Rolling green undulating hills, tea plantations and a profusion of blossoming trees: these are the images that remain of Munnar, long after you return.

Best known for the backwater trips, most popular of which are from Alleppey (Alappuzha) to Quilon (Kollam) and the annual snakeboat races, it is surrounded by coconut plantations and is along the canals that service the nearby villages and form part of the complex network of lagoons, lakes and canals. The backwater trips are a must-do for travellers to the area.

Sandy beaches and swaying palms - a favourite holiday destination for all at affordable prices.

Trivandrum, also known as Thiruvananthapuram, is the capital of the state of Kerala and is a many-faceted sea-side city built on seven hills. 10 kms from Kovalam Beach and 100 kms from Kanyakumari, it was the seat of the erstwhile Travancore Maharajahs and contains many old relics of historic and artistic value, apart from being a pilgrimage centre.

The twin towns of Kochy (Cochin) and Ernakulam where all the strands of its history remain in the Chinese fishing nets at the harbour, the Jewish temple, the elaborately dressed Kathakali dancers, the ambience of modernity and history rubbing shoulders amicably. The largest city in Kerala, it retains the charm and romance of many different times.

Definitely the best sanctuary to see the elephant in the wild. Covering an area of 780-sq. km. it encompasses a lake that has been created by constructing a dam on the place where the Periyar River flowed. A boat ride will offer picturesque scenery and the opportunity to see wild elephants, birds, monkeys, turtles and otters.

A small town of Kerala, it traces its history back to the 9th century, from when the Malayalam era is calculated. Popularised because of the immensely popular backwater trips to Alleppey, it is beside the Ashtamudi Lake and surrounded by cocunut and cashew plantations.