Hill Resorts

Munnar Hills

Nestling in the Anamudi hill ranges of the Western Ghats, Munnar is about 130 Kms east of Kochi. It has been a favorite hill station right from the British days. The winding Ghat roads, the terrific views, the little water falls on the way , the descending fogs , the green tea estates , all of these go to make Munnar holidays really romantic. Munnar offers trekking, a visit to the Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary, Mattupetty Dam and the Kannan Devan Tea factory among other attractions. These include the Sandalwoods forests of Marayoor and the breathtakingly beautiful Top Station. There are plenty of classy luxury hotels. The best season is during the summer. But monsoon season and the winter season too are popular.

Thekkady Lake and Periyar Tiger Reserve

Thekkady is only about 100 KMs from Munnar. Thekkady is famous for its lake. On the banks of the lake is the Periyar Tiger Reserve, known for its elephants, bison and tigers. It is one of the finest wildlife sanctuaries in India. A boat ride through the lake is really exciting and as a bonus one can have sightings of wild animals, if the time of the day and the weather are favorable. There are fine hotels, home stays and resorts in and around Thekkady.

Malampuzha Dam

Malampuzha Dam is situated near Olavakkode, near Palakkad. It has a beautiful park near the dam. Still further up, there is a wildlife sanctuary. There are a good number of resorts and lodgments.

Wynad Hills and Wildlife Sanctuary

Wynad Hills are abundant with rich forests, diverse flora and fauna and excellent tourist spots. The Pookkot Lake, The Chembra Peak, The Meenmutti Falls, the largest earth dam in India, the Banasura Sagar Dam etc are the chief attractions of Wayanad. Wyanad is also known for the spices and the really breath-taking high-range ride through a spate of Hair-pin bends. Jungle resorts, Tree-top lodges and luxury hotels are available in plenty, especially in and around Kalpetta.

Ponmudi Hills

Ponmudi is almost 60 kms off Thiruvananthapuram and is located in a verdant green forest area. The enchanting beauty of nature truly enjoyed amidst quiet sylvan surroundings. The climate is always pleasant and trekking and hiking are the major attractions. Neyyar Dam is another attraction nearby and the abundance of greenery and exotic varieties of flora and fauna add to the attractions of this tourist spot.

Backwaters/ House Boat

The backwaters of Kerala and the interconnected network of canals have been used for centuries by the local people for transportation, fishing and agriculture.

These backwaters are a chain of lagoons and lakes lying parallel to the sea coast. The network includes five large lakes linked by canals which are fed by 38 rivers. The Kerala Backwaters are a network of interconnected canals, rivers and lakes , a unique water transport system formed by more than 900 km of waterways.

The towns and cities situated in the midst of this landscape serve as the starting and end points of backwater cruises. National Waterway No. 3 from Kottappuram to Kollam covers a distance of 205 km facilitating both cargo movement and backwater tourism.

The backwaters have a unique ecosystem – At certain points freshwater from the rivers meets the seawater from the Arabian Sea. To prevent the mixing of salt water and clear river water , In certain areas, barrages have been built; the important one being Thannermukkom Bund in kumarakom. Such fresh water is extensively used for irrigation purposes

Kerala houseboats, Locally called Kettuvallams, in the backwaters are one of the prominent tourist attractions in Kerala. More than 1800 kettuvallams ply the backwaters in and around Alleppey,and Kumarakom. Kumarakom which was a sleepy town for years, got transformed into one of the top tourist destination in Kerala.

The Kuttanad region is a vast area covered with bright green paddy fields. The unique feature of this place is that the level of water is a few feet higher than the level of the surrounding land, which can be seen only in Nether lands, where land has been reclaimed from the sea and crops are grown Kuttanad is a backwater paradise and an ideal destination for a backwater cruise in Kerala.

Beaches

The topography of Kerala's 550 kilometers long coastline is distinctive and changes from North to South. I In the northern parts of Kerala, in places such as Bekal, Kappad Kannur etc., the seashore rise above the level of the sea, and will be rocky. Land will be filled with Hard laterite stone typr terrain. Adjoining areas will be dotted with forts built by the colonial powers – the Portuguese, the Dutch and the British. But where ever it is, one can see large number of Coconut trees lining up the entire stretch.
While moving to the south, beaches become sandy and shiny.

Kovalam Beach

Kovalam is a truly international beach resort and perhaps the only one of its kind in Kerala. It has three adjacent crescent-shaped beaches, studded with 5-star hotels of international repute.The Hawwah beach is the chief tourist attraction with tourists from abroad, flocking it throughout the season.

Varkala Papanasam Beach

Varkala Papanasam Beach, nearly 45 km north of Thiruvanthapuram, is the only beach in Kerala that is bounded on the east by cliffs. The beautiful crescent-shaped beach is a real tourist attraction with its beauty enhanced by the red-cliffs.The common belief is that a a dip in waters of Papanasam Beach at Varkala, , washes away all the sins of a person .The main bell in the temple was presented by the captain of a Dutch sailing ship in the 17th century.

Kappad

Kappad, beach near Kozhikode in Kerala, is famous that the Portuguese explorer Vasco Da Gama, landed there on May 20, 1498. His voyage established the sea route from Europe to India.

The beach near 'Bekal Fort'

The beach near 'Bekal Fort' is the largest fort in Kasaragod,Kerala, .spreading over 40 acres of land near to the Arabian Sea. This fort is believed to be constructed by Sivappa Nayaka of Bednore in 1650AD

Muzhappilangad Beach

Muzhappilangad beach is in the Kannur district of Kerala It is located parallel to NH 17 between Kannur and Thalassery. This beach is considered as the only Drive-in Beaches in Asia and the most popular beach in the Malabar region.

Other most popularly visited beaches in Kerala are Cherai, Poovar, Marari , Payyambalam etc.

At all these locations you can indulge yourself ,Lazing on the sand with the sun on your face and the sound of crashing waves in your ears, which is the most relaxing experience money can buy, making beach holidays impossible to beat.

The unforgettable view of the sun setting at Shaghumugham Beach, the rock studded historic beach at Kappad, the relaxing Ayurveda/spa therapy at Varkala, the lovely dolphin at Alapuzha and the fort at Kochi beach, make your experiences at the beaches of Kerala truly memorable.

Western Ghats

Western Ghats or the Sahyādri range starts near the border of Gujarat and runs approximately 1,500 km Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka,Tamil Nadu and Kerala, ending at Kanyakumari in the south. It is an UNESCO approved World Heritage Site and is one of the eight hotspots of biological diversity in the world and over 5000 species of flowering plants, 139 mammal species, 508 bird species. This range separates the Deccan Plateau from a narrow coastal plain along the Arabian Sea.At least 325 globally threatened species occur in the Western Ghats.

Silent Valley National Park

This world famous Heritage site spreads over around 240 square kilometers in area and is in Nilgiri Hills, Palakkad District, Kerala. The park enjoys the unique status of an undisturbed tracts of Mountain Rain Forest in India. It is the core of the Nilgiri International Boisphere Reserve (1,460Sq KMs). Silent Valley is home to the largest population of Lion tailed Macaque an endangered species pf monkeys. Endangered bird species like Ceylon Frogmouth and Hornbill are found in this virgin forests. Several rare species of crickets and grasshoppers have been recorded here. There are nearly 730 identified species of insects in the park. To add to its greatness, this area has about a 1000 species of flowering plants,

108 species of orchids, 100 types of ferns. A visit to Silent Valley will really enrich ones life.

Wayanad

Wayanad a favorite hot spot of tourists in the Malabar Region of Kerala, is part of the majestic Western Ghats, and is situated at an altitude ranging from 700 to 2100 m. History says that organised human life existed in these parts, at least nine centuries before Christ. Several evidences on the hills of Wayanad proves the existence of the New Stone Age Civilisations in and around it.Two caves of Ampukuthimala located between Ambalavayal and Sulthan Battery have rare carvings and pictorial writings on their walls , tells us about the past and glorious civilisation existed there. The must visit locations include the Pookode Lake, Chembra Peak (7000 ft), Banasura park( 6800 Ft) and Brahmagiri (5500 ft) .The Kabini River, one of the three East flowing rivers in Kerala is an important tributary of river Kaveri. River Kabini and its three tributaries satisfies the water requirements of entire Wynad district. The Banasura Dam is built on one of the tributaries of famous Kabini.

A tourists iterinery will be incomplete without a visit to a location in the Western Ghats especially locations like Wayanad and Munnar.