Colonial Ports, Tea Highlands & Luxury Lakeside Living
This 8-day premium Kerala tour is crafted for travellers who want a higher level of property, pace, and experience throughout — combining Fort Kochi's extraordinary heritage, Munnar's tea highlands, Kumarakom's luxury lakeside living on Vembanad Lake, and Kovalam's beachfront.
What distinguishes this itinerary is the Kumarakom section — two nights on the shores of Vembanad Lake (Kerala's largest lake), with properties like Kumarakom Lake Resort or CGH Earth's Coconut Lagoon offering extraordinary overwater cottages, spa facilities, and sunset views over water that stretches to the horizon. This is Kerala at its most refined.
The tour opens with Fort Kochi's colonial layers and a Kathakali performance, ascends to Munnar's tea country for two full days, then descends to Kumarakom for the lake experience and Alleppey backwater access before the final beach segment in Kovalam and a Trivandrum cultural morning.
What makes this journey special
Your journey, unfolded
Welcome to Kerala! Transfer to Fort Kochi. Afternoon: Dutch Palace (Mattancherry), Paradesi Synagogue, St Francis Church, and Chinese fishing nets at sunset. Evening: Kathakali classical dance performance with the pre-show makeup ceremony — one of Kerala's most memorable cultural experiences.
Drive into the Western Ghats via Cheeyappara Waterfalls and a spice garden. Arrive Munnar by afternoon. Check in to your plantation resort.
Full day in Munnar: Eravikulam National Park for Nilgiri Tahr, KDHP Tea Museum with tasting, Top Station panorama at 1,700m, Mattupetty Dam, and a guided plantation walk at sunset.
Drive west from Munnar to Kumarakom (about 4 hours), descending from the hills through rubber estates to the coastal lowlands. Check in to your lakeside resort on Vembanad Lake — Kerala's largest and most scenic lake. Evening: sunset boat cruise on the lake as herons fly home to roost in the water hyacinths and the Kottayam hills turn purple in the fading light.
Dawn: sunrise canoe through the Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary — one of Kerala's finest birding sites, with over 200 species including little cormorant, night heron, egret, darter, and rare Siberian migrants in season. After breakfast, a private boat excursion into the Alleppey backwaters from Kumarakom — drifting through the canal network for 3–4 hours before returning for a lakeside lunch. Afternoon: spa at your resort or simply the lake.
Drive south along the Kerala coast to Kovalam (about 3.5 hours). Check in to your clifftop or beachfront resort. Evening: Lighthouse Beach walk — the lighthouse headland above the Arabian Sea at sunset, with the two beaches below curving away on either side.
Half-day Trivandrum: Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple, Napier Museum, Chitra Art Gallery. Return to Kovalam by noon. Afternoon: beach, optional Ayurveda, or seafood at a beach shack.
Final morning in Kovalam. Transfer to Trivandrum International Airport for your departure.
Inclusions & Exclusions
Included ✓
- ✓ Accommodation in handpicked hotels throughout
- ✓ Daily breakfast throughout
- ✓ Private air-conditioned vehicle for all transfers
- ✓ English-speaking driver-guide throughout
- ✓ All applicable taxes
- ✓ Airport transfers (arrival & departure)
- ✓ Evening Kathakali performance in Kochi
- ✓ Fort Kochi heritage guided walk
- ✓ Sunrise canoe in Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary
- ✓ Sunset boat cruise on Vembanad Lake
- ✓ Private backwater boat excursion from Kumarakom (3–4 hrs)
Not Included ✗
- ✗ Flights to / from Kerala
- ✗ Travel insurance (strongly recommended)
- ✗ Lunches & dinners (except where specified)
- ✗ Personal expenses & shopping
- ✗ Gratuities for guides & drivers
- ✗ Monument & park entry fees (unless stated)
- ✗ Optional couple's Ayurvedic spa treatment at Kumarakom resort (highly recommended)
- ✗ Optional private houseboat upgrade at Kumarakom (available on request)
Your questions, answered
Kumarakom sits on the eastern shore of Vembanad Lake — Kerala's largest lake — whereas Alleppey's backwaters are a network of narrower canals inland. Kumarakom offers a more open, scenic lake experience (sunrise and sunset over the water are spectacular) and houses some of Kerala's finest luxury resorts, including Kumarakom Lake Resort and CGH Earth's Coconut Lagoon. The Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary is also exceptional. Alleppey's canal backwaters, accessible by day boat from Kumarakom, give the intimate canal experience. This itinerary gives you both.
October to March is ideal — post-monsoon, lush and green, comfortable temperatures (25–30°C on coast, cooler in hills). December–January is peak season; book well ahead. Avoid June–August (heavy monsoon).
Absolutely. Every Discover India tour is fully private and tailored to you. We can adjust duration, swap destinations, change hotel categories, or add extensions. Submit an enquiry — no obligation.
We include carefully vetted 4-star and 5-star hotels, plantation retreats, heritage homestays, and boutique resorts. Upgrades to luxury tree-houses, lake-view villas, and exclusive resorts are available on request.
A kettuvallam is a converted rice barge with bedrooms, living area, kitchen, and sun deck. Your crew (captain and cook) prepare all meals fresh on board — fish curry, coconut rice, prawn dishes, appam. Moored in a quiet canal overnight. One of India's most unique experiences.
Most nationalities can apply for an Indian e-Visa at indianvisaonline.gov.in. Takes 3–5 business days. Apply at least 2 weeks before travel.
60+ days: full refund minus admin fee. 30–59 days: 75% refund. 15–29 days: 50%. Under 15 days: no refund. Travel insurance strongly recommended.
