South India for 1 month - any must see's?
Replies: 10 - Last Post: Dec 14, 2012 1:43 AM Last Post By: rajkumarkt
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South India for 1 month - any must see's?
A friend of mine and I (both female) are going to India for 1 month. We are going to head off to Chennai next week and fly back from Bombay one month later. Anything in between is still not definitely planned. We were thinking about a houseboat-tour in Kerala for instance. Is there anything you would consider a must-see or -do in this area? We are quite open-minded regarding possible activities (just hanging out is fine, but something more adventurous would be fine as well).Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
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Some random suggestions:- Mysore- a city in Karnataka. Check it out- it's worth visiting as well as a good starting point for some surrounding areas such as Coorg, Bandipur and Nagarhole national parks.
- Mahabalipuram- pretty close to Chennai. Frther south is Pondicherry.
- Some hill stations such as Munnar, Ooty and Kodaikanal (Coorg is also kinda a hill station).
But please be more specific as to what your interests are.
3
just hanging out is fine
December/January is an excellent time to be in south India and both Kerala and Goa are popular places for just hanging out.
In Kerala Alleppey is the place for backwater trips and south of Alleppey the Varkala beach area has a relaxed vibe and is a good place to spend a few days eating/drinking and just enjoying the spectacular scenery from the hilltop restaurants.
Goa in south west India is another popular area with many beaches to chose from with beaches in south Goa generally less busy than beaches in north Goa.
but something more adventurous would be fine as well
Hill stations mentioned by Ansh should be a good adventure and perhaps a wildlife sanctuary would also appeal to you for adventure and you can look into the Periyar Wildlife area in Kerala.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Periyar_National_Park
For accomodation homestays are generally a better experience than your regular hotels and Kerala has a wide selection of homestays that you can check out.
5
Most Homestays are contactable either by Email or directly by Phone.In the advanced search box on the right hand side, type in South India and you should get a number of threads where you can see Itineries, some answers with suggestions will also have accom reccomendations.
You have got plenty of time for a decent look around.
here's a link to Homestays in Allepey area, bottom right of same page there are links to other homestays in the various regions of Kerala, if you find one that interests you, check them out on Trip Advisor.
http://www.keralatourism.org/homestay/district.php?dis=Alappuzha
Edited by: paulputt
6
We would love to have some kind of "private" accomodation but how do you accomplish that?
It will take a bit of google research to find the ideal homestay in a particular place in Kerala but the research should be fun and educational as you can also contact the hosts and perhaps have a small chat and learn something about the homestay region.
Just enter "Kerala homestay" plus the place name and you will probably see a bunch of sites selected for your homestay search.
Here is one that I found entering "Kerala homestay munnar" in google search.
http://www.munnarhomestays.net/munnar_homestay.html
Also the Homestay hosts will be able to give you directions to get to their place and in some cases even pick you up from the nearest train station.
Good Luck with your Kerala Homestay hunt !
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@ 6 torontomm, thats a great link for Munnar Homestays, Cheers.9
I travel at present time in Tamil Nadu.The highlight so far was Pondicherry. I would call it "India light with a little touch of French colonial flair". Good restaurants, nice near by beaches with Fishervillageambience,impressive churches, the most interesting Aurobindo Ashram and of course all these most pleasant people in Pondi.I read in the lp:You will probably stay longer than you intended.I agree with that!
If you are interested in most beautiful temple, you got a big variety.My favourite is Tiruvannamalai.
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Hi ThereI would skip the whole houseboat stuff in Alleppey /Kochi and head out towards North Kerala where it will be practically tourist free. Try Kozhikode (Calicut) and beyond where you will find backwaters waiting to be discovered.
For home stays look for the Kerala tourism certified locations , as Kerala Tourism has set certain standards (Gold, Silver Etc.) for those offering these services
Raj
