Kerala the land of coconut trees, picturesque tea estate plantation, spice plantations, calm backwaters are definitely treat to your eyes & soul.Go to any part of kerala and you won’t regret it. Be it the tea plantations with cool breeze or dense forest with spice plantations or calm and relaxing backwaters.
One can plan a short trip to kerala and take a glimpse of everything or just take long holidays and enjoy every stay. A comfortable kerala trip can be between 8 -10 days depending on the places to be visited.
With lot to explore, enjoy and to relax we got a perfect plan of 8 days and 7 nights.
Each place in kerala is unique in itself and one can never get tired traveling in "Gods Own Country"
The locals say , god created this place with his own hands. When you see this place , you understand why. Each place so uniquely beautiful that even the words are not enough to describe it.
Best Time to Visit
September to the end of February is the right moment for magnificent landscapes. Many bikers prefer the monsoon season because all the waterfalls are at full capacity during that period.
Day by Day Itinerary for Kerala
Day 1: Fly to Kochi and explore Kochi
Kochi being easily accessible for international as well as domestic flights , its a good option to fly from your place. The place is good to start your journey . It also has lot of options to shop local delicacies , Kerala silk sarees , Kerala special chips and souvenirs.
The place has less options to do sightseeing but fort Kochi can be an option to explore.
Its favorite place for locals to spend their evenings. One can see Chinese fishing nets on fort kochi beach and enjoy beautiful sunset.
Accommodation in Kochi
Kochi is a crowded city with lot of options to stay. We chose IBIS Kochi as it was located in the city. It has decent enough rooms and delicious breakfast.
Day 2: Visited Athirapally Waterfalls enroute Munnar
The main reason for a night stay at Kochi is to start early from kochi and visit Athirapally waterfalls enroute Munnar. Known as the “Niagara Falls of India”, athirapally waterfalls flows from 82 - feet height.
One can’t hide the beauty of Athirapally waterfalls even by the movie makers of Bahubali and many others.The waterfall is placed in lush green forest , around 2 hours drive from Kochi. You can spend 1-2 Hours exploring the views points.
From athirapally , it is 3.30 - 4.00 Hours drive to Munnar.We reached Munnar at evening time and the mesmerizing views of tea plantation and cool breeze welcomed us.
Day 3: Explore Munnar
Munnar welcomed us with picturesque tea estates , chilly weather ,aroma of tea and loads of explorers like us.
Here are the list to things to visit in Munnar
Start exploring Munnar by visiting the top station view point first which offers breathtaking views of tea valley , foggy mountains and distant waterfalls .
Kundala Dam Lake - offers scenic views surrounded by majestic scenery and large eucalyptus trees that offers the best frames for your pictures. You can also try different boating options like Shikkara , Pedal boating , row boating etc but we decided to just chill there and took photographs.
Mattupetty Dam - is also similar to Kundala Dam Lake so we skipped that but you can also visit here.
Echo Point - is a popular tourist place as you its gives pleasure of hearing echo of your voice with beautiful lake view.
Flower Garden - is not an ideal tourist place , we loved this place so decided to visit.They have multiple varieties of flowers ,plants & cactus . They also provide an option to buy plants.
Tip: All these points are in same route so you can complete all the sightseeing in 4-5 hours.
Drivers /Agents offers jeep safari for Munnar for 2000 per person and they show you some points which cant be visited through cab or your own car. You can include this option based on your choice
Day 4: Visit Tea Plantation and Tea Factory Enroute Thekkady
Munnar trip is incomplete without visiting tea plantations so we decided to wake up early and visit beautiful place "Attukad Waterfalls" which is nestled amidst vast tea plantation. We couldn't contain our excitement and were roaming there for hours.
Before leaving for thekkady we made sure to visit Kanan Devan tea factory and museum to understand how tea is made and collected tea bags for our family & friends as souvenir.
Accommodation in Munnar:
We checked in into this scenic resort “Kaivalyam Wellness Resort” whose entry was little bumpy but surely had picturesque surroundings of tea estate, wellness retreat which provides visitors a chance to indulge in Ayurvedic treatment . They offer many free activities in the package like bird watching, yoga session, tea tasting session, meditation, spice plantation guided hike.
Most importantly they serve only vegetarian meal, it tasted amazing we booked suite with mountain view but if are adventurous then you can also try to book their tree house room.
Day 5: Explore Thekkady
As soon as you enter Thekkady faint aroma of spices starts to linger around , you can see cardamom, pepper, and other spice trees everywhere.
Once in Thekkady you should definitely visit a spice plantation which offers many plants with different properties .If you need you can buy some oils or spice for your loved ones.
Periyar Tiger Reserve is a must visit in Thekkady but they have many activities for which you can book ticket online or in person. Various activities are Bamboo Rafting,Tribal Dance, Nature walk, Periyar Tiger Trail, Boating etc. But we did some research and found out boating option to be very crowded ,hence we selected Bamboo Rafting option which consisted of 5 kms walk , 1 hour bamboo rafting & 5 kms walk to reach the starting point which costed us 1800 Rs per person and lunch was inclusive.
Elephant Ride is famous in Thekkady but due to covid restrictions they have closed the Elephant Ride and Elephant Feeding . So we were little apprehensive for Elephant bath but it turned out to be an unforgettable experience. It costed us 750 Rs per person for elephant bath, you can also give bath to elephant and they are trained to give you blessings when you hand money to elephant in his trunk.
If you are interested you can see Kathakali Dance and Kalaripayattu Show which is hosted by theatre in Thekkady.
Accommodation in Thekkady
Amritara Shalimar Spice Garden showed another world that was no less than paradise. As you can see, this lovely bridge is the entrance to the resort that leads to the reception. he cottages are nestled in a spice garden growing coffee, cardamom, pepper, several flowering plants and loads of fruits. The air carries the scent of cardamom while the rooms are adorned with wooden artefacts and exceptional sketches.
Our room was literally in the forest so it was extremely chilly that we used the heater and slept like a baby. We selected pool villa room as we were celebrating our second anniversary in Thekkady so we had to make it special. Resort staff was kind to make special arrangements for us which was cherry on top.
We loved the authentic south Indian dishes served in their restaurant “Falling Leaves”. Rustic design of the resort gives a luxurious vintage look. It was such a beautiful area that with heavy heart we had to bid adieu to reach Kumarakom.
Day 6-7 : Travel and explore Kumarakom
Kumarakom is an enchanting backwaters destination in Kerala which consists of tranquil lakes, magnificent house boats and many feathered creatures.Its a perfect place to detox yourself from the hustle and bustle of the city. Given it was our last destination in Kerala we wanted to just enjoy and relax.
There are not many places to visit in Kumarakom, however if you want to explore places like Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary , Churches , Temples can be visited.
We explored our resort «CGH Earth - Coconut Lagoon» the day we reached Kumarakom.
House Boat Experience
One of the most exciting and unique experience in Kerala is staying on a house boat.
One can book the traditional house boat for either a half day or a full day depending on the travel plan and time availability.
There are so many options to book a house boat. We booked the house boat from "Amrutham HouseBoat". We had a pleasant experience, the boat had two bedrooms , kitchen , dinning area , open space to sit and enjoy the view and a swing which was a cherry on the top.
If you want to book a house boat go for traditional one.
We had two boat drivers and a chef accompanied with us to make our journey comfortable and memorable.
The food was freshly prepared and was delicious . We urged for traditional Vegetarian Kerala food on the boat. If you prefer a non-vegetarian food , they can make special arrangements where you can catch a fish and they will cook the same fish for you.
If you are lucky you can see migratory birds during winter season. We were lucky enough to see pelicans.
Accommodation in Kumarakom
I am short of words to describe this scenic resort CGH Earth - Coconut Lagoon. It's located on the Vembanad Lake ,one of the largest lake in South India. Entrance for this resort is unbelievable.Once we reach Kumarakom , we boarded the resort jetty which took us till the resort reception desk . We were welcomed with tender coconut and upgraded our room to “Heritage Mansion” .
Enjoyed our complimentary tea and snacks in evening and sat calmly in front of the lake to enjoy the sunset. Buffet Dinner which they offered was extraordinary ,that included South Indian , North Indian, Italian, Salads , Soups etc.
The tea is prepared in traditional way on a small boat and served with delicious snacks.
They also have butterfly garden which we absolutely loved and spent most of our time capturing beautiful butterflies. Adjacent to that in Vembanad Lake they have different kinds of fish and loads of lotus plants.
Coconut Lagoon is the most beautiful resort and we would definitely recommend it to everyone.
Travel options
Since we don’t know how to drive yet so we choose cab service “Pepper Kerala"for our trip. It cost us 14k for 8 days 7 nights. But you can opt for train, bus and car on rent based on your choice. Important tip : If you are planning to take cab service do your research read reviews on google. Drivers do force you to visit some places as they get commission through that so diligently decide if you want to visit or not.
Bookings for Travel
1. We researched a lot for the resorts on Booking.com , Agoda , Airbnb , Hotels.com so you all can choose from these sites and book well in advance for a lesser cost. Go through offers, reviews or else directly call the resort to see if they are offering any discount.
2. E-pass is mandatory for Kerala so we applied for the same before our trip started. Copy of E-pass also needs to kept with you while traveling as on arrival in Kerala you need to submit that to the official.
++Bucket list