Kerala Scenic Nature Holiday

Overview

Itinerary

Inclusions & Exclusions

Hotels

Documents & Fitness

Cancellation Policy

FAQs

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Highlights & Route

Kerala packs four very different landscapes into one small state, and this nine-day circuit lets a family see all of them without rushing. You begin in the cool tea country of Munnar at around 1,600 metres, come down through the spice hills to the Periyar forest at Thekkady, spend two relaxed nights by the sea at Kovalam with a day trip to the Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple in Thiruvananthapuram, and finish on the backwaters of Kumarakom and Alleppey before a last evening among the old churches, palaces and fishing nets of Fort Kochi.

We have planned the halts so that nobody spends a whole day in the car. Two nights each at Munnar and Kovalam give you a full sightseeing day with no packing, and the single-night halts at Thekkady, Kumarakom and Alleppey are each reached by lunchtime, leaving the afternoon free. The longest road day is Kovalam to Kumarakom on Day 6, roughly 200 km and about five hours with a lunch stop. Kerala roads are good but busy, so our drivers keep a steady, unhurried pace.

Hotels are comfortable family properties with vegetarian breakfast and dinner included (dinner on arrival day, breakfast on departure day). At Alleppey you can choose a hotel or a private houseboat for the night; the houseboat includes its own meals cooked on board. A private AC vehicle sized to your group stays with you from Kochi airport or railway station to the final drop. The tour suits parents and grandparents travelling with children, as well as couples and small groups of friends.

Route

Kochi → Munnar (2 nights) → Thekkady (1 night) → Kovalam (2 nights, with a day trip to Thiruvananthapuram) → Kumarakom (1 night) → Alleppey (1 night, hotel or houseboat) → Fort Kochi (1 night) → Kochi airport / railway station drop

Good to know before you book

The Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple admits Hindus only and has a strict dress code: men wear a mundu (dhoti) without a shirt, women wear a saree or a mundu over their clothes. These can be hired outside the temple. Cameras and phones are not allowed inside.
Boating on Periyar Lake is run by the forest department with fixed timings and limited seats; tickets are paid locally and are best booked ahead on the reserve’s official portal. Boats can be cancelled in rough weather.
Mattancherry (Dutch) Palace in Kochi is closed on Fridays and public holidays; the Day 8 plan is adjusted if your dates fall on a Friday.
Houseboats at Alleppey check in around noon and check out around 9 am. If you choose the houseboat option, the Day 7 plan is built around these timings.
The south-west monsoon runs from June to August and the north-east monsoon brings showers in October and November. The most settled weather is from December to March; Munnar is pleasantly cool, the coast is warm and humid.
Munnar’s hill road from Kochi has sharp bends; anyone prone to motion sickness should carry their usual tablets and sit in the front seats.

Yatra Highlights

Tea gardens, dams and viewpoints of Munnar with two nights to enjoy the cool hills
Periyar forest at Thekkady, Kovalam beach and darshan at Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple
Backwater nights at Kumarakom and Alleppey (hotel or houseboat) and heritage Fort Kochi

Day 1 :

Kochi to Munnar through the waterfalls and tea estates

Our driver meets you at your arrival point (airport, railway station or hotel) at the agreed time at Cochin International Airport or Ernakulam railway station. The drive to Munnar is about 130 km and takes four to five hours as the road climbs into the Western Ghats. We stop at the roadside Cheeyappara and Valara waterfalls, which are at their fullest after the rains, and pass through spice plantations before the first tea estates appear near Munnar. Check in at the hotel and, if time allows, take an evening walk in Munnar town to the market and the old church. Dinner at the hotel.

Overnight: Munnar

Day 2 :

Munnar sightseeing day

After breakfast we spend the day among the tea gardens. The usual circuit covers Pothamedu viewpoint for a sweep of the estates, Mattupetty Dam and its lake, Echo Point, Kundala Lake and the flower park at Blossom International Park. Pedal boats and speedboats on the lakes are paid locally if the children want a ride. The afternoon is free: you may visit a tea museum (closed Mondays) or simply rest at the hotel. Dinner at the hotel.

Overnight: Munnar

Day 3 :

Munnar to Thekkady and the Periyar forest

Breakfast, then a 90 km drive of roughly three hours down through cardamom and pepper country to Thekkady, the gateway to the Periyar Tiger Reserve. After check-in and lunch, you can take the forest department's boat ride on Periyar Lake, where elephants, sambar and bison often come to the water's edge in the late afternoon. Thekkady town also has spice plantation tours, Kalaripayattu martial-art shows and Kathakali performances in the evening; all are optional and paid locally. Dinner at the hotel.

Overnight: Thekkady

Day 4 :

Thekkady to Kovalam beach

An early breakfast and a long but scenic drive of about 230 km, five to six hours, through the rubber estates of Kottayam and the coconut country of Kollam to the coast at Kovalam. The hotel is near the crescent beaches that give the town its fame. In the evening walk along Lighthouse Beach to the red-and-white Vizhinjam lighthouse, which you can climb in the late afternoon for a view of the coast. Dinner at the hotel.

Overnight: Kovalam

Day 5 :

Thiruvananthapuram: Padmanabhaswamy darshan and city visit

After breakfast we drive 15 km into Thiruvananthapuram for darshan at the Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple, where Lord Vishnu reclines on Anantha, the serpent. Please come in the required dress (mundu for men without a shirt, saree or mundu for women); hiring is available outside, and the temple is closed to visitors between the morning and evening darshan sessions, so we time the visit accordingly. Afterwards you can browse the Chalai market near the temple and visit the city zoo and the Napier Museum (closed Mondays). Return to Kovalam by evening; dinner at the hotel.

Overnight: Kovalam

Day 6 :

Kovalam to Kumarakom on Vembanad Lake

Breakfast, then the longest drive of the tour, about 200 km and five hours, north along the coast to Kumarakom on the eastern shore of Vembanad Lake, the longest lake in India. Check in by mid-afternoon. The rest of the day is yours: a sunset boat ride on the lake or a canoe trip through the village canals can be arranged locally, and the Kumarakom bird sanctuary nearby is good in the early morning for herons, egrets and migrants in winter. Dinner at the hotel.

Overnight: Kumarakom

Day 7 :

Kumarakom to Alleppey: hotel or houseboat

After breakfast a short 35 km drive brings you to Alappuzha (Alleppey), the main houseboat town of Kerala. If you have chosen the houseboat option, you board around noon and spend the afternoon drifting past paddy fields and village jetties, with lunch, tea and dinner cooked on board and the boat moored for the night as the rules require. If you prefer a hotel, you check in and can take a shared or private boat ride on the canals in the afternoon. Alleppey beach and its old pier are a pleasant evening stop. Dinner at the hotel or on the houseboat.

Overnight: Alleppey (Hotel confirmed at booking or houseboat)

Day 8 :

Alleppey to Fort Kochi heritage walk

Breakfast, then a 55 km drive of about one and a half hours to Kochi. The afternoon is for Fort Kochi and Mattancherry: the Dutch Palace with its Kerala murals (closed Fridays), the Paradesi synagogue in Jew Town (closed Fridays and Saturdays), St Francis Church where Vasco da Gama was first buried, Santa Cruz Basilica, and the Chinese fishing nets on the shore, which are best photographed at sunset from Fort Kochi beach. Dinner at the hotel.

Overnight: Kochi

Day 9 :

Departure from Kochi

Breakfast at the hotel and check-out. Depending on your flight or train time there may be room for a quick stop at the Ernakulam Shiva temple or the Lulu Mall before we drop you at your departure point (airport, railway station or hotel), Cochin International Airport or Ernakulam railway station. The airport is about 40 km from Fort Kochi, so please allow one and a half hours for the transfer.

Overnight: none (tour ends)

Night	Place	Hotel (or similar)	Room type
1	Munnar	Hotel confirmed at booking	Standard room, sharing basis
2	Munnar	Hotel confirmed at booking	Standard room, sharing basis
3	Thekkady	Hotel confirmed at booking	Standard room, sharing basis
4	Kovalam	Hotel confirmed at booking	Standard room, sharing basis
5	Kovalam	Hotel confirmed at booking	Standard room, sharing basis
6	Kumarakom	Hotel confirmed at booking	Standard room, sharing basis
7	Alleppey	Hotel confirmed at booking or private houseboat	Standard room, sharing basis
8	Kochi	Hotel confirmed at booking	Standard room, sharing basis

Frequently Asked Questions

Expand all

Is this tour suitable for elderly parents and small children?

Yes. There is no trekking, the hotels are reached by car, and every day has free time built in. Two-night halts at Munnar and Kovalam mean fewer early check-outs. The long drives on Day 4 and Day 6 are the only tiring parts, and we break them with tea and lunch stops. If you have anyone who finds hill roads difficult, tell us and we will plan an extra stop on the Munnar climb.

Can anyone enter the Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple?

Entry is for Hindus only, and the dress code is strictly enforced: men in a mundu (dhoti) with no shirt or vest, women in a saree, or a mundu tied over salwar or trousers. Mundus are available on hire near the entrance. Phones, cameras and bags are left at the cloakroom. The temple is closed between the morning and evening darshan sessions, so we plan the visit for the morning and keep the city sightseeing for the afternoon.

Should we take the houseboat or the hotel at Alleppey?

A houseboat is the classic Kerala experience: you board around noon, cruise the canals through the afternoon with meals cooked on board, moor for the night and disembark after breakfast. It costs more than the hotel and the cabins are compact, so it suits most families but may not suit anyone who needs a lot of space or air-conditioning through the day (most boats run AC only at night). The hotel option gives you a normal room plus a shorter boat ride. Tell us your preference when you enquire and we will quote both.

What is the best time of year for this tour?

December to March is the most comfortable, with dry weather on the coast and cool mornings in Munnar. April and May are hot on the coast but fine in the hills. June to August is the main monsoon, when the waterfalls and backwaters are at their greenest but rain can interrupt sightseeing and boating. September to November has intermittent showers. Kerala is a year-round destination; just pack for the season.

Are lunches included? What will we eat?

Breakfast and dinner are included at the hotels; lunch is on your own so that you can stop wherever the day takes you. Kerala has excellent vegetarian food, from sadya meals on banana leaf to appam, puttu and dosa, and every town on the route has clean family restaurants. North Indian food is available in Munnar, Kovalam and Kochi. Tell us about Jain or other dietary needs in advance and we will inform the hotels.

How much walking and how many steps are there?

Very little. The viewpoints at Munnar are a few minutes from the car park, the Periyar boat jetty is a short walk or a shuttle ride from the gate, and Fort Kochi’s sights are within a kilometre of each other on flat ground. The Vizhinjam lighthouse has a spiral staircase of around 140 steps and can be skipped. Wheelchair access is limited at the temple and the old palaces.

Can we start from a different city or change the order?

Yes. The same circuit can be run from Thiruvananthapuram airport in reverse, ending at Kochi, or shortened by a night if you must. Some families prefer to end at the beach rather than the city; just tell us and we will re-sequence the halts and adjust the price.

Is the Periyar lake boat ride included on this Kerala holiday?

No. The boat ride on Periyar Lake is run by the forest department with fixed timings and limited seats, and tickets are paid locally. They are best booked ahead on the tiger reserve’s official portal. We reach Thekkady by lunchtime on Day 3, so the afternoon is free for a slot. Boats can be cancelled in rough weather.

Yatra	Duration	Starts from	Price
Kerala Scenic Nature Holiday (this page)	9 days / 8 nights	Kochi	From ₹55,000
Andaman Beach Holiday	6 days / 5 nights	Port Blair	From ₹32,000
Andaman Island Family Holiday	5 days / 4 nights	Port Blair (Sri Vijaya Puram)	From ₹35,000
Andaman Islands Sightseeing Holiday	8 days / 7 nights	Port Blair	From ₹45,000
Andaman Relaxation Holiday	6 days / 5 nights	Port Blair (Sri Vijaya Puram)	From ₹30,000
Darjeeling, Pelling & Gangtok Hill Holiday	7 days / 6 nights	Bagdogra / New Jalpaiguri	From ₹40,500
Family Holiday in Sikkim	9 days / 8 nights	Bagdogra / NJP (Siliguri)	From ₹51,000
Kerala Luxury Getaway	6 days / 5 nights	Kochi	From ₹40,000

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Highlights & Route

Route

Good to know before you book

Yatra Highlights

Day-by-Day Itinerary

Inclusions & Exclusions

Included

Not included

Hotels

Documents & Fitness

Documents to carry

Fitness and health

Cancellation Policy

Frequently Asked Questions

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