What is the first thing that comes to you mind when you hear the word Kerala?

Well, the case with me is- ‘backwaters‘! The first and foremost attraction for any tourist, domestic or foreigner is definitely the backwaters of Kerala. Backwaters, as the name suggests , are actually water bodies on the mainland of Kerala. The Kerala Backwater are actually interconnected networks of lagoons, lakes and canals. The backwaters of Kerala were formed by the beautiful hand of Nature.

The activities of ocean currents and waves have created certain barriers type of land masses or “barrier islands” along the mouths of many rivers, and because of this, the water that once seeps in, is retained, and you get a natural wonder, all yours to be experienced!!

The size and magnitude of the backwaters is also aw-inspiring, they stretch to a total of around 900km!! It would take you days if you want to traverse the whole stretch of the water bodies, on the long boats. And, yes, the boat rides are just too awesome, and you can view the whole rural life along the banks.

So, as a tourist why should you visit the backwaters?
Well, firstly, these are the only of their kinds, at least in India. This is eco tourism at its best and, if you are going to Kerala, you just can’t miss them. The back waters boast of a myriad types of species of animals, rainforests, sea creatures like crabs, frogs and mudskippers and a score of species of birds like the kingfisher. Actually a treat for for an eco tourist.

Other than eco tourism , the best part about backwaters of Kerala, is that you get to live in the backwaters, yes, I mean in them. You can actually live on House Boats. These are nothing spectacular, and not like your usual cruise, but you can experience basic living in these boats which often houses a couple of room, perfect for outdoor living and sleep to the sounds of nature.

The house boat is popularly known as ‘kettuvallams’ in Kerala and initially they were made to tow the rice harvest from the rice and fertile land mass around the backwaters and later, by the British , they were turned into houseboats. Kettuvallams come in different shapes and sizes, according to your needs and budget, and they can be up to 30m long on an average but mostly all the house boats have a living room, a dining area, an English type seating toilet and an open area on the dock, besides a kitchen and some staff consisting of cooks and cleaners usually accompany you.

These houseboats are made in such a way, so as to provide maximum view of the grandeur to you and soothe your senses. One noticeable point about these is that they are on the move most of the time, and stop only at the time of the meals; this ensures that you explore new territories and new avenues, giving you maximum value for money! If you want to know how these house boats are made, then, you need to visit the houseboat making yard near kollam (alumkadavu). Most of the house boat trips are pre planned, one or two night trips, during which you are picked up from a starting point, taken for a cruise overnight (or two nights) on a pre planned track and brought back to your destination. Some of the most famous houseboat cruises can be found at places like allapuzha and surrounding areas and beylore- a small fishing town in the backwaters of Kerala.

If you find a good travel agent, they also arrange nature tourism packages, where you get to live in the real homes of some people here. These houses are untarnished by anything modern, and you get to live in the simple ways of natives, complete with an outdoor latrine.

Hope to see you in Kerala next monsoon- happy sailing!!

Remember when you last heard the phrase “God’s own country”? Exactly, Kerala is what I am talking about, but have you ever wondered as to why this place, and only this place in India, where you have thousands of diversified cultures, is given that title??

Let me elaborate on this.. Well, Kerala is situated on the south-eastern coast of India (also called the Malabar coast), which falls in the tropical region, and it lies along the Arabian sea, plus it has the western ghats surrounding it, which, according to a study makes it one of the most bio-diverse places on this planet. it shares its borders with Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. and the Andaman and Nicobar islands are also just around the corner.
Kerala is considered to be one the most social and non-corrupt states in the world, and has more than 90pc literacy rate, which means, it is one of the safest states for non-resident tourists coming to Kerala.

Coming on the main story, why Kerala?

Kerala hosts the snake boat races (officially known as the Nehru Trophy boat race), which are one of its kind in the world. Then you have the mellow backwaters of Kerala, which are networks of interconnected lakes and rivers, nowhere in the world will you be able to find such lush environment and guess what, you can actually live in a house boat for as long as you want at affordable rates and enjoy the scrumptious cuisines of Kerala, composed mainly of sea food and coconuts. Infact, after tourism, it’s the coconut industry that’s is most vital in Kerala.All these attractions can be found out around the areas of Alleypey, Kumarakom and Punnamada

You get to see places like kochi and thiruvananthpuram, which are thriving markets and kochi is known specially for its spices, which are famous the world over(Christopher Columbus was coming to kochi only when he “discovered” America).

Have you ever seen the festivals consisting of elephants and other animals on the discovery channel? Well, that festival is officially known as the Thrissur pooram!!it is an annual festival usually held around April and May every year.

Kerala gave birth to an ancient dance form, known as mohiniattam, meaning dance of the enchantress in literal terms.. and trust me , it is enchanting. Keralite culture includes other dance and theatrical forms such as kathakali( story telling) thullal,padyani and theyyam( all three are art forms).Kerala also boasts of a martial art form, native to Kerala itself, known as kalaripayattu, meaning practice of the battlefield. And if you think Kerala lags behind in sports, just to give you an idea, well it is home to football clubs like Viva Kerala and FC cochin .

Other popular attraction of the state include the world famous Kovalam and varkala beaches, the sunset , specially at varkala beach is an eye soothing site for all. Besised, as mentioned , Kerala is home to many wildlife sanctuaries like the ones at periyar and eravikulum and if you are lucky, you might even be able to spot the Bengal Tiger, which inhibits the eastern coasts of Kerala.Ayurveda and holistic healing methods are also something the foreign visitor expects out of Kerala, and mind it, Kerala provides the best ayurveda healing techniques and services such as natural spas and acupuncture in the whole of India.

If oceans, backwaters and beaches don’t impress you, you can scale certain peaks, ranging from 1500m to 2500m on an avg. in Kerala. Most famous hill stations of Kerala are devikulum, munnar and Kottancherry Hills.

Kerala has also been awarded accolades like “best performing tourism state” ,”best leisure tourist destination” , “most ecofriendly destination” by the world and Indian associations like the Outlook traveler and pacific asia travel writers, among other.

I hope you know now, why on this earth is Kerala called the god’s own country?? Where else would you find the natural wonders like the backwaters, the beaches and the mountains, gelled together with cultural gems such as mohiniyattam and kathakalli, surrounded by soothing and caring people who live in perfect harmony with the wildlife here?? Where else would you find a place on Earth, so complete, tranquil and inviting as the God’s Own Country – Kerala.

The best places to stay are the hotels run by KTDC( Kerala Tourism Department corpotation) at all major towns like munnar, ernakulum , eduki etc. and a unique facility called the “homestay” is offered, which provides you to stay at homes of local families of Kerala, which means that you are basically living in someone else’s home, who has been authorized by the Kerala govt. to look after you, fascinating, isn’t it?

Kerala is well connected by air, land and rail:
By Air-
Airports – Thiruvananthpuram – the major flights are to/from Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai Bangalore, Dubai, Colombo, Sharjah, Maldives, Doha and Kuwait.
Kochi - Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Goa , Agathi, Sharjah, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Muscat
and Khozikode.- Coimbatore, Mumbai, Chennai and same international flight as those of thiruvananthpuram.

By rail and road – Kerala is connected to places within the state by a good rail and road networkd and outside of the state, it is connected to places like Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai and Kolkata through railways.

The Kerala govt has approached the aviation ministry for permission to start an Airlines operation.

With a huge immigrant population in the Gulf, the Kerala Govt wants to start an international flight to the Gulf.

Looks like they don’t have the pre-requisites like the minimum operations of 20 aircrafts and to be in business for a minimum of 5 years, but they have been looking for an exception.

Why don’t they just lobby with the govt to allow more flight by the private operators?