India Retreats

Kerala 

Stretching for 600 kilometres along India’s southwestern coast, the state of Kerala combines magnificent mountain scenery with glorious palm-lined shores, gentle backwaters, and historical coastal cities such as Kochi, famous for its Chinese fishing nets, and the state capital, Thiruvananthapuram, to the south.

This vast province offers a wealth of attractions and experiences, many of them rooted in its rich culture, natural green landscapes, quiet beaches, and its central place in Ayurveda, the ancient Indian system of healing and medicine that has thrived here for centuries.

Along the coast, sleepy fishing villages give way to long ribbons of sands and luxurious garden-style hotels that draw peace, and sun-seekers. The shoreline is also punctuated by historic towns replete with faded churches and forts built here in the 16th and 17th centuries by the occupying Portuguese.

Further inland, traditional rice boats take visitors on cruises along a network of gentle waterways, while elsewhere, fragrant spice gardens, tea plantations, and national parks inhabited by wild elephants and other native species beckon.