Kannur
Housed in part of the royal palace of the Arakkal family, a powerful Kannur dynasty with its roots dating to the 12th century, this harbourfront museum…
Must-see attractions in Kerala
Kovalam
Amid neatly tended, banyan-shaded grounds 500m north of Vizhinjam harbour, this small shrine is one of Kerala's most ancient rock-cut temples. A sculpture…
Kerala
The refurbished Archaeology Museum is housed in the wonderful 200-year-old Sakthan Thampuran Palace, built in Keralan-Dutch style. Its mix of artefacts…
Varkala
Just east of central Varkala, Sivagiri Mutt is the headquarters of the Shri Narayana Dharma Sanghom Trust, devoted to Shri Narayana Guru (1855–1928),…
Varkala
Ringed by rust-red cliffs, Varkala's main beach is a holy spot for Hindus, who for centuries have made offerings for passed loves ones and washed away…
Kovalam
Kovalam's most distinguishing feature is the working candy-striped lighthouse at the southern end of Lighthouse Beach. Climb the spiral staircase – or zip…
Kannur
Framed by low palm-sprinkled headlands and a shallow lagoon, this beautiful powdery gold-sand expanse, 8km southeast of Kannur centre, is home to the area…
Northern Kerala
Isolated Kappil Beach, 6km north of Bekal, is a beautiful, lonely stretch of fine gold-hued sand with calm water, but beware of shifting sandbars…
Northern Kerala
Around 18km southeast of Bekal, Nileshwar's gorgeous beach is a tranquil, palm-bordered expanse of blonde sand that fades into the hazy distance; there…
Kovalam
A powdery stretch of gold-and-black sand, Kovalam's main beach is notable for the candy-striped lighthouse at its southern end.
Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary (Tholpetty)
Northern Kerala
Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary can only be visited by two-hour jeep safari; this is the location of the reserve's northern gate.
Periyar Tiger Reserve
Insightful one-hour tours weave through perfumed spice gardens at this friendly, organic 12-hectare family farm, 3km west of Kumily, in operation since…
Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum)
Trivandrum’s spiritual heart is this 18th-century temple (closed to non-Hindus) in the Fort area, which fuses Keralan and Dravidian architecture and whose…
Kerala
Finished in classic Keralan architecture, one of the oldest Hindu temples in the state crowns the low hill at the heart of Thrissur. It's dedicated to…
Kerala
The Hindu-only temple at Guruvayur, 25km northwest of Thrissur, is one of Kerala's most famous shrines, dedicated to Guruvayurappan (the rare infant form…
Munnar
Around 1.5km northwest of town, this KDHP-owned museum is a demo model of a working tea factory, but still shows the basic process, along with a…
Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum)
Within the grounds of Trivandrum's zoo, this gallery displays paintings by the Rajput, Mughal and Tanjore schools, and portraits by renowned Keralite…
Kerala Dinesh Beedi Co-Operative
Kannur
The Kannur region is known for the manufacture of beedis, those tiny Indian cigarettes deftly rolled inside green leaves. This is one of the largest and…
Northern Kerala
An 11km drive east from Kalpetta, the Uravu nonprofit collective of 200 workers (most of them women) creates all sorts of artefacts from bamboo. You can…
Kannur
Established in 1955, this is one of the oldest cooperatives in Kannur and occupies a large building where weavers busily work away to the click of looms…
Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum)
Yann Martel famously based the animals in his novel Life of Pi on those he observed in Trivandrum’s Zoological Gardens. Shaded paths meander through…
Kochi (Cochin)
In a pair of former bomb shelters, this museum traces the history of the Indian navy, as well as maritime trade dating back to the Portuguese and Dutch…
Kerala
Flanking the north end of the harbour, west of Kollam centre, Thangassery was once an important Portuguese, then Dutch and finally British trading post…
Alappuzha (Alleppey)
Alleppey's main beach is 2km west of the city centre; swimming is fraught due to strong currents, but the sunsets are good and there are a few places for…
Periyar Tiger Reserve
About 14km southwest of Kumily, this four-decade-old working tea factory and plantation offers one-hour guided tours of the tea-making process and tea…
Kovalam
About 1km south of Kovalam's Lighthouse Beach, Vizhinjam village has a busy harbour from where fishing boats head out each day, along with one of Kerala's…
Kochi (Cochin)
Built on the site of an early-16th-century Portuguese church (demolished during the British Raj), Fort Cochin's imposing neoclassical Catholic basilica…
Varkala
Between Black Beach and Odayam Beach, Varkala's aquarium displays large tanks of exotic species – scorpionfish, angelfish, koi, the local karimeen – along…
Kochi (Cochin)
Consecrated in 1724, this cemetery near Kochi's beach contains the worn and dilapidated graves of Dutch traders and soldiers. Its gates are normally…
Periyar Tiger Reserve
Around 4km west of Kumily, 4-hecare Highrange is awash with lush organic gardens where you can see spices, ayurvedic herbs and vegetables growing. It's…
Kannur
Kannur town's main sandy strand is the blonde, 4km-long Payyambalam Beach, 3km west of the train station, just past the military cantonment.
Kochi (Cochin)
Though the interior of this 1667 Indo-European bungalow was being renovated into a museum at research time, you can admire its fine whitewashed, tiled…
Periyar Tiger Reserve
Next to the reserve bus-shuttle car park, on the southwest edge of town, this small interpretation museum runs through the wildlife and geography of South…
Alappuzha (Alleppey)
A few blocks back from the beach, the candy-striped 1862 lighthouse contains a small museum with an original oil lamp, but is best visited for the 360…
Kerala
A small church was first built on the site of this massive cathedral, 1km east of the Round, in 1585. Beyond its attractive wood-carved doors, sky…
Northern Kerala
Seemingly being allowed to collapse into oblivion, this ancient, partly ruined roadside Jain temple displays fine stone carvings backed by lush greenery…
Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum)
In Trivandrum's Zoological Gardens complex (but not inside the zoo itself), the Natural History Museum contains hundreds of stuffed animals and birds and…
Kovalam
Around the headland north of Hawa Beach, Samudra's sandy blonde expanse is overlooked by a gold-and-green mosque and the five-star Leela resort.
Munnar
Now housing Tata offices, this pale-yellow 20th-century building was Munnar's train station during the colonial era and part of the Kundala Valley Light…
Kozhikode (Calicut)
This bright-white church opposite Mananchira Sq was established by Swiss missionaries in 1842; its unique European-Keralan architecture features a three…
