Kerala Escape

Reiseübersicht

Kerala calls itself 'God's Own Country', and after a week here most travelers stop arguing. This 9-day circuit moves from Kochi's Fort Kochi quarter — Portuguese churches, Chinese fishing nets, Jewish synagogues, all within a few square kilometres — up into the cool tea hills of Munnar, across to the spice gardens and forested hills of Thekkady on the edge of Periyar Tiger Reserve, and down onto the water itself: a private houseboat through the Alleppey backwaters, followed by a quieter lakeside stay at Kumarakom. Kerala's pace is slower than the north, the food is extraordinary (coconut, curry leaf, fresh-caught seafood, properly made filter coffee), and the landscape changes completely every two days. We travel by private air-conditioned vehicle throughout, choose boutique and heritage properties, and keep the group small.

Reise-Highlights

• A private houseboat overnight on the Alleppey backwaters — palm groves, paddy fields and village life from the water
• Munnar's tea estates — rolling green hills, a working tea factory, and views across the Western Ghats
• Periyar Tiger Reserve, Thekkady — a spice plantation walk and a boat ride on Periyar Lake
• Fort Kochi — Chinese fishing nets, Jewish Town, Portuguese and Dutch colonial architecture in one walkable quarter
• Kumarakom — a quieter lakeside stay among mangroves and backwater channels
• A traditional Kathakali dance performance, Kochi

Tag-für-Tag-Programm

1. 1

   Arrival in Kochi — Fort Kochi heritage walk

   Arrive in Kochi and transfer to your heritage hotel in Fort Kochi. In the late afternoon, a walking tour of the old quarter: the iconic Chinese fishing nets along the waterfront, St. Francis Church (one of the oldest European churches in India), the Dutch Palace, and Jew Town's spice warehouses and antique shops. Evening Kathakali performance — Kerala's centuries-old classical dance-drama, with elaborate makeup and costume.

   🏠 Heritage hotel, Fort Kochi✨ Chinese fishing nets at sunset — Kochi's most iconic image, in person
2. 2

   Kochi full day — Markets, spices & the harbour

   A relaxed full day in Kochi: the spice markets of Mattancherry, a visit to a working antique and textile warehouse, and time to wander Fort Kochi's quiet colonial lanes at your own pace. Optional afternoon boat ride around the harbour to watch the working fishing boats and container ships pass.

   🏠 Heritage hotel, Fort Kochi✨ Mattancherry spice markets — the smell of cardamom and pepper sacks stacked to the ceiling
3. 3

   Kochi → Munnar — Into the tea hills

   Drive up into the Western Ghats to Munnar (approximately 4 hours), the landscape changing from coastal plain to tea-covered hillside as you climb. Stop en route at the Cheeyappara and Valara waterfalls. Arrive in Munnar by afternoon and settle into your hillside resort, with views across rolling tea estates.

   🏠 Hillside resort, Munnar✨ First sight of Munnar's tea hills — green in every direction
4. 4

   Munnar full day — Tea factory, Eravikulam & viewpoints

   Visit a working tea factory and museum to see how the leaf becomes the cup, then drive to Eravikulam National Park, home to the endangered Nilgiri tahr and some of the best high-altitude views in the Western Ghats. Afternoon at Top Station and Mattupetty Dam for sweeping panoramas across the tea country.

   🏠 Hillside resort, Munnar✨ Eravikulam National Park — tahr, grasslands and views for miles
5. 5

   Munnar → Thekkady — Spice gardens & Periyar

   Drive to Thekkady (approximately 3.5 hours) on the edge of Periyar Tiger Reserve. En route, walk through a working spice plantation — cardamom, pepper, cinnamon and cloves growing together under a forest canopy, with a guide who explains how each is grown and harvested. In the late afternoon, a boat ride on Periyar Lake for a chance to spot wild elephants, bison and birdlife along the shore.

   🏠 Boutique resort, Thekkady✨ Periyar Lake boat ride — wild elephants on the shoreline, if you're lucky
6. 6

   Thekkady → Alleppey — Board your private houseboat

   Drive to Alleppey (approximately 4 hours) and board your private traditional kettuvallam (rice barge) houseboat in the early afternoon. Cruise slowly through the backwaters — palm-lined canals, paddy fields below sea level, village life unfolding along the banks — with all meals cooked fresh on board by your private crew. Moor for the night on a quiet stretch of water.

   🏠 Private houseboat, Alleppey backwaters✨ Sunset on the backwaters from your houseboat deck
7. 7

   Alleppey backwaters → Kumarakom

   Wake to the sound of water and birdlife. A final slow morning cruise before disembarking at Kumarakom, a quieter backwater town on the shore of Vembanad Lake — Kerala's largest lake — known for its bird sanctuary and mangrove-lined channels. Check into a lakeside resort for a more restful pace after the houseboat.

   🏠 Lakeside resort, Kumarakom✨ Disembarking into Kumarakom's stillness after a night on the water
8. 8

   Kumarakom — Bird sanctuary & leisure day

   A slow day: an optional visit to the Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary, a paddle through the smaller mangrove channels by canoe, or simply time at the resort by the lake. In the afternoon, drive back to Kochi (approximately 1.5 hours) for your final night.

   🏠 Heritage hotel, Fort Kochi✨ Kumarakom's mangrove channels by canoe — the backwaters at their quietest
9. 9

   Kochi — Departure

   A final relaxed morning — one more walk along the Fort Kochi waterfront, a last filter coffee, before transfer to Kochi airport for your departure. Our team confirms your onward connection and sees you off.

   🏠 —✨ Last morning by the Chinese fishing nets before you go