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Many thanks to the travellers who used the last edition and wrote to us with helpful hints, useful advice and interesting anecdotes:
Francis John, Olivia Francis, Pierre Flener, Andy Hughes, D Steele, Daniel Biau, Olivia Veliyath, Peter Van Elsen, Ambar Duree, Katrin Glöckle, Luke Wingfield-Digby, Ricardo Losa Begue, John Marshall, Bob Put, Camilla Malvestiti, Jaroslav Ledvina, Anna Bernhardt.
Huge thanks in Kerala: Paul, John, Roy, Lee, Kumar, Mariann and Philip, Johnson, Daniel, Roy Joseph, Dileep and Tomy, Beena and Varghese, Ajay, Suresh and Sulekha, Debra, Joseph, Yazer, the French yogis, and Mr Babu at Kochi’s Vyttila Mobility Hub. Cheers to Norbu and Sangay in Darjeeling; and to Samit, Ashish, Sanjay, Rahul, Mark, Atalanta, Pawan, Jocelyn, Abnash and Shakti in the Andamans. Extra grateful to my fabulous India cowriters, and, at home, to Jack, Dan, Andrew and Paps.
I’d like to thank Isabella Noble – one of LP’s own South India experts – for all of her Tamil Nadu advice. And as always, thanks to Luke and Kelly for their patience and understanding while I’m away.
Thanks must go to the many friends I reconnected with in Goa and the new people I met on this trip. Big thanks to Jack, Ajit and family in Panaji; Ravi in Vagator; John, Jack and Kate in Palolem; and Joanna and Xavi in Patnem. Thanks also to friends in Kochi and Alappuzha (Alleppey), Philip, Maryann, Johnson, Shibu and Niaz, and to Joe at Lonely Planet for entrusting me with Goa. Biggest thanks goes to my travelling companions, Hannah and Layla.
Thanks to Joe Bindloss and all my fellow partners in crime at LP. On the road, Anil Whadwa and Bagpacker Travels, Pankil Shaw, Jas Charanjiva, Khaki Tours, Priyanka Jacob, Roxanne Bamboat, Sanil Kapse, Sudakshina Banerjee, Ashok Tours & Travels, Sakshi Chari, Sheetal Waradkar, Chirag Rupani, Zaid Purkars and Amrut and Aditya Dhanwatay.
Thanks to Jonty in Hyderabad for her insight and helpful tips. I was greatly aided by Prakash in Bengaluru (Bangalore), whose expertise of the craft beer scene and emerging restos is quite something. In Mysuru (Mysore) the folk from Gully Tours proved excellent company, as did the thousands of Hindu pilgrims I accompanied on the Tirumula trek. And thanks to all at LP, including Joe Bindloss and my fellow Team South India & Kerala writers.
Climate map data adapted from Peel MC, Finlayson BL & McMahon TA (2007) ‘Updated World Map of the Köppen-Geiger Climate Classification’, Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, 11, 1633–44.
Illustration on here by Michael Weldon.
Cover photograph: Tea pickers, Munnar, Kerala; Peter Adams Photography Ltd/Alamy Stock Photo ©
This 10th edition of Lonely Planet’s South India & Kerala guidebook was curated by Isabella Noble, and researched and written by Isabella, Michael Benanav, Paul Harding, Kevin Raub and Iain Stewart. The previous two editions were also written by Isabella, Paul, Kevin and Iain, along with Abigail Blasi, Trent Holden, John Noble and Sarina Singh.
This guidebook was produced by the following:
Destination Editor Joe Bindloss
Senior Product Editors Kate Chapman, Anne Mason
Regional Senior Cartographer Valentina Kremenchutskaya
Product Editor Amanda Williamson
Book Designer Mazzy Prinsep
Assisting Editors Sarah Bailey, James Bainbridge, Judith Bamber, Imogen Bannister, Nigel Chin, Joel Cotterell, Michelle Coxall, Melanie Dankel, Bruce Evans, Samantha Forge, Emma Gibbs, Kellie Langdon, Ali Lemer, Jodie Martire, Alison Morris, Rosie Nicholson, Lauren O’Connell, Kristen Odijk
Assisting Cartographers Anita Banh, James Leversha
Cover Researcher Naomi Parker
Thanks to Lauren Egan, James Hardy, Liz Heynes, Andi Jones, Catherine Naghten, Angela Tinson
eBook Thanks to Julie J. Dodkins, Craig Kilburn, Wayne Murphy, John Taufa and Juan Winata.