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Magic of the Backwaters — 9 nights through Cochin, Munnar, Thekkady, Alleppey, Kumarakom and Mararikulam.
This is the long way round Kerala, and the better way if you have ten days. You start in Cochin with its layers of Portuguese, Dutch and Jewish history, climb into the tea at Munnar where the temperature finally drops, carry on to Thekkady for a boat safari on Periyar Lake and an afternoon in a working spice garden, then come back down to sea level for the Alleppey backwaters and the canals at Kumarakom. The last three days are on the coast at Mararikulam, next to a fishing village, with nothing booked at all.
The same driver and air-conditioned car take you the whole way, with a local guide for the Cochin sights, which matters here because the road up to Munnar is a long sequence of hairpins and you would rather be looking out of the window than at a map. Be realistic about two things: the hill drives are slower than the distances suggest, and the coast and backwaters are humid for most of the year. Munnar at 1,500 metres is the one place you may want a jumper in the evening.
One private car and driver for all ten days, with the Alleppey houseboat cruise and the Periyar boat on top.
Cochin is flat, humid and layered with four centuries of traders. By the time the car has spent an hour on hairpins you are in a different climate, with tea bushes clipped into a continuous green surface across whole hillsides. It is the single best drive on this itinerary and the reason you want a driver rather than a wheel in your hands.
Rajamalai is the visitor end of Eravikulam National Park, and the tahr that live on the grass slopes above it are unbothered enough by people that they often graze in plain view. The park is also high, open and cool. Earlier is better, for the light and for the queue.
The lake at Periyar was made by damming a valley, and the bleached trunks still standing in the water tell you where the forest used to be. From the boat you watch the banks for whatever has come down to drink. The afternoon spice garden smells like a kitchen cupboard that has been left in the rain, in the best way.
A converted rice barge, a shaded deck, a crew who cook your breakfast, lunch and dinner on board, and a speed somewhere around walking pace. The canals run between fields that sit lower than the water, which takes a while to accept. After the hill driving, sitting still on a boat is well timed.
November to February is the easiest time, and March is still fine. Munnar is cool in the evenings year round. April and May are hot and humid at sea level, and the southwest monsoon runs June to September.
Arrive Cochin
You are met at the airport and taken to the hotel; check-in is from 1400. The day is left open on purpose.
Cochin to Munnar
130 km / 4 hrs
A guided morning around old Cochin - the Dutch Palace at Mattancherry, the synagogue in Jew Town, St Francis Church and Santa Cruz Basilica - and then the climb into the hills. The last hour is bends and tea bushes, and the air changes noticeably as you go up.
Munnar to Thekkady
120 km / 3.5 hrs
A full morning in the tea country: Mattupetty Dam, Echo Point, a working plantation where you can see how the leaf is processed, and Rajamalai in Eravikulam National Park, home of the Nilgiri tahr, a stocky wild goat that is often on the slopes above the path. Then the drive to Thekkady.
Thekkady
A boat safari on Periyar Lake, best done early while it is still cool and the animals are near the water. In the afternoon, a spice plantation - cardamom, pepper, nutmeg and cloves growing in the shade, which explains why half of Europe once sailed here.
Thekkady to Alleppey
140 km / 4 hrs
Down off the hills to Alleppey, where you check in for the backwater cruise and spend the afternoon on the water. All meals on the houseboat are included.
Alleppey to Kumarakom
On through the narrow canals, where the banks come close and the paddy fields sit below the waterline. Kumarakom village and Vembanad Lake, Kerala's largest, fill the rest of the day without much effort on your part.
Kumarakom to Mararikulam
45 km / 2 hrs
A short hop to the coast. Marari's fishing village is still a fishing village - boats come in on the sand in the morning - and the beach beyond it is long and mostly empty.
Mararikulam
A free day. Breakfast is included, the rest of it is yours, and the sea is warm enough that nobody hesitates on the way in.
Mararikulam
Another free day, which after a week of driving is less indulgent than it sounds. Walk up the beach, or do not.
Mararikulam to Cochin airport
65 km / 2 hrs
Back up the coast to Cochin for your flight. Tell us the departure time and the driver will work backwards from it.
We price the land arrangements and your flights together, then come back with one number. No deposit is taken on the call and nothing is booked until you say so.
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No. The price is land only - hotels, the car and driver, transfers, the Alleppey houseboat cruise with meals, the Periyar boat and the city guiding. Flights are quoted separately so we can match the airline, airport and dates to you.
Yes. UK passport holders need an Indian visa in advance, and most people use the online e-visa. You apply yourself; we provide the itinerary details the form asks for. Start it well before departure rather than the week of.
We confirm the exact houseboat arrangement in writing when we quote you, because it varies by boat and by date. What the itinerary includes is the Alleppey backwater cruise with all meals - breakfast, lunch and dinner - prepared on board. We would rather pin that down for your specific dates than give you a number that turns out to be wrong.
Possibly, and we will not pretend otherwise. Periyar's boat often turns up elephant, wild boar, gaur and plenty of birds along the shore; Eravikulam is the stronghold of the Nilgiri tahr, which is frequently visible on the slopes at Rajamalai. These are wild animals in a large forest, so treat any sighting as a good morning rather than an entitlement.
Something with sleeves. Munnar sits high in the hills and the evenings and early mornings are properly cool by Kerala standards, which is a relief after Cochin. Down at Alleppey and on the coast you will be back to thin cotton and repellent for the evenings.
It is six moving days out of ten, and the longest single leg is four hours. The hill sections to Munnar and down to Alleppey feel longer than the kilometres because of the bends, so take them in the morning. Three of the last four days have no driving at all.
Prices shown are the supplier’s published “from” price for the land arrangements only, per person on a twin-share basis, and vary by date, hotel grade and party size. International flights are quoted separately. The route map is an illustration of the order of stops, not an accurate map. Patel Travel is ATOL 74904 and IATA accredited. Tours are operated by our ground partner in India; your confirmation will state who is responsible for your booking.
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