Author name: Ishali Heman

Kollam & Pathanamthitta Kollam & Pathanamthitta Travel Guide 2026 — Hidden Kerala Worth Visiting Discover Kollam and Pathanamthitta — Kerala’s most underrated destinations. Backwaters, pilgrim trails, cashew country and wildlife. Your complete 2026 travel guide. Most Kerala itineraries follow the same route. Cochin, Munnar, Thekkady, Alleppey — and then home. That circuit is popular for good reason. However, it leaves out two districts that offer something the standard route simply cannot: space, quiet, and a version of Kerala that has not been shaped around tourism. Kollam and Pathanamthitta sit in southern Kerala, side by side, and between them they hold backwaters, dense forest, one of India’s most visited pilgrimage sites, the world’s largest bird sculpture, and a cashew industry that supplies a significant portion of the globe. In other words, there is quite a lot going on here. This guide covers both districts honestly — what they offer, who they suit, and how to fit them into a Kerala trip. Enquire Now Tours & Packages Blog1 Destinations Packages Munnar & Alleppey 3 Night, 4 Days Munnar & Alleppey 3 Night 4 Days 2 Pax Itinerary Day 1: Cochin to Munnar Pick up and proceed to… Kerala Tour Package: 7-nights, 8-days  8-Day Enchanting Kerala Escape Itinerary Day 1: Arrival at Cochin Pick up at cochin, visit Dutch palace, Jewish synagogue, chinese… Kerala Tour Package: 5-nights, 6-days 6-Day Enchanting Kerala Escape Itinerary Day 1: Arrival at Cochin Pick-up: Cochin Airport / Railway Station Proceed to hotel check-in… Kollam & Pathanamthitta Highlights Jatayu Earth’s Center World’s largest bird sculpture. Thenmala India’s first planned eco-tourism project. Thangassery Lighthouse Historic 1902 lighthouse. Konni Elephant Cage Historic elephant training center. Munroe Island Famous for narrow canal cruises. Palaruvi Waterfalls A 300 ft “Stream of Milk” waterfall. Gavi Deep forest eco-tourism and wildlife. Aranmula Home of the famous metal mirrors and boat races. Ashtamudi Lake The gateway to the backwaters. Kollam Beach (Mahatma Gandhi Beach) Great for evening walks.. Sabarimala Major pilgrimage center in the Periyar Tiger Reserve. Perunthenaruvi Falls A wide, rocky waterfall on the Pamba River. Best Places to Visit in Kollam Kollam — More Than Just a Backwater Stopover Kollam (also called Quilon) is Kerala’s seventh-largest city and one of its oldest port towns. Arab traders were doing business here over a thousand years ago. Marco Polo passed through in the 13th century. The Portuguese came after that, then the Dutch, then the British. Because of this history, Kollam has a layered character that most coastal towns in Kerala do not. The old port quarter still carries traces of every trading era that passed through it. That said, most visitors today know Kollam primarily for one thing — Ashtamudi Lake. Ashtamudi Lake — Kerala’s Second-Largest Backwater System Ashtamudi means “eight braids” in Malayalam, which describes the lake perfectly. Unlike the relatively linear backwaters of Alleppey, Ashtamudi spreads outward in eight distinct channels — a sprawling, palm-fringed network that covers over 61 square kilometres. The result is a backwater experience that feels fundamentally different from Alleppey. Because the lake is wider and deeper, the light sits on it differently. The boat rides feel more expansive. Villages along the banks are less visited and therefore more genuine. The most popular thing to do here is the Kollam to Alleppey backwater cruise — an 8-hour journey by government ferry or private houseboat that travels the full length of the National Waterway 3. It is one of the longest backwater journeys you can take in Kerala. In fact, many experienced Kerala travellers say it is more atmospheric than Alleppey alone, precisely because it covers more ground and more variety of landscape. For a shorter experience, private shikara rides on Ashtamudi Lake from Kollam town take 1.5 to 2 hours and cover the most scenic channels close to the city. Jatayu Earth’s Centre — The Attraction Nobody Expected About 50 kilometres from Kollam, near a town called Chadayamangalam, something unusual sits on top of a granite hill. It is a sculpture of Jatayu — the eagle from the Ramayana who fought Ravana to protect Sita — and it is the largest bird sculpture in the world. The sculpture is 200 feet long, 150 feet wide, and 70 feet tall. It is built into the natural rock of the hill, which means it looks, from certain angles, as if it has always been there. The site has a cable car, a viewpoint, a digital museum on the Ramayana, a rock climbing zone, and a nature trail. What makes this particularly interesting is that the hill itself — Jatayu Para — is where the Ramayana says Jatayu fell after the battle with Ravana. Therefore, the sculpture is not purely decorative. It marks a site that holds genuine mythological significance for millions of Hindu pilgrims who visit specifically for that reason. Searches for “Jatayu Earth’s Centre Kerala” have grown sharply since the attraction expanded its facilities. It is now one of the most searched new attractions in South Kerala, and consequently, one of the most photogenic. Thenmala — India’s First Planned Ecotourism Destination Forty kilometres east of Kollam is Thenmala — officially designated as India’s first planned ecotourism destination. The name means “honey hill” in Malayalam, and the area around it lives up to that. The Thenmala ecotourism zone is built around the Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuary and the Kallada River. Activities here include boating on the reservoir, a sculpture garden, a deer rehabilitation centre, and several forest trails maintained by the Kerala Forest Department. What Thenmala does well is balance access with conservation. The trails are genuinely within the forest. The deer park houses animals that cannot be released back into the wild but are maintained in conditions that are far more natural than a zoo. The suspension bridge over the Kallada River is a short walk and worth it for the view. It is not a dramatic destination. However, it is a genuinely peaceful one — and for travellers who want forest without the crowds of Thekkady or Wayanad, Thenmala

Thiruvananthapuram Everything You Need to Know Before Visiting Thiruvananthapuram in 2026 Planning a trip to Thiruvananthapuram? Here is your complete insider guide—top attractions, hidden spots, food, beaches, temples & how to get there. Thiruvananthapuram — Kerala’s capital city — is one of those destinations that consistently gets left off itineraries, and consistently surprises those who do visit. While Munnar and Alleppey rightly dominate most Kerala tour discussions, Thiruvananthapuram (also called Trivandrum) operates at a different register entirely: older, quieter, more layered, and home to some of the most significant cultural and spiritual landmarks in South India. If your Kerala itinerary includes the southern stretch — and our 7 Nights 8 Days Kerala package does — Thiruvananthapuram is where the journey reaches its most historically rich point. This guide covers everything you need to know: what to see, how to plan your time, the best areas to stay, what to eat, and when to go. Enquire Now Tours & Packages Blog1 Destinations Packages Munnar & Alleppey 3 Night, 4 Days Munnar & Alleppey 3 Night 4 Days 2 Pax Itinerary Day 1: Cochin to Munnar Pick up and proceed to… Kerala Tour Package: 7-nights, 8-days  8-Day Enchanting Kerala Escape Itinerary Day 1: Arrival at Cochin Pick up at cochin, visit Dutch palace, Jewish synagogue, chinese… Kerala Tour Package: 5-nights, 6-days 6-Day Enchanting Kerala Escape Itinerary Day 1: Arrival at Cochin Pick-up: Cochin Airport / Railway Station Proceed to hotel check-in… Thiruvananthapuram Highlights Padmanabhaswamy Temple The world’s richest temple. Poovar Island Estuary where river, lake, and sea meet. Napier Museum 19th-century art and natural history. Neyyar Dam Famous for its lion safari and deer park. Kovalam Beach Iconic lighthouse and crescent beaches. Agasthyakoodam The second-highest peak in Kerala (trekking). Trivandrum Zoo One of the oldest in India. Vizhinjam Rock Cut Cave 8th-century rock-cut sculptures. Varkala Cliff Stunning red cliffs overlooking the Arabian Sea. Ponmudi A hill station with 22 hairpin curves. Kanakakkunnu Palace Heritage site for cultural festivals. Akkulam Tourist Village Lakeside picnic spot with boating. Best Places to Visit in Thiruvananthapuram 1. Padmanabhaswamy Temple This is the reason Thiruvananthapuram exists. The city’s name literally translates to “the abode of the sacred serpent of Lord Vishnu,” and the Padmanabhaswamy Temple—dedicated to a reclining form of Lord Vishnu—has been the city’s spiritual center for over a thousand years. The temple’s architecture is a seamless blend of Kerala and Dravidian styles: the towering gopuram (entrance tower) rises seven storeys and is covered in intricate sculptural work that rewards close attention. The inner sanctum houses a 5.5-metre reclining idol of Vishnu, made from a unique herbal paste called Katusarkara Yogam—it can only be viewed through three separate doorways simultaneously, each revealing a different section of the idol. Entry is restricted to Hindus. Men must wear a dhoti (available for rent outside), and women must wear a saree or salwar kameez—no Western clothing is permitted inside. Visiting hours are early morning from 3:30 AM for the first ritual, with general darshan from 6:30 AM to 7:00 PM with midday breaks. Go early — queues build significantly by 8 AM. The temple also gained international attention for the discovery of vaults beneath it containing an extraordinary collection of gold, jewels, and historical artifacts—now one of the largest known treasures of any religious institution in the world. 2. Kuthiramalika (Puthenmalika) Palace Museum Less than 200 meters from the Padmanabhaswamy Temple and largely missed by visitors in a rush, the Kuthiramalika Palace is one of the finest examples of traditional Kerala palace architecture that exists. Built in the early 19th century by the Travancore king Swathi Thirunal — himself a celebrated classical composer — it gets its name from the 122 carved wooden horses (kuthira = horse) that support the roof eaves. Inside, the museum displays royal artifacts, ivory carvings, Belgian crystal furniture, and portraits of the Travancore royal family. The architecture alone—laterite walls, sloping tiled roofs, carved wooden pillars, and inner courtyards designed for natural ventilation—is an education in how Kerala’s climate shaped its built environment. The entry fee is nominal. Closed on Mondays. 3. Napier Museum & Natural History Museum Complex The Napier Museum, built in 1880 and named after a former governor of Madras, is one of the most striking colonial-era buildings in Kerala. The design is an unusual Indo-Saracenic style—terracotta tiles, carved gables, and horseshoe arches—and the collection inside is genuinely interesting: Kerala bronzes, temple chariots, ancient coins, ivory carvings, and a life-size model of a Kathakali performer. Adjacent to it are the Natural History Museum and the Kerala Government Museum, all within the same landscaped park complex. The complex also contains the Thiruvananthapuram Zoo, one of the oldest in India, spread across 55 acres with a notable collection of big cats, primates, and birds. Plan 2–3 hours for the full complex if you have children with you or enjoy museums. Open: 10 AM – 4:45 PM. Closed on Mondays and the first day of every month. 4. Kovalam Beach Sixteen kilometers south of the city center, Kovalam is the beach that put Kerala on the international tourism map in the 1970s—and it remains one of the finest beach destinations in South India. The crescent-shaped Lighthouse Beach is the most popular: calm waters, a working lighthouse you can climb for panoramic views, and a beach strip lined with seafood restaurants. Hawah Beach (adjacent to Lighthouse Beach) is quieter and better for swimming when the sea is calm. Samudra Beach, further north, is the least commercial of the three and popular with long-stay travelers who want to avoid the crowds. For sightseeing, the Vizhinjam Marine Aquarium at the southern end of Kovalam is worth a quick visit, and the newly developed Vizhinjam International Seaport nearby is among the most significant infrastructure projects in Kerala’s recent history. Kovalam is included in our 7 Nights 8 Days Kerala package as part of the southern leg—view full itinerary → https://bestkeralatourpackages.com/trips/kerala-tour-package-7-nights-8-days/ 5. Shanghumugham Beach & Veli Tourist Village Closer to the city (just 8 km from the center, next