Luxury Holiday in Kerala

Highlights & Route

Where our other Kerala package moves every night, this one is built for rest. It keeps the same arc from the tea hills to the southern coast, but spends two nights each at the two places people most want to linger: a lakeside resort at Kumarakom on Vembanad lake and a beach resort at Kovalam. Only Munnar is a single night, chosen so that you still see the estates and Eravikulam on the way. It suits couples, retired parents and anyone who wants a holiday in which the resort is as much the point as the sightseeing.

Kumarakom is a cluster of islands and canals on the eastern shore of Vembanad, Kerala’s largest lake, with a bird sanctuary on its old rubber estate and resorts set among coconut palms at the water’s edge. Two nights allow a morning canoe ride through the canals, an afternoon at the pool or the Ayurveda centre, and a sunset cruise on the lake. Kovalam offers the same ease by the sea, with the lighthouse crescent for swimming and the quieter coves to its north.

From Kovalam a day trip into Thiruvananthapuram brings the pilgrimage: darshan at Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple, where Vishnu reclines on the serpent Anantha, followed by the Napier Museum, the zoo and Veli lake. The temple’s dress code and Hindus-only rule are set out below. Premium hotels are used throughout, a private vehicle stays with you from Kochi to Thiruvananthapuram, and our Dehradun office remains your contact for the whole trip.

Route

Kochi airport → waterfalls and Eravikulam → Munnar (1 night) → Kumarakom (2 nights) → Vembanad lake and bird sanctuary → Kovalam (2 nights) → Padmanabhaswamy temple and Thiruvananthapuram day trip → Thiruvananthapuram airport

Good to know before you book

• Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram admits Hindus only and has a strict dress code: men wear a mundu (dhoti) without a shirt, women a saree, half-saree or long skirt with blouse; mundus can be hired at the gate. Phones and cameras are not allowed inside.
• Eravikulam National Park closes every February and March for the tahr calving season; on those dates the Munnar day visits the estates and viewpoints instead.
• The Kumarakom bird sanctuary is best from November to February, when migratory birds arrive; early morning is the time to go.
• October to March is the comfortable season on the coast; the monsoon (June to September) brings big discounts at resorts but rough seas.
• Sunset cruises, canoe rides, Ayurvedic treatments and the Veli lake boating are optional and paid at the resort or on the spot.
• Flights arrive at Kochi and depart from Thiruvananthapuram; both have direct connections from Delhi.