Kerala

Kerala is a narrow strip of land between the Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea: nearly 600 kilometres of coastline, a mountain range that reaches almost 2,700 metres, and some of the greenest landscapes in India. The backwater canal network connecting Alappuzha to Kottayam is an inland waterway long used by rice farmers, traders and fishermen, now navigated by private kettuvallam houseboats fitted with teak rooms and private decks.

The Munnar hill station at 1,600 metres is one of South India's great tea-growing districts, its slopes covered in Camellia sinensis in rows that follow the contour lines of the mountain. The Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary at Thekkady surrounds a lake formed by an 1895 British dam; wild elephants are often seen along its shores, especially on an early morning boat circuit in the dry months.

Ayurveda in Kerala is not the spa-menu Ayurveda of international hotels. The classical tradition, preserved in Kerala by families of physicians over many generations, involves treatment programmes that traditionally last two to three weeks under the supervision of a vaidya physician. We work with family-run clinics in the Thrissur and Palakkad districts that have practised uninterrupted lineage medicine for four generations. The Kathakali classical dance tradition, still taught in performance schools throughout the state, is bookable as a private evening programme in every major town.

The coast has its own character. Fort Kochi, a former trading port, has Chinese fishing nets, Portuguese and Dutch churches, a synagogue in Jew Town built in the sixteenth century, and spice warehouses turned into galleries and cafés. The Kochi-Muziris Biennale, held every two years, has made the city one of India's leading centres of contemporary art. Further south, Varkala has beaches at the foot of red laterite cliffs, and Kovalam and Marari offer quieter stretches of sand.

The backwaters are best experienced slowly. A night on a houseboat is the classic way, but the busiest routes around Alappuzha can be crowded with boats. Smaller canals, explored by canoe or country boat, show village life more intimately: women washing clothes, children rowing to school and ducks herded along the banks. Kumarakom, on the shore of Vembanad Lake, has a bird sanctuary and some of the most beautiful lakeside hotels in the state.

Kerala's food is rich in coconut, spices and seafood. Appam, lacy rice pancakes, with a mild vegetable or chicken stew, is a classic breakfast. Karimeen, pearl spot fish, is grilled or fried in a spicy paste wrapped in banana leaf. A sadya, a vegetarian feast of many dishes served on a banana leaf, is the centrepiece of the Onam harvest festival in August or September.

The state's culture is rich in performance. Kathakali, with its elaborate make-up and costumes, is performed in Kochi and at cultural centres across the state, often with a demonstration of the make-up before the show. Theyyam, a ritual dance form in the north of Kerala, is performed in village shrines between December and March and is one of the most intense spectacles in India.

The best time to visit is from October to March, when the weather is warm and dry. The southwest monsoon, from June to September, brings heavy rain, but it is considered the best season for Ayurvedic treatment, and the landscape is at its greenest.

Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode have international airports. A week allows time for Kochi, the backwaters and Munnar, and ten days or more lets you add Thekkady, the beaches and an Ayurvedic stay.