Winter is Kerala’s best season. Calm backwaters, cool hills, ritual dance in the north and a carnival in Fort Kochi to close the year. When the north of…
When the north of India turns cold, Kerala is at its gentlest. The monsoon is long gone, the humidity drops, the backwaters lie still and the hills around Munnar are cool enough for a jumper in the evening. From December to February the coast sits around 23 to 32 degrees with little rain. Munnar and Thekkady are cooler, with crisp mornings and mist in the tea. It is ideal weather for a slow trip that mixes hills, water and coast. Winter is the best time for a houseboat on Vembanad Lake or the quieter canals around Kumarakom. Skip the busiest stretches near Alappuzha jetty and ask for a smaller boat that can slip into the narrow village canals, where the real backwaters are. Between November and April the villages of Kannur and Kasaragod hold Theyyam, a ritual dance in which performers in towering headdresses and painted faces become gods for a night. Performances are local temple events, often through the night, and dates are set by the shrines themselves. A good local contact makes all the difference. Fort Kochi is lovely at Christmas, with stars in the windows of old Portuguese and Dutch houses. The Cochin Carnival fills the last days of December with parades and music, and ends at midnight on New Year’s Eve with the burning of a giant Pappanji figure on the beach. Two nights in Fort Kochi, three in Munnar, one in Thekkady, one on a houseboat and three on the beach at Marari or Varkala. Add two nights in Kannur if you want to see Theyyam. Kerala is busy from Christmas to the second week of January. Houseboats and beach stays for the holiday week sell out early, so book by November if you can.