Kerala in Depth — Eleven Nights with the Kolukkumalai Sunrise
The longest and most unusual Kerala itinerary in the range. Eleven nights covering the whole state, but built around experiences the standard circuits leave out.
Journey overview
The moments that make this journey unforgettable — the signature experiences we have woven through every day, so the best of the destination is never left to chance.
The longest and most unusual Kerala itinerary in the range. Eleven nights covering the whole state, but built around experiences the standard circuits leave out.
Journey snapshot
The shape of this journey at a glance — where it starts, where it ends and everything it passes through.
Duration
- 11 Nights / 12 Days
Starts
- Kochi
Ends
- Kovalam
Route
- Kochi → Munnar → Thekkady → Kumarakom → Aboard the houseboat, Alleppey → Kovalam
Travel style
- Cultural · Honeymoon
Journey highlights
The moments that make this journey unforgettable — the signature experiences we have woven through every day, so the best of the destination is never left to chance.
- Eleven nights covering Kerala in depth, well beyond the standard circuit.
- The Kolukkumalai sunrise jeep safari and a tea plantation trek.
- A rural village day at Kumbalangi, among fishing and coir-making.
- A night aboard a houseboat on the Alleppey backwaters.
- The Kottoor elephant rehabilitation centre and three nights at Kovalam.
Day-by-day itinerary
You are met at Kochi airport and driven to your hotel. Kochi sits where a chain of lagoons meets the Arabian Sea and has been a trading port for many centuries. The rest of the day is free to settle in. · Kochi
A day at Kumbalangi, an island village south of Kochi run as a model of rural tourism. The day is spent among the things the village actually does — the fishing, the coir-making from coconut husk, the farming and the backwater channels that run between the plots. You return to Kochi in the evening. · Kochi
You check out and drive up into the Western Ghats to Munnar, the gateway to the hills of South India. The road climbs through tea gardens and past waterfalls, and the air cools noticeably as you gain height. · Munnar
A pre-dawn departure by jeep for Kolukkumalai, said to be the highest tea estate in the world, where the sunrise comes over the ridge before the mist lifts. A trek through the tea plantation follows. This is an early start and the track up is rough, which is why it is done by jeep. · Munnar
A full day of Munnar sightseeing covering Eravikulam National Park, home to the Nilgiri tahr, along with the reservoirs at Mattupetty and Kundala, Echo Point and the tea museum. Entrance and boating charges are not included. · Munnar
You drive to Thekkady, check in, and spend the afternoon around the Periyar wildlife sanctuary — evergreen forest declared a tiger reserve in 1978, set around a lake formed by the Mullaperiyar dam, with cardamom, pepper and coffee growing on the slopes around the town. · Thekkady
You descend from the spice hills to Kumarakom, a quiet backwater village on the shore of Vembanad Lake, Kerala's largest. The water here is wide and open, and the rest of the day is free beside it. · Kumarakom
You transfer to Alleppey and board a houseboat for an overnight cruise through the backwaters, moving slowly along palm-fringed canals past paddy fields and village life. Lunch, evening tea, dinner and the following breakfast are served on board as part of the houseboat. · Aboard the houseboat, Alleppey
After breakfast on board you disembark and travel south, stopping at the Jatayu earth centre — an enormous sculpture of a bird built into a hilltop — before continuing to Kovalam on the coast. The evening is free by the sea. · Kovalam
A day inland to Kottoor, where an elephant rehabilitation centre stands in forest country in the foothills of the Western Ghats. The drive passes through plantation and forest before you return to Kovalam in the evening. · Kovalam
A day taking in Thiruvananthapuram's zoo and state museum, then returning towards the coast for Poovar in the afternoon, where the Neyyar river, a backwater lake and the Arabian Sea meet at a sand bar. You return to Kovalam for your final night. · Kovalam
After breakfast you check out and are driven the short distance to Thiruvananthapuram airport for your onward journey. Your onward flight is not part of this package, so allow the check-in time your airline requires.
Accommodation, meals & transport
What the journey covers day to day, taken from this package's own inclusions.
🏨 Accommodation
- Comfort standard
- Eleven nights' accommodation — two nights Kochi, three nights Munnar, one night Thekkady, one night Kumarakom, one night aboard a houseboat at Alleppey and three nights Kovalam.
🍽 Meals
- Daily breakfast, from Day 2 to Day 12.
- Lunch, evening tea and dinner aboard the houseboat, and breakfast aboard the following morning.
🚆 Transport
- Private airport transfer on arrival, Kochi airport to your hotel.
- Private airport transfer on departure, to Thiruvananthapuram airport.
- A full day at the Kumbalangi village, on a seat-in-coach basis.
- Full-day Munnar sightseeing covering Eravikulam National Park, the Mattupetty and Kundala dams, Echo Point and the tea museum, on a seat-in-coach basis.
- Thekkady sightseeing at the Periyar wildlife sanctuary area, on a seat-in-coach basis.
- Day excursion to the Kottoor elephant rehabilitation centre, on a seat-in-coach basis.
- Thiruvananthapuram zoo and state museum, and a visit to Poovar, on a seat-in-coach basis.
Flights, visa & practical
Arranged separately from the journey itself — listed here so there are no surprises.
✈ Flights
- International airfare is extra and is not included.
- Domestic and internal airfare is extra and is not included.
- Domestic airfare and rail fare. Travel to and from the start and end points of this itinerary is not included.
🛂 Visa
- Visa is extra and is not included — visa fees, associated service charges, airport taxes and any related charges.
🛡 Insurance
- Travel insurance is extra and is not included.
What's included & excluded
Exactly what your journey covers — set out clearly, with no surprises, so you know precisely what to expect.
Included
- Eleven nights' accommodation — two nights Kochi, three nights Munnar, one night Thekkady, one night Kumarakom, one night aboard a houseboat at Alleppey and three nights Kovalam.
- Daily breakfast, from Day 2 to Day 12.
- Private airport transfer on arrival, Kochi airport to your hotel.
- Private airport transfer on departure, to Thiruvananthapuram airport.
- A full day at the Kumbalangi village, on a seat-in-coach basis.
- Kolukkumalai sunrise jeep safari and tea plantation trek.
- Full-day Munnar sightseeing covering Eravikulam National Park, the Mattupetty and Kundala dams, Echo Point and the tea museum, on a seat-in-coach basis.
- Thekkady sightseeing at the Periyar wildlife sanctuary area, on a seat-in-coach basis.
- One night aboard a houseboat on the Alleppey backwaters.
- Lunch, evening tea and dinner aboard the houseboat, and breakfast aboard the following morning.
- A stop at the Jatayu earth centre en route to Kovalam.
- Day excursion to the Kottoor elephant rehabilitation centre, on a seat-in-coach basis.
- Thiruvananthapuram zoo and state museum, and a visit to Poovar, on a seat-in-coach basis.
Excluded
- GST is extra and is charged on the final amount.
- TCS is extra and is charged on the final amount.
- International airfare is extra and is not included.
- Domestic and internal airfare is extra and is not included.
- Visa is extra and is not included — visa fees, associated service charges, airport taxes and any related charges.
- Travel insurance is extra and is not included.
- All meals other than the daily breakfasts listed above, and any meals expressly listed as part of a named included component. Lunches, dinners and drinks with meals are not included otherwise.
- Domestic airfare and rail fare. Travel to and from the start and end points of this itinerary is not included.
- Any optional activity, boat ride, entry ticket or excursion described as optional or recommended rather than included.
- Any sightseeing, entry ticket or excursion not specifically listed under Inclusions.
- Monument, temple and sanctuary entrance fees where charged separately, and any camera or video charges.
- Tips and gratuities.
- Personal expenses — laundry, telephone, minibar, and anything of a personal nature.
- Early check-in and late check-out charges, and any hotel upgrade.
- Anything not specifically listed under Inclusions.
Related to this journey
Every destination on this journey has its own guide — attractions, where to stay and what to eat — and the journeys that pair with this one are a click away.
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