Kerala & The Backwaters

The South Western State of Kerala – God’s Own Country – is a perfect introduction to India with its untouched beaches, serene backwaters and canals, exotic wildlife and lush green hill stations.

• Go hiking and bamboo rafting in Periyar National Park
• Explore the tea country and hill stations of the Western Ghats
• Enjoy bird watching from your private plunge pool in Coorg NP
• Spend some time recharging on the pristine beaches of Neelshwar
• Marvel at the engineering feat of the Chinese Fishing Nets in Cochin

Life glides by as the fishermen check the catch in their cantilevered Chinese nets; rice barges float along laden down with people, cashews, coconuts or bricks; and you can watch the daily rituals of the people from a unique angle as they go about their lives on narrow spits of land. A houseboat on the backwaters offers a special insight into a peaceful and serene world.

With its large, natural harbour set around a series of islands and channels, Cochin has long been a port of great importance and was once the hub of the spice trade along the whole of the Malabar Coast.

Further inland the Nilgri Hills, part of the Western Ghats, offer a delightful climate, wonderful hiking and fascinating tea and spice plantations.

Continuing south the Periyar National Park is a wildlife sanctuary and home to a significant elephant population, as well as rare lion-tailed macaques, sambar deer, leopards and Indian bison.  There are tigers in the park but they are rarely seen!

The beaches of Northern Kerala in the area around Neeleshwar are some of the best in India and so much quieter and more authentic than those in Goa.  Watch the fisherman bring in their catch in the morning light, visit little known temples, from September to March witness endangered sea turtles hatch their eggs on the beach or just relax on the Indian Ocean shore.