| Travel Essential |
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| Travel Information |
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With the Arabian Sea in the west, the Western Ghats towering 500-2700 m in the east and networked by forty four rivers, kerala enjoys unique geographical features that have made it one of the most sought after tourist destination in Asia. An equiable climate. A long shore line with serene beaches. Tranquil stretches of emerald Backwaters. Lush hill stations and exotic wild life, Waterfalls. Sparwling plantations and paddy fields.Ayurvedic health holydays. Enchanting art forms.Magical festivals. Historic and cultural monuments |
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| Area |
| 38,863 sq km, which is 1.27% of India's total land area and is located at the Southwest tip of the India's main land |
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| Climate |
| Weather |
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Tropical |
| Summer |
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February - May[24 - 33 degree celsius] |
| Monsoon |
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June - September [22 - 27 degree celsius |
| Winter |
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October-January [22 - 32 degree celsius] |
| High Season |
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December-May |
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| Population:- 31,838,619 (2001 census) |
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| Capital :- Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum) |
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| Number of Districts :- 14 [ a district is equivalent to a county in the US] |
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| Literacy rate:- 100% [ approx.] |
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| Sex ratio :- 1058 women to 1000 men |
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| Religion:- 58 % Hindu, 21 % Muslim and 21 % Christians |
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| Clothing |
Ideally light cottons. However the cooler hill stations may warrant woollens. Kerela is strategically located right in the middle of the travel-trade corridor connecting Europe to the Pacific Rim, at the south-western tip of India. Sandwiched between the Arabian Sea and the forested western ghat mountains, the state of Kerela is blessed with unique geographical and cultural features. Its overpowering tropical greenery with forty one rivers and countless waterways, fed by two annual monsoons, intoxicates every visitor. Apart from being one of the most sought after tourist destinations in Asia, Kerala can claim some of the most startlingly radical credentials in India. Like being India's only 100% literate state. Having India's largest concentration of Science and Technology personnel. India's highest life expectancy. India's lowest infant mortality, India's most balance mix of Hindus, Muslims & Christians. India's cleanest, most peaceful, pollution free State, India's highest Physical Quality of Life Index, India's most advanced society |
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| Travel Formalities |
A Visa is a must to enter India. You can contact the Indian Embassy / High Commission in your country for the same. It is best to carry your passport on you all the time. You may also carry a travel insurance |
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| Communications |
Kerala has a well-knit communications network. With telephone, fax and internet centres in almost every corner. Enabling you to get in touch with any part of the world easily |
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| Currency |
| In Kerala, as elsewhere in India, the currency is the Indian Rupee (100 paise). All major credit cards find wide acceptance. |
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| Nightlife |
Nightlife in Kerala is quiet and mostly hotel based. One of the most colourful evenings you can enjoy is a performance by a Kathakali dance troupe. Kathakali is the most popular sacred dance-drama of Kerela. Kathakali evolved across the last 400 years. This classical dance of Kerela requires lengthy and rigorous training to attain complete control of the body and a sensitivity to emotion so as to be able to render all its nuances through facial expressions and hand gestures |
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Presented in the temple precincts after dusk falls Kathakali is heralded by the Kelikottu or the beating of drums in accompaniment of the Chengila (gong). The riches of a happy blending of colour, expressions, music, drama and dance is unparallelled in any other art form. Daily Kathakali shows are performed in some cultural centres in Cochin (Kochi) and Thekkady (Periyar) |
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| Weather |
Kerala has tropical Climate . The maximum temperature remains around 33 degree centigrade. Monsoon touches the state in June and remains there till September though not much difference in temperature can be felt |
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Winter is from October to January and temperature drops a bit. The weather is never too chilly in Kerala. Maximum temperature of the State rarely rises above 32 degrees while minimum temperature at sea level does not go below 20 degree centigrade |
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| Kerala, the land surrounded by pristine waters of the Arabian Sea, has an equable climate that varies from season to season |
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The presence of the Western Ghats on the eastern side of the state and across the path of the southwest monsoon creates an important climatic zone with copious rainfall on the windward side and a dry belt on the lee eastern side |
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The Climate of Kerala can be clasified roughly into three categories. The summer which lasts from March to May followed by the southwest monsoon spell lasting until the middle of October and the northeast monsoons taking over the relay, lingering on till the month of February |
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| Elephant Ride |
The most popular wildlife safari in Kerala is the Elephant safari. The Elephants offer exclusive enjoyable safaris that enable you to explore the numerous varieties of the wildlife in Kerala. Sitting comfortably on the back of an Elephant you can enjoy the bewitching forest of Kerala in a regal way.
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During Elephant safari you can discover the wildlife as well as the pug marks. If you want to experience some more fun, encourage the mahout, probably he would take you off the beaten path to more rewarding locations. |
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Periyar is, clearly, the safest elephant sanctuary in India, possibly in the world. Elephants have never been known to attack a tourist launch. This, in spite of the fact that elephants are at home in the water. Elephant, Wild Pig, Sambar and Guar are the four most popular animals with Thekkady's visitors. The smaller ones, however, are as interesting. |
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| Elephant ride is also available at Cochin (Kochi) |
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| Shopping |
Kerala is not a dynamic destination for shopaholics. Things you can shop in kerala - Aranmula mirror, gold and silver brocaded fabrics and silks, papier-mache trinket boxes, silverware, ceramic and pottery are all good value. Cochin's best buys include metalware, camel-bone carvings, wood carvings, items fashioned from coconut husks, screwpine mats and antiques |
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Kovalam, offers an array of handicraft stalls. Teakwood statues, sea-shell-encrusted trinkets, brightly screen-washed fabrics and grass and coir-woven mats are all typical gifts |
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| Food & Drink |
The unusual cuisine of Kerala brings to the fore the culinary expertise of the people of Kerala. Producing some of the tastiest foods on earth, the people of Kerala are gourmets with a difference
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The cuisine is very hot and spicy and offers several gastronomic opportunities. The food is generally fresh, aromatic and flavoured. Keralites are mostly fish-and-rice eating people. The land and the food are rich with coconut, though one can't imagine Kerala food without chilies, curry leaf, mustard seed, tamarind and asafoetida |
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Just a pinchful of tamarind can substitute tomatoes, but there is no real substitute for curry leaf. Since time immemorial, coconut has been an integral part of the cuisine of Kerala |
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These people put to good use whatever the land offers and the result is a marvellous cuisine that is simple yet palate tickling. They relish equally a dish as simple as 'kanji' (rice gruel) or as extravagant as the 'sadya' (feast) |
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| Sadya |
Sadya is the elaborate dish, which is a totally extravagant affair. Avial, an all time favourite, is a happy blend of vegetables, coconut paste and green chillies. Avial's seasoning is a spoonful of fresh coconut oil and a sprinkling of raw curry leaves, stirred in immediately after the dish is taken off the stove |
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Kottucurry' is made out of cubed potatoes, onions and green chillies cooked in coconut milk with plenty of red chilli. 'Olan', a bland dish of pumpkin and red grams is prepared by cooking it in thin gravy of coconut milk |
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Payasam is a thick fluid dish of brown molasses, coconut milk and spices, garnished with cashewnuts and raisins. There could be a succession of payasams, such as the lentil payasam and the jackfruit payasam, Bengal gram payasam and so on, though 'Adapradhaman', a rich payasam with thin rice wafers, is arguably the ultimate delicacy 'Palppayasam', made with sugar, ghee and spices, brewed in creamy white milk is regarded as the last word in sweet dishes. This is served with a golden yellow sweet pancake known as 'boli' |
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| Trekking |
If you are not the sun, sand, sea and backwaters type, Kerala has place for you in its mountains and valleys where you can indulge to your heart's content in trekking and camping. The grasslands of the Western Ghats at Munnar and the Periyar Wildlife sanctuary are among the best known destinations for trekking. The Western Ghat mountain ranges border the east of Kerala. For centuries, the thick forests and high mountains have acted as natural barriers for the narrow stretch of land that Kerala is. Naturally, the mountains provide some of the most spectacular trekking routes for those in search of pure adventure.
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Your camp at Periyar will be in a tropical rain forest, amidst exotic flora and fauna. If you are a serious wildlife enthusiast, the trek inside the Periyar reserve would be worth a lifetime of experience. The Periyar Sancutary and the Tiger Reserve is rich in wildlife. Trekkers can get rare glimpses of life in a tropical forest with flying squirrels, herds of elephants or even a tiger keeping them company. In addition, there could be sightings of rare birds like the Malabar Pied Hornbill or the Crested Serpent Eagle or butterflies such as the Malabar Tree Nymph |
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The road to Munnar will take on mountainous paths roads through acres of spice-scented caradamom plantations. And at the top, you will experience a world of peace and quiet on the shola-grasslands |
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You could plan your camping route to Periyar Tiger Reserve and then through mountain roads to Munnar. Take a trek through the forests and cross the Periyar Lake in bamboo rafts. It is worth a lifetime's experience |
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| Insurance |
Travel Insurance or Visitor Insurance also known as Overseas Medical Insurance can cover your Medical Expenses, Personal Accident, Trip Delay, Loss of Passport and many more risks while you travel abroad. |
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| Visa Information |
A Visa is a must to enter India. You can contact the Indian Embassy / High Commission in your country for the same. It is best to carry your passport on you all the time. You may also carry a travel insurance |
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| Now you can apply for an Indian visa from your home, just follow the simple Instructions: |
- Step 1: Complete your application form online
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- Step 2: Pay the visa fee and service charges online along with the optional postal charges for the return of your passport
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| You may send your postal application complete in every respect to the following address |
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For High Commission of India, London County Jurisdiction:
India Visa Application Centre
142-148 Goswell Road, London EC1V 7DU |
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For Consulate General of India, Birmingham County Jurisdiction:
India Visa Application Centre
20 - 21 Pemberton St, Birmingham B18 6NY |
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| Please note that |
- It takes minimum 15 working days to process the postal application excluding postal transit period.
- Incomplete applications will not be processed (remember to send the required documents, valid passport, printed and signed application form and correct fee and photographs as per specification
- As your passport will be sent through the post, it is important that you give your complete and correct address and post code on the visa application form
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| Your application will be sent to the address given by you through post |
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| Please finalize your travel arrangements only after you obtain an appropriate visa |
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| For more information on the Visa Procedure, kindly logonto the following links |
http://in.vfsglobal.co.uk/howtoapp.aspx
http://in.vfsglobal.co.uk/applyonline.aspx
http://in.vfsglobal.co.uk/applyvisahome.aspx |
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| You may also logo onto the following link to know the Consulates of the High Commission of India in UK - http://www.hcilondon.net/aboutus/consulates.html |
