Do you love shopping? Most of us love shopping and Kerala is a perfect place for shopaholics. People love to do shopping when they are on a vacation to a great destination. Some people prefer to know the place during vacation. They visit the monuments and museums and explore the beautiful landscapes and taste traditional cuisine. But the real globetrotters do not forget to enjoy shopping. In fact, the best way to experience a tourist destination is by mingling with the merchants in a bazaar. The items that you buy from a destination will keep reminding you about the beautiful memories of your visit to that particular place. Shopping in Kerala is exciting and you should remember to buy something before you leave it to represent this scenic state. Read this article to get an idea about the things that you can buy when you are in Kerala.

Spices

Popularly known as the land of Spices, Kerala is the right destination to buy spices at best prices. People who visit this state do not forget to buy spices before they leave the destination. Some of the must-buy spices during your visit to this state include pepper, cardamom, cloves, turmeric, cinnamon and nutmeg.

Tea

People are very excited to visit Kerala especially its hill stations. Munnar, Thekkady and Wayanad are three popular hill stations in the state. All of them have extensive tea plantations. Travelers to Kerala do not forget to buy fresh tea. The Western Ghats regions of Kerala are known for tea plantations. It is better to buy shops near the tea factories at Munnar or Thekkady rather than buy them for the retail shops in Kerala. Most of that tea from the factories are possibly fresher and have good flavor.

Handicrafts

When it comes to handicrafts, travelers can find plenty of attractive items in Kerala. In fact, the artisans of this state are skilled to make eye-catching items from useless things. They are excellent to work with coconut shells, coir and wood. You can buy so many such handicrafts during your visit to Kerala to take back home as pretty souvenirs. Some of the handicrafts that you can buy include:

Coconut and Coir Products

Being the land of coconuts, Kerala is the best place to pick coir and coconut products. Such products include carpets, mats, rugs and many interesting souvenirs made of the husk of coconut.

Kathakali Mask

Kerala is the home to the classic dance form of Kathakali. This dance form is known for its elaborate costume and attractive make-up. Kathakali mask and wall hangings are certainly ethnic gift items. Be it as a fridge magnet or a mask for wall-hanging purpose, Kathakali items are fascinating shopping attractions for the travelers to Kerala.

Nettipattam

Kerala is famous for its colorful festivals, celebrations, marriages and other ceremonies and well-decorated elephants are a part of them. People in Kerala adore and love elephants. They make their headgears (Nettipattam) and curios that resemble elephants. Nettipattam is the decorative ornament for the elephants. The makers of such curios are keen to design them to perfection. It is easy to find many cute elephant figurines during your trip to Kerala which are ideal to decorate your living room or just as a wall hanging item.

Nilavilakku

The traditional oil lamp used in the state is known as Nilavilakku. Many travelers to Kerala find it as a good handicraft ideal to give a traditional touch to their home décor. It is among the significant items for travelers.

Chundan Vallams, Nettur Casket and Uru models

Kerala is famous for attractive wooden chests and people who visit this state prefer to buy them. As you know, Kerala is famous globally for captivating boat races and you can buy a urus (model boats) or chundan vallams as souvenirs of your Kerala trip. They are also excellent items to decorate your household or gift someone.

Banana, Jackfruit, Tapioca Chips

If you travel throughout Kerala, you can see eateries and small outlets that sell fried items. In fact, people in the state love to fry almost all things. The banana chips made in the state are very popular throughout the world because of its unique taste. People in the state prepare many types of chips from banana. They use raw and ripe bananas to make chips. So, buy a packet of banana chips the minute you land into this state for the journey ahead. You can also try their jackfruit and tapioca chips which are also very tasty. Buy a few packets of these chips to give your near and dear ones.

Pickles and Cashews

Kerala produces cashews just like spices which are a healthier option for those who develop obsessive eating habits while traveling. It shall be a good idea to ditch the chips for a day instead tries some cashew nuts. Another delicious item that you can buy during your visit to Kerala is pickles. This state makes plenty of pickles which are ideal to eat with rice. Non-vegetarians can opt for fish pickle, prawn pickle, meat pickle, chicken pickle and mussel pickles. Vegetarians can get their hands on lime pickle, tender mango pickles, mango pickles and bitter gourd pickles. You will not be disappointed if you get some rice with it.

Clothes

Your holidays will not be completed without a warm retail therapy. Kerala is a wonderful place to buy varieties of clothes especially cotton clothes and sarees. It is a fine idea to buy a lungi when you visit Kerala. If you do not prefer lungi, you can invest in a kasavu mundu, the traditional textile of the state. You just love this handmade cloth with a traditional zari border. Even if it is the custom dress of Malayalees, nowadays people from other states and even from different parts of the world started to wear it during ceremonies, weddings and temple visits. Ladies can buy elegant Kerala saree. The price of the clothes in the state varies based on the material, handwork and the place from where you buy it. You can find local shops as well as some fine branded outlets in Kerala for a great deal.

Aroma Oils

Kerala is famous for rejuvenating massages, spa therapies and Ayurvedic beauty treatments. Most of the resorts in this state have individual spa centers. One of the great items that you can buy your trip to Kerala is various organic essential oils. An array of aromatic essential oils require in the spas and Ayurvedic centers for performing different therapeutic treatments. So, travelers can buy such aroma oils at the best competitive prices when they are in Kerala.

Umbrellas

If you visit Kerala at least once, you must know that rains are there most of the days in this state. It is interesting to know that the biggest umbrella brands of the country are belonging to Kerala. In this state, umbrellas are not only to shield from the heavy rains, but it also protect you from over exposure to sun. The sunrays are too harsh in this state during summer and your umbrella protects you from the scorching sun. There are many branded umbrellas available in different styles, designs and colors in Kerala. So, do not forget to buy one or two umbrellas of your choice while in Kerala.

Jewellery

If you buy a pattu pavada or Kerala saree, it is important to wear good jewelry with those graceful dresses. There are many jewelry shops in Kerala that sells ornaments in gold and other metals. Kerala is the right place if you wish to invest in some gold ornaments. If not gold, you can buy ornaments in other materials. There are so many fancy shops in this state that sell such stuffs.