This is an essential experience on your trip to Kerala. Each and every city has an established Ayurveda Treatment Centre and all of them are based on the healing techniques outlined in the ancient texts of Ayurveda. Therapists use fresh herbs, spices, aromatic oils and massage in a combination which help heal and rejuvenate the body.

Just make sure that you visit the right place in the city as there are many 'parlours' that offer similar treatments but are not the real thing.Then there is the one at Peiyar, about 200km from Kochi. You can take a guided trek or follow the tiger trail here. Visit the tribal heritage museum, or go on a nightly jungle patrol.

Essentially the Kerala Backwaters means all the crisscrossing brackish lagoons, canals, deltas and lakes that riddle the state of Kerala along the coast of the Arabian Sea. This is also known as the Malabar Coast and is where the world-famous Malabar cuisine comes from.

The backwaters have been heavily promoted by the Kerala Tourism Development Board in the last decade and have become quite popular with tourists visiting the state. They are an independent ecosystem and have all sorts of water creatures. The gentle journey through their pristine beauty is what draws most to visit.

  Read More...

This is essentially a tiny island which is being developed as a model village for tourists to visit. It is a coastal hamlet, designed to offer an insight into the lives of the villagers as they go about their regular livelihoods.

An ecological balance is maintained and the people live off the land in harmony with nature. It is a great place to catch a glimpse of the culture and heritage of the state of Kerala and is a good excursion from Kochi.

Located at Devikulam. Lying in the rain shadow area of the western ghats this place gets only 48 days of rain in the year during the northeast monsoons in October and November. It is a nice excursion if you are staying at Munnar on the coffee plantations.

The Parambikulam Wildlife Santuary is just 55km from Kochi and has some of the most beautiful topography in the region. Take a boat cruise down through the sanctuary and enjoy all the wild fauna and flora around you in a unique manner.