Kumarakom (Kumarakom)
Bird sanctuary and lake resorts on the Vembanad east bank.
- Bird sanctuary
- Best Oct – Mar
- Kottayam
Destinations
Places that shape a Kerala trip
Backwaters, tea hills, wildlife and the coast — start with Alleppey, then build the circuit that fits your days.
Featured guide
Alleppey (Alappuzha)
The Venice of the East — canals, lake, below-sea-level paddy and the houseboat stretch that defines Kerala’s backwaters.
- Houseboats & canals
- Best Oct – Mar
- Alappuzha district
Cochin (Kochi)
Gateway city with Fort Kochi, Chinese fishing nets, and the airport.
- Fort Kochi
- Best Oct – Mar
- Ernakulam
Munnar (Munnar)
Tea hills about 4–5 hours from Alleppey.
- Tea plantations
- Best Sep – May
- Idukki
Thekkady (Thekkady (Kumily))
Periyar tiger reserve and spice country, often between Munnar and Alleppey.
- Periyar wildlife
- Best Oct – Apr
- Idukki
Kovalam (Kovalam)
Crescent beaches and a red-and-white lighthouse on Kerala’s southern coast, 16 km from Trivandrum.
- Beaches & Ayurveda
- Best Oct – Mar
- Thiruvananthapuram district
Varkala (Varkala)
Red laterite cliffs above a long Arabian Sea beach, with cafés along the clifftop and the Janardhana Swamy Temple.
- Cliff beach
- Best Oct – Mar
- Thiruvananthapuram district
Wayanad (Wayanad)
Misty hill district in the north of Kerala with tea and coffee estates, waterfalls, caves and wildlife sanctuaries.
- Hills & wildlife
- Best Oct – May
- Wayanad district
Vagamon (Vagamon)
Quiet hill station of rolling meadows, pine forest and tea, about 3 hours from Alleppey.
- Meadows & pine forest
- Best Sep – May
- Idukki & Kottayam districts
Trivandrum (Thiruvananthapuram)
Kerala’s capital, with the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple, museums and palaces — the gateway to Kovalam and Varkala.
- Capital city & temples
- Best Oct – Mar
- Thiruvananthapuram district
Athirappilly (Athirappilly)
Kerala’s largest waterfall on the Chalakudy River, about 2 hours from Cochin.
- Waterfalls
- Best Jun – Jan
- Thrissur district
Marari Beach (Mararikulam)
A quiet fishing-village beach about 14 km north of Alleppey town.
- Quiet beach
- Best Oct – Mar
- Alappuzha district
Kollam (Kollam)
Gateway to the Ashtamudi backwaters and Munroe Island, at the southern end of the Alleppey–Kollam canal route.
- Ashtamudi backwaters
- Best Oct – Mar
- Kollam district
Poovar (Poovar)
Where the Neyyar River, backwaters and the Arabian Sea meet at a golden sand bar south of Trivandrum.
- Estuary & golden beach
- Best Oct – Mar
- Thiruvananthapuram district
Bekal (Bekal)
Kerala's largest fort rises over the Arabian Sea at Bekal, with quiet beaches and backwaters nearby.
- Bekal Fort, beaches, Valiyaparamba backwaters
- Best October to March
- Kasaragod district
Ponmudi (Ponmudi)
A cool hill station about an hour from Trivandrum, reached by a winding road of 22 hairpin bends.
- Misty hills, tea estates, hairpin-bend drive
- Best September to March
- Thiruvananthapuram district
Gavi (Gavi)
A remote eco-tourism forest retreat inside the Periyar Tiger Reserve buffer, reached via Vandiperiyar.
- Eco-tourism, cardamom hills, wildlife, lake boating
- Best September to March
- Pathanamthitta district
Jatayu Earth's Center (Jatayupara)
A hilltop nature park at Chadayamangalam crowned by a giant sculpture of the mythical bird Jatayu.
- World's largest bird sculpture, cable car, rock adventure
- Best October to March
- Chadayamangalam, Kollam district
Kumbalangi (Kumbalangi)
India's first model tourism village, an island of fishing life and mangroves just south of Kochi.
- Model tourism village, Chinese fishing nets, mangroves, kayaking
- Best October to March
- Near Kochi, Ernakulam district