Private journeys in seven lands · a planner replies within one working day
Try "Udaipur", "tiger", "honeymoon", "Ladakh in July"
Kerala from end to end in 14 nights, without backtracking: three nights in Fort Kochi, the tea hills of Munnar, the forests of Periyar, a lake resort and a private houseboat on Vembanad, then south along the coast to the cliffs of Varkala and the beaches of Kovalam, flying home from Thiruvananthapuram.
This is the journey for travellers who want to see the whole of southern Kerala properly. It runs north to south, landing in Kochi and leaving from Thiruvananthapuram, so you never retrace a road. Three nights in Fort Kochi give time for the old port, the Muziris heritage sites or a cooking class. The classic hill loop follows: two nights each in Munnar and Thekkady, then down to Vembanad.
After two nights at Kumarakom and a night on your own kettuvallam, the second half of the journey follows the coast: two nights on the red cliffs of Varkala and two at Kovalam, with a day in Thiruvananthapuram, the old Travancore capital. The pace is balanced, with no drive longer than about four hours and a full day without travel in every place.
Highlights
Day by day
We meet you at Cochin International Airport and drive about 1.5 hours to Brunton Boatyard on the Fort Kochi harbour. After a rest, walk to the Chinese fishing nets in the late afternoon to watch the crews at work as ships pass in the channel. Dinner at the hotel, with its Anglo-Indian and Kochi Jewish recipes.
A first-light walk with a local historian through Fort Kochi, from the fishing nets and Dutch cemetery to St. Francis Church, where Vasco da Gama was first buried. After breakfast, visit Mattancherry: the Ramayana murals of the Dutch Palace, the 1568 Paradesi Synagogue and the spice warehouses. In the evening, watch Kathakali actors paint their faces, followed by a short performance.
Spend the day north of Kochi on the Muziris heritage trail, where Kerala's ancient spice port once traded with Rome. By car and boat, visit the Cheraman Juma mosque, the ruins of the Portuguese fort at Kottappuram, the restored Paravur synagogue and the Paliam palace. Lunch with a local family. Return to Fort Kochi for a sunset launch around the harbour.
Drive up into the Western Ghats, stopping at the Cheeyappara and Valara waterfalls and a spice garden, and climbing through the first tea estates to Munnar. Check in at Windermere Estate, a working plantation with long views over the valley. Walk the estate gardens in the afternoon. Evenings in winter call for a fire.
Walk the tea estates with a guide in the early morning, then visit the Tata Tea Museum and taste the grades. In the afternoon, see the Nilgiri tahr grazing on the grassy slopes of Eravikulam National Park below Anamudi, South India's highest peak. When the park is closed for calving in spring, we drive to Top Station on the Tamil Nadu border instead.
Drive south through the Cardamom Hills to Thekkady, past tea and cardamom estates and viewpoints over the Tamil Nadu plains. Check in at Spice Village. In the afternoon, walk a family-run cardamom and pepper plantation with its owner. In the evening, watch a Kalaripayattu demonstration in Kumily.
Join a full-day bamboo rafting programme in the Periyar Tiger Reserve with forest guards, trekking through the forest and rafting across the lake, watching for elephants, gaur, otters and hornbills. For a gentler day, take the first boat on Periyar Lake and a three-hour nature walk instead. Slots are limited, so we book well ahead.
Descend from the hills via Peermade and Kottayam to Kumarakom, and cross by boat to Coconut Lagoon, built from old Kerala houses rebuilt among canals and palms. After lunch, rest by the pool. In the late afternoon, a canoe takes you through village canals to see coir-making and toddy-tapping, ending with the sunset over the lake.
Walk the Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary at dawn with a naturalist. After breakfast, take a private boat across the lake to Pathiramanal island for a short walk. Lunch is at a canal-side toddy shop, with karimeen grilled in banana leaf, duck roast and tapioca. The afternoon is free for the pool or an Ayurvedic massage.
At noon, your private kettuvallam collects you from the jetty and crosses the lake into the canals of Kuttanad, where rice grows below the level of the water. Lunch and dinner are cooked on board by your own chef. In the afternoon, walk on the bund and visit the old church at Champakulam. The boat moors at sunset in a quiet backwater.
After breakfast on deck, the boat lands at Alappuzha at about 9 am. Drive south on the coastal highway, stopping at Ambalappuzha for the Krishna temple and its milk payasam, and at Kollam for lunch. Arrive at Varkala in the afternoon and check in at the best small hotel available on or near the cliff. Walk the clifftop path at sunset.
Start with a private yoga session on a terrace above the sea. Later, visit Papanasam beach, where families perform rites for their ancestors, the Janardanaswamy temple area and the Sivagiri ashram of the reformer Sree Narayana Guru. The afternoon is free for the beach. In the evening, eat fresh seafood on the cliff.
Drive south, stopping at Anjengo, the East India Company's early trading post from the 1690s, with its small fort, cemetery and lighthouse. Continue to Kovalam and The Leela Kovalam on a headland above Hawa Beach. Spend the afternoon by the infinity pool, and walk to the lighthouse at sunset.
Spend the morning in Thiruvananthapuram with a local historian: the East Fort around the Padmanabhaswamy temple, which only Hindus may enter, Kuthiramalika palace with its carved horses, and the Napier Museum and Sree Chitra Art Gallery with paintings by Raja Ravi Varma. Return to Kovalam for a final evening and a farewell dinner by the sea.
Enjoy a last morning by the sea. Thiruvananthapuram International Airport is only about 30 minutes away, so even an afternoon flight leaves time for a swim or a final Ayurvedic massage. We drive you to the airport and our team in India stays in touch until you are through check-in.
Included
Not included
Where you sleep
A heritage hotel on the Fort Kochi waterfront, rebuilt on the site of a Victorian boatyard, where every room faces the harbour channel and ships pass …
A working cardamom and coffee plantation at Pothamedu, about 3 km from Munnar town, with cottages and a planter's bungalow set on a hillside facing the …
A CGH Earth resort of thatched cottages among spice gardens on the edge of the Periyar Tiger Reserve, built in the style of the area's tribal …
A CGH Earth resort on the shore of Vembanad Lake, reached only by boat, built from old Kerala wooden houses dismantled and reassembled on the site, …
A large clifftop resort above Hawa Beach at Kovalam, with sea-facing rooms, an infinity pool looking over the Arabian Sea, a private beach below and an …
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Questions travellers ask
Two weeks covers all of southern Kerala well: Fort Kochi, the tea hills, Periyar, the backwaters and the southern beaches, with a full day in each place. The north, with Theyyam, Wayanad and Bekal, would need another five to seven nights.
Flying out of Thiruvananthapuram avoids a long drive back to Kochi and lets the journey run naturally north to south. The airport is 30 minutes from Kovalam and has international flights to the Gulf, Colombo and Singapore, and domestic flights across India.
November to March. December to February is driest and coolest. September and October work with some rain, and the landscapes are very green. We do not recommend the monsoon months for this route, as the beaches are closed to swimming and the hills are cloudy.
It is balanced. There are six moves in 14 nights, none longer than about four hours, and every place has at least one full day without travel. Early starts are optional, except for the bird sanctuary and the Periyar activities.
Yes. Marari is 30 minutes from Alappuzha, so three nights there after the houseboat, followed by a flight home from Kochi, makes a strong alternative. You would lose Kovalam and Thiruvananthapuram but gain a quieter beach. Tell us which suits you and we will reshape the route.
Yes. Most of the hotels have Ayurveda centres for treatments. For a therapeutic programme, we can extend the end of the journey with 14 nights at a retreat near Kovalam, which is convenient for Thiruvananthapuram airport. Tell the doctor about any medicines you take.
From about ₹4,20,000 per person, twin sharing, at the hotels named, with private car, guides, the houseboat and the activities listed. Peak Christmas dates and upgraded rooms cost more. Flights are extra. We send a detailed quote for your dates.
Yes. The drives are moderate, the hotels are comfortable, and walks can be shortened. Bamboo rafting can be replaced by the lake cruise. We provide a spacious car and adjust the pace. Tell us about any mobility needs when booking.
Possibly. In Biennale years, the Kochi-Muziris Biennale runs from December to March. Attukal Pongala in Thiruvananthapuram falls in February or March, and temple festivals take place across Kerala in winter and spring. We can adjust dates to include one. Tell us your interests when you enquire.
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