• Home
  • Start Here
    • Skye Gilkeson
    • Contributors
  • Work with Us
  • Media
  • Disclaimer and Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Email Disclaimer

The Fit Traveller

As luxury travel and wellness experts we help you travel well

  • Destinations
    • Africa
      • Morocco
    • Asia
      • Cambodia
      • China
      • India
      • Indonesia
      • Japan
      • Laos
      • Malaysia
      • Maldives
      • Myanmar
      • Nepal
      • Singapore
      • Sri Lanka
      • Thailand
      • Vietnam
    • Europe
      • Belgium
      • Croatia
      • Denmark
      • England
      • Finland
      • France
      • Greece
      • Iceland
      • Ireland
      • Italy
      • Malta
      • Norway
      • Serbia
      • Spain
      • Sweden
      • Switzerland
      • The Netherlands
      • United Kingdom
    • North America
      • Bahamas
      • Canada
      • Costa Rica
      • Guatemala
      • Mexico
      • United States
    • South America
      • Brazil
      • Nicaragua
      • Peru
      • El Salvador
    • Oceania
      • Australia
      • Cook Islands
      • New Zealand
      • Samoa
  • Travel Guides
  • Stay
  • Retreats
  • Lifestyle
  • Wellness
    • Fitness
    • Running
    • Yoga
Kerala cover shot

Asia, Destinations, India, Travel Guides, Yoga / November 22, 2015

Exploring Kerala: Adventure, Ayurveda and Yoga

  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Flipboard

Set on the coast of Southern India, Kerala has a variety of natural landscapes to explore including beautiful beaches along the Arabian Sea, the backwaters, and lush green tea plantations. It offers a unique language, culture and cuisine from the rest of India. For those hoping to learn more about Ayurveda and dive deeper into their yoga practice, there are also a number of retreat centres in Kerala. Our Kerala itinerary included all of these elements, making for the perfect introduction to this magical part of India.

Mary Tilson

retreat centres in kerala

Beautiful Varkala Beach in Kerala, India. Image © Mary Tilson

Munnar Trekking

Contents

  • Munnar Trekking
  • Thekkady Sightseeing
  • Alleppey Backwaters
  • A Varkala Stay
  • Retreat Centres in Kerala
  • Planning Your Trip to India

Trekking: Take an active approach to Munnar sightseeing by arranging a half or full-day trek. It is is easy to do once you arrive in Munnar and a Munnar trekking excursion is also a great way to experience the natural surroundings, tea making process and support the local people.

Eat Local: Dosa, one of South India’s most popular dishes, is a thin crepe made of rice and lentils, usually served with a variety of chutney, curry and vegetable soup called sambar. My favourite Dosa in Kerala was at a local spot called Saravana Bhavan in Munnar, served on a banana leaf with endless refills on all of the sides.

Related: Photos to Inspire you to Visit India

Munnar Kerala

Local guide, Alvin guided the group through the Munnar Tea Plantations in Kerala, India. Image © Mary Tilson

Thekkady Sightseeing

Safari: Venture out by Jeep into the forest and look for elephants, tigers, bison, and other exotic animals with a Thekkady safari. Thekkady is blessed with beautiful lakes, waterfalls, and tea plantations, which make it another stop worth exploring by foot or small boat.

Culture: Evenings in Thekkady are a great time to experience traditional arts. The Kadathanadam Kalari Centre has nightly Kalaripayattu martial arts shows. The performers are highly engaging and quick to bring audience members onto the stage to participate in their high-risk stunts. Kathakali is another traditional Indian art, where stage performers act out entire storylines using facial expressions. This was truly one of a kind experience that had me in between laughter and absolute awe.

Related: Hariharalaya Yoga Retreat Cambodia

Kerala trip

Taking a break from the safari through Thekkady for a swim. Image © Mary Tilson

kerala guide

Kathakali Cultural show in Thekkady, India. Image © Mary Tilson

 

what to do in Kerala

Demonstrating Kalaripayattu, a 3000-year-old form of martial arts. Thekkady, India. Image © Mary Tilson

Alleppey Backwaters

Boating: The Kerala backwaters are a beautiful set of lakes and lagoons running parallel to the coast and lined with small villages. There are a variety of options for exploring the Alleppey backwaters by boat, from inexpensive ferry rides running regularly throughout the day to private houseboat tours, all of which can be easily arranged from local travel offices.

Related: How to Spend 4 Days in Tokyo

Kerala houseboats

Riding through Alleppey’s backwaters. Kerala, India. Image © Mary Tilson

A Varkala Stay

Varkala is a lovely little beach town set on cliffs overlooking the Arabian Sea. There is a nice strip of cafes, which offer a mix of cuisines from all over the world, Ayurvedic spas, yoga centres, and local shops. You can take part in activities such as cooking lessons, surfing, jewellery making, or just relax on the beach.

Varkala Yoga: Sunil is a very kind, knowledgeable local teacher that has been leading traditional Hatha Yoga classes in Varkala for over 12 years. He’s currently teaching at Krishnatheeram in a beautiful space overlooking the Sea.

Related: Seeing Angkor Wat by Bike

Ayurveda Kerala

Varkala Beach is a place to rest and rejuvenate body and mind in Southern India. Image © Mary Tilson

Varkala beach Kerala

French fashion blogger Emilie Hawlena getting a jewellery lesson from a local vendor. Image © Mary Tilson

ayurveda Kerala

Emilie Hawlena enjoying the sunset in Varkala, India. Image © Mary Tilson

Retreat Centres in Kerala

India is a bucket list destination for yoga devotees, with yoga teacher training in India high on the list of those who want to teach the practice. There are a number of retreat centres in Kerala. You will find a number of places to dive deeper into yoga, spirituality, and Ayurveda, India’s ancient science of natural medicine everywhere.

The Sivananda Ashram in Neyyar Dam offers a two-week Kerala Yoga Vacation for beginners and long-time practitioners of yoga that includes a full schedule of asana (postures), pranayama (breathing), meditation, chanting, karma yoga (service), and lectures on yoga philosophy. For those with limited experience of yoga, it is best to join on at the beginning of the course. However, visitors are welcome to drop in to the Kerala ashram at any time.

Amma, often referred to as “The Hugging Saint” also has a very large Kerala ashram comparable to a mini-city, where people travel from all over the world to get a hug. August and September are the best months to visit since Amma spends the majority of the year touring the world.

If you’re looking for world-class Ayurvedic care, Rajah Islands offer personalised treatments with accommodation set on Kerala’s backwaters. Yoga Therapist, Shy Sayar also offers Yoga Therapy sessions to complement treatment packages.

Related: Is Sumba Island Indonesia’s Best Kept Secret

yoga retreats Kerala

Dive deeper into yoga, spirituality & the ancient art of Ayurveda in Kerala, India. Image © Mary Tilson

Yoga retreat Kerala

Sivananda Yoga Ashram in Neyyar Dam. Image © Emilie Hawlena

 

Planning Your Trip to India

  • Check out our photos that will inspire you to travel to India
  • Consider a trip to Udaipur
  • What to know when travelling India solo
  • How to get a tourist visa for India
Exploring Kerala, the Birthplace of Ayurveda in India | Kerala is a magical part of India. We discovered the best way to learn more about ayurveda in Kerala, its birthplace and the best yoga retreats in Kerala. ********** Kerala India | Ayurveda Kerala | Yoga Retreats India | Yoga Teacher Training India | Houseboats in Kerala | Kerala Packages | Things to do in Kerala | What to do in Kerala | Trekking Munnar | Munnar | Ayurveda India | Kerala Beaches |
IMG 0901
Mary Tilson
Mary Tilson is an international yoga teacher, retreat leader, and passionate world traveler. She has completed over 1,000+ certified training hours in Eastern and Western approaches to yoga and healing in order to make her teaching accessible to all levels.
Mary loves seeking out new learning opportunities, outdoor adventure and building community on one of her retreats held in exotic locations around the world.
sunandmoonsoberliving.com/
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Flipboard

Filed Under: Asia, Destinations, India, Travel Guides, Yoga

« A Digital Detox at The Westin Paris
Where to Eat in Queenstown, New Zealand »

The Fit Traveller may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Prices may be subject to change without notice.

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Read more here.

 

CONTACT US

 

Copyright © 2014 ‐ 2023 — The Fit Traveller • All rights reserved • Privacy Policy Disclaimer