week from Dec 3rd to Dec 10th..Heard It will be amazing...

In Kanyakumari you can see Rising sun from west....

Pl let me know if you want to know more abt God'own land.... that is Kerala.

Munnar is an excellent place. Try to visit Wagamon also, its a nearby place to munnar. If you are interested in spending some time without much of noise and crowded travellers goto chowara beach. Its 30 mins drive from Kovalam.

Chowara Beach

These are some of the pics from my trip to chowara beach. The beach is empty and you can do almost anything there. We had a really nice time jumping off the rock and taking pictures in air.

Hello. Another idea - not sure if you'll be able to squeeze this in or not. There's a kind of slow ferry boat from Kollam to Alleppey (1.5 hours from Cochin), which takes all day and drifts along the major backwater waterways/canals. I loved it - such a slow, beautiful, lazy day - stopping for lunch around halfway. Brilliant for the weary traveller. Cochin is lovely, Munnar too.

Also - if you have any time to explore on your way up to Goa, I would definitely visit Hampi (stay across the river) and Gokarna. Hampi is just one of those places that everybody loves - there's something about it that you can't quite put your finger on, and Gokarna has some of the most beautiful, and virtually abandoned, crescent beach coves in India.