Itinerary
- Day 1
Kochi
You'll arrive in Kochi whenever works best for your travel schedule. Your tour leader meets you at the hotel reception at 5:00 pm to go over the week ahead. Dinner tonight is up to you - if you want to head out and check out the local food scene, go for it, or just settle in and rest after your journey.
Optional Activities
- Dinner in Kochi
Landmarks/POIs Fort Kochi - Day 2
Kochi
This morning you'll walk through Kochi's cultural highlights starting with Mattancherry Palace, a 16th-century structure with intricate Ramayana murals on the walls. Then you'll head to Jew Town Synagogue and see the famous Chinese Fishing Nets along the water. Later in the evening, you'll catch a Kathakali performance where dancers wear elaborate facial makeup and execute precise eye movements that tell classical Kerala stories.
Included Activities
- Visit Mattancherry Palace (Dutch Palace)
- Visit Jew Town Synagogue
- See Chinese Fishing Nets
- Kathakali performance
Landmarks/POIs Mattancherry Palace Jew Town Synagogue Chinese Fishing Nets - Day 3
Kochi to Munnar
After breakfast, you'll drive about 5 hours heading toward Munnar through spice and tea plantations. The landscape changes gradually as you gain elevation. By afternoon you'll arrive in this hill station, and the rest of the day is yours to wander around, take in the green tropical forests, and breathe in that fresh mountain air with neat rows of tea plantations covering the slopes.
Landmarks/POIs Munnar - Day 4
Munnar to Thekkady
Start the day at a tea museum learning how tea processing actually works and watching skilled workers pick leaves by hand. Then you'll get back in the car for a 4-hour drive to Thekkady. Once there, you'll take a nature walk through the countryside and visit a spice garden where you can learn about how different spices are cultivated and processed.
Included Activities
- Tea museum visit
- Nature walk
- Spice garden visit
Optional Activities
- Kalaripayattu martial art performance (200 INR)
Landmarks/POIs Thekkady - Day 5
Thekkady to Homestay Village
You'll drive past rubber and spice plantations heading toward Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary, one of India's 16 tiger reserves. A nature walk gives you chances to spot wild boar, giant malabar squirrels, porcupines, and flying squirrels in their habitat. After that you'll head back toward the coast and settle into a traditional homestay in a Keralan village where local families will prepare authentic home cooking for you.
Included Activities
- Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary nature walk
Landmarks/POIs Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary - Day 6
Homestay Village
Today is all about the village itself and connecting with your host family. You can take a cooking lesson if that appeals to you, go for gentle walks around the village, or just hang out and relax. The pace here is slow and you get to experience how people actually live in rural Kerala.
Optional Activities
- Cooking lesson with host family
- Gentle walks through surrounding villages
- Day 7
Kerala Backwaters
You'll board a traditional houseboat and start drifting through the Kerala backwaters. The whole thing is unhurried, so you'll have plenty of time to watch villagers tending vegetable gardens, caring for livestock, and going through their daily lives. The scenery is green tropical vegetation everywhere - coconut palms, colorful flowers, lush plantations on both sides.
Included Activities
- Kerala backwaters houseboat journey
Landmarks/POIs Kerala Backwaters - Day 8
Backwaters to Kochi
After a relaxed breakfast on or near the houseboat, you'll disembark and head back to Kochi. From there the day is yours. Walk around the old town, check out the spice markets, grab lunch at a local spot, or just explore at your own pace since there's no group activity scheduled.
- Day 9
Kochi to Kovalam
You'll have breakfast, then transfer to Ernakulam train station to board the Kerala Express heading to Trivandrum. The train ride takes about 4+ hours in air-conditioned carriages (availability subject to the railway schedule). When you arrive, a short transfer takes you to your hotel near Kovalam beach. No tour leader joins you in Kovalam, so you're free to do what you want.
Landmarks/POIs Kovalam Beach - Day 10
Kovalam
The entire day is open. Kovalam has a Blue Flag beach with calm waters if you want to swim, or you can explore nearby towns. Fresh seafood and dosas are easy to find along the beach. If you're interested in going further, you can visit Kanyakumari at India's southernmost point where there's a hilltop temple, or check out Trivandrum city. By evening, head back to catch the sunset from the beach with its rocky outcrops and lighthouse.
Optional Activities
- Excursion to Kanyakumari (£25 per person based on 2 people)
- Half day sightseeing tour in Trivandrum (£13 per person based on 2 people)
- Cooking lesson (£7 per person)
Landmarks/POIs Kovalam Beach Kanyakumari Temple - Day 11
Depart Kovalam
Your tour ends after breakfast at the hotel. You can leave whenever your flight departs. If you're heading out later in the day, the hotel can store your luggage so you're not carrying everything around.
