Kerala

Jungle Safari

Kerala has many natural rain forests, with lots of unique flora and fauna. a trek in the forests of kerala can offer a unique experience. many forests are protected and to enter in any forest area, you require permission from forest office. guards from the forest office may be required to accompany you due to presence of wild animals and to liaise with local tribespeople in some forests such as the periyar tiger reserve, malayatoor forest division, silent valley rain forest in the nilgiri hills of palakkad district, wayanad forest division and nilambur teak forests. a request is required to be made at the forest headquarters in trivandrum or range offices at the entrance of each forest division. entering forests without permission is an offence and punishable with charges of trespassing. hunting and environmental disturbance is also an offence. you don't require forest guard protection services to enter chalakudy forest division a place very popular for use as a movie location. agastyakoodam in trivandrum is famous for high medical value flora. nelliyampatty forest division in palakkad requires a prior check with local range office or forest office before proceeding. you need a forest permit to enter any forest region and must assure that you do not offer anything to local tribespeople or disturb them in any way. kerala tourism, in association with the forest office have organised some deep jungle safaris. jungle lodges are available in outer areas of some of the forests. check with ktdc or dtpc for more details

Elephant Safari

If you are in kerala, elephants safaris are one of the best way to keep amused. riding on top of an 8 foot animal, will surely make you excited and thrilled. elephant safaris are common in many tourist places like thenmala eco-tourist village and at kodanadu elephant training centre near kochi as well as in periyar tiger reserve area.

Nilgiri Safari

A safari by foot over deep forests, mountainous terrain, plains at nilgiris, to enjoy the sightings and sound of lonely nilgiris mountains, enjoy the company of protected tahrs and deers, mesmerised with the beauty of golden plains. surely nilgiri safari has all these to offer.

Catamaran Sailing

A catamaran is small often wooden vessel with twin hulls joined together. catamarans are usually set sail across the backwaters of kerala nowadays motorised catamarans are in vogue along with traditional oar propelled ones giving the tourists of the state more variety to indulge in. catamaran sailing can be seen in alleppey and kollam beaches and limited usage in kozhikode barbour. the government discourages this, due to absence of safety measures, hence such sporting options must be done under personal risk.

Trekking

Is a good option. lot of trekking options prevails in palakkad and kottayam districts, which are safer. trekking in idukki and wayanad is also good, but is much more adventurous and not as safe. do contact dtpc of these districts available at district capitals to know more about it. kottayam mountains are the best for anybody to trek, whereas trekking at iddukki is surely for the experts. vagamon and nearby areas have lot of short trekking options.

Mountain Biking

Popular in hill station areas, especially for racing. ponmudi in trivandrum, munnar, thekkady, vagamon, and nelliyampatty are main centres for mountain biking and racing.

Mountain Hiking

Is also emerging as a popular sport, to conquer the largest peak of western ghats- anamudi in iddukki district. many mountain hikers go in search of tall peak points, for hiking options. need to check at iddukki, palakkad and kottayam districts.

Para gliding

Para gilding are available at munnar and varkala. a try is surely something you going to cherish, due to the natural beauty and the extreme thrill associated with it. recently vagamon has emerged as one of the popular centre for para gilding, due to its less mountainous terrain and vast expanse of open space, coupled with scenic beauty. recently it was chosen as permanent centre for kerala para-gliding prix. assta kochi is one of the premier sporting agency in kerala (9194472-88252, 98470-59735)

Canoeing

Canoeing is a favorite sport among the tourists of kerala and among the local inhabitants of the state. a canoe is a small 2-3 seater boat which is rowed by the sailors. canoeing expeditions are undertaken in kerala by groups of tourists and such sashays are often arranged by tourist operators on request. one can find many canoe races among tourists in backwaters of alleppey.

Kayaking

Kayaking requires high levels of physical fitness. a kayak is a small one or two man boat which the rowers actuate with twin paddled oars. kayaking can be undertaken on rocky rapids similar to white water rafting or on calm sea waters. the backwaters of kerala are extremely conducive to such sea kayaking. kottayam and alleppey backwaters, particularly vaikom has many good areas for kayaking. small rapids near vagamon and pala and thenmala eco-tourism village are centres of kayaking.

Para Sailing

Parasailing is a water sport commonly indulged in kerala's beaches and sea side resorts. this highly recreational sport is one of the primary adventure sports in kerala's many beaches. commonly seen in varkala, kovalam, cherai beaches. recently started in kannur beach too.

Scuba Diving

Scuba diving is deep sea diving with an oxygen pack fitted to the diving suit so that the diver does not need to depend on any surface supplied equipment. the deep arabian sea off kerala shores makes scuba diving a veritable pleasure sport. the rich underwater flora and fauna attracts the diver over the risks involved in the sport. mainly done in kochi backwaters and highseas area. this yet has not emerged as a popular sporting in kerala, though its popular in nearby lakshadweep seas, from the kochi cruisers.

Snorkeling

Snorkeling is a major tourist recreation at the beaches of alappuzha, kovalam and varkala. it involved swimming at the surface of the deep sea equipped with a snorkel or a breathing tube and mask. it allows the diver to view the natural underwater bounties and the diversity of marine life.

Wind Surfing

Windsurfing is skimming the water face on a surfboard with a revolving sail. the skill of the surfer is tested in maneuvering the craft amidst the high waves and tearing winds. windsurfing is a sport that rouses much interest in the numerous beaches that fringe coastal kerala. this is not as popular as other sports, though at kovalam and varkala, one can find some wind surfers.

 

Oxen Racing:- Oxen racing is an adventure sporting, where the racer needs to drive two oxens tied to wooden boards and need to make 5 circles around the paddy field. This is a popular village-side sports, especially done before sowing season, to make soil ploughable, while providing an entertainment option. Traditionally tourists are not encouraged to take part in this sport, as it requires high level of skill and expertise, though recently many tour companies are catering this option to their adventurous guests.

sports

Much like elsewhere in India, lot of sport options exist in Kerala, mainly limited to Football, Cricket, Volleyball, Athletics. Malayalees are well-known for their passion for Volleyball and Athletics. Majority of great Indian Volley-ball players and famous athletes of which many are Olympians are from Kerala.

Play Volley-Ball at Kerala's beaches as many locals do play this in evenings. You can join them.

Soccer is a passion for majority of Malabar people who love to spend whole day and night in various Foot-ball stadiums. You can join with them for a round of soccer or cheer soccer teams while in their play.

Golfing is a good option, though a limited one. Traditionally Golf is considered as a Game for Rich in Kerala, hence one can find good Golf-Courses only in Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi. Trivandrum Golf Course is the Oldest Golf-course in Commonwealth and a very good place to play with holes. The Bolgatty Palace Hotel in Cochin has a private Golf Course for its guests, which was the traditional golf-course once used by British Residents and Nobles of Royal English Residency of Cochin. Recently Cochin Airport has opened a state-of-the-art 18 hole golf course, which is good place to play as well as learn Golf. Munnar has a golf course called High-Range Golf Club which is a scenic place to play. There are few small golf clubs in Iddukki and Kottayam districts, which are mainly limited to its members, though tourists may be allowed to pay at slightly higher fees.

Like elsewhere in India, cricket is the most hottest craze among youngsters and you can find most of them playing in very large open spaces and fields. Regular cricket tournaments are held in Kerala. Try a game with Bat and ball.

Indoor stadiums are common in most of the large metros and district headquarters. Most of the indoor games are played at many clubs and tourist recreation centres. The popular indoor games are Table tennis, Badminton and cards. Think of such options in these areas. Most of the hotels do have large swimming pools, which are good places for swimming. Else the Kerala Water sports complex in Trivandrum and Indoor Sports Centre in Kochi, provides olympic size pools for various water games.

ayurveda

Kerala is world famous for its Ayurvedic treatment. Due to tourist boom, light Ayurvedic Spas have became popular for light massages and pleasure treatments. However in case if you have any serious aliment it is recommended to go to any of the famous Ayurvedic hospitals.

cruises

A cruise on the Backwaters of Kerala is a popular visitor pastime. Try getting a houseboat from either Kumarakom or Alleppy. An individual houseboat can be rented in 24 hour and 12 hour blocks. Rates differ according to the season and duration.

Boating in Akkalum tourist village in Veli Near Trivandrum as well as in Kochi Harbour, Kallai River of Kozhikode, Malampuzha Reservoir in Palakkad, Periyar Tiger Reserve in Thekkady, Neyyar Dam Adventure because of its crocodile infested area in Trivandrum, Thenmala Eco-Village in Kollam and Astamudi Lake in Kollam; offers some good sightings in these areas as well as offers a good pleasure trip worth for an experience

Try using village canoe yourself in Canals of Kuttanad, Pathiramanal island, Changaserry, over Nila river in Ottapalam in Palakkad, Kallayi river in Kozhikode and Periyar river in Aluva. Its surely going to make you try again and again.

Speed cruise in Akkulam Tourist Village in Trivandrum as well as Sasthamkotta Lake in Kollam or Kochi backwaters is a good choice. Akkulam has a wide range of speed cruise from Jet ski to Water Scooters and Speed Boats as well as Banana Boats.

If you love adventure, try boarding any Fishing vessel, for a trip to High seas. Its something really adventurous. For more extreme adventurous person, a trip using traditional Fishing boat, is more thrilling due to use of narrow body boats without any machines, used by fishermen in coastal areas. You can experience the thrills of High seas.

Kerala Shipping Corporation has introduced Kochi Cruise, that have 2 type of cruises covering both Kochi Harbour Backwaters and nearby High seas. The evening cruise is the most interesting, due to the experience of cruising while at sunset and sightings of several dolphins in the Kochi Highseas.

festivals

See Festivals of Kerala for further details.

Kerala is considered as land of festivals, with numerous festivals falling across the year. The national festival of Kerala is Onam, marking 10 day long festivities across the state, happening between August-September. The second biggest festival is X'mas due to large Christian population in the state, celebrated in grand zest in many cities, particularly in Kochi and Kottayam. All Muslim festivals are celebrated among the community in grand way, especially in Malabar where they form majority. Apart from major religious festivals, most of temples hosts annual festivals as part of anniversary celebrations, famous for large parade of decorated elephants, temple orchestration and fireworks. The most famous among them is Thrissur Pooram celebrated in the Thrissur town during April-May.

Other major festivals celebrated are Vishu Malayalam New Year day mostly on April 14th, Thiruvathira considered sacred for Hindu women celebrated during December and Holy Easter Week. National secular holidays like Independence Day August 15th, Republic Day January 26th, Naval Week December 1st week, Nehru Trophy Vallam Kalli Snake-boat race in Alleppy on 2nd Saturdays of August etc are celebrated in grand way in various cities.