Tour Overview
| Duration | 10 Days / 9 Nights |
|---|---|
| Country | India โ Kerala, God’s Own Country |
| Destinations | Cochin โ Munnar โ Periyar โ Alleppey Houseboat โ Kovalam |
| Highlights | Backwater houseboat, tea plantations, spice gardens, Ayurveda, beaches |
| Tour Type | Private Tour โ Relaxed pace through tropical Kerala |
| Best Season | NovemberโMarch (dry, pleasant) or JulyโSeptember (monsoon Ayurveda) |
| Price | From US$849 per person (boutique hotels, 1-night private houseboat, guide) |
Data source: htoindia.com Kerala Tour structure + verified Kerala itinerary
Day 1: Arrive Cochin โ Queen of the Arabian Sea
- Cochin Airport (COK) Pickup โ Warm Kerala welcome, transfer to Fort Cochin heritage hotel in a restored Portuguese-era building
- Evening: Kathakali Dance Performance โ Kerala’s renowned classical dance-drama. Arrive early to watch the elaborate makeup application (1+ hours). The performance tells Hindu epics through precise eye movements, facial expressions (9 navarasas/emotions), and hand gestures (24 mudras). The elaborate costumes weigh up to 20kg
- Dinner at a waterfront restaurant โ fresh Malabar seafood: karimeen pollichathu (pearl spot fish wrapped in banana leaf), Kerala fish curry with coconut milk
Overnight in Fort Cochin.
Day 2: Cochin โ Spice Port of History
- Chinese Fishing Nets โ Iconic cantilevered nets along Fort Cochin’s waterfront, introduced by Chinese traders in the 14th century. Watch fishermen haul in the morning catch using the unique counterweight system
- Mattancherry Dutch Palace โ 16th-century palace with Kerala’s finest Hindu murals depicting the Ramayana epic in exquisite detail
- Paradesi Synagogue โ The oldest active synagogue in the Commonwealth (1568). Hand-painted Chinese floor tiles (no two alike), Belgian glass chandeliers, and copper-plate inscriptions from the 4th century ruler granting land to the Jewish community
- Spice Market (Jew Town) โ Walk streets fragrant with ginger, cardamom, pepper, turmeric, and cloves โ the spices that drew Vasco da Gama here in 1498. Buy fresh vanilla pods and Tellicherry black pepper
- St. Francis Church โ India’s oldest European church (1503), where Vasco da Gama was originally buried (his remains were later moved to Lisbon)
- Evening: Sunset harbor cruise past Bolgatty Island and the naval base
Overnight in Fort Cochin.
Day 3: Cochin to Munnar โ Tea Country
- Scenic drive to Munnar (4 hours, 130km) climbing into the Western Ghats
- Cheeyappara & Valara Waterfalls โ Photo stops at two cascading falls tumbling down the mountain road
- Tea Museum โ Housed in a 100-year-old tea factory. Learn the journey from leaf to cup: withering, rolling (orthodox method), fermenting, drying, grading. See a 1905 rotorvane tea roller and watch a documentary on Munnar’s tea history
- Arrive at your hill station resort at 1,600m โ air scented with tea and eucalyptus, temperatures a blissful 15-25ยฐC
- Evening: Walk through tea gardens as mist rolls over the emerald slopes
Overnight in Munnar.
Day 4: Munnar โ Emerald Hills
- Eravikulam National Park โ Home to the endangered Nilgiri tahr (mountain goat with curved horns, only 2,500 left), found nowhere else on Earth. Walk the 3km trail to Rajamalai viewpoint (2,100m) โ the highest road-accessible point in South India. FebruaryโMarch: the hills blush purple with blooming neelakurinji flowers (they bloom once every 12 years โ next mass bloom 2030)
- Top Station โ 1,880m viewpoint offering panoramic vistas of the Western Ghats and into neighboring Tamil Nadu. The valley drops away dramatically โ on clear days, you can see the plains 1,500m below
- Mattupetty Dam & Lake โ Speedboat on the reservoir, see the Indo-Swiss livestock project’s cattle grazing on the slopes
- Echo Point โ Shout across the lake and hear your voice bounce back three times
- Evening: Tea tasting at a plantation bungalow โ sample white, green, oolong, and CTC teas, learn to identify the “golden tips” prized by tea connoisseurs
Overnight in Munnar.
Day 5: Munnar to Periyar โ Spice Gardens & Wildlife
- Drive to Thekkady/Periyar (3.5 hours, 110km) through cardamom hills
- Spice Plantation Tour โ Walk through a working plantation. See, smell, and taste:
- Cardamom โ “Queen of Spices,” Kerala produces 80% of India’s output
- Black pepper โ the vine that started the spice trade, still climbing betel nut trees
- Vanilla orchids, cinnamon bark, clove trees, nutmeg with its red mace covering
- Cocoa pods in every color โ yellow, orange, purple, red
- Allspice, star anise, and the mysterious “miracle fruit” that makes sour taste sweet
- Periyar Lake Boat Safari โ 1.5-hour cruise on the 26kmยฒ lake inside Periyar Tiger Reserve. Scan the shoreline for elephants, sambar deer, wild boar, and gaur (Indian bison). Otters play near the banks, cormorants and darters (snakebirds) dry their wings on sunken trees
- Evening: Kalaripayattu Performance โ Kerala’s ancient martial art (3,000+ years old, believed to be the world’s oldest). Watch practitioners leap, kick, and wield swords, spears, and the deadly flexible urumi (coiled sword). The finale: walking through fire and jumping through flaming hoops
Overnight in Thekkady.
Day 6: Periyar to Alleppey โ Backwater Paradise
- Morning: Bamboo Rafting Trek in Periyar Tiger Reserve (3 hours) โ float silently through the forest on a bamboo raft, guided by tribal trackers. Best chance for wildlife sightings away from the tourist boats
- Drive to Alleppey (4 hours, 160km) through the lush Kuttanad region โ the “rice bowl of Kerala,” 4m below sea level
- Board your private houseboat (kettuvallam) โ Traditional rice barge converted into a floating luxury cottage. Thatched roof, teak and bamboo interiors, en-suite bathroom, sun deck, and a personal chef + captain. This is the quintessential Kerala experience
- Cruise the Backwaters at Sunset โ Glide through narrow canals fringed with coconut palms where village life unfolds unchanged. Children wave from banks, fishermen cast Chinese nets, women wash clothes on stone steps, egrets follow the boat’s wake. Total peace, total beauty
- Dinner on board: Freshwater karimeen (pearl spot fish) grilled in banana leaf, Kerala red rice, thoran (coconut-stir fried vegetables), sambar, and payasam (rice pudding with jaggery and coconut milk)
Overnight on houseboat (moored in a quiet backwater).
Day 7: Alleppey to Kovalam โ Beach Paradise
- Wake to birdsong and the gentle lap of water. Fresh Kerala breakfast on the sundeck as the backwaters come alive
- Continue cruising through smaller canals โ disembark at Alleppey
- Drive to Kovalam (3.5 hours, 160km) โ Kerala’s most famous beach destination
- Check into your beachfront resort above the Arabian Sea
- Lighthouse Beach โ Kovalam’s iconic crescent beach with the red-and-white Vizhinjam Lighthouse on the rocky promontory. Swim in gentle Arabian Sea waves, watch surfers at the northern end
- Evening: Seafood BBQ on the beach, candlelit tables in the sand
Overnight in Kovalam.
Day 8: Kovalam โ Ayurveda & Wellness
- Ayurvedic Consultation & Treatment โ Kerala is the birthplace of Ayurveda. Consult an Ayurvedic doctor who will determine your dosha (body constitution) and prescribe a personalized treatment (1.5 hours): abhyanga (four-hand synchronized oil massage), shirodhara (warm oil streamed onto the third eye), or pizhichil (warm oil poured over the body โ the treatment of kings). Kerala’s Ayurveda is the best in the world
- Vizhinjam Marine Aquarium โ Small but fascinating collection of Indian Ocean marine life: lionfish, moray eels, seahorses, and the rare squirrelfish
- Afternoon at leisure โ beach, yoga, or simply relax
- Evening: Watch the sunset from the lighthouse viewpoint, the entire coast glowing gold
Overnight in Kovalam.
Day 9: Day Trip to Kanyakumari โ Land’s End
- Drive to Kanyakumari (2 hours) โ the southernmost tip of the Indian subcontinent, where three oceans meet: the Bay of Bengal, Arabian Sea, and Indian Ocean
- Vivekananda Rock Memorial โ Ferry to the twin rocks 500m offshore where Swami Vivekananda meditated in 1892 and attained enlightenment. The memorial combines architectural elements from across India
- Thiruvalluvar Statue โ 40.5m stone statue of the ancient Tamil poet-saint on an adjacent rock, visible from the mainland
- Kumari Amman Temple โ Ancient temple to the virgin goddess Kanyakumari, whose diamond nose ring is said to have guided ships at sea (its brilliance was visible for miles)
- Sunset & Moonrise Simultaneously โ On full moon evenings, you can witness the sun setting over the Arabian Sea while the moon rises over the Bay of Bengal โ a celestial spectacle unique to this geographical point
- Return to Kovalam
Overnight in Kovalam.
Day 10: Departure
- Morning yoga session on the beach (optional)
- Transfer to Trivandrum International Airport (TRV, 30 minutes) for departure
Kerala โ God’s Own Country โ leaves you renewed. The green of the backwaters, the spice-scented air, the warmth of its people: this is India at its most serene.
What’s Included
- 9 nights (heritage Fort Cochin + tea plantation resort + spice country lodge + beachfront resort + 1 night private houseboat)
- Private A/C vehicle and English-speaking driver throughout
- Professional guides at monuments and wildlife parks
- Private houseboat with all meals, captain, and chef
- 9 breakfasts + 4 lunches + 1 houseboat dinner
- All entrance fees, boat safaris, plantation tours, cultural performances
- 1 Ayurvedic treatment (consultation + therapy)
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