Low-key family Kerala — cycling in rural countryside, elephant sanctuary visits, houseboat night, and beach downtime at Varkala cliffs.
Tour Highlights
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Day by Day Itinerary
Arrive at Kochi airport and transfer to Fort Kochi. This afternoon you will take a walking tour of Fort Kochi's remarkable heritage — the famous Chinese fishing nets on the waterfront, the Dutch Palace (Mattancherry Palace), St. Francis Church, the Paradesi Synagogue and the colourful streets of Jew Town.
This morning you will head to a local home for a Kerala cooking class — learning to prepare traditional dishes using the region's extraordinary spices and fresh local ingredients. In the afternoon explore Kochi's vibrant market areas and the remarkable Vasco da Gama Square.
Drive into the Western Ghats hills to Munnar, surrounded by rolling tea plantations. The journey takes you through rubber and spice plantations before climbing into the spectacular tea country. Check into your tea estate property.
Today you will explore the tea plantations on foot with a local guide, learning about the cultivation and processing of Munnar's famous tea. Visit a working tea factory and enjoy a tasting. Optional additional hike to views across the valley.
Drive south to Thekkady, home of Periyar National Park. This afternoon you can explore the spice plantation surrounding your hotel or join an optional evening border walk in the park.
A remarkable day in Periyar National Park — bamboo rafting on the Periyar River guided by tribal community members, walking through the forest in search of wildlife, and an afternoon exploring the park's remarkable diversity.
Drive down from the hills to the Kerala coast and board your traditional houseboat for the first of two nights on the backwaters. Cruise through palm-fringed canals, watch village life from the deck, and enjoy freshly cooked meals served aboard.
Spend the day gently cruising through the backwater canals, stopping to explore villages and interact with locals. Watch the sunset over the paddy fields before mooring for the night.
Disembark from the houseboat and drive south to Varkala, Kerala's most spectacular beach destination — a stretch of golden sand below dramatic red laterite cliffs, with excellent swimming, fresh seafood and a relaxed atmosphere.
A free day on the beach — swimming, relaxing, exploring the cliff path, or visiting the Janardhana Swami temple at the southern end of the beach.
A final morning at the beach before preparing for departure.
After breakfast transfer to Thiruvananthapuram Airport (1 hour from Varkala) for your departure flight.
About This Journey
An ideal family holiday in Kerala designed to excite and engage children while giving adults the cultural depth they’re seeking. This 12-day tailor-made journey combines Fort Kochi’s colonial heritage, the tea hills of Munnar, wildlife at Periyar National Park, backwater cruising aboard a traditional houseboat, and beach days at Varkala — all at a pace that works for families with children aged approximately 6 and above.
Highlights
Explore Fort Kochi’s extraordinary colonial heritage including the iconic Chinese fishing nets. Tea plantation walk in the hills of Munnar. Bamboo rafting in Periyar National Park. Cooking class learning Kerala’s traditional cuisine. Two nights aboard a private traditional houseboat on the backwaters. Beach time at Varkala’s famous clifftop beach.
Accommodation Used On This Tour
Malabar House
Kochi's first boutique heritage hotel, Malabar House occupies a 1755 colonial residence beside the Parade Ground in Fort Kochi. Its rooms blend period architecture with contemporary South Indian art, its restaurant is one of Kerala's most celebrated, and the location is unmatched for exploring the old town on foot.
Windermere Hotel
A planter's retreat in the hills of Munnar, Windermere Estate sits amid cardamom and coffee plantations at 1,600 metres. Its cottages overlook the valleys of the Western Ghats and its garden paths lead directly into the surrounding plantations.
Spice Village CGH Earth
An eco-resort at Thekkady built within a working spice garden, Spice Village's thatched cottages are modelled on tribal dwellings of the Periyar forest. The resort grows its own spices and vegetables, its naturalists lead garden walks and the adjacent Periyar sanctuary brings wildlife to the property boundary.
Accommodation displayed here should be taken as a guide only. Please refer to the detailed itinerary of your individual departure for more information.
Where You Stay
What's Included
Frequently Asked Questions
October to March offers the most comfortable weather — warm days, low humidity and minimal rainfall. April and May are hot; June to September is the southwest monsoon, which brings lush green landscapes but heavy rain on the Kerala coast.
Traditional Kerala houseboats (kettuvallams) are converted rice barges with private bedrooms, en suite bathrooms, a dining area and sun deck. A dedicated crew of two or three — including a cook preparing fresh Keralan meals — accompanies each boat as you cruise the palm-fringed backwater canals.
Kerala cuisine is generally milder than North Indian food, with coconut, curry leaves and seafood at its heart. Hotels and houseboats readily adjust spice levels, and vegetarian options are outstanding throughout the region.
Yes — beach extensions, additional wildlife parks, Ayurvedic retreats and different hotels can all be woven in. Contact us to shape the perfect South India journey.
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