"Kerala ~ God's Own Country" State of Kerala by Canadienne

State of Kerala Travel Guide: 1,807 reviews and 3,800 photos

The backwaters canals extend almost 500 km and were originally used as trade routes for spices and precious metals.

Today, taking a trip into the Keralan Backwaters is like stepping into another world. You could spend days simply passing through lagoons, watching boats taking children to school, men scaling coconut trees, women doing washing along the village waterways. . .all in the midst of the most lush, green vegetation you can imagine.

There's no traffic, there's very little noise. . .it's a fantastic place to relax and unwind for a while.

My Southern India tour group's first stop in Kerala was Cochin, a neat port city with Portuguese, Dutch, English and Chinese influences.

After a day or so exploring the city, we headed on to Kottyam which was the departure point for our Keralan Backwaters explorations. We changed boats in Alleppey and headed further into the network of canals, to Green Palms, our base for a couple of days. It was a fantastic homestay arrangement with local families.

We also visited Periyar National Park, once we left the backwaters ~ it's a beautiful park, but the elephants that it is renowned for were ever-elusive to us.

Last visit to State of Kerala: Dec 2000
Intro Updated Apr 15, 2003
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Reviews (14)

Fresh Seafood Restaurants (2)

Rice and coconut-based curries are the staples of the Keralan menu ~ but fish plays a large role, taking advantage of... more travel advice

Cochin (Kochi) Things to Do (2)

We came through Kochi for a day and night enroute to the Keralan backwaters. It's actually a really nice town and would... more travel advice

Life in the Backwaters - State of Kerala

Literacy in Kerala Local Customs (4)

Kerala has the highest literacy rate in India ~ 92% in the state, compared to 47% in Bihar. The state language is... more travel advice

Atmospheric Periyar Lake - State of Kerala

Periyar National Park Things to Do (2)

Periyar National Park is an unusual result of human intereference in the environment ~ a dam was constructed across the... more travel advice

Hotels (2)
See All Keralan Homestay
Favorites (3)
See All Christianity in Kerala

Transportation (1)
Getting into the Backwaters
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Comments (17)

annacreed Sep 28, 2007 at 8:39 AM Report Abuse

Thank you for this review. My partner and I are going to try this place out. They are still running though I'm not sure they have a website but here is a contact email for them: greenpalmhomes@yahoo.com
bkoon Oct 22, 2005 at 8:00 AM Report Abuse

Thanks for sharing these good tips. Bee :)
BerniShand Jan 21, 2005 at 3:40 PM Report Abuse

for me what makes a good trip great is being able to talk about local culture and customs with local people, another great page Stevie, thanks, this will be our next lndian visit
ecoquester Sep 17, 2004 at 7:06 PM Report Abuse

Hi Stevie, Your pages on Kerala have been very helpful to me in planning our trip there this october. Thank you so much.
kyoub Jul 12, 2004 at 4:03 AM Report Abuse

Great pages on Kerala. I hope to go there soon.
MalenaN Jan 9, 2004 at 11:59 PM Report Abuse

Excellent tips! Sounds like you had a good time with the Thoma's family!
martin981 Dec 13, 2003 at 5:50 AM Report Abuse

Great site! I am a Keralaite living in Finland.You have touched the heart of land:)
acemj Nov 14, 2003 at 8:33 AM Report Abuse

Ahh, memories of the homeland!! My dad is from here. The Thomas's food sounds enticing. Great page as always, Stevie!
travelinxs Oct 3, 2003 at 11:27 AM Report Abuse

Another gem, Stevie. All tips taken on board. Thanks again.
phil_uk_net Aug 10, 2003 at 3:13 PM Report Abuse

Gravel wallahs? Are you serious?! Interesting comments about the caste system - I'd like to understand more. You continue to do an outstanding job for the Indian Tourism board! Did you meet dsantosh in State of Kerala? Great page as usual Stevie.