July 16th, 2018 by OYO Team

Kerala, known as God’s own country, is a tropical paradise. The waving palms and sandy beaches look no less than a dream under the shining sun. Along with the lush green vegetation and mesmerising backwaters, Kerala has a gazillion things to offer. Here is a list of top 10 things to do in Kerala that are an absolute must!

Are you one of those adventure freaks who always want to spice up their trip with some mind-boggling adventures? Then, take note of these top things to do in Kerala which will surely give you some adrenaline rush! Book from our Kerala Tour Packages to experience the thrill!


1) Go Fishing!


With an extensive wealth of water bodies, it comes as no surprise that fishing is a must-do on a trip to Kerala. Be it the vast Arabian Sea or the alluring backwaters, the many lakes or canals, or even paddy fields in the month of the monsoon – there is no shortage of choices in Kerala.

Go fishing using traditional methods like Choonda (fish hooks) or bamboo traps. Or just go to a nearby beach in the evening and watch fishermen take to the seas with their fishing nets.

2) Watch a Boat Race


Watching the traditional Vallam Kali (boat race) of Kerala is like watching dozens of spectacular giants scaling its blue-green waters for a frenzied victory. A major event during the festival of Onam (August – September), it is an important element of Malayali culture. With all pomp and pageantry, the boats set out in war-like glory. Each boat houses a whopping 120 oarsmen dressed in traditional mundu and turbans who paddle in sync with traditional boat songs. The vigour and spirit of the oarsmen are so infectious that you’ll find yourself on your toes, biting your nails, cheering for your favourite team.

Some of the most prominent boat races take place on Aranmula, Pathanamthitta, Ashtamudi lake, Kollam and Punnamada Lake, Alappuzha.

3) Experience the Thrissur Pooram, Thrissur


The most famous temple festival in Kerala, Thrissur Pooram will captivate your senses with its vibrant colours, pomp and splendour. It was introduced by the Maharaja of Cochin, Raja Rama Varma, famously known as Sakthan Thampuran in the 18th century. The festival takes place at the Vadakkunnathan Temple every year in the month of April-May and usually goes on for a week. The festival officially commences with Kodiyettam (Flag Hoisting) by all the participating temples.

The most popular attractions of the festival are the innovative patterns and varieties of Vedikettu (fireworks), an exhibition of more than 15 elephants in elaborate gold plated ornaments (nettipattam) flanked by ornamental fans made of peacock feathers (Aalavattom), sacred bells and decorative umbrellas.

4) Spend a Day in a Houseboat


Imagine being suspended in time, in the middle of nowhere with only mother nature and the cosmic stars to give you company. Not only are they charming but they are well-equipped with modern facilities, from cosy air-conditioned rooms to sundecks. They usually come with a crew of 3 men – an oarsman, a guide and a cook. You can go for a cruise and soak in the mesmerising palm-fringed landscape and at night, enjoy the company of the star-studded sky.

The best part – you can catch your own fish here and savour it immediately. The food served is usually local cuisine. Some of the most popular locations for house-boating are Alappuzha, Kochi. With many places to visit in Kozhikode.

5) Watch Female Priests Worship the Snake God


The history of Mannarasala Temple dates as far back as the creation of Kerala itself. According to a legend, Parashuram had to appease the Snake God, Nagaraja in order to make the land of Kerala fit for human habitation by desalinating the land with the help of snake poison. And hence, at Mannarasala a temple was dedicated to Nagaraja. Set in a forest glade at Haripad, the temple is a major pilgrimage site and has about 30,000 images of Snake-Gods.

The unique thing about this place is that the temple is headed by a priestess, who is the central figure of the area. People usually come to her seeking comfort and blessings. The best time to visit the temple is during the main festival, Mannarasala Ayilyam (September-October) when a procession of serpent idols are taken out in all pomp and glory.

6) Walk on the Streets of Fort Cochin


This water-bound piece of exotic land is well known for its art galleries, colonial architecture and the Chinese fishing nets. But what you’ll notice the moment you set foot on Fort Cochin is the quaintness of the village. To just stay here, walking its streets aimlessly, reposing on the seashore, doing absolutely nothing will quite suffice your senses because the place is charming, to say the least.

At night, the place takes on a whole new aura – roaming its streets is almost like wandering in a dream with a wish to never wake up. The cosy cafes, modern galleries, spice markets, the Portuguese-Dutch-British influences and the myriad cultures that you’ll encounter in the streets will captivate you to stay here forever.

7) Get Rejuvenated in an Ayurveda Center

The magic of Ayurveda is world-renowned. Needless to say, a day spent in an Ayurveda Center is a day well spent on your tour to Kerala. Considered to be the world’s oldest medicine system, Ayurveda is an important part of Hindu culture and history. The whole notion of Ayurveda is to promote the well-being of the human body through the use of herbal treatment and maintaining the balance of the bodily systems. It is a wonderful alternative to western treatments.

With Ayurveda centres established in almost all the main cities of Kerala, you won’t find any difficulty in finding one. If you are obese, or if you have diabetes, hair problems, stress or even if you want to relax in the best way possible, then drop in one of the centres. It’s a deadly package of serene beauty and rejuvenation.

8) Explore the Local Gastronomy

If you thought of just idlis and dosas the moment you read local gastronomy, then you really thought small. Kerala is more than just idlis and dosas. If you care to dig deep enough, you’ll find a treasure trove of food loaded with subtle flavours, lovely colours and simple yet diverse tastes. You’ll be quite amazed at what locals here can do with simple ingredients like banana, coconut and rice. You’ll find banana chips, fritters, a vegetable to go with rice; in fact, banana leaf, the flower of banana and even the bark of banana tree finds a place in Malayalam cuisine. From rice, you get the well-known idlis and dosas and not so well known puttu, appam, adda, idiyappam, pathiri, to name a few.

Try these for a fulfilling breakfast – puttu kadala, appam stew, pathiri & chicken curry, adda, idiyappam & egg curry. Seafood is also an essential part of the cuisine – you can gorge on tapioca & fish, fish curry, fish biriyani, oysters and prawns.

9) Explore the Spice Markets, Kochi

Kerala is not called the ‘Land of Spices’ for no reason. It attracted the Portuguese in the 15th century culminating in Vasco da Gama’s arrival in Kozhikode, and even now, people from all parts of the world flock to this place for its abundance of spices. Even the cuisine of Kerala, famous for its hot, spicy, sour and tangy flavours, uses a lot of spices. Its pleasant aroma will entice you from miles away, so you won’t have any difficulty finding a spice market in Kerala, the most popular one being in Jew town, Kochi. Walk into one of the markets, feel the smell of spices seeping into your pores and take a whole lot of them back home and experiment with your food. These little hydrogen bombs will burst into your mouth with a truckload of flavours.

10) Watch a Cultural Program

Kerala has a treasure trove of a vibrant culture which is evident in its dance, music, cinema and theatre. To miss savouring is to lose a chance of understanding the essence of God’s own country. Watch a Kathakali performance, a 400-year old dance drama which uses only gestures, facial expressions and music to communicate the complex emotions of the characters; Mohiniyattam, a folk dance of Kerala which uses sensual movements to enchant its audiences; Thiruvathirakali, performed by women which celebrate the female energy and feminine grace.

These are but a few examples. You’ll find a lot of cultural centres in major cities of Kerala where you can spend a delightful evening – in Kochi; there is Cochin Cultural Center and Kerala Kathakali Centre. You can also visit nearby temples to know about any upcoming cultural event.

11) Explore Wildlife in Kerala:

About 24% of Kerala is forested and it is home to some of the biggest wildlife reserves in the state. There are quite a few wildlife sanctuaries in Kerala and some of the most prominent ones are Begur Wildlife Sanctuary in Wayanad, Chimmony Wildlife Sanctuary, Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary, Choolannur Pea Fowl Sanctuary, Eravikulam National Park, Kadalundi Bird Sanctuary and a lot many others. Between them, the flora and fauna of Kerala is preserved in all its glory and the state is one of the biggest repositories of medicinal plants. Wildlife national park in Kerala consists of Bengal tigers, leopards, grizzled giant squirrels, Nilgiri tahr, mugger crocodile, viper, python, king cobra and more, along with a varied number of birds. Kerala also has the largest number of domesticated elephants which are used as a part of festivities and processions round the year and also used as a part of safaris.

12) Pilgrimage tour in Kerala

Kerala has many notable places of pilgrimage for people practicing various religions and faith and one can book pilgrimage packages as well. The Ambalappuzha Sree Krishna Temple is one such pilgrimage site where devotees throng the temple during March and April during the annual rituals. Most simply come here for the mouthwatering paalpayasaam. Anandashram is more of a holistic center, situated 15 kms from the town of Bekal. Founded by Swami Ramdas, it is preaches holistic living and philosophy for the betterment of the mind and soul. The Ananthpura Lake Temple is truly a pilgrimage site with the temple being open round the year to devotees of various cast and creed and from all religion. The Arthunkul Church is well known for its Christmas celebrations and followers of Christianity come here from all over the state.

13) Museum hopping in Kerala:

Kerala has a rich history of art and architecture and most of them are preserved in the number of famous museums in Kerala. One of the most notable ones is the Archeological Museum, situated in the complex of the Thrissur Zoo. It houses relics from Indus Valley Civilization as well as ancient scrolls and manuscripts written on palm scripts. The Hill Palace Museum in Tripunithura, Kochi is perhaps the best museum in Kerala with 49 buildings strewn around 59 acres of land. Others are Kerala Science and Technology Museum, Krishnapuram Palace Museum Mural Art Museum, Napier Museum and a lot more. All of them reveal the ancient heritage as well as the technological advancements that have undergone Kerala over the years and infuses the viewer with knowledge about its history and demographics.

14) Waterfalls in Kerala

Kerala is home to some of the most breathtaking waterfalls in the country. They are one of the major tourist attractions and not just the falls but the surrounding landscape too provides breathtaking features. Some of the most notable ones are Adayanpara in Mallapuram, Arippara in Kozhikode, Aruvikkuzhi in Kottayam, Attukad in Munnar, Kanthanpara in Wayanad and many more which dot the states at various points. These waterfalls in Kerala have been instrumental in shaping the terrain of the state over the past thousands of years and still today, they do not fail to mesmerize with their beauty and great strength.

15) Festivals in Kerala

The culture of Kerala is a mix of Aryan and Dravidian cultures and the various festivals reflect the spirit of both the ancestries. The Malayalam Calendar is the basis on which the festivities and rituals are planned and if the minor and local celebrations are taken into account, more than 10,000 celebrations are held in the state each year. The most important of them is of course, Onam festival in Kerala, the harvest festival and it is also the state festival of Kerala with there being at least 4 days of holiday. The other celebrations are mostly temple festivities, often known as Poorams and it usually involves taking the deity of the temple out for a procession around the city on the back of a richly decorated elephant and the procession is a no- holds bar show of lavishness in praise of the gods. After the deity is brought back to the home temple the devotees usually offer flowers, coconuts and rice as a part of the rituals before the idol is immersed in the holy water. Many such Poorams are held frequently at various times of the year like the Vishnu festival in Kerala.

How to Reach:

Kerala can be reached by NH 17 and 47 by road. It is very well connected to Mumbai via road and one can travel through Kochi. Salem can be reached through NH 47 through the Palakkad District. Kerala RTC buses also run frequently from major cities.

One can reach the Thiruvananthapuram Railway Station – one of major stations in the state. Other stations are at Palakkad, Kollam, Chengannur among others and trains from all over the country come here. The international airports are located in Trivandrum, Cochin and Calicut. One can travel within Kerala either by local transport or also take boats from one point to the other through the backwaters which provide both relaxation and transportation.

Best Time to Visit:

The best time to visit Kerala is between the months of January and April. The temperatures are very pleasant because Kerala never has very cold winters. The temperatures around this time are a pleasant 20 degrees Celsius. The monsoons here are very dreamy because the hills are extremely lush and green and June to November transforms Kerala into the Garden of Eden. The rivers are full and full of fish and it is the best time to have sea food as well. The trees are full of flowers and fruits and the vacation will become all the more memorable because of the scenic beauty of the state. No wonder it is called God’s own Country.

Where to Stay:

Kerala is so diverse and there are so many districts here that it is better to book rooms according to an itinerary. Depending on which areas of Kerala you want to explore, you can book rooms from the OYO website or app, from where you can book hotels in luxury stays or in budget hotels. You can also book rooms based on how close they are to airports in Kerala, the railway stations, or the bus stops. Transportation for sightseeing in various parts of Kerala can also be arranged from most hotels. Alternately, you can also stay in houseboat as mentioned above. No matter where you stay, there will be always something in Kerala to enhance your pleasure and love for this wonderful state.

The hotels in Kerala are known for their hospitality and you will be enthralled by the warmth extended by the staff.
If you want to experience Kerala and the goodness it has to offer, then you must embark on a trip to Kerala right away and get ready to explore!

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About OYO Team

We’re people who love to travel and it’s a pleasure to share our experiences from around the world with you here. You’ll see our favourite destinations, quirky stays and budget stay. Also the best wedding banquet halls and the most lit party destinations. You’ll also find insightful opinions about why we travel in the first place and what it’s really like out there. Enjoy the blog and please tell us what you think - feedback welcome!