Kerala Tourist Places: 25 Places to Visit in Kerala

Kerala packs a remarkable variety into a narrow strip of land between the Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea. In a single week you can wake up among misty tea estates, spend a night drifting on the backwaters, look for elephants in a tiger reserve and watch the sun set from a sea cliff. This guide covers the 25 Kerala tourist places we think are most worth your time, grouped by type, with what each is best for, how long to stay and how far each is from Kochi, where most trips begin.

The full list of 25 follows below.

1. Munnar

Kerala's best-known hill station sits about 1,500 metres up in the Western Ghats, surrounded by tea estates that cover the hills in neat green rows. Visit Eravikulam National Park to see the Nilgiri tahr, a mountain goat found only in these hills, then the Tea Museum, Mattupetty Dam and Kundala Lake. With an extra day, head to Top Station on the Tamil Nadu border or to the sandalwood forests of Marayoor. Allow two to three days. See our Munnar tour packages.

2. Thekkady (Periyar)

Thekkady is the gateway to the Periyar Tiger Reserve, one of India's best-known wildlife areas. The highlight is a boat ride on Periyar Lake, where elephants, gaur and sambar deer often come to the water's edge. Around the town are cardamom and pepper plantations, and in the evening you can watch Kathakali or Kalaripayattu, Kerala's martial art. One or two days is enough. Read our full guide to Thekkady tourist places.

3. Vagamon

A quiet hill station on the border of Idukki and Kottayam districts, Vagamon is all open meadows, a planted pine forest and gentle hills, with far fewer visitors than Munnar. It is known for three hills of three faiths: Thangal Para, Murugan Mala and Kurisumala. It makes a peaceful one-night stop between Munnar or Thekkady and the backwaters.

4. Marayoor and Chinnar

About an hour and a half north-east of Munnar, Marayoor has Kerala's only natural sandalwood forest, prehistoric stone dolmens and its own dark jaggery. Next door, Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary lies in the rain shadow of the Ghats: dry, rocky hills that look nothing like the rest of Kerala, home to the rare grizzled giant squirrel. A good day trip from Munnar.

5. Wayanad

In the far north of Kerala, Wayanad is a green plateau of forests, coffee and spice estates. See the ancient rock carvings in the Edakkal Caves, the Banasura Sagar Dam, the bamboo islands of Kuruva and, for keen walkers, the heart-shaped lake on Chembra Peak. It is a long drive from Kochi, so allow at least two or three days, or fly into Kozhikode.

6. Silent Valley National Park

One of the last stretches of untouched tropical evergreen rainforest in India, Silent Valley in Palakkad district is home to the endangered lion-tailed macaque. Entry is controlled, and visits are by forest department jeep from Mukkali, so it suits nature lovers who plan ahead.

7. Ponmudi

A small hill station about an hour and a half from Thiruvananthapuram, Ponmudi has winding roads with 22 hairpin bends, tea gardens and cool air. It is an easy day trip if you are staying in Trivandrum or Kovalam.

8. Alleppey (Alappuzha)

Alleppey is the heart of Kerala's backwaters: a web of canals, rivers and lakes lined with paddy fields and coconut palms. The classic experience is a night on a private houseboat (kettuvallam), cruising through village life and eating Kerala meals cooked on board. You can also take a shikara ride through narrow canals or relax at a lakeside resort. Compare boats on our Alleppey houseboat packages page.

9. Kumarakom

On the eastern shore of Vembanad Lake, Kerala's largest lake, Kumarakom is known for upmarket lakeside resorts and a bird sanctuary that is busiest with migratory birds in the cooler months. It is quieter than Alleppey and a favourite with honeymooners.

10. Kollam and Ashtamudi Lake

Kollam is the southern gateway to the backwaters, set on the many-armed Ashtamudi Lake. A day-long boat cruise runs between Kollam and Alleppey, a slow and scenic way to see the backwaters if you have the time.

11. Poovar

Near Kerala's southern tip, Poovar is where the Neyyar River meets the sea, creating a strip of golden sand between the river and the ocean. Boat rides through the mangroves and floating cottages make it a peaceful add-on to a Kovalam stay.

12. Kovalam

Kerala's most famous beach town has three crescent-shaped beaches, the best known being Lighthouse Beach, lined with cafes and Ayurveda resorts. The sea is calmest from October to March. Kovalam is about 30 minutes from Trivandrum airport, which makes it an easy place to end a Kerala trip.

13. Varkala

Varkala's red laterite cliffs drop straight down to the Arabian Sea, with a cliff-top path of cafes and guesthouses above Papanasam Beach. It has a more relaxed, backpacker feel than Kovalam and some of the best sunsets in Kerala.

14. Marari Beach

Just north of Alleppey, Marari is a quiet fishing-village beach with a few boutique resorts and almost no crowds. It pairs well with a houseboat night for travellers who want both backwaters and the sea.

15. Cherai Beach

On Vypin Island, less than an hour from Kochi, Cherai has the sea on one side and backwaters on the other. It is the easiest beach to add at the start or end of a Kochi-based trip.

16. Bekal

In the far north, Bekal Fort is the largest fort in Kerala, a huge keyhole-shaped laterite fort jutting into the sea. It is a long way from Kochi, so visit as part of a northern Kerala trip with Kannur and Wayanad.

17. Athirapilly Waterfalls

Kerala's biggest waterfall plunges about 24 metres down a wide rock face on the Chalakudy River, with the smaller Vazhachal falls a few kilometres upstream. It is about two hours from Kochi and at its most powerful in and just after the monsoon. See our Athirapilly & Munnar 4-day tour.

18. Jatayu Earth's Center

On a rocky hilltop in Kollam district, this park is built around a giant sculpture of Jatayu, the bird from the Ramayana. A cable car takes you to the top for the sculpture and wide views. It makes a good stop on the drive between Trivandrum and the backwaters.

19. Fort Kochi and Mattancherry

Kochi's old quarter is best explored on foot: the Chinese fishing nets on the shore, St Francis Church, where Vasco da Gama was first buried, the Santa Cruz Basilica, Mattancherry Palace with its murals and the Paradesi Synagogue in Jew Town. Allow at least half a day. See our walking guide to Fort Kochi tourist places.

20. Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum)

Kerala's capital is home to the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple (open to Hindus only, with a strict dress code), the Napier Museum, the Sree Chitra Art Gallery with paintings by Raja Ravi Varma, and the Kuthiramalika Palace. It combines easily with Kovalam, Varkala and Poovar.

21. Guruvayur

Guruvayur's Sri Krishna Temple is one of Kerala's most important pilgrimage centres (entry for Hindus only). Nearby, the Punnathur Kotta elephant camp is home to dozens of temple elephants. It is about two and a half hours north of Kochi. See our Guruvayur, Munnar, Thekkady & Alleppey tour.

22. Thrissur

Known as Kerala's cultural capital, Thrissur is built around the Vadakkunnathan Temple and hosts Thrissur Pooram, a famous festival of decorated elephants and fireworks in April or May. Nearby, Kerala Kalamandalam is a leading school of Kathakali and other classical arts.

23. Kozhikode (Calicut)

Vasco da Gama landed at Kappad Beach near Kozhikode in 1498. Today the city is best known for its food: Malabar biryani, seafood and the halwa shops of SM Street. It is also the nearest airport for Wayanad.

24. Kannur

Kannur in north Kerala is the best place to see Theyyam, an ancient ritual performance in which dancers in spectacular costumes and make-up are believed to embody gods. Performances take place in village shrines, mainly between December and April. Kannur also has quiet beaches and Muzhappilangad, a beach you can drive along.

25. Kanyakumari

At the southern tip of India, just across the border in Tamil Nadu, Kanyakumari is where the Arabian Sea, the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean meet. Watch the sunrise, then take the ferry to the Vivekananda Rock Memorial. It is about two hours from Trivandrum and often added to a Kerala tour. See our Kerala & Kanyakumari tour.

Most visitors fly into Kochi and combine the hills, a wildlife stop and the backwaters. Here's how many places fit into different trip lengths:

• 4 days: Munnar and a houseboat night in Alleppey. See our Kerala 4 Days Itinerary.
• 5 days: Munnar, Thekkady and Alleppey. See our Kerala 5 Days Itinerary.
• 6 days: three nights in Munnar, including Marayoor and Chinnar, then Thekkady and a houseboat. See our Kerala 6 Days Itinerary.
• 7 days: Munnar, two nights in Thekkady, an Alleppey resort and a houseboat. See our Kerala 7 Days Itinerary.
• 8 days: Munnar, Vagamon, the backwaters and two nights on the beach at Kovalam. See our Vagamon, Munnar & Kovalam tour.

Whatever you choose, check our guide to the best time to visit Kerala before you book, or browse all our Kerala tour packages.

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