Offbeat Hill & Tribal Kerala
Kochi (also known as Cochin) is a city in southwest India’s coastal Kerala state. It has been a port since 1341, when a flood carved out its harbor and opened it to Arab, Chinese and European merchants. Sites reflecting those influences include Fort Kochi, a settlement with tiled colonial bungalows and diverse houses of worship. Cantilevered Chinese fishing nets, typical of Kochi, have been in use for centuries.
Munnar is a town in the Western Ghats mountain range in India’s Kerala state. A hill station and former resort for the British Raj elite, it’s surrounded by rolling hills dotted with tea plantations established in the late 19th century. Eravikulam National Park, a habitat for the endangered mountain goat Nilgiri tahr, is home to the Lakkam Waterfalls, hiking trails and 2,695m-tall Anamudi Peak.
Marayur or Marayoor is a town in Devikulam taluk of Idukki district in the southwestern Indian state of Kerala. It is located 42 kilometers north of Munnar on SH 17 connecting Munnar with Udumalpet, Tamil Nadu.
Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary is a wildlife sanctuary in the Idukki district of India’s Kerala state. It is one of 18 wildlife sanctuaries among the protected areas of Kerala. It hosts the only rehabilitation centre for the Indian star tortoise in India.
