Sample journey · 12–15 days
South India: backwaters, tea hills and spice gardens
Kochi, Munnar, Thekkady, the Kerala backwaters & Marari
Photo: Dileep M / Unsplash
Illustrative journey ideas — not bookable packages. No prices, dates or accommodation are implied.
Kerala is a completely different India from Rajasthan's palaces and deserts. Everything here is green and humid: hillsides patterned with tea bushes, forests where cardamom and pepper grow, and on the coast, backwater canals winding between coconut palms, still travelled by local boats. The food is lighter and more fragrant — coconut milk, fish curries, banana leaves in place of plates.
This sample route is shaped for an unhurried pace and with families in mind: short distances, at least two nights in each place and plenty that children enjoy too, from cycling between tea gardens to paddling on the backwaters. It could be shortened, extended with more beach time, or combined with the temples of Tamil Nadu.
The route
The journey
- Kochi
- Munnar
- Thekkady (Periyar)
- Kerala backwaters
- Marari
- Kochi
01Days 1–3 · Kochi
A port where the world met
Fort Kochi is streets left by the Portuguese, Dutch and British, a synagogue in Jew Town, spice warehouses in Mattancherry and Chinese fishing nets that look like giant cobwebs at sunset. After a long flight it's an easy place to settle in: walks in the morning, rest through the heat, and in the evening a Kathakali performance, where you can watch the make-up being applied up close.
02Days 4–6 · Munnar
Cool air among the tea hills
Around four to five hours up mountain roads into the Western Ghats, and the air turns fresher. Around Munnar, the hills are covered in tea gardens that can be explored on foot or by bike with a local guide, with a visit to a tea factory and a tasting. Families may also enjoy Eravikulam National Park, where the rare Nilgiri tahr are often seen grazing on the rocks. Evenings are cool, so a jumper comes in handy.
03Days 7–8 · Thekkady & Periyar
Cardamom, pepper and a forest lake
Three to four hours south to Thekkady, on the edge of the Periyar reserve. In the morning, a guided forest walk or a bamboo raft on the lake, where dead trees stand in the water; elephants or gaur sometimes appear on the shore, though that's never guaranteed. In the afternoon, a spice garden, where children can pick a cardamom pod or a spray of pepper themselves.
04Days 9–10 · The Kerala backwaters
A night on the water
Down on the plains near Alappuzha, a houseboat awaits — a kettuvallam built from wood and woven palm leaves. It drifts slowly across wide lakes and along narrow canals, past rice paddies, churches and villages where mornings begin with laundry and school boats. Dinner is cooked on board, and at night the boat moors by the bank. For an even quieter experience, a canoe along the small canals where the bigger boats can't go.
05Days 11–13 · Marari
By the Arabian Sea
Marari is a wide, quiet beach beside a fishing village, barely an hour from the backwaters. Days here are simple: a swim in the morning, when the sea is usually calmest, lunch of the day's catch, an Ayurvedic massage or a cooking class. Kochi airport is roughly an hour and a half to two hours away, so the last day stays unhurried.
Experience highlights
- 01
A houseboat on the backwaters
A day and a night on the water, watching village life from the deck — one of the calmest experiences in India.
- 02
Walking the tea hills
Paths between the tea bushes and a factory visit to see how a leaf becomes a cup of tea.
- 03
A spice garden
Cardamom, pepper, cinnamon and vanilla growing side by side: a fine lesson for adults and children alike.
- 04
Kerala's kitchen
Coconut curries, appams and a feast on a banana leaf, best understood at a cooking class with a local family.
First, we listen. Then, we explore what's possible.
Make it your own
With young children
Fewer transfers: combine Munnar and Thekkady into a single base, and choose a day cruise instead of a night on board.
Into Tamil Nadu
From Thekkady, head east to Madurai and the Meenakshi temple and the villages of Chettinad, flying home from Chennai.
A different coast
Swap Marari for the clifftops of Varkala further south, flying out from Trivandrum.
More wildlife
Add a few days in Wayanad or Nagarhole, whose forests are home to elephants, always with no promises about sightings.
Practical considerations
- The driest, most comfortable months are usually November to March; the south-west monsoon arrives around June to September, and October–November often brings a second spell of rain.
- Evenings in the hills, especially Munnar, are cool, while the coast is hot and humid, so pack both light layers and something warmer.
- Houseboat standards vary widely; cabin size, air-conditioning and whether the boat uses quieter canals all matter when choosing.
- It's worth speaking to a doctor or travel clinic in good time about vaccinations and mosquito protection.
General guidance only. Seasons, weather and wildlife are never guaranteed, and travel requirements are always worth checking before you go.
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