From colorful festivals to plush greenery, South India has always been a major landmark for adventurers and explorers. With standard tourist destinations and other "off the map" places, South India is a must visit place for any traveler who likes to experience change. South India is home to geographical and cultural diversities. With beautiful hill stations and heartwarming sceneries of acres of plantations to the north of Kerala and religious temples stretching over a span of hundreds of meters in Tamil Nadu, you are sure to find everything you are looking for and a lot more! Your soul searching trip can never be said to be complete in all aspects until you visit South India and experience what is cultural and regional diversity first hand!
Though there are hundreds of reasons why you must go to South India, here are the top five reasons why you simply must not pass a chance to take the trip.
Backwaters of Kerala
Located right off the coast, Kerala has a large number of backwater channels. The "God's own country" has a large number tourist centers which are equipped with house boats to travel through the backwater channels. Allepy is the center of these house boat packages which can be bought for 1 day to 1 week. Fish caught off the boat is used for cooking and you can treat your taste buds to fresh sea food for the whole week!
Hill stations and plantations of Ooty
Some of the best hill stations are spread across the northern parts of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Munnar, Kodaikanal, Coorg and Ooty are the most popular of these. Of this Ooty is called the Queen of Hill stations and is also one of the few Bio-Hotspots in the world. It is approximately 2,240 meters above sea level and has a cool crisp climate all over the year. Ooty also is home to many tourist attractions and your visit there is guaranteed not to be boring.
A major thing to look forward to is the rows of tea plantations which have been planted all along the roads that connect Ooty and Coonoor. Other places that house famous tea plantations are Munnar and Coorg.
Temples of Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is home to thousands of temples, small and large in size. Tamil Nadu houses the biggest population of Hindus and perhaps this is the reason why it has such a rich collection of these heritage monuments. The Ekambareswarar temple in Kanchipuram is the largest temple in Tamil Nadu. It stretches around an area of 92,500 square meters. The temple has a number of religious priests who offer guided tours to explain the significance and importance of the super structure and the deities in the temple. It is a must visit temple, but do take care as there is every possible of you losing yourself in the structural magnificence!
Ayurvedic treatments
Ayurveda is one of the most sought out treatments all over the world. Its natural and herbal derived extracts and oils have been widely acclaimed to have extraordinary healing powers. This is the reason why people from all over the world make it a point to visit South India at least once in a year. A large number of athletes have also been known to go for Ayurvedic Treatments for muscle strains and other discomforts.
Ayurvedic massages are also known to be an excellent remedy for stress busting. All massages are aimed at making you feel better and in balance emotionally and physically. A break is never complete in South India without an Ayurvedic massage.
South Indian cuisine
Owing to its cultural diversity, South India also has its fair share of cuisine diversity. If you are ready to try some coconut based delicacies, then Puttu-Kadla, or Appam and egg curry from Kerala will be the right choice. Kerala is also famous for its seafood cuisine. If you are more of a Dosa and Idli person, the Tamil Nadu would be the place to visit. There are hotels that cater 101 varieties of Dosas and no matter how much you eat; your taste buds will want more. If you go to Karnataka and Andhra, you will be able to savor rich varieties of rice and spicy dishes. All in all, South India has some of the most diverse dishes available that will help you explore untouched areas of deliciousness.