A bit of advice
- Airport taxis are regulated fixed prices you prepay for. But porters will expect a tip.
- Vegetarian food galore – we paid as low as 45 rupees for breakfast and 85 rupees for dinners
- Uber and Ola are (unfortunately) much cheaper than conventional taxis. Especially on long trips.
- For booking buses use redbus.in They don’t have every bus, so it’s still worth asking your hotel. But it’s a very convenient way to pre book the busiest of buses.
- Kerala is much more female friendly than other states. Even the buses have female only seats and some bus firms offer discounts for women on Redbus.in
- For everything train related seat61.com
Two days in Chennai
Where to stay
We stayed at Broadlands guesthouse and, despite looking rough around the edges, I have to recommend it. The building is the old Turkish embassy with high ceilings which helps keep the rooms cooler. It also has a courtyard at the back which is a serene safety point to escape the chaos of Chennai.
What to see and do
The Fort of St George is a must for anyone wanting to learn about the history of Chennai and the East India Trading Company. Armenia Street is worth a visit if you’re nearby. There is a quaint Armenia church to see.
Where to eat
We found A2B restaurant in Triplicane to be a good safe option. This is a chain and can be found anywhere.
Read about these below!
Chennai is no different to any other Indian city in some respects; it’s cramped and chaotic, and it’s dirty. This stood out no more so than on Marina beach.
This is a place that every Youtuber and guidebook recommend visiting, possibly because there isn’t a great deal to suggest to do In Chennai. We popped down one afternoon with the idea we would come back for sunset – we did not return. The beach is strewed with snippets of plastics and broken glass – you’re risking a cut and an infection if you go barefoot here. And it’s such a shame as it’s the second longest beach in the world and seems to stretch on for miles before you hit the Bay of Bengal. But it’s been mistreated to the point I can never imagine it clean. At the seafront, locals played and sunbathed next to the carcass of a drowned dog as if it was normal. That was enough for us.
Across the street is the University of Madras and the senate building, which are beautiful examples of Indo- British architecture.
A short way north along the beach you have The Fort of St George, built and improved from the 1700s onwards by the British. Tickets are required to be purchased via a mobile phone and are 250 rupees for a foreigner. It’s three floors of museum and I thought it was a great way to learn about the establishment of the city of Madras (now Chennai) as well as the East India Trading company and the events which caused them to morph from a trading company to some sort of criminal enterprise. Afterwards we took a walk up to Parry’s corner and explored Georgetown.
We took a stroll along Armenia Street and visited the Amenian church, which was worth seeing if you’re around here, and then walked over to Sowcarpet market. This was a Sunday so a lot of the bazaar seemed to be shut, but what was open was the typical chaotic market you’d expect. A lot of it seemed to be located along Mint Street.
Final thoughts
My summation of Chennai is this; miss it unless necessary. It’s a city with very few redeeming features. I can look past the rubbish if there was much to see, but there isn’t.
Mahabalipuram – The hippy town with ancient temples
Where to stay
We stayed at Silver Moon guest house and found it to be a nice place to stay, away from the loud roads and minutes from the beach and temples. They did arrange a taxi back to Chennai bus station and the driver drove like a complete idiot and dropped us off in the wrong location – avoid this service of theirs. The main tourist area is called Fisherman’s Colony, here you’ll find many guesthouses all at around about the same price.
What to see and do
The main reason anyone comes here is for the temples – they are a must see.
What to eat
There are an abundance of mediocre western meals to eat around the fisherman’s colony, but veggies you’re still represented well. We liked babus for breakfast and Buddah Cafe for dinner. Joe’s cafe which was attached to our guest house was always busy and the staff were friendly.
Mahabalipuram is an old hippy resort which still retains it’s boho roots, but we were coming for the 7th and 8th century UNESCO listed Hindu temples. We had planned a bit of a dip in the Bay of Bengal, but unsurprisingly the beach was littered with plastics and half rotted fish; the later acceptable given how much fishing they do here.
The real gem is the temples, and they do not disappoint. Everything in town is pretty much walking distance, except the Five Rathas which is about half a mile along the road.
The main collection of ruined temples are located just behind the bus station in the centre of townm You enter opposite the magnificent rock temple and carvings of Arjuna’s Penance, which is completely free. The rest of the temples however are charged and it costs 600 rupees for a foreigner, but includes the temples behind Arjuna’s Penance on Mahabalipuram Hill, the Five Rathas and the beautiful Shore Temple – but they all have to be visited in one day.
The temples on Mahabalipuram hill are easily reached via a stroll around the park, they are all labelled and it’s quite nice to just idly walk about randomly coming across the rock temples. Id say, wear half decent shoes as some of the rock is angled and very smooth – I did slip on my flip flops!
We took a right to left walk and exited the park at the lighthouse end which leaves you on the right side to head to the Five Rathas or Shore Temple.
I’ve got to admit, we didn’t get to the Five Rathas; we arrived at about noon and left later the next day, so it was what we cut from our itinerary. We did however head to the Shore Temple. Stalls of trinkets and tea line the road down, but once inside it becomes a peaceful green space, sandwiched by the sea. I think the temple is somewhat busy at all times, with most going for sunset. I would assume sunrise would be better as the sun would rise behind the temple, out over the sea. The temple is quite small but very beautiful and it’s easy to see how it is Mahabalipuram’s number one tourist site.
Final thoughts
Mahabalipuram was worth the visit for the temples alone. The convenience of the tourist infrastructure was nice to have for a few days; people seem to get lost here and stay for weeks. There is a charm to it, but without a clean beach I can’t recommend it for more than a couple of days.
The Western Ghats – Kumily and Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary
Where to stay
I have to give a special mention to our accomodation here; Kerala House Homestay – ran by the lovely Shibu and his family. While the view on booking.com was not quite as fantastic the room we were given, it was still great and Shibu helped us with everything from getting to Kumily, tours and onward travel. For those taking the same onward route as us; bus to Changanssery and then change onto one of the many buses to Alleppy.
What to see and do
Periyar Tiger Reserve, obviously 😉 it’s a beautiful place and the eco tourism infrastructure is great
Spice and Tea tours – there are an abundance of these available to be booked through any local agency or guesthouse
Traditional dance and martial arts displays are on show daily at the town theatre
Where to eat
The best place we ate was undoubtedly the Tusker Cafe. Periyar Tiger cafe is the place to go for breakfast. Special mention to the Jungle Cafe too for their views and friendly service
Kumily is a world away from Chennai – the streets are clean (this would be all of Kerala we would discover) , the jungle surrounding it seemingly sways with a thousand shades of green and birds exchange song to one another. A truly pleasant place on the doorstep to Periyar national park.
Periyar is one of the most popular national parks in India, but the town was not busy while we were here. We arrived and booked a half day hike with a raft tour for 2200 rupees each (plus an extra 500 park entrance fee). Our accommodation helped us, but you can book this and any other tours direct with the forest office in town – the park only lets a limited number of people in everyday so these tours can get booked up.
Personally, I’d have preferred to do a full day hike, but my travel companion wasn’t keen. However, I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by the wildlife we saw on the hour or so hike to the lake. The guides themselves were ok, giving a bit of knowledge and pointing out various animals and listening out for larger mammals. But there were 3 of them and a ranger with a shotgun and they didn’t seem to be all that interested. On the walk we saw Malabar Squirrels, monkeys, buffalo and an abundance of fresh elephant dung. The park has roughly 10,000 elephants and they can be very aggressive in February and March because they are with young, so this concerned the guides somewhat. But we saw no elephants on the hike.
On the raft ride however, we were lucky enough to see a heard of elephant, with a baby, on the forest edge. They were a long distance away, but they were there. The river raft is mostly for bird spotting, so if you’re into that I highly recommend it. We saw Eagles gliding in the sky, Kingfishers diving and dozens more that I do not know the names of.
Final Thoughts
Kumily and Periyar Tiger Reserve were an absolute delight to visit. The park feels well looked after, with their eco tourism strategy. The town itself is clean and quite and there is no hassle from salesman and tuktuk drivers. I know more people head to places like Munnar and I can’t compare the two as I’ve never been. But I do think if you’re reading this you should consider Kumily as either and alternative or as an addition. Wonderful place.
Alleppey, our base for the Kerala backwaters
Where to Stay
We stayed at Paddy n’ Canal a new 3 room guesthouse set between a rice paddy and a canal. Its run by 3 brothers who are have made a really nice and clean place, and most importantly, they are full of knowledge and can book you anything you want to do in Alleppey. Rooftop Terrace and beer available.
What to see and do
The houseboats. You can take a day trip or multiple nights on the backwaters, whatever you choose you should really do one while you’re here. There are smaller boat trips which can take you on some of the narrower canals that other boats can’t reach.
Where to eat
Rice boat – Holy shit this place was tasty. Mostly northern Indian curries I think. Entirely vegetarian. Based inside a hotel.
After much back and forth with agencies, we decided not to book a houseboat until we arrived in Alleppey. However, the night before we left Kumily I booked a guesthouse who offered us a houseboat for less than we budgeted for. This price included lunch, dinner and breakfast the next day and had air conditioning throughout the night.
Before that though we had a day to explore Alleppy – what can I say, there isn’t a great deal to do here that isn’t based upon the waters. We didn’t want to do anything else like that incase it spoiled the boat trip we had booked.
Instead we walked the hour to the beach. It was too hot for that, but we started so we finished! The beach is pleasant, so so much cleaner than those we had visited in Tamil Nadu. There is an old bridge which used to take goods too and from the canal, but otherwise it was nice just to walk along watching the crabs digging themselves out of the sand and running off down into the sea.
Across the road is an old lighthouse which cost 100 rupees to enter, including access to the top of the lighthouse. The views were superb. We were lucky enough to be able to watch a cricket match down below and above us Eagles and Kites fought each other over territory.
The Backwaters overnight boat stay
The backwaters did not disappoint. It’s a truly unique and beautiful part of the world, and I can’t imagine coming to Kerala and not experiencing it.
However, the trip didn’t come without some disappointment that I think anyone planning to do the same overnight tour we did should be aware of.
Firstly, there are literally hundreds of diesel powered boats. And although they are becoming more and more regulated, that many cannot be good for the ecology of the backwaters
Secondly, and this one really disappointed me, to stay overnight you congregate with dozens of other boats a short way from your starting point. I imagined, naively, being docked up somewhere alone on the side of some canal. I can’t help but think with hindsight that because of this it really isn’t worth doing the overnight trip and just doing a day trip on a smaller boat.
The reason behind this is actually a good one – boats have to be docked between 6pm and 8am so they have to dock near their port to drop you off by 9am. This stops the cowboys and people with no respect mistreating the place. But as a tourist, if I knew that before I’d have taken an all day tour and saved money on staying overnight.
I do have to say though that we were very professionally looked after on the boat and after all of this travelling around every few days, it was nice to just have a lazy day and watch the world go by.
Marari Beach
Where to stay
We stayed at Marari John Villas, which I can again recommend. The only flaw was a few places not cleaned properly – the rest of the place was spotless so I am putting this just down to us arriving early and being let in the room. The cheapest place we booked in India, has a beautiful and shady courtyard and is about a 2 minute walk to the beach.
What to see and do
The beach and the Arabian sea rolling onto the beach.
It’s an Uber relaxation place, so there are Also plenty of reasonably priced Ayurveda places about.
Where to eat
We ate at the highly rated Fisherman’s Cafe on the beach. Maybe we caught them on a bad night, but the food was OK but it took over an hour to come out.
The little cafe shacks on the beach provide a lovely place for a coconut or a cold drink. We paid 70 rupees for 2 teas and 2 lemon sodas!
Most places focus on local fish, but again there is a strong vegetarian presence on all menus.
Marari Beach was the perfect stopping place for a day for us; halfway between Kochi and Alleppy, it’s a somewhat popular beach which is very very clean by Indian standards.
Ladies! Locals told us this is the best beach for foreigners because it’s more private and hassle free. We’ve not really experienced or heard about any issues towards women in Kerala, but if you are worried, this place is deemed bikini safe.
There were probably another 100 people on the beach when we arrived, but by walking about 5-10 minutes along the beach it was just us and the fishing boats.
A tuk tuk from the dock in Alleppy cost us 500 rupees to get here. If you want a beach to relax on, then this is perfect. How does it compare to the beaches in South East Asia? Probably not as good – the Arabian sea is aggressive and has pretty strong tides. This is a beach for dipping in to cool off, not to swim in. Saying that, there are way less people here than the beaches in South East Asia.
Kochi
Where to stay
We went all out on a 5 * place in Fort Kochi – Fragrance Nature hotel.
For those on a budget, there is a GoStops hostel just down the road from there, although I’ve not stayed there personally I did stay in one in Delhi some years ago and it was very good.
What to see
Fort Kochi is pretty stacked with things to see. We took a pretty early start one morning and walked through the north of Fort Kochi, taking in the Chinese fishing nets and all the area around Vasco De Gama square. You also have the amazing Jew Town and Mattacherry palace to see, which you can do the same day if you’re pushed for time.
Markets – Broadway market in Ernakulam sells mostly tat, but is rammed full of locals so a fun experience.
The Jew Town market is better for tourists, but for that reason it’s overpriced
Where to eat
For Pizza try Salt n Pepper down at Vasco De Gama square.
Punjab house in Ernakulam is very cheap and an authentic experience.
Coffee is best served at one of the cafes in Jew Town – we liked Mocha
Fort Kochi is the perfect mix of new and old; it’s a vibrant and colourful city but still maintains the charm of it’s colonial past. Some old buildings are rotting away, while others are pristine examples of the past.
You could see the sights here in a day or two, but equally you could let the days pass by while you stroll about, taking in the sights, sounds and smells of this beautiful place.
In north Fort Kochi, most of the sites are in and around Vasco De Gama square – like literally a 5 minutes maximum walk. There are cafes and restaurants selling all sorts of cuisines and market stalls selling all sorts of trinkets and tat. You can rush around these sites in an couple of hours, but it’s best done at a slow pace, stopping for a drink under the enormous trees that shade the square. Tuk tuk drivers will offer you 100 rupee tours which I am suspicious of. And others will ask you to go into shops so they get commission – we just did, but I’m sure you can refuse easily enough.
You’ll probably first come across the Chinese fishing nets at Vasco De Gama, which have been here hundreds of years and are still in operation. If you come down in the morning – we arrived at about 8.45am – you can see them in use. Their catch was measly, mostly they dredge up crab and fish. Whatever they don’t get before they submerge again the Brahmany Eagles swoop down and pinch. You can walk along the seafront here which is adorned with relics of the city’s past.
You also have St Francis church, where Vasco De Gama was once buried before being transported to Portugal and then the Santa Cruz Cathedral, with incredible murals on the ceiling. Do be careful here as it is only open to visitors at certain times – it wasn’t clear what those were when we were there.
A tip!
The ferries cost just 6 rupees per person. They run roughly every 20-30 minutes. This is how we went between Fort Kochi and Ernakulam
Jew Town and Mattacherry
Jew town and it’s surrounds are as beautiful, if not more so, than the streets around Vasco De Gama square. Before coming, I’d not realised there was a Jewish population here. In fact you can visit the Paradesi Synagogue here for 10 rupees a person and learn about the long history of Jews in Fort Kochi. The synagogue is uniquely decorated on the floor with 18th century Chinese tiles.
Around Jew town there is a market – mostly aimed at tourists – where you can pick up 100 rupee saris and fridge magnets to 20000 rupee dresses. This is also where you’ll find the coffee shops.
Mattacherry Palace is a couple of minutes walk around the corner from the main Jew town quarter and is another bargain at 5 rupees per person. It’s an old Palace, originally build by the Portuguese and then taken over by the Dutch. It has a great collection of historical items used at the palace as well as absolutely incredible wall paintings that you absolutely must go and see. Cameras are not allowed to be used inside the building.
Final thoughts
Kochi is a treat – most things you’d want to see are in laid back Fort Kochi, meaning you can reach everything by foot if you like. It’s the most pleasant city I’ve been to in India. We had 3 days here and just took life slow
Can I recommend these places?
Well, Kerala has blown me away. Having previously visited the North of India, I was expecting Kerala to have some similarities in regards to the rubbish and the attitude towards women – but it doesn’t. The lady I’m travelling with has not felt an ounce of discomfort, let alone anything worse. I’m leaving here feeling like Kerala has surpassed even my most positive expectations.
As for Tamil Nadu, and I feel very harsh for saying this as I only spend a very short period here, but it’s Tamil No-do for me. You can tell the difference as soon as you cross the border between Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Put it this way, with hindsight I’d have spent this entire two week trip in Kerala. From the western Ghats, to the houseboats and the sea and even Historic Kochi, I have really loved every part of Kerala.
