Trip highlights
- 1Alleppey houseboat overnight on the backwaters
- 2Munnar tea plantations and Eravikulam National Park
- 3Kovalam beach and Ayurvedic spa
- 4Theyyam ritual dance performance
- 5Periyar Tiger Reserve spice trail
Daily spend
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Day-by-day plan
Arrive Kochi — Fort Kochi
Wednesday, December 1
Est. spend
$70
per person
🌅 Morning
Arrive Cochin International Airport
Cochin International Airport, Nedumbassery
Cochin Airport (COK) is 30km from Fort Kochi. Prepaid taxi: INR 700–900 ($8–11). Uber is available. Fort Kochi is the historic European colonial settlement on a peninsula.
Install the Kochi Metro app for the metro network and the Uber/Ola apps for auto-rickshaws and taxis.
☀️ Afternoon
Fort Kochi Chinese fishing nets and Jewish Quarter
Fort Kochi waterfront, Kochi
The iconic Chinese fishing nets (Cheena vala) have been lowered and raised at the Kochi waterfront since the 14th century — a UNESCO-listed fishing method unchanged for 600 years. The adjacent Jew Town has the 1568 Paradesi Synagogue (the oldest in the British Commonwealth), antique shops, and the Mattancherry spice market.
The Chinese fishing nets are best at sunset when workers lower and raise them in the golden light — the most photographed scene in Kerala.
🌙 Evening
Kathakali dance performance
Kerala Kathakali Centre, KB Jacob Rd, Fort Kochi
Kathakali is Kerala's classical dance-drama — elaborate makeup (2 hours to apply), elaborate costumes, and performances of episodes from the Hindu epics. The Kerala Kathakali Centre in Fort Kochi runs nightly performances at 6:30pm (with makeup demonstration from 5pm).
Arrive at 5pm for the makeup demonstration — watching a Kathakali performer transform over 90 minutes with 17 types of pigment is as extraordinary as the performance itself.
🍽️ Meals
Dal Roti, Fort Kochi
Kerala · $12 · Best restaurant in Fort Kochi. The Kerala meals (a thali on a banana leaf) with fish curry, avial, and coconut chutney is the definitive Kerala dinner.
Alleppey Houseboat
Thursday, December 2
Est. spend
$140
per person
🌅 Morning
Drive to Alleppey and board houseboat
Alleppey, Kerala
Alleppey (Alappuzha) is 90km south of Kochi — the houseboat capital of Kerala. The kettuvallam (traditional rice barges, converted to houseboats with bedrooms, kitchen, and sundeck) cruise through a 1,500km network of canals, lakes, and lagoons.
Book a 2-bedroom premium houseboat for INR 8,000–12,000 ($100–145) per night including all meals — the chef on board cooks Kerala food using ingredients bought that morning. The best meals of the trip.
☀️ Afternoon
Backwater cruise — Vembanad Lake
Vembanad Lake, Kerala Backwaters
The houseboat drifts through Vembanad Lake and into the narrow village canals — children bathing, women washing clothes, coconut palms reflected in the water, birds landing on the bow rail. Nothing happens and nothing needs to.
The narrow village canals (entered by smaller boats) are more atmospheric than the open lake. Ask your houseboat captain to enter the canal network rather than staying on the main lake.
🍽️ Meals
Houseboat on-board meals
Kerala · $0 · Included. The chef shops at the morning market — karimeen (pearl spot fish in banana leaf), prawn moilee (coconut cream curry), and avial (mixed vegetables in coconut and yoghurt). Extraordinary.
Drive to Munnar Tea Hills
Friday, December 3
Est. spend
$85
per person
🌅 Morning
Houseboat disembark, drive to Munnar
Alleppey → Munnar, Kerala
Return to Alleppey jetty at 9am, then 4-hour drive through the Western Ghats to Munnar (1,600m elevation) — the landscape shifts from backwater paddy fields to emerald tea plantations covering the hills in every direction.
The Rajamala Road into Munnar (after Adimali) is one of the most beautiful drives in India — the tea estate roads with tea pickers in the fields against the mist.
☀️ Afternoon
Munnar tea estate walk and factory tour
Lockhart Gap Tea Estate, Munnar, Kerala
The KDHP tea factory tour (one of the oldest in Munnar) shows the full process from leaf to cup — withering, rolling, fermenting, firing, and grading. The estate walkways through the tea bushes are free to walk.
Buy 100g of high-grown Munnar white tea (INR 600/$7) from the estate shop — the most delicate and expensive tea grade, not available outside the estate.
🍽️ Meals
Rapsy Restaurant, Munnar
Kerala · $10 · The best restaurant in Munnar town. The Kerala fish curry and fried karimeen are excellent.
Eravikulam National Park
Saturday, December 4
Est. spend
$70
per person
🌅 Morning
Eravikulam National Park — Nilgiri tahr
Eravikulam National Park, Munnar
The Eravikulam grassland above Munnar is home to the Nilgiri tahr (an endangered mountain goat) — the animals are habituated to humans and will walk directly past you on the trails. The park also has the Lakkam Waterfalls and views of Anamudi (South India's highest peak at 2,695m).
Book the park online at eravikulam.org — entry is timed and limited. The bus from the park gate to the grassland is included. The tahr are most active in the morning. March–April is closed for calving season.
☀️ Afternoon
Mattupetty Dam and Echo Point
Mattupetty, Munnar
The reservoir and shola forest at Mattupetty (15km from Munnar) — boat hire on the lake, the Indo-Swiss dairy farm, and the Echo Point where sounds echo off the hills. Basic but pleasant Kerala countryside experience.
🍽️ Meals
Zaza, Munnar
Indian · $12 · Good Kerala meals and North Indian options in the town centre.
Periyar Tiger Reserve
Sunday, December 5
Est. spend
$95
per person
🌅 Morning
Drive to Periyar, spice plantation tour
Thekkady, Idukki District, Kerala
3-hour drive from Munnar to Thekkady — the gateway to Periyar Tiger Reserve. En route: spice plantation tour (cardamom, pepper, cinnamon, and vanilla growing wild — the original spice route). Entry: INR 400.
Cardamom pods growing on low plants in the forest shade smell extraordinary fresh. Buy fresh cardamom and Wayanad pepper directly from the plantation — far better than packaged versions.
☀️ Afternoon
Periyar Lake boat safari
Periyar Tiger Reserve, Thekkady
The government boat tour on Periyar Lake is the standard wildlife experience — elephants at the lake edge, gaur (Indian bison), deer, and occasionally tiger pugmarks on the bank. Not guaranteed wildlife — the boat is more about the landscape than sightings.
The bamboo rafting experience (INR 1,200/$15, book well ahead) takes small groups into restricted zones of the reserve — better wildlife sightings than the standard boat tour.
🍽️ Meals
Spice village resort dinner, Thekkady
Kerala · $25 · The CGH Earth Spice Village resort dinner buffet uses estate-grown spices. The peppercorn chicken and cardamom desserts are outstanding.
Kovalam Beach & Ayurveda
Monday, December 6
Est. spend
$110
per person
🌅 Morning
Drive to Kovalam — Kerala's beach
Kovalam, Thiruvananthapuram District
5-hour drive from Thekkady to Kovalam — the curved bay at India's southern tip. Kovalam has three crescent beaches: Lighthouse Beach (most active, good swimming), Hawah Beach (calmer), and Samudra Beach (quiet).
☀️ Afternoon
Ayurvedic treatment
Kovalam, Kerala
Kovalam has dozens of Ayurvedic centres — Abhyangam (full-body oil massage with warm sesame oil poured by two therapists simultaneously) is the signature treatment. A genuine 60-minute traditional Ayurvedic treatment costs INR 1,500–2,500 ($18–30) at reputable centres.
The Dr Franklin Panchakarma centre and Somatheeram Ayurvedic Village are the two most reputable Ayurvedic centres in Kovalam. Beware of 'ayurvedic' massages at beach shacks — they're essentially regular massages with coconut oil.
🍽️ Meals
Kovalam beach restaurants
Kerala seafood · $20 · The beach restaurants at Lighthouse Beach serve the catch of the day grilled to order — choose your fish from the display and it's cooked in 20 minutes. Kerala masala or grilled with lemon.
Trivandrum & Departure
Tuesday, December 7
Est. spend
$65
per person
🌅 Morning
Trivandrum — Padmanabhaswamy Temple
Padmanabhaswamy Temple, Thiruvananthapuram
The Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum) is the wealthiest temple in the world (estimated $22 billion in valuables in underground vaults). Non-Hindus cannot enter the inner sanctum but the gopuram (tower gateway) and the Lotus Pond are accessible. The temple is surrounded by the traditional Chalai bazaar.
The Chalai market next to the temple is Trivandrum's working bazaar — spices, saris, and street food at authentic prices.
☀️ Afternoon
Trivandrum Airport transfer
Trivandrum International Airport
Trivandrum International Airport (TRV) is 15km from the city. Allow 3 hours before international departure.
🍽️ Meals
Ariya Nivaas, Trivandrum
Kerala vegetarian · $6 · Excellent banana leaf meal with 12 vegetarian side dishes for INR 180 ($2.20). Pure vegetarian Brahmin cooking.
Before you go
📅 Best time to visit
October–March: dry season, backwaters are beautiful, beaches are swimmable. June–September is the south-west monsoon — the backwaters fill and the landscapes become extraordinarily lush, but outdoor activities are limited. The Kerala Elephant Festival (Thrissur Pooram, May) is one of India's greatest festivals.
🛂 Visas
India e-visa required for most nationalities — apply at indianvisaonline.gov.in ($25–80 depending on nationality). Apply at least 4 days before travel. Some nationalities (Pakistan, Bhutan, Sri Lanka) have different procedures.
💱 Currency
Indian Rupee (INR). 83 INR per USD approximately. Kerala is among India's more expensive states but still excellent value by global standards. Cash is still necessary for many transactions — ATMs widely available in cities but scarce in rural areas and at Periyar.
🆘 Emergency numbers
police: 100
ambulance: 108
tourist helpline: 1800-425-4747
💬 Things you won't find in a guidebook
- Kerala food: the fish curry (with coconut milk and Kudampuli souring agent — not tamarind) is unlike anything else in India. The karimeen (pearl spot fish from the backwaters) is Kerala's signature fish. Appam (lacy fermented rice crepe) with stew for breakfast is the quintessential Kerala morning.
- The houseboat experience peaks at dawn — the mist over the backwaters at 6am, with birds calling and the occasional oar splash, is the most peaceful moment in the trip.
One thing worth not skipping
A 7-day trip to Kerala, India without insurance is a gamble. Medical emergencies, cancelled flights, lost luggage — cover yourself before you leave.
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Subscription-based travel medical insurance. Best for longer trips, digital nomads, or frequent travellers. Renews weekly or monthly.
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