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Lonely Planet Regional Guide South India & Kerala
South India is the steamy heartland of the subcontinent, a mind-shaking mix of state-of-the-art and timeless tradition where everyday life is intimately intertwined with the sacred. Sarina Singh, Lonely Planet Writer
Our Promise
You can trust our travel information because Lonely Planet authors visit the places we write about, each and every edition. We never accept freebies for positive coverage, and you can rely on us to tell it like we see it.
Inside This Book
85 maps
228 days of on-the-road research
1476 detailed reviews
5151km of stunning coastline
Inspirational photos
Clear, easy-to-use maps
Comprehensive planning tools
Volunteering feature
In-depth background
At-a-glance practical info
Our Promise
You can trust our travel information because Lonely Planet authors visit the places we write about, each and every edition. We never accept freebies for positive coverage, and you can rely on us to tell it like we see it.
Inside This Book
85 maps
228 days of on-the-road research
1476 detailed reviews
5151km of stunning coastline
Inspirational photos
Clear, easy-to-use maps
Comprehensive planning tools
Volunteering feature
In-depth background
At-a-glance practical info
- GenresTravelIndiaNonfiction
536 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2011
161 people are currently reading
110 people want to read
About the author
Lonely Planet
3,672 books891 followersOUR STORY
A beat-up old car, a few dollars in the pocket and a sense of adventure. In 1972 that’s all Tony and Maureen Wheeler needed for the trip of a lifetime – across Europe and Asia overland to Australia. It took several months, and at the end – broke but inspired – they sat at their kitchen table writing and stapling together their first travel guide, Across Asia on the Cheap. Within a week they’d sold 1500 copies and Lonely Planet was born. One hundred million guidebooks later, Lonely Planet is the world’s leading travel guide publisher with content to almost every destination on the planet.
A beat-up old car, a few dollars in the pocket and a sense of adventure. In 1972 that’s all Tony and Maureen Wheeler needed for the trip of a lifetime – across Europe and Asia overland to Australia. It took several months, and at the end – broke but inspired – they sat at their kitchen table writing and stapling together their first travel guide, Across Asia on the Cheap. Within a week they’d sold 1500 copies and Lonely Planet was born. One hundred million guidebooks later, Lonely Planet is the world’s leading travel guide publisher with content to almost every destination on the planet.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
November 15, 2024
I like to read guidebooks when I am going to places that I know little to nothing about and where I need some guidance on how to plan a trip. The Lonely Planet books are better for when you already know where you are going and want to get down to the daily level of details--I no longer use them for where to stay and what to eat, but still find their succinct approach to what to see quite helpful. They also open the book with suggested itineraries, and we are doing a modified one from here.
This region is overwhelmingly large, and I found this slightly less helpful than I usually find these guidebooks, but still worth reading through.
India is an endlessly fascinating country and I find that I know vanishingly little about it.
This region is overwhelmingly large, and I found this slightly less helpful than I usually find these guidebooks, but still worth reading through.
India is an endlessly fascinating country and I find that I know vanishingly little about it.
May 14, 2017
Very good recap and detailed travel book!
December 9, 2019
A good guide that I will use on my travels for sure!
February 18, 2020
Very helpful before and during a trip to India, in the Kerala region, with a group and 2 of my family members, more than several years ago.
May 18, 2012
An utterly mediocre travel guide.
The housing and food suggestions were fairly decent, but the maps were sub-par. Often the maps failed to include key street names or geographic markers, and food, housing, and attraction recommendations were often off-map, which was a problem. And while the book tries to include extensive background information to help readers "understand" South India, the book lacks basic things like a food guide (for example, common Hindi food names: aloo = potato, bhindi = okra, gobi = cauliflower, palak = spinach, etc.; descriptions of the differences between common bread varieties: chapati, roti, dosa, naan, poori, etc.; and descriptions of common dishes or categories of food such as biryani, chutney, curry, dal, korma, raita, sambar, tandoori, vindaloo, etc.). While some food names do vary regionally, in many locations with printed menus likely to cater to visitors, transliterated Hindi is the norm.
In addition, there were a number of inaccuracies in the text relating particularly to pricing (at fixed-price locations), which was disappointing being that the text as published in 2011 and I was in India from January through April 2012.
The book will get you by, but there are likely better offerings out there.
The housing and food suggestions were fairly decent, but the maps were sub-par. Often the maps failed to include key street names or geographic markers, and food, housing, and attraction recommendations were often off-map, which was a problem. And while the book tries to include extensive background information to help readers "understand" South India, the book lacks basic things like a food guide (for example, common Hindi food names: aloo = potato, bhindi = okra, gobi = cauliflower, palak = spinach, etc.; descriptions of the differences between common bread varieties: chapati, roti, dosa, naan, poori, etc.; and descriptions of common dishes or categories of food such as biryani, chutney, curry, dal, korma, raita, sambar, tandoori, vindaloo, etc.). While some food names do vary regionally, in many locations with printed menus likely to cater to visitors, transliterated Hindi is the norm.
In addition, there were a number of inaccuracies in the text relating particularly to pricing (at fixed-price locations), which was disappointing being that the text as published in 2011 and I was in India from January through April 2012.
The book will get you by, but there are likely better offerings out there.
October 17, 2015
Generally solid. I wish it had more on Andhra Pradesh.
January 16, 2019
Basically a smaller version of their India book without really any additional information.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews