Lux India Tours
Green and brown mountain ridges under a clear blue sky in the Western Ghats

Kerala · 8 Days

Kerala Hills & Spice — Grand

Adds a Kolukkumalai jeep sunrise at 7,900 feet and a second Fort Kochi morning.

Day by Day

8 Days, In Full

The Ghats without compromise. Kochi opens with two days, so Fort Kochi is walked properly rather than glimpsed. Munnar then gets three nights, which is what makes the Kolukkumalai run possible — a jeep in the dark up to 7,900 feet, the world's highest tea estate, and the sun coming up over the Tamil Nadu plains with cloud still below you. Thekkady keeps its plantation walk and its dawn boat. Eight days here is not padding. It is the difference between seeing the high ranges and spending time in them.

A quiet Fort Kochi street lined with yellow colonial buildings under a clear blue sky
01

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.

A man walking along the shoreline beside a cantilevered Chinese fishing net at Fort Kochi
02

Kochi

Kochi — Chinese Fishing Nets & Mattancherry

Start early at the Chinese fishing nets on Vasco da Gama Square. The frames are cantilevered. Four men work each one by hand. Chinese traders brought the design here centuries ago. The method has not changed since. Later, Mattancherry Palace and its Ramayana murals. The afternoon is yours — Fort Kochi rewards aimless walking.

A curved mountain road cutting through a lush green hillside in the Western Ghats
03

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.

Green tea plantations covering rolling hills under a warm orange sky
04

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.

A high mountain range half covered in drifting fog above the tea hills
05

Munnar

Munnar — Kolukkumalai Sunrise & Top Station

A jeep collects you in the dark. Kolukkumalai sits at 7,900 feet and grows the highest tea in the world. You watch the sun come up over the Tamil Nadu plains with the cloud still below you. Top Station on the way back, then a long breakfast.

A row of tall trees along the crest of a lush green hillside in the Cardamom Hills
06

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.

Rows of plantation crops on a hillside field with mountains behind
07

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.

Bare drowned trees standing in the calm water of Periyar Lake below forested hills
08

Thekkady

Thekkady — Periyar Lake at Dawn, then Onward

The first boat onto Periyar Lake leaves at half past seven. Dead trees still stand in the water, drowned when the dam went up in 1895, and elephant and sambar come down to drink along the shoreline. Bring a long lens. Afterwards you continue on or head for the airport.

Guest Stories

What Our Travelers Say

Real words from real journeys — rated 5.0 across 310 Google reviews.

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An absolutely flawless experience. We felt like royalty from the moment we landed in Delhi until our departure.

Sarah & James

United Kingdom

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Truly exceptional — Brijesh, our tour planner, was incredibly attentive, professional, and meticulous in organizing a flawless itinerary.

Milly Witcomb

United Kingdom

Mentions guide Brijesh

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Nothing short of magical. Brijesh crafted a seamless itinerary that balanced sightseeing, culture, and relaxation, making our journey truly special.

Shakira Tabizi

United States

Mentions guide Brijesh

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Everything went beyond our expectations. Our driver Rajesh kept us comfortable in every city, and Vicky was endlessly knowledgeable.

Melissa

Australia

Mentions guide Rajesh & Vicky

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From the moment we landed until we left, our driver Manish made us feel so taken care of — he made the trip even more memorable.

Rossen Milanov

United States

Mentions guide Manish

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Brijesh is a super good man! A comfortable journey through six cities, exactly to our desires and limits.

Michelle de Matheu

United States

Mentions guide Brijesh & Manish

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Excellent hotels and tour guides. Our driver Manish was superb in every way — reliable, and full of local knowledge.

James Boochame

Australia

Mentions guide Manish

A private itinerary being sketched out by hand

Kashmir to Kanyakumari

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