Kerala Holidays

Branching out of India’s deep south, the narrow state of Kerala has natural beauty in its DNA. Landscape-wise, it’s a cocktail of palm-fringed beaches, meandering backwaters and pea-green mountains. With all this, it’s easy to see why locals have nicknamed the region God’s Own Country.

Kerala has more than 600 kilometres of coastline to its name, all of which is washed by the warm Arabian Sea. Kovalam, in the south, is the place on everyone’s lips. And Lighthouse Beach has the biggest buzz to it, thanks to a good helping of restaurants and shallow, paddle-friendly waters. The north of the region, meanwhile, specialises in beaches of the won’t-see-a-soul variety.

You’ve probably heard the saying ‘it’s not the destination, but the journey’. And in no place is that more true than in Kerala. Travel here is slowed to a snail’s pace. You can explore the lazy backwaters by boat, giving you a glimpse of traditional village life. Or escape to the highlands, where tea, coffee and spice plantations sprawl across the hilly landscape. Beyond that, you’ve got national parks full of elephants, monkeys and tigers.