Also known as Cochin, Kochi is a city in southwest India's coastal Kerala state. This attractive city has served as a popular port for over 600 years and is known for its eclectic architecture and its array of religious monuments, museums, galleries, cafes and antique shops. The city stretches across a number of peninsulas and islands, which can be reached by a network of water taxis and bridges. The majority of Kochi’s visitor highlights can be found on the peninsula of Fort Kochi. These highlights include the St Francis Church, the oldest European-built church in India; and Mattancherry Palace, which dates back to 1557 and contains some exceptional Kerala murals and temple art. Other must-see attractions include the Kerala Folklore Museum, displaying more than 4,000 cultural and ethnic artifacts; and the 16th-century Jewish Synagogue; and the vibrant local market.
One of Kerala’s most alluring towns is Kumarakom, a hub of biodiversity where mangrove forests are mixed in with rice paddies, coconut palms, and bursts of white lilies. This vivid subtropical peninsula juts into Vembanad Lake and is a popular place to study yoga, meditation, and Ayurvedic massage, and from which to take bird-watching, boating, and fishing trips. Nearby attractions include the Aruvikkuzhi Waterfalls, just two kilometres from Kumarakoram, which cascade down the mountain slopes from roughly 30 metres above, and Pathiramanal (meaning ‘sands of midnight’) a beguiling island and bird sanctuary in the middle of the lake.
Conveniently located 16 kilometres from the city of Thiruvananthapuram, Kovalam is a small but well-developed tourist village on the coast of the southern Indian state of Kerala. It is renowned for its exquisite palm-lined surf beaches, and the well-known Lighthouse Beach, which is lined with an array of excellent hotels, restaurants, and shops, and a striped lighthouse at its southern end, is a must-see. The village attracts surfers with its surf culture, excellent waves, and popular surf club. Enjoy a wonderfully relaxing Ayurvedic massage, sample delicious local seafood, and try your hand at a range of exhilarating water sports.
