The 5 Days Kerala Tour offers a chance to experience the serene beauty of Kerala's backwaters, misty hills, and aromatic spice fields. The journey begins with a drive from Kochi to Munnar, passing through Thekkady and Alleppey, while showcasing the best of Kerala in an exclusive trip. It includes a trip on a houseboat, walking through tea gardens, and an adventurous jungle safari, all in just five days.
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5 Days
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Upon your arrival at Kochi Airport, you will be picked up by an official and taken to your hotel. Depending on your arrival time, you may have the whole afternoon to explore Fort Kochi, where you can see the Chinese fishing nets, the churches, and the colonial streets. You can also visit the Mattancherry Palace and the Jewish Synagogue and take a walk along the coastline of the waterfront.
Following breakfast, take off towards Munnar, a hill station that is celebrated for its vast tea plantations and crisp mountain air. The drive itself is captivating, with waterfalls, spice gardens and remote hillside localities en route.
Upon your arrival at Munnar, check into your hotel and spend the evening unwinding in the cool mountain climate after a long journey.
Spend the morning exploring Munnar's main attractions, including:
After lunch, drive to Thekkady, home of the famous Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary. Check into your hotel and in the evening enjoy a performance of Kalaripayattu, the traditional martial art of Kerala.
Start the day with a boat safari on Periyar Lake, where you may spot elephants, wild boar, and a wide range of birdlife across the sanctuary. Afterwards, visit a nearby spice plantation to see how cardamom, pepper, and cinnamon are grown.
In the afternoon, drive to Alleppey and board your private houseboat for an overnight backwater cruise. Enjoy a home-style Kerala lunch and dinner onboard as you drift past coconut groves and quiet village life.
After breakfast on the houseboat, disembark from the boat and return to Kochi in time for your onward flight. Depending on the time of your departure, you might be able to do a bit of last-minute shopping or visit a local market.
Your driver will drop you at Kochi Airport, bringing your memorable 5 Days Kerala Tour to a comfortable close.
Kerala is situated on the South western coast of India, bordered by the Arabian Sea in the west and the Western Ghats in the east. Known widely as God's Own Country, it offers a completely different pace and landscape compared to the temples and deserts of North India. According to the Kerala Tourism Department, the state consistently ranks among India's most visited regions for its natural beauty and cultural depth.
Kerala is an easy entry point for travellers from the USA, UK, Canada, UAE, and Mexico. Here, people will find green hills and quiet countryside, compared to crowded cities and noisy marketplaces.
In contrast to Rajasthan's paths along forts and Tamil Nadu's Temple Tours, Kerala's beauty is found largely in its landscape and its rhythms of life. Boats catching fish, tea gatherers and crews steering houseboats are still part of everyday life here and provide a genuine picture of what people really do instead of a performance staged for visitors.
Kochi sets the mood for the whole journey: its shore is home to a blend of Portuguese, Dutch and British colonial history. The Chinese fishing nets located along the coast have existed for many centuries, and watching them take fish at sunset is one of the most unforgettable moments for many tourists. Additional elements are introduced in Mattancherry Palace and at the Jewish Synagogue.
Looking forward to exploring Fort Kochi on foot will benefit the visitors, as the best experience is to come there with bare feet. The narrow back streets host antique stores, art galleries and tiny cafes situated in old colonial-style houses. Street art is also an integral part of the local community; there are a lot of murals on the walls near the shore.
From Kochi, the drive up to Munnar climbs steadily into the Western Ghats, a mountain range recognised by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site for its rich biodiversity. Tea plantations blanket the hillsides in every direction, and the cooler mountain air offers a welcome change after the coastal heat of Kochi.
Munnar's Tea Museum explains how the region's tea industry developed under British planters, while Eravikulam National Park protects the rare Nilgiri Tahr, a mountain goat found only in this part of India. Mattupetty Dam and Echo Point round out a full day of sightseeing before the drive continues toward Thekkady. Many travellers say the drive between these hill towns is just as memorable as the destinations themselves, with waterfalls and viewpoints appearing around nearly every bend.
Thekkady centres around Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary, one of India's better-known tiger reserves. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change recognises Periyar as an important habitat for elephants, tigers, and a wide range of bird species. A boat safari across Periyar Lake offers the best chance to see wildlife gathered along the water's edge.
Visitors can explore spice plantations in Thekkady, where they can observe the cultivation and harvesting of various spices including cardamom, black pepper, and cinnamon. It is worth noting that many of these spices have formed international trading routes for centuries, and understanding their cultivation procedure adds context to Kerala's history as a centre of spice trade. The guides usually describe the process of manufacturing spices from drying to packaging, which has remained unchanged.
Evenings in Thekkady include Kalaripayattu performances, which are one of the oldest martial arts in the world. Watching this ancient practice will give you insight into the cultural traditions of Kerala besides its beautiful scenery. The Kalaripayattu performance combines combat movements, breathing exercises, and weapon work, which has been practised by specialised training schools throughout the state.
Alleppey, known in the world as the Venice of the East, is the most tranquil part of the journey. A private houseboat cruise here allows you to glide through the backwaters and admire palm groves, rice plantations, and small hamlets. You are also invited to try authentic Kerala cuisine, cooked from local ingredients onboard the boat.
The local name given to these houseboats is kettuvallams. These boats used to transport spices and rice on the backwaters, though many of them have been transformed into comfortable floating hotels equipped with cosy cabins and attentive small crews.
Spending a night on the water offers a very different rhythm compared to the earlier hill station and wildlife stops. There is little to do beyond watching the scenery drift by, which is exactly the point. Fishermen cast nets from small canoes, children wave from the riverbanks, and village life continues quietly along both sides of the water. It is the kind of quiet, unhurried experience that stays with travellers long after the trip ends.
Pioneer Holidays has organised private tours to India since 1990, and they apply the same standards of service while arranging trips to Kerala. Every aspect of the trip, such as hotel and transport, is arranged beforehand in order for everything to go smoothly.
Your private, air-conditioned car and English-speaking guide stay with you throughout the trip. There are no hidden charges added later, and your quoted price remains the same from booking through to your final departure. Thousands of travellers from across the world have trusted Pioneer Holidays with their India journeys, and this Kerala package carries that same commitment.
Whether you are travelling as a couple, a family, or a small group of friends, this itinerary adjusts to fit your pace and interests. You have read about the tea gardens, the wildlife safari, and the quiet backwater evenings. Now picture yourself actually there, with nothing left to plan and no logistics to manage on your own.