Kerala/India in January

[miss direct]

Hi, a colleague/friend and I are considering travelling in India in our winter break, which is the last three weeks of January. I actually wanted to go to Egypt or Thailand, but she suggested India. We can fly into the Kerala region via Dubai. I live in Istanbul, which is a huge city, and I really would prefer to avoid crowded places (if that's possible).

My ideal trip would involve:

green and natural places
wildlife/animals
snorkelling
food
photography opportunities
maybe going into a school or university for the day to see how things are done there/meet some students
hiking (but nothing requiring extreme levels of fitness)

Can anyone with experience tell me if Kerala is a good choice for me?

 

[Thimble Queen]

Kerala sounds perfect for what you're after. You can get all of that there. Altho not sure on snorkeling.

 

[salem]

Yup, I was there in the beginning of February this year and compared to the rest of India it's pretty chilled out, lots of greenery and at that time not overly hot.

You've got the houseboats, restaurants with guys selling fish out the front and they cook it up for you, hill tea plantations, the old bit of Cochin is pretty nice, some nice beaches if that's your thing. I spent a couple of weeks there at the beginning of a 3-4 month trip and my memory is already shockingly bad

You're not too far from Pondicherry which is pretty interesting to visit for a few days (and the fucking nutty Auroville)

You can also fly pretty cheaply to Sri Lanka if you have enough time which is a great place to visit too.

 

[alsoknownas]

Kerela is a wonderful and amazing place, so I've no doubt you'll have a great time there. Of your list of desirables I would score it as a destination as follows:

green and natural places 10/10
wildlife/animals 8 / 10
snorkelling (sorry - no idea)
food 100 / 10 (not a typo!)
photography opportunities 10 /10
maybe going into a school or university for the day to see how things are done there/meet some students (a very good idea! can't give you a rating. An open and educated populace make this a good shout)
hiking (but nothing requiring extreme levels of fitness) 7 / 10

Only thing you might find concerning - India is densely populated by definition. Unless you stick rigidly to one remote place (not recommended) you are going to encounter crowds and hustle and bustle. My advice - just get used to the idea - India hustle is unique, and has an excitement of it's own, once you learn to go with the flow!

 

[souljacker]

If you are going to do the school visit thing, take a big load of fancy Biro's with you. Indian students go mental for a free pen.

 

[Belushi]

It's a truly beautiful place and January is a great time to go, as others have said it's probably the most chilled out part of India.

 

[Thimble Queen]

They're happy with plain old biros ime

 

[miss direct]

Do you think they'd be interested in a job lot of (nicked) Ikea pencils? That's about what I stretch to

 

[eatmorecheese]

Do it. Kerala is beautiful, with lots to see, rich history, fantastic food. Periyar for wildlife, Kochi for culture, backwaters for a chilled cruise, great beaches. You might want to take a trip over to Tamil Nadu to visit Madurai and/or Thirruvanamalai for the temple town experience...

No idea about schools/universities, but local students would be more than willing to talk to you, I'd have thought. The literacy rate is extremely high in Kerala compared with other states of India (legacy of elected communist administrations).

 

[miss direct]

Is the visa really £90?

 

[Belushi]

Cant remember how much except bloody expensive

Also, I cant remember if Kerala is a dry state - if it is you need a permit stamp in your passport when you get the visa if you want to buy booze

 

[eatmorecheese]

Cant remember how much except bloody expensive

Also, I cant remember if Kerala is a dry state - if it is you need a permit stamp in your passport when you get the visa if you want to buy booze

It will be, if the authorities have their way...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-29276517

 

[clicker]

Friend stayed in a hotel in kerala and she said it had no bar. You weren't allowed to drink in public areas. But could take drink to your room?? I don't know how common that is though. I would want to lie on the beach with a coconut cocktail.... other than that i always fancied it as a destination.

 

[Belushi]

Friend stayed in a hotel in kerala and she said it had no bar. You weren't allowed to drink in public areas. But could take drink to your room?? I don't know how common that is though. I would want to lie on the beach with a coconut cocktail.... other than that i always fancied it as a destination.

I've remembered it isn't a dry state, but Indians in general aren't keen on drinking and many Keralans are Muslim.

 

[Belushi]

If you go to Cochin you must visit the Ken Livingstone chai stall

 

[Voley]

The backwaters are one of the most beautiful places I've ever been. Well worth hiring a kettuvalllam houseboat for a few days. I had about three days out there I think. Went during the monsoon when it was all green and lush. Loved it.

 

[miss direct]

Argh, not sure anymore. We thought we'd found really reasonable flights from Dubai with Spicejet, but it turns out the currency was in Dihrams, not Rupees (whoops). What with the £90 visa, it's all looking to cost a lot more than I'd anticipated.

 

[Epona]

If you are going to do the school visit thing, take a big load of fancy Biro's with you. Indian students go mental for a free pen.

I found the same when I was in Egypt (although this was over a couple of decades ago now!), there at that time, schoolkids had to provide their own writing materials and often asked visitors and tourists for pens so that they can carry on in school. I took a couple of big economy/bulk bags of ballpoint pens with me so I had plenty to hand out to any kids that asked for a pen. It was a small thing for me to spend a few quid on pens, but that is what the kids who came and talked to me wanted (that and to practice their English, which put my knowledge of Arabic to shame).

 

[Lemon Eddy]

I've remembered it isn't a dry state, but Indians in general aren't keen on drinking and many Keralans are Muslim.

Kerala is the most christian state in India, and drinking is a very common pastime. The locals actually joke about the connection. I've drunk in bars in Cochi, Trivandrum and a lot of small towns with not so much as a raised eyebrow.

 

[Lemon Eddy]

Oh, and for the OP:


green and natural places - definitely
wildlife/animals - definitely
snorkelling - yep, good snorkelling as well
food - lovely
photography opportunities - yup, loads
maybe going into a school or university for the day to see how things are done there/meet some students - no idea, sorry
hiking (but nothing requiring extreme levels of fitness) - lots of walks and trails. If you want to cover more ground though, there's good mountain biking to be done there too ( http://www.mtbkerala.com/ )

 

[Winot]

*subscribes*

We are going there over Christmas with my Mum and our 7 and 9 year olds. Rough itinerary is:

> 3 nights in Cochin in hotel with pool to get over jet lag. Do some light sightseeing
> Getting a train to Allepey and staying 2 nights (canoe/boat round the backwaters)
> Heading up to Munnar for 3 nights. Do some walking, see tea plantations, visit bird sanctuary
> Then back to Cochin for last 3 nights to see the sights and the NYE fireworks

 

[moonsi til]

Gosh I had forgotten my trip to Kerala. I went for 2 weeks alone in 2002. On the train back from Cochin I played my travel Connect Four with the guy sat next to me. It was the most intense and fun game I have ever had. Kerala is great but no good snorkeling that I recall.

Sri Lanka has been mentioned so I have to share that I would choose Sri Lanka..that is a very hard statement to write as I loved my trip to Kerala/India. Sri Lanka I did beaches,forests,elephant,tree plantations and saw every beautiful Bhudda there with many of them leaving me speechless.

 

[CyberRose]

I was in Kerala for just over a week in February. I went to Varkala (one of my favourite places in the world, a really nice chilled out beach town with Nepalese and Tibetan influences), Alleppey and to stay on a house boat over night (amazing photo ops here esp if you have a zoom for all the birds you see) and Fort Cochin (crap and touristy).

I recall there were some bird reserves near somewhere I went that I wanted to go to but never made it

 

[CyberRose]

Cant remember how much except bloody expensive

Also, I cant remember if Kerala is a dry state - if it is you need a permit stamp in your passport when you get the visa if you want to buy booze

In Varkala the beach is down the bottom of a cliff which is lined with bars/restaurants. I don't think they have beer on the menus but they all have Kingfisher beer signs outside which they all sell (1ltr bottles for dirt cheap) if you ask. Think they prefer you to sit in the upstairs terraces tho but nobody had any problem with drinking (there was even a small night club there too)