Kochi to Munnar & Thekkady: 5-Day Kerala Houseboat Tour

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Free cancellationExcellent quality

1/6

Duration5d

GroupPrivate

PickupAt your hotel

Five Days Across Kerala's Tea Hills, Wildlife, and Backwaters

You travel by private vehicle from Kochi through tea plantations and waterfalls to Munnar, then to Thekkady's wildlife sanctuary with optional evening activities, then spend a night on a luxury houseboat in Alleppey's backwaters before returning to Cochin for final sightseeing. All hotels are 5-star, meals and transport are included, and the itinerary balances movement with genuine downtime—no rushing between sites or hunting for restaurants.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1 — Travel from Cochin to Munnar

Pick up from Cochin
Drive to Munnar
Visit Cheeyappara and Valara Waterfalls
See Tea Plantations and Spice Garden
Reach Munnar and rest at hotel

Day 2 — Sightseeing in Munnar

Visit Eravikulam National Park
Tour Tea Museum
Visit Mattuppetti Dam
Visit Kundale Lake

Day 3 — Travel to Thekkady and Activities

Drive from Munnar to Thekkady
Boat ride at Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary
Optional evening activities in Thekkady

Day 4 — Houseboat Cruise from Thekkady to Alleppey

Drive from Thekkady to Alleppey
Board houseboat and receive welcome drink
Houseboat cruise with lunch
Anchor houseboat overnight
Morning cruise and check out

Day 5 — Alleppey Beach and Cochin Sightseeing

Visit Alleppey beach
Drive to Cochin
Optional Cochin sightseeing
Shopping time in Cochin
Drop at Cochin airport or station

The Experience

You're sitting in the back of a car leaving Kochi, and the driver—a man named Ravi who's been doing this route for twelve years—points out the first tea plantations appearing on the hills ahead. That's how the 5-day Kerala tour starts: not with fanfare, but with the landscape shifting under you as you head toward Munnar. The drive takes most of the morning, but you stop at Cheeyappara and Valara Waterfalls on the way, then walk through a spice garden where the air smells like cardamom and black pepper all at once. By evening you're at the hotel in Munnar, a 5-star property where you can actually rest instead of rushing to the next thing.

Day two in Munnar is structured around Eravikulam National Park—start around 9 am if you want to see the Nilgiri tahr, the wild goats that live only on these slopes. The park closes February to April during breeding season, so timing matters. After that you'll visit the Tea Museum to watch how the leaves become powder, then drift through Mattuppetti Dam and Kundale Lake in the afternoon. It's the kind of day where you're moving but not exhausted, seeing things without the feeling of checking boxes. That night you sleep in the hills.

On day three, you leave Munnar by 9 am for Thekkady—about three to four hours by road. Once you arrive, there's a boat ride on Periyar Lake to spot wildlife in the Periyar Tiger Reserve; the boat tickets can be arranged in advance or bought at the counter. If you want, the evening opens up for optional activities like Kathakali performances, elephant rides, or Ayurveda massage, though those cost extra and are your choice. The hotel in Thekkady is a club room with air conditioning, and you'll have time to decide what appeals to you without pressure.

Day four is the houseboat day, and this is where the tour shifts from sightseeing to something slower. You leave Thekkady at 8 am to reach Alleppey by midday, where you board a luxury houseboat—the kind with a welcome drink waiting, meals cooked on board, and the backwaters moving past your window. The boat stops for a one-hour lunch break, then cruises until 5:30 pm. That night you're anchored on the water. In the morning there's a short cruise before checkout at 9 am, and you head toward Cochin. If there's time, the driver will show you Fort Cochin, the Chinese fishing nets, St. Francis Church, the Jewish synagogue, and Mattanchery Palace—though some of these close on specific days (the palace on Mondays, the synagogue on Fridays and Saturdays), so plan around that. Your driver will get you to the airport, railway station, or bus stand whenever you need to leave.

What’s included

Your five days include hotel pickup from Kochi, private vehicle transport for all transfers and sightseeing routes, 5-star accommodation in Munnar and Thekkady, one night on a luxury houseboat in Alleppey with meals and welcome drink, lunch and dinner each day, a fresh-up facility on arrival if needed, and complimentary Cochin sightseeing on the final day before drop-off at your airport, railway station, or bus stand. Attraction entry fees, optional evening activities in Thekkady, and personal expenses are separate.

Good to know

Easy physical levelPublic transport nearbyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Paradise Holidays

Is this one for you?Book this if you have five days and want to move through Kerala's main regions—hills, wildlife, and backwaters—without arranging transport, hotels, or meals yourself. The fixed itinerary and private vehicle mean you spend your time looking out the window instead of planning the next stop.