Kerala moves to a different rhythm than the north — slower, greener, softened by water and shade. A private houseboat drifting the Kumarakom backwaters, mornings among Munnar's tea terraces, an unhurried AyurvedicAyurvedaA traditional Indian system of medicine that treats health as a balance between three bodily humours, or doshas.Read in the glossary regimen by the Arabian Sea: this is India as restoration rather than spectacle.
We pair Kerala's landscapes with its living culture — KathakaliKathakaliThe classical dance-theatre of Kerala, in which heavily painted and costumed performers enact episodes from the epics through codified gesture and eye movement.Read in the glossary and Fort Kochi's spice-trade heritage — and finish, as many guests wish, on the quiet sands of Marari or Kovalam.
When To Travel
September to March offers the best weather. The monsoon (June–August) is lush and dramatic and the traditional season for authentic Ayurvedic treatment.
Destination Guides in Kerala
Thekkady
Spice hills and tiger forest — Periyar's lake safaris on the edge of the Western Ghats.
Kochi
The spice port — Chinese fishing nets, six civilisations and Fort Kochi's unhurried lanes.
Munnar
Tea, mist and time — emerald plantations rolling through the high Western Ghats.
Alleppey
The backwater world — houseboats, palm-lined canals and Kerala at the pace of water.
Kumarakom
Vembanad's gentle shore — bird sanctuaries, lake villas and Ayurveda done properly.
Marari Beach
A working coast — golden sand, fishing fleets and the Arabian Sea without the crowds.
Journeys Through Kerala
North & South Culture: Grand Imperial Cities & Kerala Backwaters
16 DAYS
Imperial Odyssey: Royal Palaces, Mumbai Metro & Kovalam Shores
18 DAYS
Grand Epicurean Odyssey: North, West & South
16 DAYS
Malabar Passage: Mumbai to Kerala Backwaters
11 DAYS
Malabar & Marari: Culture, Hills & Coast
13 DAYS
Suns, Spices & Sacred Waters: Goa & Kerala
10 DAYS