Kerala — 'God's Own Country,' famous for palm-fringed backwaters, houseboat cruises, spice plantations, and the historic port city of Kochi where Portuguese, Dutch, and British colonial layers meet.

Overnight cruises aboard traditional kettuvallam houseboats through a maze of palm-lined canals, lagoons, and rice paddies.

Kochi's historic waterfront district, famous for its giant cantilevered Chinese fishing nets and layered Portuguese, Dutch, and British colonial architecture.

Rolling emerald hills of tea estates in the Western Ghats, with cool mountain air and scenic viewpoints over the plantations.

A forested reserve around Periyar Lake in Thekkady, home to elephants, tigers, and boat safaris through spice-growing hill country.