November in the Kerala

We are 4 friends that are going to the Kerala for 3 weeks in November.
Is it still off-season?
And what is the weather like?
We would rather experience the people, places,festivals,ect, then visiting temples and nature reserves.
Does any one know of festivals in November, and grate places to visit?
Our budget is about $20 per day. Is it enough?
Our plane land in Bombay. How long does it takes with a train from Bombay to the Kerala. And does anybody know how much it is (Dollars)?


Thank you very much…

Hello.
November is a good time,because it is the dry season. There are only 2 seasons in Kerala-wet and dry. It is always hot in most of Kerala,but also humid (even in the dry season). It'll be about 30-32 C in the day and 23-24 C in the night.
Bombay to Kerala takes 2 hours by flight,and costs 200-300 U.S dollars per person,depending on class.
Northeastern Kerala is hilly and cool with some resorts there.

a short answer to the train question -- several trains per day, but the fastest ( a Rajdhani) slightly bypasses Mumbai and is at an awkward time of day. A more convenient, and typical, train would be #6345 the Netravati Express leaving Lokmanya Tilak stn (suburban Mumbai) at 11:45 am daily and arriving at Ernakulam (for Cochin) at 14:25 the following day

the cost for the 1616 chargeable km would be approx:

1ac 3638rp or approx $77USD

2ac 1900rp or approx $40

3ac 1186rp or approx $25

SL 421rp or approx $9

To continue on to Trivandrum, which would enable you to 'work your way back north' would be another 234km, arriving at 19:10 and would be roughly 15% more per class as these fares based on milage.

For a group of 4, 2ac would be very comfortable as it would be possible to have a 'semi-compartment' to yourselves if you want and use the berths for stretching out all day if desired. Might be difficult to book these together at last minute however.

there are flights to both Cochin and Trivandrum from Mumbai -- would be quite a time-saver to fly one way since you only have 3 weeks. Also, much easier to reserve from abroad than train -- flying south and training north would be a good option if the cost not too much of a problem. If you use the Jet Airways or Indian Airline website, remember that all non-residents pay the extortionate $US price.

to supplement the above info, I checked the IA site for fare info (Jet is the superior airline, but their site was too slow this am, so used IA -- Jet will be similar price)

Mumbai-Cochin -- at least 1 flight daily (some days more frequent) $160US probably an additional surcharge or so.

Mumbai-Trivandrum 1-2 flights daily $205US

Economy fares quoted; travellers under 30yrs eligible for 25% discount.

cheers

m2