Coastal Kerala

An early start is recommended catch to see the capital’s Padmanabhaswamy Temple and its adjacent water tank bathed in morning light – one of the region’s most exotic spectacles. Unfortunately, non-Hindus are not permitted to enter the shrine, but everyone may visit the nearly palace Puttan Malika Palace, former seat of the Travancore royals, which holds a series of beautiful chambers featuring polished eggshell floors and ornately carved pillars. Chalai Bazaar, opposite the approach to the temple, is also worth a browse for its traditional Keralan textiles and ritual utensils.

The mountains of inland Kerala are one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots. Although tea, coffee and spice plantations dominate many areas, abundant forest also survives, and the Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary encompasses one of the most easily accessible of these. Centred on a flooded valley system, the park is among the largest in India, famous first and foremost for its herds of wild elephant, which can routinely be spotted from the water.

A fleet of boats set out on safaris at dawn, but visitors can increase their chances of elephant and other wildlife sightings by opting for less intrusive rafting trips, or treks on foot through the forest to viewing platforms. Your guide will discuss the various options with you the night before.

Plantations of neatly manicured bushes cloak the slopes soaring above Munnar, a typical Indian town overshadowed by soaring peaks. Visits to tea gardens are popular day trips, and the more energetic may trek to the high, grassy ridges overlooking the valley for a glimpse of a Nilgiri tahr, a rare mountain goat endemic to this area.

The mountain slopes around Munnar hold some of the highest tea plantations in the world. The climate is perfect for growing this valuable crop. Only the dark-brown peaks and highest ridges have been left wild, and these are the domain of elephants and Nilgiri tahr, who still roam free in healthy numbers – an amazing fact given the density of population on the surrounding plains of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. After your sightseeing, soak up the atmosphere of the high range relaxing in your hotel garden, enjoying the views and blissfully cool air.

On the low-lying coastal strip of central Kerala stretches a vast, shimmering saltwater lagoon known as Vembanad Lake. As well as being a prime fishing ground for inhabitants of the surrounding backwaters, the 200-sq-km body of water is also an important nesting site for migratory wetland birds, for whom a sanctuary has been set aside at Kumarakom. Species such as darter, white-breasted water hen and snake birds are commonly sighted between November and March, when the glassy surface of the lake is speckled with dozens of stately houseboats cruising between the resorts located in the area.

Up until the 1980s, large barges made of oiled jackwood and canopies of plaited palm leaves were used throughout the backwaters of Kerala to transport rice and other produce through the backwaters. Now, trucks do the haulage work, but the boats – known as kettu vallam in Malayali – have been put to more lucrative uses, taking visitors on cruises around the canals, rivers and lagoons of this fascinating region. Floating duck farms a common sight, as are locals fishing by torch light for crab, karimeen and the other backwater delicacies that make Kuttinadi cuisine one of the most varied and succulent in India.

For centuries the hub of India’s spice and tea trade, Fort Cochin occupies the northern tip of a peninsula dividing the mouth of the Vembanad Lake from the Arabia Sea. Its low-rise, red-tiled skyline bears the imprint of its former colonial residents: Lusitanian chapels, Jewish synagogues, Dutch burghers’ houses, Armenian mansions, and British bungalows and godowns (warehouses) all survive in the Fort’s grid of narrow lanes – the largest collection of early colonial buildings in Asia. You’ll also come across a number of delightful art galleries, cafés and interesting clothes boutiques.

Thalassery was a major trade hub in the early colonial era, when it was better known as ‘Tellicherry’. The British gained a firm foothold here in the late 17th century, constructing a huge square fort on the bluff overlooking the beach. Approached via a gabled gateway sporting figures of European gentlemen in Elizabethan dress, St Joseph’s Fort remains amazingly well preserved and provides a fine vantage point over the town and coastline. The town is also a good base from which to make forays inland in search of Kerala’s arcane ritual theatre forms, including theyyem – a spectacular masked dance tradition performed at local temples.

Possible excursions include a visit to a local cinnamon plantation, and a trip taking in one or two hidden coves in the area for a secluded swim. The hilltop mansion you’ll be staying in was built by a British official in the 1860s. With its original wood floors, high-beamed ceilings, family heirlooms and antique four-posters, the house’s interior feel like stepping into a bygone era.

With their hinterland of palm trees and soft white sand, the remote, empty beaches of northern Kerala are tropical idylls. And Nileshwaram is the prettiest of them all. Our preferred accommodation option is gorgeous too, with a huge pool right behind the beach under the coconut palms. You’ll have opportunities to sample Ayurvedic massages and attend talks on Indian art and culture in evenings should you wish.

Visits to temples and local market towns are easily arranged, while Bekal Fort, a rambling clifftop fortress dating from the 17th century, is a short drive away. Anyone wishing to experience authentic Keralan ritual theatre may also wish to attend a theyyem festival, in which extravagantly masked dancers enter trances and perform energetic spirit possession dances through the night til dawn.