First, 2 nights in Kochi
Eighth Bastion
Stay at Eighth Bastion, Fort Kochi — a CGH Earth boutique hotel on the old fort line, walkable to the Chinese fishing nets, on our Kerala tours.
Kochi · Boutique · Premium★★★★
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Kerala & Tamil Nadu Grand Circuit — Premium
About This Journey
Kerala & Tamil Nadu Grand Circuit — Premium
Seven nights crossing two of South India's most distinct states — Kerala's backwater coast and tea-covered Western Ghats, then over the mountains into Tamil Nadu's temple country. It's a genuine change of landscape and culture partway through the trip, not a single-state itinerary with a day trip tacked on.
The route opens in Kochi, with Fort Kochi's colonial streets, the Chinese fishing nets and Mattancherry's spice quarter, before climbing into Munnar's tea estates and on to Thekkady's cardamom hills. The crossing over the Western Ghats into Tamil Nadu ends at Madurai, where the Meenakshi Temple's towering, intricately carved gopurams are unlike anything on the Kerala side of the border.
- 01
Tea estates at Munnar, spice hills at Thekkady
Two days climbing through genuinely different Western Ghats landscapes — Munnar's manicured tea gardens and old plantation machinery, then Thekkady's wilder cardamom-forested hills — before the descent into Tamil Nadu.
- 02
The Meenakshi Temple at Madurai
Madurai's towering, brightly painted gopurams and the Nayak-era temple complex are a real cultural shift from Kerala's backwaters — one of South India's most significant living temple cities, and a genuinely different register to close the trip on.
- 03
A stay inside a working spice estate
Nights at Spice Village, a CGH Earth property near Thekkady, put you inside the landscape rather than simply looking at it from a hotel window — bungalow-style rooms set among the same hills the itinerary explores by day.
Chapter Two — Where You'll Stay
4 Real Stays, In Order
Handpicked along your own route — not a hotel chain repeated city to city.
Next, 2 nights in Munnar
Windermere Estate
A family-run tea and cardamom estate resort near Munnar, with plantation walks, hill views, and just 18 rooms.
Munnar · Boutique · Premium★★★★
Next, one night in Thekkady
Spice Village – A CGH Earth Experience
A CGH Earth spice-garden resort on the edge of Periyar Tiger Reserve in Thekkady, with cottages, pools, and Ayurveda spa.
Thekkady · Resort · Premium★★★★
Finally, 2 nights in Madurai
Gateway Pasumalai Madurai — IHCL SeleQtions
A Taj-group hotel on a wooded 62-acre hillock south of Madurai — an 1890s bungalow, terraced gardens, a pool, and views to the lit Meenakshi temple.
Madurai · Hotel · Premium★★★★
Chapter Three — Day by Day
Real Kerala & Tamil Nadu Attractions in This Itinerary
6 of your 8days — the full itinerary follows below. Scroll to travel the route.
Day 2 · 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.
Day 3 · 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.
Day 4 · 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.
Day 5 · 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.
Day 6 · Thekkady → Madurai
Thekkady to Madurai — Over the Western Ghats
A drive of about four hours, leaving Kerala's hills for the Tamil Nadu plains. The road climbs out of Thekkady past the Periyar reserve, crosses the Western Ghats near Kumily, and drops through Cumbum and Theni into drier, flatter country. The landscape changes fast: rainforest and spice gardens give way to palm and dry scrub within an hour of the crossing. You reach Madurai, one of Tamil Nadu's oldest cities, by the afternoon, with the temple towers visible well before the old town itself.
Day 7 · Madurai
Madurai — the Meenakshi Temple and the Nayak City
A full day in the old city. The Meenakshi Amman Temple in the cool of the morning: the fourteen painted towers, the twin shrines to the goddess and to Shiva, the hall of a thousand carved pillars, and the golden-lotus tank. Then the Thirumalai Nayak Palace and the Gandhi Memorial Museum, housed in a Nayak queen's palace. The afternoon is the flower and produce market and the tailors' hall by the east tower, and, if there is time, the drive out to the Tiruparankundram rock temple.
Chapter Four — The Full Itinerary
8 Days, In Full
Every day, start to finish — including the transfers the day-by-day chapter above skipped.
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
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.
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 → Madurai
Thekkady to Madurai — Over the Western Ghats
A drive of about four hours, leaving Kerala's hills for the Tamil Nadu plains. The road climbs out of Thekkady past the Periyar reserve, crosses the Western Ghats near Kumily, and drops through Cumbum and Theni into drier, flatter country. The landscape changes fast: rainforest and spice gardens give way to palm and dry scrub within an hour of the crossing. You reach Madurai, one of Tamil Nadu's oldest cities, by the afternoon, with the temple towers visible well before the old town itself.
Madurai
Madurai — the Meenakshi Temple and the Nayak City
A full day in the old city. The Meenakshi Amman Temple in the cool of the morning: the fourteen painted towers, the twin shrines to the goddess and to Shiva, the hall of a thousand carved pillars, and the golden-lotus tank. Then the Thirumalai Nayak Palace and the Gandhi Memorial Museum, housed in a Nayak queen's palace. The afternoon is the flower and produce market and the tailors' hall by the east tower, and, if there is time, the drive out to the Tiruparankundram rock temple.
Madurai
Madurai — Departure
A free morning, depending on the flight. Madurai has its own airport with connections to Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Mumbai, and a direct link or two to the Gulf. A last look at the temple, quieter after the dawn worship, or an unhurried South Indian breakfast, before the short drive to the airport. For travellers going on to Kerala, the road west over the Western Ghats to Periyar or Madurai's rail links are the usual routes.
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Chapter Five — Terms & Conditions
Straightforward, In Writing
Cancellation windows, refund timing, and rescheduling terms for this journey follow our one sitewide policy — nothing package-specific to dig through.
Read the Return & Refund PolicyFrequently Asked
Before You Book
How different are Kerala and Tamil Nadu on this route?
Genuinely different — Kerala's backwaters, spice trade history and Western Ghats give way to Tamil Nadu's Dravidian temple architecture and drier plains climate around Madurai. It's a real change of character partway through, not just a border crossing on a map.
Is this route suitable for a first visit to South India?
Yes — it covers two of the region's signature landscapes and Madurai's major temple in a single, well-paced week, making it a strong introduction if you haven't been to South India before.
Chapter Six — Similar Journeys
More of Kerala & Tamil Nadu, Privately
Other ways to see it
Routes in Kerala & Tamil Nadu
Before you go
Planning Kerala & Tamil Nadu
Kerala Travel Guide
Munnar for Couples: Tea Estate Stays and Quiet Viewpoints
Destination GuideHoneymoonKerala
Kerala Travel Guide
Trekking in Kerala: Trails, Seasons and Permits
KeralaPlanning GuideTravel Tips
Kerala Travel Guide
Kerala Honeymoon Itinerary 6 Nights: Munnar, Thekkady and Alleppey
HoneymoonItinerary InspirationKerala
Why Choose Us
The Same Trust, Sized to This Trip
01
Planning, Built Around You
This route was shaped around Kerala & Tamil Nadu's real places, not lifted from a fixed template.
13 years — Brijesh Sharma, Bespoke Itinerary Specialist
02
Handpicked Hotels
Every stay on this trip was chosen in person, not off a ratings page.
4 real stays, 4★
03
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One driver, air-conditioned, for the whole route — no shared shuttle.
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