India
Kerala
Backwaters, tea country and slow mornings
Why go
Kerala is the antidote to a busy year. The classic loop runs from the colonial lanes and Chinese fishing nets of Fort Kochi up into the tea-carpeted hills of Munnar, across to the Periyar spice plantations, and down to Alleppey for a night on a private houseboat. Finish on the beach at Marari or Kovalam, ideally with a few days of a proper Ayurvedic programme.
Trip highlights
- Private houseboat night in Alleppey
- Munnar tea estates and Eravikulam park
- Periyar spice plantations and lake
- Kathakali performance in Fort Kochi
Ways to travel Kerala
Backwaters and hills
Kochi, Munnar, Thekkady and an Alleppey houseboat over a relaxed week.
Ayurveda retreat
A doctor-led programme of 7–14 days at a beachfront centre near Kovalam.
Add Wayanad
Extend north to the quieter Wayanad plateau for waterfalls, caves and coffee estates.
Guides to help you plan Kerala
Deep-dive guides for the decisions worth getting right — routes, budgets and the experiences people search for most.
Kerala itineraries to start from
Ready-made routes you can tweak — change hotels, add nights, combine with another destination.
Kerala
Kerala — Backwaters, Hills & Houseboat
Fort Kochi, the Munnar tea hills, a Periyar spice lake and a private houseboat night in Alleppey, finishing on the beach.
Kerala
Munnar — Tea Hills in a Long Weekend
The cool, tea-carpeted hills of Munnar without the full Kerala circuit — cloud-level viewpoints, an estate walk and a couple of slow mornings. Easy to reach from Kochi or Madurai.
Kerala
Kerala Honeymoon — Hills, Houseboat & Sand
A tea-country hill villa, a private houseboat night on the Alleppey backwaters, and a finish at a quiet beach resort — with a candlelit dinner and a couples' spa ritual built in.
Kerala
Kerala Ayurveda Retreat
A doctor-led Ayurvedic programme at a beachfront centre near the Kerala coast — daily consultations, personalised therapies, yoga and a sattvic diet. Extendable to 14 or 21 nights for the classic rejuvenation course.
Kerala
Wayanad — Kerala's Green Plateau
The quieter, wilder north — misty coffee and spice country, prehistoric rock carvings at Edakkal, waterfalls, and a safari in the Wayanad sanctuary. A plantation stay to slow right down.
Kerala
Kerala — Backwaters to the Beach
Skip the long hill drives — Fort Kochi, a private houseboat and the birdlife of Kumarakom, then down the coast to the Varkala cliffs and a Kovalam beach resort.
Kerala
North Kerala — Thrissur, Theyyam & the Loom
The Kerala most visitors miss — Thrissur, the state's cultural capital, the trance rituals of Theyyam near Kannur, handloom weaving co-operatives, and the long empty beach at Bekal.
Let's build your Kerala trip
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