Kerala TRAVEL GUIDE

Kerala

 

Kerala a state in Southern 

India is known as a tropical paradise of waving palms and wide sandy beaches. It is a narrow strip of coastal territory that slopes down the Western Ghats in a cascade of lush green vegetation, and reaches to the Arabian sea. Kerala borders the states of Tamil Nadu to the east and Karnataka to the north. It is also known for its backwaters, mountains, coconuts, spices and art forms like Kathakali and Mohini Attam. It is the most literate state in India, and a land of great religiosity, where you can find Hindu temples, mosques, churches, and even synagogues. With world class tourist sporting options, ayurvedic spas and treatments, eco-tourism initiatives, a large number of visit options ranging from beautiful high altitude blue mountains to pristine rain forests to golden sun-sand beaches and an enormous range of accommodation, Kerala has much to offer the visitor.

Regions

 

Malabar
famous for its heritage, spices, textiles and food, Malabar is one of the India's most notable historical regions

Central Kerala the largest urban agglomeration of Kochi, the cultural heart of Kerala-Thrissur, and food basket of Kerala-Palakkad are located here

Central Travancore Kerala's backwaters, and the land of churches, latex and literacy

Northern Travancore known for its mountains and hill stations, and plantations of spices, tea and coffee

Southern Travancore home to the capital city and various monuments, large temples, churches, and sporting events

Cities

• Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum) — The capital and the largest city in Kerala, famous for its beaches, historical monuments and parks. The city is also famous for being a major IT hub as well as home of several top universities and research centers.

• Alapuzha (Alleppey) — heartland of Kerala Backwaters with natural maze of canals criss-cross the city, leading to it being called the Venice of the East. The biggest boat race in India for the Nehru Trophy happens here every August.

• Kochi (Cochin) — The commercial capital of Kerala, the gateway of Kerala and the second largest city of Kerala with unlimited shopping options.

• Kannur — A historical town famous for its strong heritage, political movements, forts and beaches.

• Kollam (Quilon) — A commercial town famous for its cashew & coir industries, surrounded by backwaters and lakes.

• Kottayam — known for its latex, literacy and letters and as major educational centre.

• Kozhikode (Calicut) — Most prominant city of Malabar area,where Vasco da Gamma landed for the first time in India, and one of the world's oldest thriving trade centres. A very clean city known for its friendly inhabitants.

• Munnar — one of the most untouched hill stations in India, with misty blue mountains and colonial bungalows

• Thrissur (Trichur) — the cultural capital of Kerala and also famous for jewellery shops and silk sarees. 

Other destinations

 

• Athirapilly Waterfalls — milky waterfalls and pristine rain forests
• Bekal Fort — a massive coastal Portuguese fort in north Kerala
• Kerala Backwaters — stretching across central Kerala, a must-try experience
• Kovalam Beach — World famous beach near Trivandrum
• Kumarakom — bird sanctuary near Kottayam
• Palakkad — famous for its rural lifestyle, large rice farms, mountains and rain forests
• Silent Valley National Park — rain forest with several endangered, protected species
• Thekkady — Periyar Tiger Reserve and elephant forests.
• Wayanad — caves, waterfalls and pristine forests
• Ponmudi — Hill station at Trivandrum, known for its beautiful scenery. 

Climate

Kerala, being very close to equator, has a tropical climate. Kerala experiences heavy rains almost throughout the year, and is one of the wettest areas in the earth.
Kerala has three distinct seasons:

• Summer lasts from from mid-February to mid-May. The tropical sun is really hot and temperatures can go up to 35°C in the afternoons.
• The monsoon is in place from mid-May until early September. The North-East Monsoon winds bring heavy showers.
• Winter is mild and lasts from about mid-October to early February. Heavy rains occur from the last week of September until until early November, due to the retreat of the South-East monsoon. There is no snow in Kerala, although it is quite cold and misty in the mountain regions.

When in Kerala, carry an umbrella no matter what time of the year it is. You can be caught in a sudden shower in summer which will leave you drenched if you are unprepared. The Kerala sun coupled with high rate of humidity can be unforgiving in the summer months.
The temperature averages around:

• 28°C - 36°C daytime, 24°C - 30°C at night in summer seasons of March, April
• 20°C - 28°C daytime, 18°C - 25°C at night for the rest of the year

Temperatures may drop down to 10°C or sometimes even little below during Winter seasons (November, December) in Hilly areas of Western ghats, especially at popular hill-stations like Munnar and Wynad etc, which results a misty days and freezing nights coupled with light cold showers. However in other places, the temperatures never drop below 15°C.
Recently summers have become hotter. Though the maximum temperature on summers has never risen higher than 38°C, the rising humidity has made recent summers difficult. The height of the Kerala summer is normally between mid-March and May. Wear only light loose cotton clothes during this season. Consider a trip to hilly areas where the temperatures never exceed 26°C.
Kerala experiences mild winds throughout most of the year.

Backwaters

• Backwaters of Kerala are a maze of lagoons criss-crossed with rivers, shallow pools and canals, all separated from the sea by a narrow strip of sand banks. Backwaters are present throughout the state but Alappuzha and Kottayam are most notable in this regard.
• The annual Vallam Kali boat races take place in the backwaters. The boats are large wooden canoes that can accommodate 60 to 100 rowers. The most famous race is for the Nehru Trophy Vallam Kalli, held on the second Saturday of August as a tribute to the former Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru who had a keen interest in this sport. 

Mountains

• The Blue Mountains of the Western Ghats, popularly known as Nilgiris, are close to Trivandrum and there are numerous hill stations in thise area. The most popular is Munnar, the honeymoon capital of the state. The highest peak of the Western Ghats is located at Anamudi (2,695 metres) and is good for trekking. The area is also home to several sanctuaries and forest reserve areas.

• There are more than two dozen waterfalls, both large and small, with numerous rapids and springs. The largest fallwaters are at Athirampally, where three milky waterfalls fall at great speed. 

Beaches

Kerala has 650 km of coastline and numerous beaches. Some of the more notable are:

• Kovalam Beach near Trivandrum has a good bathing area, clean environment and plenty of accomodation. This was a centre of Hippy counter-culture in sixties, and is today well known for hedonistic beach parties.

• Cherai Beach near Kochi city has a large golden sand beach.

• Alapuzha Beach and Kollam Beach are both well known for beach sports and tournaments.

• Kozhikode Beach is where Vasco da Gama first landed in India, marking the start of European colonisation and the Age of Discovery.

• Varkala Beach near Kollam A long cliff makes the beach more natural (no restaurant behind you). long beach with a natural spring.

• Muzhappilangadu near Kannur A long drive in beach in Kannur district with lush greenery around. This beach has a naturally clean and closely packed sand which makes it drivable. Beach is very long 4-5 km and is a pleasant place to spend time.

Lots of adventure activities like para gliding/ para sailing etc. are arranged in this beach regularly.

Get in 

By plane

There are three airports in Kerala, with flights to domestic and international destinations: Kozhikode, Kochi(Nedumbassery) and Thiruvananthapuram. The airports have several carriers operating international flights around the world.
Kochi International Airport (COK) is the largest airport with regular flight connections to most of the Middle East Southeast Asia. Europe and US bound passengers need to transit in the Middle East or Mumbai. Regular charter flights from London, New York and Moscow operate to Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram.
Thiruvananthapuram International Airport (TRV) has regular connections to most of parts of India, as well as to the Middle East and elsewhere in Asia .
Kozhikode International Airport (CCJ) is a new airport with limited international connects others than to the Middle East.
There are 20 to 25 international carriers offering flights to Kerala. Apart from international carriers, Air India, Jet Airways, Kingfisher offers international connections from Kochi. Domestic destinations accessible by direct flights from these airports include Chennai, Bangalore, Mumbai, Agatti, Hyderabad,Mangalore,Goa and Delhi. There are daily, some bi-daily flights to most of the Indian cities from airports in Kochi and Trivandrum.

By train

Indian Railways [3] operates several trains to, from and within Kerala. Trains into Kerala start from neighbouring states like Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Long-haul direct train services from cities like Delhi and Mumbai are also available.
Log on to the Indian Railways booking site [4] to book tickets online or you can walk up to any railway station to book tickets between any two destinations in India.
Be aware that trains are the most popular method of transport and almost all trains in Kerala originate or terminate in Thiruvananthapuram or Ernakulam, and are usually heavily booked. Buy your tickets as early as possible. Another option is using Tatkal. You pay double, but have a chance of getting a seat. Tatkal is an emergency service, hence its booking is open just 48 hours before departure. Some travel agents have authorized booking quotas for certain trains.
Recently, the luxury tourist train The Golden Chariot has introduced a South Indian Rail Tour, which includes many parts of Kerala. This is a good option for those who want to visit the South Indian states on as tight schedule. The train starts from Bangalore and covers Chennai, Pondicherry, Trichy, Madurai, Trivandrum, Alapuzha, Kochi and back to Bangalore. The 7 night/8 day package tour, costs US$3,000-7,000 depending upon the class taken.

By bus

Inter-state private and government buses operates between neighboring states. Usually the journey is performed in the night so that you can escape the heat of the day. The most common inter-state bus is Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC-Karnataka) with daily bus from most of Major cities of Kerala to Bangalore, Mysore and Mangalore. Tamil Nadu State Bus like SETC also operates regularly from Kerala. Kerala's State bus- KRSTC-Kerala do have regular Ordinary bus to most of nearby places in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. KRSTC-Kerala also operates a few Volvo AC bus to Bangalore and Coimbatore.
However Private bus players to operate more buses than Govt options. Most of them are well maintained. Kallada, Shama, KPN are the major Bus players, though recently Raj National and few others have entered with Pan India operations. Kallada, KPN, Shama etc have regular buses to Bangalore, Chennai and many other places in Tamil Nadu as well as Karnataka on various times
It is recommended that you consider booking long distance bus tickets on "Air Conditioned Volvo buses" operated by all operators as the quality of the other buses vary significantly.

By road

Kerala is well connected by National Highways:

• NH 17 (Connecting Mumbai to Cochin via Western coastal side of Goa, Karnataka and almost all towns of Malabar like Kannur, Kozhikode etc),
• NH 47 (Connecting Salem with Kanyakumari via Coimbatore, Palakkad, Thrissur,Kochi, Alapuzha, Kollam, Trivandrum
• NH 212 (Connecting Kozhikode to Mysore via Wayanad),
• NH 49 (Connecting Kochi to Ramaeswaram via Munnar, Madurai),
• NH 220 (Connecting Kollam to Theni in Tamil Nadu via Kottayam, Kanjirapally, Kumily and enters into Tamil Nadu at Kambam),
• NH 208 (Connecting Kollam with Madurai via Punalur, Shenkottai, Tenkasi) and
• NH 213 (Connecting Palakkad with Kozhikode)

Most of the NH roads are dual carriageways. As vehicle density is very high in Kerala, accidents are common[5]. You must be extra cautious while driving here.

By ferry

Kochi is a major cruise port and a large international cruise terminal is under construction. Once completed, regular cruises will be operated from Kochi. A regular luxury Cruise between Colombo, Male and Kochi is now operational. Some private players have regular cruises from Mumbai and Goa to Kochi, included in their package. All Lakshadweep bound cruises originate in Kochi and make return trips.
Also private yachts and other sea going boats regularly call at Kochi.

Get around

Kerala is quite well connected with all modes of transport. The flat southern side is better connected than mountainous north.

By train

Trains are good for long distance travel within the state. Most trains are long distance trains with stops at many of Kerala's stations. Short distance trains are mainly intercity passenger trains, connecting only major cities like Kochi, Trivandrum, Palakkad, Alapuzha, Kollam, Kottayam, Kozhikode, Kannur and Thrissur. The main Intercity trains are:

• Jana Shatabdi Express connecting Kozhikode to Trivandrum via Cochin, Alleppey, Kollam.
• Mangalore-Trivandrum Express which covers almost all major metros of Kerala on its west coast.
• Ernakulam-Thiruvananthapuram Intercity- very popular option for regular commuters working in these two cities and some cities inbetween.
• Ernakulam-Alleppey Passenger.
• Ernakulam-Kayakulam Passenger.
• Ernakulam-Kottayam Passenger.
• Shornur-Trivandrum Venad Intercity Express.
• Ernakulam-Kollam Passenger.
• Palakkad-Trivandrum Amrita Express.
• Shornur-Ernakulam Passenger.
• Ernakulam-Guruvayur Passenger.
• Kannur-Ernakulam Intercity Express.

Note: Express trains are relatively faster, as they stop only at major stations and gets priority in event of crossing. Passenger trains stops at all stations in a route and can be held-up in event of an express train crossing, thus takes longer time. However latter is good option, if one needs to align at small village or town stations, not catered by express trains.

By car

Roads remain the primary popular options. Almost each nook and corner of the state is connected by road. The primary roads are NH 47, NH 49, NH 17 and NH 212 which all National Highways. The NH 47 is one of most busiest as it connects Kochi and Trivandrum. The traditional primary road is MC Road, which covers on the most scenic places in south Kerala. However NH 47 cut the time at least by 1 hour for a travel between Kochi and Trivandrum.
State Highways connect to almost all parts of Kerala. Most of the SH are Bi-lane roads. Due to heavy rains, its common to see potholes in most of roads. Some of the wettest areas like Alleppey, Kottayam, Iddukki etc have extremely damaged roads.

By bus

Bus transport is most popular transport to travel within Kerala and ideal for budget conscious travellers. Kerala has an excellent public bus system operated by both government-owned Kerala State Road Transport Corp (KSRTC-Kerala) and various private operators. All fares are determined by Transport Department and uniform across the state in accordance to nature of buses. Typically, there are 4 class of buses, all are non air-conditioned;

• Ordinary (ORD) which is a basic, no-frills services with covering short and medium distance areas with stoppages at all legal stops in its authorized route. The minimum fare is Rs 2.50 with 42 paise for every Km

• Fast Passenger (FP) is better service covering large distances with limited stops, only at main villages or towns. Also known as Limited Stop Bus with initials LP/FP marked in red in its route board. The minimum fare is Rs 3.00 with 50 paise for every Km

• Super Fast (SF), also known as express services, connects major towns and district headquarters with limited stop only at major towns in its route. The minimum fare is Rs 6.00 with 50 paise per Km

• Deluxe Express (LF), also known as Lightening Fast, is a strictly point-to-point services, connecting major cities with technical stops only in major cities. This services uses larger air-bus with good suspension and comfortable cushion seats. The minimum fare is Rs 20 with 65 paise for every Km

KSRTC brands SF and LF as Malabar for all North Kerala services and Venad for all South Kerala services.
Apart from above services, air-conditioned buses also operate, mainly between metros and cities, known as Garuda and Hi-tech Services, where premium Volvo buses are used. Minimum fares starts from Rs 50 with 75 paise to Rs 1 for every Km, depending upon bus type.
While KSRTC has different liveries for each of class of service (Red for Ordinary, Green for FP, Blue-White for SF and LF), private operators has no uniform liveries and paint according to their choice. Check at route board, to know the class of service. All KSRTC buses have its own Bus depots or stations in major towns and villages and stops only at those stops that displays its logo. Whereas private buses do stop at any convenient part of towns and villages, though in few cities it has its own private bus stands and stations. Check with locals, to know where each class of bus operates. There is no route numbering for buses in Kerala. Most of the buses are crowded and must beware of pick-pockets.

By air

Helicopter and Air-taxi services are available between Kochi and Trivandrum and can used to connect these two major metros with District Headquarters. However its a very expensive option.
There is no Intra-City Train/Metro services now in any Kerala city, though Kochi is going to start a Metro Service soon, likewise Trivandrum is proposing a Skybus and Rapid BRT option. A proposal for Intra City Rail for Kochi is also proposed. Dedicated Inter-city Rail called MEMU will start within October 2010 between Kochi and Kollam.

.........so   please   visit   dazzling   Gods own country............

RE REPORTED BY,, 

Jasim mubarak pk,  student of msc industrial fisheries cusat ,cochin