A hill is a piece of land that rises higher than everything surrounding it. It looks like a little bump in the Earth. Hills are easier to climb than mountains. They are less steep and not as high. But, like a mountain, a hill will usually have an obvious summit, which is its highest point.

The following are the mountains or hills in Kerala:

The Anaimalai or Anamala Hills

The Anaimalai or Anamala Hills, also known as the Elephant Mountains, are the range of mountains that form the southern portion of the Western Ghats and span the border of Tamil Nadu and Kerala in Southern India. The name anamala is derived from the Tamil/Malayalam word aanai or aana, meaning elephant,[3] and malai or mala, meaning hill – thus Elephant Hill. The Western Ghats and Anaimalai Sub-Cluster, including the Anaimalai Hills, are currently under consideration by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee for selection as a World Heritage Site. Eravikulam National Park, Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary, Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary, and Anamalai Tiger Reserve located among these hills are well known for elephants. Numerous wildlife species can be seen including elephants, gaur, water buffaloes, tigers, panthers, sloth bears, pangolins, black-headed orioles, crocodiles, green pigeons, civet cats, dhole, sambar, black buck, and 31 groups of endangered lion-tailed macaques.Birds seen include the Pied hornbill, Red whiskered bulbul and Drongo.

Brahmagiri

Brahmagiri, is a mountain range in the Western Ghats of south India. It is situated on the border between Kodagu district in Karnataka state in the north and Wayanad district of Kerala state on the south . Brahmagiri Hill, at 1608 m height, is a scenic tourist attraction. The top of Brahmagiri Hill is well forested and has much wildlife. Brahmagiri can be reached by a trek from Mananthavady (29 km east) or from Kutta. From Karnataka side, trek to Brahmagiri from Irupu Falls is 9 km and to Munikal Caves (Pakshipathalam) is 7 km. Trekkers need to seek the permission of Range Forest Officer at Srimangala. Brahmagiri is about 11 km from Tirunelli. The Periya ghat road connects Mananthavady to Kannur and Thalassery. The Thamarassery mountain road connects Calicut with Kalpetta. The Kuttiady mountain road connects Vatakara with Kalpetta and Mananthavady. The Palchuram mountain road connects Kannur and Iritty with Mananthavady. The road from Nilambur to Ooty is also connected to Wayanad through the village of Meppadi. The nearest railway station is at Mysore and the nearest airports are Kozhikode International Airport-120 km, Bengaluru International Airport-290 km, and Kannur International Airport, 58 km.

The Cardamom Hills or Yela Mala

The Cardamom Hills or Yela Mala are mountain range of southern India and part of the southern Western Ghats located in southeast Kerala and southwest Tamil Nadu in India. Their name comes from the cardamom spice grown in much of the hills' cool elevation, which also supports pepper and coffee. The Western Ghats and Periyar Sub-Cluster including the Cardamom Hills, are UNESCO World Heritage Sites

Ezhimala

Ezhimala, a hill reaching a height of 286 metres, is located near Payyanur, in Kannur district of Kerala, south India. It is a part of a conspicuous and isolated cluster of hills, forming a promontory, 38 km north of Kannur (Cannanore).
As the former capital of the ancient Mushika Kingdom, Ezhimala is considered to be an important historical site. A flourishing seaport and center of trade around the beginning of the Common Era, it was also one of the major battlefields of the Chola-Chera Wars, in the 11th century. It is believed by some that Lord Buddha had visited Ezhimala.
The Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, inaugurated the Indian Naval Academy in Ezhimala, which is the largest in Asia, on 8 January 2009. This institution trains officer candidates of the Indian Navy and the Indian Coast Guard.

Irukallummudi

Irukallummudi is located in Cheppukulam about 20 km from Thodupuzha. The place provides bird's eye view of Muttom Dam reservoir on one side and Ilaveezha Poonchira on the other.

Kuravanmala

Kuravanmala is located in Idukki district, Kerala, India.Periyar flows through a narrow gorge between two tall hills (known as Kuravan and Kurathi). Kuravan means a tribal and Kurathi his spouse and mala meaning mountain. These two hills have been joined to form the biggest dam in the state which is five hundred and fifty feet in height and six hundred and fifty feet in width. The idea of constructing a dam for power generation was first conceived in 1919. As per history, Shri Kolumban, the head of 'OOrali' race during 1922, showed the way to the Malankara Estate Superintendent and his friend AC Thomas Edattu, who were on hunting spree in the forest, the spot of present Arch Dam.

Kurumbalakotta

Kurumbalakotta is a hill 20Km west of Kalpetta in Wayanad district, Kerala. It is a monolith hillock in Kerala. It rises to 991m(3251feet) above sea level. It is situated in the centre of Wayanad and also a part of Deccan plateau and the confluence of Western Ghats and Eastern Ghats. From the hill top, one can see the full scenery of Wayanad plateau. Misty mountains and valleys around the hill gives a pleasant atmosphere for trekkers.
The hill is located in kottathara panchayth of vythiri thaluk wayanad district. Venniyode is the nearby small town.Tourists may reach by road from kalpetta through kamblakkad junction.

Mathrumala

Mathrumala is a hill located 16 km (9.9 mi) east of the town of Kottayam in Kooroppada, Kottayam District, Kerala, India. The hilltop has a temple shrine dedicated to Rajarajeshwari (Devi).
In AD 1749 King Marthanda Varma captured Thekkumkur and annexed it to Venad. Previous lords namely Ambazhathunkal Karthas were removed from their posts and a large portion of the land then came under the tenancy of the Kolathettu family who had migrated to Kooroppada from Kolathunadu in Malabar. The area including Mathrumala was inhabited by farm laborers of the Paraya community who worked in the land owned by the Kolathettu family. These farm labourers had their Kuladevata (deity), called Saptamathrukkal, installed on hilltop and regular offerings were made.
In the early 1950s, Mathrumala was inherited by the progeny of Kolathettu family namely Chempakasseril Thankamma, Tharavattathil Pappiyamma, Champakara Savithriyamma and Asariparambil Gopala Pillai. In the mid-1960s, Assariparambil Gopala Pillai had sold some land near to hilltop to Padoor Sreedharan Pillai. This portion of land was again sold to Scaria Kalayil. With his help, Kooroppada Holy Cross Church erected an iron cross on hilltop though the land was not officially owned by them.[citation needed] This caused tension between local Christians and Hindus. In 1967, Mulanthanathu G. Raman Nair and his sisters who inherited the property filed a case in Kottayam Munsiff Court. The case continued for nearly 15 years. The Church authorities were ordered to hand over the land for reconstruction of the original temple. Subsequently the sisters who owned the land donated their share to the temple for its further expansion. The cross was also subsequently removed. The temple is now managed by the Kerala Kshetra Samrakshana Samiti.

Padagiri

Padagiri, also known as Nellikota, is a hill in the Nelliyampathy Hills, in Chittur Taluk, Palakkad District, Kerala, and is the range's tallest peak, with an elevation of 1585m. It is around six kilometres from Nelliampathy.Nearby similar peaks are Vellichamudi, Valiyana, Velavanchan and Mayanmudi. The hill is particularly famed for its tall teak trees and the plantations featuring them.

Pokkunnu

Pokkunnu is the highest hill in Kozhikode Corporation, situated at 6 km east of the city of Kozhikode. Guruvayurappan College is situated on this hill. Malabar Botanical Garden - the biggest one in Kerala is also in Pokkunnu.

Ponnambalamedu

Ponnambalamedu is a summit in the Western Ghat mountain ranges of Pathanamthitta District, Perunad grama panchayat, Kerala, India. It is located near the Sabarimala Ayyappan temple, where the annual Makaravilakku event is conducted in the presence of nearly half a million pilgrims annually.
Ponnambalamedu has been characterized as an ecologically sensitive area by forest officials in the region and has been identified as a critical habitat for tigers. Access to the peak of Ponnambalamedu is through an unpaved forest road controlled by local forest department authorities .Today the annual festival is held at the Ayyappan temple in Sabarimala in the month of January. A holy flame is lit at Ponnambalamedu to commemorate the religious event.

Posadigumpe

Posadigumpe is a monolith hillock in Manjeshwaram taluk of Kasaragod district of Kerala state, south India at an altitude of 1060ft.From the hilltop, one can see the Arabian Sea, Mangalore, Kudremukh, etc." Dharmatadka is on the base of the hill. Rusty directions point generally to a series of hills, but local people will help find the non-descript village of Posadigumpe. A narrow road gradually climbs up the face of the hill – sometimes offering intermediate views or a cooling envelop of thick woods around. The seemingly-never ending road ends with a sign that plainly reads "Posadigumpe" while ambiguously pointing off the road. While this leads to good view, the best are the ones that require a bit of trekking. Again here, local people would be the best guides. If not, then head towards the nearest peak, park the vehicle by the road and climb up indiscriminately. It should not take long to find a sheep trail among the shrubs from where a 20-minute walk leads up to the crest of the hill. During winter, the two-foot green grass dries up and shines golden against the setting sun. The flat surface is perfect to spread a mat and establish a picnic there. The jagged outline of the Western Ghats on one side and the ocean stretches out in a calm blue on the other are visible from here. It is advisable to watch the sun set from the road as though the view from the top is majestic, climbing down from the spot is difficult and possibly dangerous in the dark.

Agasthiyar Mountain

Agasthiyar Mountain also known as The Pothigai Hills, is a 1,866-metre (6,122 ft)-tall peak in the southern part of the Western Ghats of South India. The peak lies in the border of Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
The area contains several important natural habitats of biological diversity, including forests containing threatened species of significant value to science and conservation. There are several Hindu Temples and seasonal waterfalls which are tourist attractions in these hills.
Many pilgrims climb Agasthyamalai in the core of the hills to perform a puja ceremony at the Agasthya Murthi on the top the Peak. Most pilgrims use the well-worn path through Peppara Wildlife Sanctuary on the Kerala side. The trekkers start from Bonaccord estate in Thiruvananthapuram district with a guide from the Forest Department. The first night is spent at a camp facility set up by the Department in the middle of the forests. Trekkers reach the peak the next day and return to the camp the same day. Only 100 pilgrims per day are allowed on this route during the January February season.

Vallabhankunnu

Vallabhankunnu is a hill top in Pallikkal panchayat of Varkala Taluk in Thiruvananthapuram District of Kerala. It is situated 22 km east of Varkala and 17 km north of Kilimanoor.

Vilangan Hills

Vilangan Hills is a hillock located in Adat Panchayat, near Thrissur city of Kerala state in India. The hill gives a panoramic view of Thrissur city and Thrissur Kole Wetlands from the top. The hill was referred as a Oxygen Jar of Thrissur city. The name 'Vilangan Kunnu' is a misnomer because 'Vilangan' itself means hill. There is no need of adding 'Kunnu' after 'Vilangan'. It is an ancient Malayalam word derived from proto-Dravidian language. Till the 1970s the word 'Kunnu' was not used by revenue authorities and locals. It is a recent addition. In Tamil too 'Vilangan' means hill.