Kerala ClassicKerala in 6 nights

Six nights from the hills to the sea, running north to south so you never double back. Two nights in Munnar's tea country, one in the spice hills of Thekkady, a night on your own houseboat in Alleppey, and two easy nights on the beach at Kovalam before flying home from Trivandrum. It suits couples, families and parents who want the whole of Kerala at a comfortable pace.

Day 1

Kochi – Munnar (2 Nights)

About 110 km · 3.5–4 hours by road

Welcome to Kerala. Your driver meets you at Kochi airport and we drive east through rubber and pineapple country into the Western Ghats. The road climbs past the Cheeyappara and Valara waterfalls, both right beside the highway, then through cardamom and up into tea, with the estates spread over every hill. Check in at your hotel above the plantations, take a cup of local tea on the balcony, and spend the evening at leisure. Dinner at the hotel. Overnight in Munnar.

• Cheeyappara waterfalls
• Valara waterfalls
• Munnar tea estates

• Note: The falls are fullest from June to December.

Prafull’s tipAsk for a room facing the valley rather than the road. The estates at sunrise are the best part of Munnar.

Dinner

Day 2

Munnar

After breakfast we drive to Eravikulam National Park, home of the Nilgiri tahr, where a forest-department bus takes you up the Rajamala slopes to the grassland where they graze. Then the Tea Museum, with its old rolling machines and a tasting, and the drive out to Mattupetty Dam, Echo Point and Kundala Lake, with tea gardens on every side. You're back at the hotel by late afternoon, with time for a walk through the estate. If you'd rather, swap the museum for a sunrise jeep trip to Kolukkumalai, among the highest tea estates in the world. Overnight in Munnar.

• Eravikulam National Park
• Tea Museum, Munnar
• Mattupetty Dam
• Echo Point
• Kundala Lake

• Note: Eravikulam National Park usually closes for a few weeks around February–March for the tahr calving season; then we go to Top Station instead.
• Note: The Kolukkumalai sunrise jeep trip is optional and paid locally; it leaves around 4 am.

Prafull’s tipReach Eravikulam when it opens. The queue for the park bus grows quickly after 9 am.

Breakfast & Dinner

Day 3

Munnar – Thekkady (1 Night)

About 90 km · 3 hours by road

After breakfast we drive south through cardamom hills and small plantation towns to Thekkady, on the edge of Periyar Tiger Reserve. After check-in and lunch, a local guide walks you through a spice garden, where pepper vines climb the trees and you can see cardamom, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg and vanilla growing. Pick up fresh spices at fair prices before you leave. In the evening we take you to a Kathakali or Kalaripayattu performance, Kerala's classical dance-drama and its ancient martial art. Dinner at the hotel. Overnight in Thekkady.

• Cardamom hills
• Spice plantation walk
• Periyar Tiger Reserve
• Kathakali or Kalaripayattu show

• Note: The Periyar Lake boat ride is optional. Tickets are limited and sold by the forest department; the early-morning trip is best for wildlife.
• Note: Tickets for the evening show are included; seating is first come, first served.

Prafull’s tipBuy cardamom and pepper here, not in Kochi. Ask for the plantation's own grade; it's fresher and cheaper.

Breakfast & Dinner

Day 4

Thekkady – Alleppey Houseboat (1 Night)

About 140 km · 4 hours by road

An early breakfast and we drive down from the hills through Kottayam to the backwaters. You board your private houseboat in Alleppey around noon: a traditional kettuvallam with a bedroom, an open deck and a crew who cook and look after you. Lunch is served as you cruise out across Vembanad Lake and into the narrower canals, past paddy fields lying below water level, village churches and temples, and ducks being herded along the banks. The boat moors for the night by early evening, and dinner is cooked on board. Overnight on the houseboat.

• Alleppey backwaters
• Vembanad Lake
• Kuttanad paddy fields

• Note: Houseboats stop cruising by about 5.30 pm and moor for the night; check-out is around 9 am.
• Note: If you'd prefer a hotel to a boat, we can swap this night for a lakeside resort in Kumarakom.

Prafull’s tipThe best of the houseboat is the afternoon. Sit on the front deck with your tea after lunch; that's when the canals are quietest.

All meals

Day 5

Alleppey – Kovalam (2 Nights)

About 165 km · 4–4.5 hours by road

Wake up on the water with tea on the deck and breakfast on board. After check-out we drive south along the coast road, past fishing villages, coconut groves and church spires, towards the far south of Kerala. Check in at your hotel in Kovalam, where the coast curves into three small bays. In the evening, walk down to Lighthouse Beach, climb the red-and-white Vizhinjam lighthouse for the view if you like, and watch the sun go down over the Arabian Sea. Dinner at the hotel. Overnight in Kovalam.

• Kerala coast road
• Lighthouse Beach
• Vizhinjam lighthouse
• Hawa Beach

• Note: If you'd prefer the cliffs of Varkala to Kovalam, we can switch the two nights; Varkala is about 50 km north of Trivandrum airport.
• Note: The sea at Kovalam can be rough from June to September; swim only between the lifeguard flags.

Prafull’s tipClimb the lighthouse in the late afternoon. The light is softer and you'll see all three bays at once.

Breakfast & Dinner

Day 6

Kovalam

A free day by the sea. Sleep in, swim, or book an Ayurvedic massage, which Kovalam is well known for. If you'd like to see more, your driver can take you into Thiruvananthapuram, about 30 minutes away, to Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple, with its towering gopuram and its reclining Vishnu, and to the Napier Museum and the zoo grounds nearby. Or take a boat out on the Poovar backwaters, where the river meets the sea at a strip of golden sand. Back by evening for dinner. Overnight in Kovalam.

• Kovalam beaches
• Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple
• Napier Museum
• Poovar backwaters

• Note: Padmanabhaswamy Temple is open to Hindus only. Men wear a mundu and no shirt; women wear a saree or a long skirt with a blouse. Phones are not allowed inside.
• Note: The Poovar boat ride and Ayurvedic treatments are optional and paid locally.

Prafull’s tipGo to the temple in the early morning darshan slot; the queues are much shorter than in the evening.

Breakfast & Dinner

Day 7

Kovalam – Trivandrum – Departure

About 15 km · 30 minutes to the airport

A last swim or a slow breakfast with the sea in front of you. Check out at your own pace, and if your flight is in the afternoon, there's time for a stop at a cashew or handloom shop in Thiruvananthapuram on the way. Your driver takes you to Trivandrum airport, about half an hour away, with the bags loaded and the route timed around the city traffic. Your holiday ends here. Thank you for travelling with TripRoutes; we hope you go home rested and a little browner.

• Thiruvananthapuram

Prafull’s tipKerala banana chips fried in coconut oil travel well. Buy them sealed, on the last day, not the first.

Breakfast

Tour details

Accommodation

Choose the hotel category. The same route and sightseeing in every category.

Hotels are confirmed when you book. If a hotel is full, we give you one of the same category in the same area, and tell you before you pay.

Optional add-ons

Not in the price. Prafull can book them for you or you can pay locally.

Tour information

Read this to prepare for your holiday.

Good to know

• The hill roads around Munnar and Thekkady are winding. Anyone prone to motion sickness should sit in front and take something before setting off.
• This trip starts at Kochi and ends at Trivandrum, so book an open-jaw flight. Both have direct flights to Mumbai.
• Munnar and Thekkady are cool in the evenings from November to February; pack a light jacket along with your beachwear.
• Padmanabhaswamy Temple has a strict dress code and is open to Hindus only. Other temples may also restrict entry to the inner shrine.
• Kerala food is excellent for vegetarians. Jain meals are possible on the houseboat and at hotels with advance notice.
• Good for parents: drives are broken with stops, mornings unhurried, and we book ground-floor rooms on request.

When to go

October to March. Dry and pleasant, cooler in the hills and calm on the backwaters. June to September is monsoon: green and quiet, but some drives and boat trips are affected.

Our favourite months

Cancellation policy & payment terms

• Cancellations must be sent in writing, on email or WhatsApp; the date we receive it is the cancellation date.
• Flights, trains, visa fees and non-refundable hotel or activity bookings are refunded only as their own rules allow.
• Date changes are free when made 30 days or more before travel, subject to hotel availability and any difference in price.
• Refunds are paid within 14 working days of us receiving them from the hotels and suppliers.
• No refund is possible for services not used during the holiday.
• Hotels may ask for a refundable security deposit at check-in, paid directly to the hotel.

Questions about this holiday