Kerala 8-Day Private Tour: Munnar, Houseboat & Backwaters

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Free cancellationTravelers' pick

1/12

Duration8d

GroupPrivate

PickupAt your hotel

Eight days, one private car, Kerala's best in order

You travel eight days through Kerala's main attractions — tea hills, wildlife, backwaters, and beaches — in a private car with your own chauffeur, staying in 3-star hotels and one traditional houseboat with meals included. Airport pickup and Trivandrum drop-off are handled, so you arrive and the tour begins. All transport, accommodation, and meals are fixed in the price, which removes the daily logistics of finding restaurants, negotiating taxis, or timing yourself between sites.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1 — Arrival and transfer to Munnar

Arrive at Kochi airport
Meet representative at arrival terminal
Drive to Munnar with waterfall stops
Check into resort for overnight stay

Day 2 — Munnar local sightseeing

Breakfast at resort
Visit Mattupetty picnic spot
Boating and horse riding at Mattupetty
Visit Echo Point for panoramic views
See Poopara and Pothanmedu
Visit Mattupetty Indo Swiss Project
Explore Eravikulam National Park
Overnight stay at Munnar resort

Day 3 — Travel to Thekkady and wildlife cruise

Breakfast and checkout from Munnar resort
Drive to Thekkady
Check into Thekkady resort
Boat cruise on Lake Periyar
Spot wildlife during boat ride
Overnight stay at Thekkady resort

Day 4 — Houseboat cruise in Kumarakom

Breakfast and checkout from Thekkady resort
Drive to Kumarakom
Board traditional Kerala houseboat
Overnight backwater cruise with meals

Day 5 — Transfer to Alleppey and relax

Checkout from Kumarakom houseboat
Drive to Alleppey
Check into resort
Enjoy backwater sights and relax
Overnight stay at Alleppey resort

Day 6 — Travel to Kovalam beach resort

Breakfast and checkout from Alleppey resort
Drive to Kovalam
Check into Kovalam resort
Enjoy pristine beaches
Overnight stay at Kovalam resort

Day 7 — Day trip to Kanyakumari and return

Breakfast and checkout from Kovalam resort
Drive to Kanyakumari
Boat trip to memorial
Visit Kanyakumari beach
Watch sunset in Kanyakumari
Return to Kovalam resort
Overnight stay at Kovalam resort

Day 8 — Departure and optional city tour

Checkout from Kovalam resort
Drop at Trivandrum International Airport
Optional Trivandrum city tour and shopping

The Experience

The boat engine cuts through the backwater at dawn, and the sound is the first thing that tells you this is not a resort pool. You're on a traditional Kerala houseboat somewhere between Kumarakom and Alleppey, coconut palms sliding past on both sides, the water so still it mirrors the sky. This is day four of an 8-day Kerala private tour, and by then the rhythm has settled: your own driver, your own pace, no group waiting for stragglers. The itinerary moves you from the tea plantations of Munnar down through the wildlife sanctuary at Thekkady, then into the backwaters for an overnight houseboat stay with all meals cooked on board, before the beaches of Kovalam and a day trip to Kanyakumari. You start at Kochi airport and finish at Trivandrum, which means no backtracking.

Munnar hits you first — two days there, one spent driving up through waterfalls and pit stops, the second exploring the hill station itself. Mattupetty Lake is where people go for boating and horse riding if they want it, but Echo Point is the spot that sticks: you shout into the valley and your voice comes back at you, delayed and strange. The town sits at the confluence of three streams, which is why it's called Munnar, and the sightseeing includes Eravikulam National Park and viewpoints like Pothanmedu that open up the whole tea-covered landscape. Your driver knows the roads; you don't have to navigate or negotiate with a taxi each morning. After Munnar, you drive to Thekkady, where the Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary is the main draw — a boat cruise on the lake where you might spot elephants, Indian gaur, monkeys, spotted deer, and birds. It's not a guarantee, but the water is calm and the guide on the boat knows where to look.

The houseboat night is the centerpiece. You board at Kumarakom after breakfast, and the boat becomes your hotel and restaurant for the next eighteen hours. Meals are prepared on board — breakfast, lunch, dinner, tea — so you're not hunting for restaurants or worrying about timing. The backwater views are the whole point: rustic homes, swaying coconut trees, the slow pace of Kerala's countryside sliding past while you sit on the deck. By day five you're in Alleppey, a different resort, time to rest and absorb the backwater sights from solid ground. Then comes Kovalam, one of India's most famous beaches, rocky and safe for swimming, and on day seven you take a boat trip to Kanyakumari — the southernmost tip of India — and watch the sunset before returning to Kovalam for the night. The final morning is your choice: airport drop-off, a city tour of Trivandrum, or shopping if there's time.

The whole thing runs on 1,050 kilometers of private car transport, which means your driver is with you from arrival to departure. Tolls, parking, fuel, the driver's overnight allowance — all covered. Accommodation is 3-star hotels and one night in a deluxe houseboat. Breakfast is at every resort; lunch and dinner are included throughout, including all meals on the houseboat. You need a minimum of two people to book, and the tour works best if you're comfortable with a full day of driving some days — the road from Kochi to Munnar takes time, but the waterfalls and stops break it up. A personal trip designer is assigned to you from the moment you start planning, so questions about timing, dietary needs, or what to pack have a single point of contact.

What’s included

Your eight days include airport pickup at Kochi and drop-off at Trivandrum, a private car with chauffeur for the entire journey, accommodation in 3-star hotels and one night in a deluxe houseboat, breakfast at every resort, lunch and dinner throughout, all meals prepared on board during the houseboat stay, bottled water, all tolls and parking charges, fuel, the driver's overnight allowance, and support from a personal trip designer from booking through your return home.

Good to know

Easy physical levelWheelchair accessibleAccessible transportInfant seats availablePublic transport nearbyNot for pregnant travelersNot for heart conditionsNot for back problemsInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Iris Holidays

Is this one for you?A good fit if you want Kerala's main sights — hills, wildlife, backwaters, and beaches — without arranging transport, hotels, or meals each day. The private car and fixed itinerary mean you move at your own pace and don't wait for group departures, though expect full days of driving between regions and an early start on day one from Kochi airport.