Kerala · 8 Days
Grand Kerala — Complete
Kerala end to end — Kochi, Munnar, Thekkady, the Alleppey canals and Kovalam.
Day by Day
8 Days, In Full
Every landscape Kerala has, in the order the roads want you to take them. Fort Kochi and its spice quarter first. Munnar's tea hills next, then the Cardamom Hills down to Thekkady for a plantation walk and a dawn boat on Periyar. Out of the Ghats to Alleppey, a night on Vembanad and a country boat into the narrow canals. Kovalam closes it on the Arabian Sea. Eight days, one driver, no backtracking. This is the itinerary our repeat travellers ask for by name.
Kochi
Arrival in Kochi — Fort Kochi & the Spice Quarter
Your driver meets you at Cochin airport. The road runs out to Fort Kochi, where four centuries of trade left their mark on one small peninsula. Walk the lanes on foot. St Francis Church, the Dutch Cemetery, the godowns of Jew Town still stacked with ginger and pepper. Evening is free for a Kathakali performance if you want one.
Kochi → Munnar
Kochi to Munnar — Into the Western Ghats
The drive up to Munnar takes about four hours and climbs the whole way. Rubber gives way to cardamom, then to tea. Stop at Cheeyappara and Valara waterfalls when the monsoon has been kind. By the time you arrive the air is fifteen degrees cooler than Kochi.
Munnar
Munnar — Tea Estates & the Old Plantation Machinery
Munnar is tea, and has been since the 1880s. Spend the morning walking a working estate with a planter who can explain what you are looking at. The Tata Tea Museum houses the original rollers and a functioning miniature factory. Afternoon at Mattupetty Dam and Echo Point.
Munnar → Thekkady
Munnar to Thekkady — Along the Cardamom Hills
Three and a half hours south through the Cardamom Hills. The road is good and the views are constant. You can smell the plantations before you see them. Thekkady sits on the edge of Periyar Tiger Reserve, so the last stretch runs through genuine forest.
Thekkady
Thekkady — A Working Spice Plantation
Thekkady grows cardamom, pepper, clove, nutmeg and vanilla, often on the same hillside. A guided walk through a working plantation shows you how each one actually grows, which is rarely what people expect. Buy directly from the estate if you want the good stuff at the real price.
Thekkady → Alleppey
Thekkady to Alleppey — From Forest to Backwater
Roughly four hours west, dropping out of the Ghats and into the delta. It is one of the better transfer days in Kerala because the landscape changes completely twice over. You board your houseboat in the afternoon and spend the night moored out on Vembanad.
Alleppey
Alleppey — The Narrow Canals by Country Boat
Houseboats cannot reach the small canals. A punted country boat can. You slip into channels barely wider than the hull, past coir workshops, toddy shops and school children rowing themselves home. This is the half-day that most travellers remember longest. Back on board for a late lunch.
Kovalam
Kovalam — Last Morning, then Departure
A slow final morning on the beach. Trivandrum airport is only sixteen kilometres away, so there is no rush. If your flight is late, your driver can take you through the city — the Padmanabhaswamy temple and the Napier Museum are both worth the detour.
Book This Itinerary
Priced Packages On This Route
This route is already built into these packages — real inclusions and pricing on each one's own page.
luxury · 7 Nights
Grand Kerala — Complete — Luxury
per person, twin sharing — enquire for current pricing
premium · 7 Nights
Grand Kerala — Complete — Premium
per person, twin sharing — enquire for current pricing
luxury · 7 Nights
Kerala Classic Highlights — Luxury
per person, twin sharing — enquire for current pricing
premium · 7 Nights
Kerala Classic Highlights — Premium
per person, twin sharing — enquire for current pricing
Kashmir to Kanyakumari
Get In Touch
Start Planning Your Trip
Full itinerary, real pricing, one honest conversation — no sales pressure, just answers.