Before the Kerala Trip, the evenings of almost two months went into planning it. One thing was for sure that we were going to go for it on our own and not through any tour operator. There were three reasons for it. First and foremost was that we thought that organizing a tour on our own in this era when internet has loads of information on everything under the sun was not difficult at all, at least for a tour in India. Also Kerala is not an offbeat location whose information is difficult to get. If we were successful in this, it would boost our confidence in planning future tours. Second thing was that we thought that going on our own gave us enough freedom which is necessary. Going with a tour operator makes u bound to the schedule that they decide. Third thing was we would definitely save a lot of money. Take any tour operator's package. I am sure you would be able to do it in half the price.
I would discuss on the results of my predictions later. But for now let me describe how we did our tour. I am sure this would be helpful to someone who is planning in a similar way as we thought. I am not a good writer so my travelogue may not be as interesting as it should be. And my aim of writing this is basically to provide as much useful information as possible. So please bear with me. Some of the main sources of information which helped me a lot during the planning phase are given below for your reference.
1) The book Outlook Traveler (Kerala).
2) www.indiamike.com (Kerala forum)
3) www.wikitravel.org/en/Kerala
4) www.holidayiq.com
and off course google.....
So here we go.....
Day 1
Our journey started on a fine Saturday morning when four of us boarded the cab to reach the Shamshabad Airport (Hyderabad). I booked the air tickets a handsome 45 days in advance so I got the lowest fare. It was my first flight experience so I enjoyed a lot. We landed at Cochin after a one hour twenty minutes flight with a light drizzle round the corner. Lots and Lots of coconut trees around the airport area was the first glimpse of Kerala we got while the aircraft was descending. There was greenery all around. The taxi which we booked through Cochin cabs was waiting outside the airport. The cab driver, Shihab greeted us with a bright friendly smile. Fortunately, he knew English as well as Hindi. This made our life a lot easy for the next 6 days.
We started our tour with Athirappilly Falls. It took us around two hours (50km) to reach Athirappilly. We planned for it because we were going to reach Cochin by flight. Athirappilly is nearer to Cochin Airport as compared to Cochin City. In my view, Cochin and Trivandrum are the best starting points for a Kerala trip. If one is planning to reach Cochin by Railway, then I think you can head towards Fort Cochin directly instead of what we did.
The Athirappilly falls on the Chalakudy river were heavenly. The falls were in their full flow. The front view was really amazing. There is quite a walk required to enjoy the view of these falls. 
There were a lot of cultured monkeys near the falls. They weren't troubling any tourists and were happy in their own world. After spending an hour here, we proceeded towards Vazachal falls, 5 km from Athirappilly. These falls have a different charm. They don't have the height of Athirappilly, but their grace is worth noticing. There is an herbal garden just adjacent to these falls. A botany enthusiast would definitely love to visit this garden. We didn't understand much related to those herbs and there utility, so couldn't appreciate it much.
Charpa falls are on the way from Athirappilly to Vazachal. We spent some time there, had our lunch that we shipped from Hyderabad and proceeded towards Cochin. We thought whether we could fit in Kodanad (Elephant training centre) in our schedule but it was already 3 PM and we had to reach Fort Cochin by dusk. The cab drivers here are reluctant to drive after sunset and that's not unfair I suppose. As majority of the distance covered in Kerala comprises of swirling Western Ghat roads, it's obvious. On the other side, one thing is that the driving in Kerala is really systematic. Everyone on the road has an optimum driving sense which is unusual for me since I drive through the wild roads of Hyderabad, where the driving sense is worst.
We reached Cochin by 7 PM after taking halt at a snacks centre midway. We relished the wadas and dosas here, fried in coconut oil and served with some great Sambar and chutney. The Sambar we ate everywhere in Kerala had the same taste and was delicious. As coconut was abundantly available in this coastal state, all the delicacies contain a rich amount of coconut.
We reached Prem's Homestay that we had booked a week before starting our tour. It was affordable, modest but comfortable. Cynthia, who looks after this homestay is quite friendly and helpful. We booked a homestay in Fort Cochin because majority of the must-see places in Cochin are in the Fort area. We had dinner at a nearby hotel (Talk of the town) and walked around the streets of Fort Cochin. This city has quite a history, as one may notice while moving around here. One thing remarkable about Cochin is the architecture of houses and bungalows. It's a blend of Indian and western styles but the western style seems more dominant. The people here are fond of constructing artistic homes. They also maintain it nicely.
After walking around those silent streets, we returned to our rooms and that was it for the day.
Useful Info:
1) For information on Cochin Airport and transportation available from there, visit
www.cochin-airport.in
2) Cochin Cabs (www.cochincabs.com)
Tariff: 1350/-per day for Non-AC Indigo (150 km)
3) Stay at Fort Cochin: Prem's homestay (0484-2215269)
Rs. 500 per day per room
Day 2
Fascinated by the streets of Fort Cochin, we woke up early and again walked around the same streets admiring them again. We saw the Santa Cruz Basilica and were surprised to see that it dates back to 1505. 
That goes to show that Cochin has quite an old history. Then we went to see the Chinese Fishing Nets. These huge nets must be really fetching the fishermen good returns in terms of efforts and the amount of fish. After this we came back to our rooms and got ready. Cynthia served us a delicious Idly breakfast which we relished. One thing good about the homestay concept is that you get home cooked food which is far better than hotel food. Also the environment is better than a hotel. After having a great stay at Prem's homestay, we waved goodbye to Cynthia and Mr. Prem for viewing the remaining sites of Cochin.
That goes to show that Cochin has quite an old history. Then we went to see the Chinese Fishing Nets. These huge nets must be really fetching the fishermen good returns in terms of efforts and the amount of fish. After this we came back to our rooms and got ready. Cynthia served us a delicious Idly breakfast which we relished. One thing good about the homestay concept is that you get home cooked food which is far better than hotel food. Also the environment is better than a hotel. After having a great stay at Prem's homestay, we waved goodbye to Cynthia and Mr. Prem for viewing the remaining sites of Cochin.
We visited the St. Francis Church and the Dutch Palace. The wooden flooring and ceilings of the Dutch Palace are amazing. Above this, the wall paintings in a couple of rooms which depict some stories from Hindu mythology are said to have been painted using only natural colors. It really represents the genius of previous generations of Indian Artists. We also saw a painting of Raja Ravi Varma. Generally we come across the paintings drawn by this great painter. But in Dutch palace u can see his painting. At the entrance of Dutch palace, I saw a strange thing which I can't stop sharing from you. A hawker was trying to sell a small bottle of Tiger Balm to a foreign tourist for Rs.100, and he almost was ready to buy it, when a friend of his dragged him away. I just couldn't stop laughing after seeing this.
After this, we went to Jewish Synagogue (Paradesi Synagogue). The history of Jewish Presence in India has been put up using some lovely paintings in a room adjacent to the Synagogue. The Jew Town Street has a lot of shops having load of antique items. They are really attractive and beautiful and I thought that a person fond of collecting antique pieces will definitely get good stuff at reasonable rates.
After this, we took lunch and headed towards Munnar. On the way, we stopped at Cheeyappara falls. We enjoyed some fresh Pineapple and Tender Coconut here. In Kerala, pineapple is cultivated in huge amounts. So u will get to enjoy fresh and good Pineapple almost everywhere here. Even the tender coconut was great.
The journey of Munnar is simply amazing. Lush green tea gardens, a beautiful cloud cover somewhere or the other took off all the fatigue of the journey. We reached Munnar by 5 PM, checked in our hotel rooms which weren't that great and then went for a walk around Munnar town. It was a bit cold but at the same time it was enjoyable. We had our dinner and went to sleep in the chill weather.
Useful Info:
1) Munnar is a little costly as far as accommodation is concerned. It's better to look for a decent accommodation than to run behind a cheap one.
2) A walk around Munnar town in the evening is great for shopping. Good Home made
Chocolates and tea at the KDHP shop (a safe bet) are worth buying.
3) Rochas, Purohit and Mahaveer are good restaurants for having food. Purohit and Mahaveer
are Pure Vegetarian restaurants but the taste is good.
Day 3
The third day of our tour started early at 8:30 AM as we queued up at the ticket window of the Eravikulam National Park. The bus operated by the park took us up the hill up till a certain point after which we had to trek the remaining distance by walk. Although there were not many different species of animals out there, except the Nilgiri Tahr, the view of the tea gardens from the park was really fantastic. The sun rays which were falling on the somewhat wet hilltops made them shine as a mirror. It was a great view. We also spotted a herd of elephants from the top.
After relishing some tea and Chocolates at the park's canteen, we came down by bus and got back to our cab. By the time we had finished our tour of the National park, there was a very long queue at the ticket window. Thank god, we came early.
After this we started towards the Mattupetty dam. On the way, we stopped at the flower garden where you can see some beautiful flowers. It's really worth a visit. The Mattuppetty dam was good but the wooden articles shop near it was great as we ended up shopping our pockets out at this place. We got cheap and good quality wooden stuff from here. The shop was located on the other side of the dam on the way to Kundala Lake. There was an echo point in between that we skipped due to time constraint. The Kundala dam and lake had some amazing views. The area of the lake was serene and peaceful. The tall Nilgiri trees made it worth spending some time on the logs of wood on the banks of the lake.
We then went to Top Station, Although the Pampudam Shola National Park is only for trekkers, there is view point at Top Station from where the view is simply fabulous. It was really mind-blowing.
In and around Munnar, there are abundant tea plantations. It seems like a green lawn spread on the scenic hills. The beauty of it is really enchanting. We spent the evening buying some great chocolates. I think at many hill stations in India, u get good and comparatively cheaper chocolates. Munnar was no exception to this. As the weather at hill stations is always cool, preservation of chocolate is easier.
Useful Info:
1) It's better to cover Eravikulam in the early hours as it gets crowded later and may result in a lot
of time being wasted at the ticket window itself. Also the bus leaves u at one point and you have
to climb uphill a distance of almost 2 km. So one should be prepared for it.
Day 4
After a cool sleep, we got ready, vacated our rooms and left for a tour of the tea Museum. Firstly we were showed a half an hour documentary on the history of Tea Plantations in Munnar. It was a very interesting documentary. One thing we understand for sure is that the Britishers, apart from exploiting India, discovered India a lot which today's corrupt governments couldn't have achieved for hundreds of years. For example, no one ever knew that tea could be cultivated in Munnar. It's the Englishmen who found out this place, did experiments and started tea plantations here. Even the Ajanta Caves for that matter were discovered by an Englishmen.
In the Tea Museum, they have created a small demo plant, where they show the various processes through which tea leaves pass before we get the tea we use in our homes. Also the process of making various types of teas and their characteristics are also explained briefly here. We also bought some good tea from the factory outlet here.
After this, we proceeded towards Thekkady. On the way the view at the Lockhart Gap really refreshing. We were almost into a passing cloud, the very feeling of which was soothing. We started from here and took another halt at a tea plantation where we saw how exactly tea is plucked using leaf cutters. It is difficult to imagine, how the workers pluck the tea leaves from the gardens which are mostly situated on steep slopes. We cannot even dare to stand steady on some slopes, leave aside plucking tea leaves. The Anayirankal dam (Anayirankal means a place where Elephants come to drink water. Ana means Elephant) which we stopped at after this had a good view.
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| Ramakkalmedu |
We had a few hours of leisure time which we spent watching a Kathakali performance. It was really great to see the devotion and efforts which the artists put into it. Their eye movements, facial and hand expressions were really difficult but were the essence of the art form. After enjoying the beautiful dance, we had dinner at a gujarathi restaurant nearby and that was it for the day.
Useful Info:
1) Don't miss the documentary at the tea museum. Note that the museum is closed on Monday.
2) Ramakkalmedu is really worth visiting. It is a bit difficult to get there as we have to trek for about half an hour to reach the highest point. But the views are out of the world.
3) Kathakali performance also has a good alternative of the traditional Martial Arts show. Depends on one's interest. Both shows are there daily in the evenings at Mudra Cultural Centre near Thekkady junction.
4) If we have to book any treks or walks in Periyar National Park, it has to be booked from the Tourist Information Centre, Kumily (04869-224571). The office closes by 5 PM.
5) High Range Residency (04869-223343) is an excellent place to stay. We got it at Rs.750 per room/day in almost peak season.
Day 5
We got up early morning at 5.30 AM and reached the boat jetty by 6.20 AM. But the boat ride which started at 7.30 AM was quite boring because we didn't see any animal barring some wild pigs and monkeys. Not being able to see even an elephant in a forest like Periyar was very annoying. We came to know that because of some boat accident a year ago, the boat ride timings were scheduled a bit late in the mornings. The wild animals coming to drink water in the early hours proceed to the deep forest by the time the boat ride starts. So one has to be lucky to spot them. What we enjoyed was the serene Periyar Lake with a lot of beautiful birds around. After this, we went for the nature walk. But half an hour later, it started raining heavily and we were drenched in it. The leeches which were in plenty made life worse. The Best season to visit Periyar according to the ranger who accompanied with us was Feb-March. We suspended the walk and returned halfway feeling really disappointed. After this we had our lunch and proceeded towards Spice Plantation tour. It was great to learn about some mysterious and effective Ayurvedic herbs here. It is almost a 1 hour tour in which they show us many plants and give 
us information on them. Next came the plunder of fresh and good quality spices at a nearby spice shop. Thekkady is the best place to buy spices. There are a lot of coffee and cardamom plantations here. The cinnamon, cardamom and cloves we bought were really very fresh and had great aroma. With most of the sightseeing in Thekkady almost done, we came back to our hotel rooms and packed all stuff. Meanwhile, in the evening we had an amazing experience as the whole of Thekkady was filled with fog. It was an enchanting sight. While walking along the streets we were feeling as if we are walking in the clouds. An ayurvedic massage we took in Thekkady relaxed us and it was necessary to sustain the travel and other things in the latter half of our tour. But one should not expect miracles from that massage as it's just a 1 hour massage and is good only for relaxation. Healing and curing of diseases/ailments if claimed by somebody in one hour is utter false. Because in that case, u will have to spend atleast a fortnight in a good Ayurvedic therapy centre. In the evening we called up a houseboat owner from Alleppey with the help of our cab guy and fixed the houseboat for the next day. The climate of Thekkady was very good. It was not as cold as Munnar but it was pleasant. Coz of the climate, we had a very sound sleep here. Although we didn't have a good experience with the boat ride and nature walk (mainly due to the weather), I still think that one should definitely book a trek/nature walk at the Periyar Tiger Reserve to experience real fun. Thekkady is a lovely place in itself and it's really worth spending a day or two here.
Useful Info:
1) There are two options for boat riding. All boats are same. Rates are different. Ticket of one boat is Rs.40 while for the other, its Rs.150. Go a bit early and try to get Rs.40 boat. The ride is not worth 160. It's only worth 40 bucks. Trekking in Periyar is better than the boat ride.
Day 6
The next day again started early and we were eager to experience the Backwaters, the thing we had heard so much about. So with many expectations, we started towards Alleppey. One the way, near Kuttikkanam, we were simply baffled by the view of clouds covering the entire valley in front of us. It was an unforgettable thing. It was as if we were watching the clouds from an aircraft. Simply superb! But as we were in a hurry of reaching Alleppey, we didn't spend much time here. We did stop at Kanjirappali for breakfast, where we relished delicious South Indian breakfast yet again. Even the most average restaurants in Kerala are good to eat and very clean. They have understood what it takes to make a place tourism friendly.
While we got closer to the boat jetty at Alleppey, we saw many villages on the banks of the backwaters. For them canopies and boats were equivalent to bikes and buses. That was really fascinating. A pollution free, silent and serene life. After reaching Alleppey boat jetty, we met the Houseboat guy, saw two boats and finalised one of them. In the off-season, that's the best thing to do because it's always better to see, negotiate and finalize rather than just book it online. We then bid farewell to our cab driver Shihab who had been our companion for the major part of our Kerala tour and I guess he made our journey a lot comfortable.
Our cruise started shortly with a welcome drink. Shortly after commencement of our cruise, we stopped at a shop along the banks where we bought prawns and fish. Although I don't eat sea food, my wife relished the tiger prawns. The fish wasn't that great. The lunch was good and heavy while the evening snacks were also relishing.
We didn't have much interest in the food though. The Backwaters were simply beckoning us. This totally different world in itself was amazing. The Vembanad Lake is really a very huge water body. Loads of flora and fauna make it a diverse Eco-system in itself. There were a lot of boats in the lake but they had good coordination among themselves. These huge boats which are built for a cost of over 50 lakhs are fully furnished and comfortable. Only thing is that the bathrooms are not so great and were smelling. But that's a pretty adjustable thing. Around 5.30 PM, the guy parked the boat near the bank. These houseboats don't operate in the nights. We had our dinner at 9 and after that went into a refreshing sleep.
Useful info:
1) We took the 22 hour cruise. But taking a 6 hour day cruise will also be equally enjoyable. The houseboat is anyways idle and parked near some village from 6 PM to 7.30 AM.
2) Houseboat Owners Contact: Najib (9846184528, 9388825518), alleppeybackwaters.com
Day 7
In the morning, we woke up after a sound sleep in the lap of the backwaters. We saw some villagers bathing in the backwaters while some were catching fish for breakfast using their rods. We also tried unsuccessfully to catch fish using our rods. After this, the houseboat guy started the boat at 8 AM and took us back to the boat jetty by 9 AM. We got ready to leave the houseboat after having spent the last 22 hours in this heaven. As our houseboat tariff included a drop to Kottayam station, a cab was waiting for us at the boat jetty from where we directly went to Kottayam Station. We had to catch a train to Kanyakumari from this station. Kottayam is the first town in India to have achieved 100% literacy in India. And it was evident from the cleanliness and neatness of this small station. Generally I am reluctant to even have tea on railway stations but we got our breakfast packed from the railway canteen at Kottayam as it was neat, clean and tidy.
Our train was two hours late. In the mean time, we had a long friendly chat with a local resident. This again reaffirmed the friendly and helping nature of people of Kerala. We then boarded the train and headed towards Kanyakumari. En-route, we came across so many coconut trees on both sides of the track which goes to show that coconut is produced in very very high quantities in Kerala. Coconut is definitely the lifeline of the people living here and for that matter the whole of coastal India.
We reached Kanyakumari at roughly 9 PM. Kanyakumari is small little town. Most of the hotels are on and around Car Street (East, South and North Car Street) and this street is hardly 1 km from the railway station. We checked in the hotel after reaching Kanyakumari, had dinner there itself (Room Service was very fast) and went to sleep early just to make sure we don't miss the next day's sunrise.
Useful Info:
1) Do bookings before hand in case you are reaching Kanyakumari on weekends or close to Purnima.
2) Place of stay: Vivekanandpuram is the best choice to stay in Kanyakumari (cheap and clean). But is difficult to get accommodation there. It's always full. If you are planning atleast a month in advance, then only you have a chance of getting a room there. We stayed at Lakshmi Tourist Home (0422-4301800) Rs.600 per room. Rooms were clean, decent and room service was extremely quick. Sangam group of hotels is a decent choice as they have 3/4 hotels in Kanyakumari (budget hotels as well as luxury hotels). Sea facing rooms are generally costlier.
3) Kanyakumari is more commercial as compared to Kerala. Our hotel owner tried to vacate our room before checkout time saying we had booked for 12 hours. Then we called the lady through whom we had booked the rooms and solved the issue. So one must be careful.
Day 8
We rethought and reconsidered our Kerala itinerary and sometimes thought whether it was worth visiting Kanyakumari or not. Because we were going to spend a whole day traveling to Kanyakumari. In the mean time we could have as well covered some other places in Kerala (Kovalam and Trivandrum). But on the advice of one of our well wishers, we finally decided that we would go to Kanyakumari. And while viewing the sunrise at Kanyakumari, all our efforts of coming to this place bore very sweet fruits.
At exactly 5 AM, the hotel staff put the CD of Gayatri Mantra in the common passage of the hotel in high volume. It was their way of waking people up so that they could reach the seashore on time. Oh My God!! I haven't seen a better sunrise prior to this. It was divine. The colours in the horizon kept on changing every minute and the sight was unbelievable. Although it was a bit cloudy, it didn't dilute the beauty of the occasion. After experiencing an amazing sunrise, we went to the Kumari Mata temple in whose name this town is named. This is a very old temple and its architecture is astonishingly beautiful. You will just bow you head with intense devotion, such beautiful is the idol of Kumari Mata.
After taking Kumari Mata's darshan, we had breakfast and shopped around a lot. The wood in Tamilnadu and Kerala is of a really very good quality so we feel like loading our bags with the wooden items we find here. After a lot of shopping, we headed towards the Vivekanand Rock Memorial. Only two large boats ply between Vivekanand Rock Memorial, the Thiruvalluvar statue and the boat jetty at Kanyakumari. So there are very long queues for reaching the boat. But that's unavoidable.
The place where Vivekanand meditated for 3 days is really a lovely one. Water gushing from all sides, the silence and sanctity of this place is worth experiencing. The Vivekanand trust does a lot 
of constructive work for the society and it therefore draws a lot of respect. The Memorial is clean and very well maintained. We get a very beautiful view of the Memorial from Thiruvalluvar Statue which is opposite to it. Thiruvalluvar was a Tamil poet whose literature has been translated in 60 different languages across the world. This itself speaks of his greatness. After returning to the boat jetty at Kanyakumari, it was time to wind up. We packed or bags and headed towards Trivendrum in a Taxi. On the way, we tried to get a glimpse of the sunset at Kanyakumari. But it was far too cloudy which made it difficult for us to view the sunset. After a packed one day trip to Kanyakumari, we reached Trivandrum after a 3 hour drive. But the hotel we had booked was too much filthy to stay (Chola International). So with the driver's help, we found another ok place to spend the night.
of constructive work for the society and it therefore draws a lot of respect. The Memorial is clean and very well maintained. We get a very beautiful view of the Memorial from Thiruvalluvar Statue which is opposite to it. Thiruvalluvar was a Tamil poet whose literature has been translated in 60 different languages across the world. This itself speaks of his greatness. After returning to the boat jetty at Kanyakumari, it was time to wind up. We packed or bags and headed towards Trivendrum in a Taxi. On the way, we tried to get a glimpse of the sunset at Kanyakumari. But it was far too cloudy which made it difficult for us to view the sunset. After a packed one day trip to Kanyakumari, we reached Trivandrum after a 3 hour drive. But the hotel we had booked was too much filthy to stay (Chola International). So with the driver's help, we found another ok place to spend the night.
Useful Info:
1) There was only one booking we hadn't taken seriously during our Kerala trip and that was Trivandrum. Please don't do that. Accommodation in Trivandrum is costlier and people are arrogant. Make sure you find the right place at the right price.
2) We took a taxi from Kanyakumari to Trivandrum. It cost us Rs.1500. You can find loads of taxis for Trivandrum from Kanyakumari.
Day 9
After a good sleep in a not so good hotel, we had an early morning train at 7 AM. So we woke up early, went to the station, had breakfast at the Railway canteen (Surprisingly good) and boarded the train, all the memories of the trip fresh in our mind. Our fellow passengers were nice and so our 30 hour journey was not at all boring. We were done with the 8 days/8 nights tour with a modest expenditure of a little over Rs.60 K (for four of us). This includes travel, food, accommodation, cab, entry tickets and also a one way flight cost. If we had gone for a tour operator, it definitely would have gone over Rs. 1 lakh. Also, the flexibility we got because of planning the trip ourselves was a very important thing. The tour to GOD'S OWN COUNTRY was really an unforgettable one.
If anyone is pondering over the idea of a trip to Kerala, I suggest that you plan it yourselves unless you are too much occupied with work. Do drop in your comments/suggestions/questions about this blog here itself or put an email to paragspam-kerala@yahoo.co.in
