Kerala Tourism – God’s Own Country

By Author: Flin Martyn
Total Articles: 235
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Kerala is in the South of India. Kerala is located in the South West coast of Malabar. Kerala is one of the few Indian States with almost hundred percent literacy rates. Kerala is a popular tourist destination for its tropical greenery, backwaters, and yoga and ayurvedic treatments.

Kerala is geographically varied and can be divided into three regions. The regions are the cool and rugged mountains of the Eastern highlands, the rolling green hills of the Central midlands and the picturesque coastal plains of the Western lowland. Each of these regions is beautiful and is visited and enjoyed by tourists every year.

Kerala is situated in the beautiful Malabar Coast and its unique beauty and greenery has been very popular with tourists. The title of “God’s own country” suits this picturesque region. In fact The National Geographic magazine considers Kerala to be one of the “ten paradises of the world”.

Kerala is known for its promotion of eco-tourism. Tourists come to Kerala to enjoy the serene beaches, lush green hill stations and the amazing backwaters.

The beaches are a popular destination ...
... for most tourists. Kovalam is a beach town in Thiruvananthapuram city of Kerala. There are three beaches in Kovalam, Lighthouse beach, Samudra beach and Hawah beach. Together they form the famous crescent of the Kovalam beach. Kovalam offers tourists various ayurvedic treatment spas and salons and resort hotels.

The ten kilometer long Cherai beach is in Kochi and it is popular for dolphin sightings and coconut groves. The Cherai Goreeshwara temple is also very popular and an important temple for Hindus. The Portuguese fort and Pallipuran Church are the other attractions in Cherai.
Varkala beach also in Thiruvananthapuram is another popular tourist destination. It is famous for the two thousand year old temple of Janardana Swami. Tourist can enjoy the many ayurvedic spas here. The other highlights include Kappil Lake, Angengo fort, Varkala tunnel and various other temples.

Other beaches in Kerala include Kappad, Bekal and Muzhapillangad. The hill stations of Munnar, Wayanad, Wagamon, Peermade, Nelliampathi and Ponmudi also attract a large number of tourists every year.

Munnar is the most popular hill station of Kerala. The name is derived from the words “munu” meaning three and “aaru” meaning three, owing to the town’s strategic location at the confluence of the rivers Madhurapuzha, Nallathanni and Kundaly. Munnar is famed for its fauna and flora. Though most of the flora and fauna are at the verge of extinction, they are preserved in wildlife sanctuaries and parks. Tourists can visit the Kurinjimala sanctuary, Chinnar Wildlife sanctuary, Manjampatti Valley and the Indira Gandhi Wildlife sanctuary among others. These protected areas are known for animals like the Nilgiri wood pigeon, Nilgiri Thar and Nilgiri langur among others.

The Kerala backwaters of Kollam, Alapuzha, Kuttanad, Kottayam and Munroe Island among others are often visited. They are beautiful, serene and offer activities such as boat riding. The houseboats and boat races are also very popular.

Tourists can also visit popular heritage sites like Padmanabhapuram Palace and Mattancherry Palace. The main pilgrim tourist spots of Kerala are Sabarimala Temple, Padmanabhaswamy Temple (Thiruvananthapuram), Padanilam Parabrahma Temple(Mavelikkara), Chettikulangara Temple, Vadakumnathan Temple, Guruvayoor Temple, Sarkara Devi Temple, Malayattor Church and Parumala Church.
Kerala can be reached via air, rail and road. Accommodations are also easily available. Kerala is visited through the year.

For more information on Kerala Tourism and popular Kerala hotels visit HolidayIQ.