A recent 7 day trip to Kerala is a wonderful and refreshing experience for both body and soul.

A trip to #Kerala is must if you believe in being close to #nature, and fill your lungs with some #freshair, be there with your family to enjoy #GodsOwnCountry. Kerala has something to offer everyone; cultural heritage, picturesque landscapes, lush greenery, wonderful back-waters and treasure of happy memories for #familytrips to adventurous #trekking groups.

Day1 - Kochi: Day started with our landing to #Kochi or #Cochin airport in morning. Kochi is also an international airport so international tourists can also find connecting flights. You can check flight schedule here : http://cial.aero/
Kochi airport is a green airport and is fully powered by solar energy. The array of solar panels can be seen while exiting the airport. Kudos to Government of #India and #Kerala for this green initiative and building this sustainable model.

Places to visit : Kerala Folklore and theater museum, Chinese fishing nets, the Mattancherry Palace, Jewish synagogue. Kochi is a wonderful confluence of Hindu, Islamic and Christianity and other cultures, it was evident in buildings and artifacts that still exists. In the evening, local market places can be visited.

Day 2 & 3 - Munnar : After completing #Mattancherry/Dutch Palace on Day 2, we started our journey for #Munnar by road (approx 140km). Munnar is a hill station at approx 2000m altitude, but the roads are good and the panoramic view just adds to the fun. The road sign to Munnar region reads "you are in a breathing zone" :) , so obey the guideline and fill your lungs with some good clean air. The hills are filled with tea plantations (Yes tea!!!, never expected that in Kerala), and the view of water bodies/waterfall from hills is just breath taking. Kerala's flora diversity is pretty evident.

Places to visit : Tea-gardens, tea-factory, spice gardens, wild life sanctuaries, rose-garden. Go by road to enjoy pristine water bodies and valleys.

Day 4 - Thekaddy/Kumily Village : The road to #Thekkady is also good and filled with lot of spice gardens, tea/coffee plantations lined with orange trees in between. The spice gardens here are good spots to see exotic spices and plants. Talk to your tour operator/cab driver to take you some authentic spice gardens. It is worth the visit. We bought cardamoms, cloves, cinnamon and other essential oils from these gardens. The aroma is simply wonderful. On the way we also took jungle safari and elephant rides for kids. It was almost 5:00 pm when we checked in to hotel after halts at spice-garden and safari. The driver helped us book tickets to cultural theater in Thekkady for evening. Two shows are presented : #Kathakali (traditional dance meaning Story-Dance) & #Kalaripayattu (a native Kerala martial art and a great fusion of athleticism and yoga), both the shows are approx 1 hour long each and worth the money (INR 200 for each show). An ayurvedic spa & massage is a perfect way to end the long day.

Places to visit : spice gardens, jungle safari, elephant rides, cultural shows, local market, Ayurvedic Spa massages .

Day 5 -Alleppy : We are now moving from hilly terrains to the coastal region of Kerala. The distance between Thekkady and #Alleppy is approx 140kms and filled with small towns/villages on the way. Alleppy itself is a small coastal town famous for it backwaters. It is good to have a hotel/resort near #backwaters or to book a luxary boat (with all facilities including air-conditioners) to enjoy a day in Alleppy.

Places to visit : back-waters, local market.

**Day 6-7 -Trivandrum/Thiruvananthapuram ** : Finally we are on the last leg of our Kerala trip. The capital city of #Thiruvananthapuram is beautiful and full of activities and lot of sight seeing. The distance between Alleppy and Thiruvananthapuram is approx 150km and quite congested due to presence of small towns on the sides of highway. The Poovar boat ride to golden beach is a memorable one with dense vegetation over the backwaters, giving a feel that you are sailing under a forest. If you are a follower of Hinduism, Shri Padmanabhaswamy Temple is a must visit. The temple is devoted to Lord Vishnu and the temple entry requires men to be in dhoti or mundu (the Indian dress wrapped around waist and down till heels ) and the upper body shawl/cover and Women need to wear sari OR skirt and blouse, so dont forget this special dress code if you are planning to visit Shri Padmanabhaswamy Temple (dress can also be purchased from nearby shops). The Kovlam and other beaches are good places for fun filled activities like surfing (can be closed due to cyclones/tsunami), swimming, boating etc. If the time permits, a visit to Kanyakumari can also be made.

Places to visit : Poovar boat ride, Golden beach, Kovlam beach, Zoo/Zoological park, Shri Padmanabhaswamy Temple (if you are Hindu).

**Day 8 ** : On the last day of our Kerala trip , we took the morning flight from Thiruvananthapuram back to Delhi.

Weather and best time to visit : The temperatures in Kerala are moderate usually ranging from 20 C to 37 C. The best time to visit as per the local tour guide is Dec-March. We made our trip in second half of December and we found the temperature to be pretty good and to our liking, with clear blue sky , cool winds and bright sunshine.

**Trip Suggestions **

• Start day early, to cover maximum areas. Most of the distance is approx 100-150 kms that takes 3-4 hours on road-trip. Starting early beats traffic and helps in reaching places on time.
• Keep mosquito repellents. Kerala is very green and coastal areas are little prone to mosquitoes. So keep repellents handy to avoid mosquito bites.
• Prefer resorts/hotels close to city-center to enjoy city life for Kochi/Thekkady/Alleppy/Thiruvananthapuram . For Munnar, prefer stay in resorts at top of mountains and little away from Munnar town.
• If time/budget can be extended, add 3-4 more days to cover lot of other places like Kannur, Periyar National Park, Kanya-Kumari etc. It will be worth it.

Happy tripping.