South India | A practical guide to planning your trip

• The local currency is the Indian rupee (INR)

Beware of the commissions you will pay to your bank for each withdrawal. Remember to withdraw large sums.

Exchange offices can be found everywhere (cafés, cybercafés, hotels). Your driver can help you find them in the various towns.

• Credit cards

They are widely accepted in shops, high-end restaurants and mid-range and upper-range hotels. Visa and MasterCard are the most frequently accepted cards. You can withdraw cash from ATMs or hotels. Check bank charges with your bank before you leave.

• Language

In India, they speak Hindi, the most common language, as well as English, which is spoken throughout the country.

For your trip to India, we recommend hepatitis A and typhoid vaccinations, as well as up-to-date universal vaccinations. Check with the Institut Pasteur before you leave to make sure conditions have not changed.

You should also take dietary precautions, such as not drinking any uncontrolled water unless consumed via Lifestraw, eating cooked food as often as possible, and refusing ice cubes…

There’s no malaria. The risk of bites is often greatest at sunrise and sunset, and is multiplied during the monsoon season when the weather is more humid. To avoid the risk of being bitten as much as possible, I advise you to wear loose-fitting clothing that covers as much of your body as possible, to use mosquito repellent creams, ointments or sprays, to eat spicy food and to wear light colors only…

• Entry formalities

The same formalities apply to all regions of India and to French nationals. The formalities are carried out online, in French, so I recommend this site with which I work. Click on this very detailed link to start the process .

Passport valid for at least 6 months after planned return, with 3 blank pages (2 facing each other).

• Visa

Before leaving, it’s imperative to contact embassies and consulates to ensure that entry requirements have not changed.

For visas, there’s no need to go to the embassy for a few days’ stay, there’s the E-visa, valid for 60 days from the day you arrive in India. Expect to pay around 60 USD/p. The procedure is online. Once payment has been made online, you will receive confirmation by email within 72 hours. Print out your authorization and present it to immigration officials on the day of your arrival.

Click on this very detailed link to start the process

Compatible sockets are often found, so we didn’t need an adapter for this trip (we always carry a universal adapter with us just in case).

For Internet, hotels often have wifi and the connection was quite good. You can also buy a SIM card with Internet data. But beware, it seems to me that you need to have a fixed address in India, so it can be a bit complicated.

• CLASSIC HOTELS

In India, you’ll find a variety of so-called classic accommodations, hotels that can be booked on sites like booking. On the other hand, I’ve had good and bad experiences with the classic hotel business: reservations in hotels that no longer existed, or really dirty hotels. In every major city in India, you’ll also find hotels from major international chains such as Marriott, Sheraton…

• BOUTIQUE HOTELS

This is a fairly new concept in India, given the accommodation already available. Boutique hotels offer a different experience, as they are often located in trendier parts of the city, more intimate with just a few rooms, and more like little havens of peace. The decor is meticulous and sophisticated, the style worked and contemporary.

• HOME STAY

Staying with a local is a unique experience in India, whether in Rajasthan or Kerala. We did this several times during our round-the-world trip, at the Cambodia including. As everywhere else in the world, you need to have the right contacts to sleep with a family that is welcoming and clean (sheets, toilets, showers…). Indian families often transform their homes to make you feel welcome. It’s a great opportunity to discover the Indian countryside and local customs, spend time with women and children and learn how to cook. It’s a major source of income for these families, who are delighted to welcome you. We have great memories of it on all our trips, including the one to India.

• ECO- LODGE

This type of accommodation is becoming increasingly popular, and is often located near national parks or close to nature. They come in standard and luxury categories. The price is justified by criteria such as exclusivity, location, comfort and the food offered, often organically grown. Sleeping in an ecolodge also means being aware of and paying attention to resources such as water, electricity and the environment…

• Chauffeur-driven car

To discover Kerala, I recommends a driver and a car because it’s the simplest and most effective way. Renting a car gives you the most freedom to visit this region, even if it’s more expensive than taking the bus or train. Renting a car is almost always done with a driver, and you’ll quickly understand why when you see the state of the roads and, above all, the anarchy of local traffic with buses, cows and rickshaws….Renting a car gives you the most freedom to visit this region, even if it’s more expensive than taking the bus or train.

• The train

A trip could be made by train, but the idea didn’t even cross our minds as we were looking for ease and wanted to stop wherever we pleased. India has one of the most extensive rail networks in the world. It’s cheap and efficient, but often very crowded. They are better suited to long journeys, some of which take place at night. There are some 7,000 stations throughout the country.
It’s easy enough to book your train ticket: you enter the name of the departure and arrival cities, and it pulls up a list of all the trains with their departure and arrival times. For train timetables, visit this site

• The bus

The network is highly developed in South India. Buses are the cheapest means of transport, fast, frequent and generally less crowded than trains.
You’ll find 2 types of bus: state buses (government buses) and private buses (often more expensive). If your budget allows, private buses are more reliable, comfortable and, above all, faster.

• Rickshaw

Rickshaws are both motorized machines, autos-rickshaws, and non-motorized machines, bicycles-rickshaws. It’s a great way to get from A to B when you’re in town. Beware of rickshaw drivers, who may receive a commission from stores or hotels.

To avoid scams, always ask an Indian for the approximate price of the ride, negotiate the ride before monding and check that they put the meter on.

Discovering South India also means exploring its tasty and generous cuisine, one of the most fragrant in the world. They are often vegetarian (meat remains an expensive commodity) and their cuisine is based on rice, fish, vegetables in spicy sauce and dosa (a kind of crispy potato pancake often accompanied by chutney). If you like spicy food and coconut, Kerala is the place for you. We loved the variety of dishes on offer: Mattar paneer, Parrippun, Cabbage thoran, Sambar, Beef Goulash, mutton coconut fry, Vellari Moru curry, Avial, Palada payasam…

The special thing about Tamil Nadu is that in a restaurant, you’re served in banana leaves or compartmentalized metal trays, filled with rice, dal (lentils), vegetable curry, rotis, chutney and yoghurt. Why the banana leaf? because it’s cheap and, above all, disposable, so there’s no washing up to do. (They’re smart and environmentally conscious! Remember that in India, you eat with your right hand, as the left is reserved for the toilet.

Don’t hesitate to dip your fingers in as all the flavours come out in your mouth!

With its communist political system, Kerala is one of the most stable states in the country, and one where citizens are also the most involved. In terms of religion, the Hindu, Muslim and Christian communities live in tolerance, and there are very few news stories on this subject. As far as internal security is concerned, Kerala is considered to be the state where law and order is best assured.

We never felt insecure during the whole trip. You don’t feel the heavy stares in the crowd as I did in Rajasthan, and there are far fewer solicitations to offer you services or ask you for money, as well as very few scams. It’s really appreciable and contributes to a certain joie de vivre when you’re there.

Kerala is a very quiet state in South India, where the people are very kind and caring.

Pack light, loose-fitting clothes, but also a little wool for the heights in the mountains, a windbreaker, comfortable shoes for walking, a hat, a swimsuit for bathing on the beaches or for your Ayurvedic cure, and a stole for the holy places to cover your shoulders. Don’t wear clothes that are too short (mini shorts, thin tank tops, short tee shirts…) or too tight.

From kerala, you must bring back and stock up on spices, as this is the region and they are succulent. You can also buy cashew nuts and tea leaves from Munnar.

You’ll also find unique handcrafted products for sale at very affordable prices. They are often made from coconut fibers and shells, wood, clay and sugar cane. You can also fall for Kathakali masks, bronze objects, paintings and saris that are more sober and less colorful than those from Rajasthan,

• From mid-November to March about. (We were there in March and the weather was perfect). It’s also high season, so prices are higher and hotels fill up faster.
• Avoid the monsoon period from June to September.

Generally speaking, India remains an affordable destination, even if Kerala is a little more expensive than Rajasthan due to the numerous taxes applied (around 30% on accommodation). Most of the time, you’ll take a car with an English-speaking driver, but it’s sometimes possible to have a French-speaking driver. It’s a little more expensive because it’s rarer, but you have to book it in advance because it’s in high demand!