Alleppey
A Night on a Houseboat
Drift through the backwaters on a kettuvallam, with lunch cooked on board.
- Type
- On the Water
- When
- September to March
Destinations › South India & the Islands
Kerala
Backwaters, tea hills, spice forests and the beaches of the Malabar coast.
Experience Kerala
Choose a place on the map to see what your client can do there.
Munnar
Tea Hills of Munnar
Rolling estates, a tea museum and the Nilgiri tahr at Eravikulam.
- Type
- Nature
- When
- September to May
Thekkady
Spice & Periyar
A spice garden walk and a boat on Periyar lake for elephants on the shore.
- Type
- Wildlife
- When
- October to May
Fort Kochi
The Chinese Nets
Giant fishing nets at sunset, the old Dutch quarter and Mattancherry Palace.
- Type
- Heritage
- When
- All year
Cheruthuruthy
Kathakali
The great masked dance-drama of Kerala, at the home of its classical school.
- Type
- Culture
- When
- All year
Athirappilly
Athirappilly Falls
Kerala's largest waterfall, in forest along the Chalakudy river.
- Type
- Nature
- When
- Fullest June to September
Kumarakom
A Sadya on Banana Leaf
A vegetarian feast of many dishes, or karimeen fish by the lake.
- Type
- Food
- When
- All year
Kovalam
Beaches & Ayurveda
Lighthouse bays and traditional Ayurvedic treatments in the south.
- Type
- Nature
- When
- September to March; Ayurveda also in monsoon
Wayanad
Edakkal Caves
Prehistoric rock carvings in a cave high above Wayanad's forests and coffee.
- Type
- Heritage
- When
- October to May
Kannur
Theyyam
A blazing ritual of dance and costume in the village shrines of north Kerala.
- Type
- Festivals
- When
- About October to May
Illustrative map, not to scale. The outline is indicative and is not an official boundary. Outline data: DataMeet (CC BY 4.0).
About Kerala
Kochi, Munnar, Thekkady, Alleppey, Kovalam, Wayanad
Kerala, “God’s own country”, is a narrow green state between the Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea, and one of the most complete holidays India offers in a week.
Kochi is the arrival point: Chinese fishing nets on the harbour, the Portuguese and Dutch quarter of Fort Kochi and a Kathakali performance in the evening. From there the classic loop climbs to Munnar’s tea estates, drops to Thekkady for the spice gardens and Periyar’s lake, and ends on a houseboat on the backwaters of Alleppey and Kumarakom.
Kovalam and Varkala add beaches in the south, Wayanad has forests and waterfalls in the north, and the state is the home of Ayurveda, with treatment resorts for clients who want to stay longer.
What Your Client Will See
Backwater houseboats
A night on a kettuvallam through the Alleppey canals.
Munnar
Rolling tea estates and the Eravikulam park.
Thekkady
Spice gardens and a boat on Periyar lake.
Fort Kochi
Fishing nets, Jew Town and the Mattancherry Palace.
Kovalam & Varkala
Lighthouse bays and cliff-top beaches.
Kathakali & Ayurveda
Classical dance-drama and traditional treatments.
Our Guests in Kerala
Kerala is best taken slowly: an elephant stop, a waterfall on the roadside, a walk through the garden, and tea hills that stop everyone for a photograph.
In the tea gardens
Meeting an elephant
At the waterfall
A walk through the garden
Departures & Catalogues
Fixed departures and catalogues for Kerala. A departure added on the Fixed Departures calendar appears here by itself.
Catalogues
No fixed departure for Kerala is open right now. Every itinerary is quoted on request: ask the trade desk for a worked quotation.
Plan the Trip
- Best time
- September to March; the monsoon (June to August) is the season for Ayurveda.
- Gateway
- Kochi (COK), with Thiruvananthapuram (TRV) and Kozhikode (CCJ) for the south and north.
- Ideal length
- 5 to 8 nights for Kochi, Munnar, Thekkady and the backwaters.
- Notes
- Hill roads are slow; allow a full day for Munnar to Thekkady.
- Pairs well with
- Tamil Nadu (Madurai, Kanyakumari) or Karnataka.
Sell Kerala with Us
Send the dates, the number of travellers and the hotel category, and the South desk replies with a worked quotation. Registered partners see net rates on every package.