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Tailor-Made Journey · South India

Kerala & the Backwaters

Drift through India's most serene waterways. Tea plantations, houseboats, and Ayurvedic bliss.

10
Days
Cochin → Marari
Route
€5,800
From, per person
Discover ↓
The Journey

Ten Days Across Kerala

Kerala is India's most seductive secret — a slender coast where the Arabian Sea meets coconut groves, tea-draped hills rise into mist, and ancient waterways thread through villages unchanged for centuries. This is not a tour. It is a surrender to a gentler rhythm.

Ten days from the colonial spice port of Cochin to the silent backwaters of Alleppey, through hill stations where tea pickers move like brush strokes across emerald slopes, and wildlife reserves where elephants bathe at dawn. Every hotel hand-picked, every experience private, every meal a revelation.

Kerala Backwaters Route Map

Interactive Route Map

The Route

Five Destinations, One Serene Journey

Cochin I
Stop 01 · Days 1–2

Cochin

2 Nights

Colonial spice port, Chinese fishing nets, Kathakali, and the Jewish quarter

Munnar II
Stop 02 · Days 3–4

Munnar

2 Nights

Tea gardens above the clouds, plantation walks, and mountain air

Thekkady — Periyar Wildlife Reserve III
Stop 03 · Days 5–6

Thekkady

2 Nights

Periyar Wildlife Reserve — elephants, spice gardens, and forest trails

Alleppey IV
Stop 04 · Day 7

Alleppey

1 Night

Overnight on a private luxury houseboat through palm-fringed canals

Marari Beach — Arabian Sea V
Stop 05 · Days 8–9

Marari Beach

2 Nights

Untouched Arabian Sea coast, Ayurveda, and barefoot luxury

10
Days
5
Regions
5
Hotels
€5,800
From, per person
The Backwaters Trail

Day by Day Itinerary

Cochin — The Spice Port
01
Day 1 · Arrival

Cochin

The Spice Port

Private airport transfer to Brunton Boatyard in Fort Cochin. Evening walk along the harbour as fishermen haul the Chinese fishing nets at sunset — a scene unchanged since traders from the court of Kublai Khan introduced them six centuries ago.

  • Private airport transfer to Brunton Boatyard
  • Chinese fishing nets at sunset
  • Welcome dinner at hotel
Cochin — Kathakali, Spices & the Jewish Quarter
02
Day 2 · Cochin

Cochin

Kathakali, Spices & the Jewish Quarter

Morning Kathakali performance — Kerala's ancient dance-drama of painted faces and mythological storytelling. Walk through the Jewish quarter and Mattancherry Palace. Afternoon cooking class with a local family — you learn to crack coconuts, grind spices, and prepare a traditional sadya feast on a banana leaf.

  • Private Kathakali performance
  • Jewish Synagogue & Mattancherry Palace
  • Kerala cooking class with a local family
Munnar — Into the Tea Gardens
03
Day 3 · Munnar

Munnar

Into the Tea Gardens

The drive from Cochin climbs through cardamom and pepper plantations into the Western Ghats. Munnar appears at 1,600 metres — endless tea gardens rolling over hillsides like green velvet. Check in to Windermere Estate, a restored planter's bungalow where the air smells of eucalyptus and the only sound is birdsong.

  • Scenic drive through spice hills to Munnar
  • Tea plantation walk & private tasting
  • Check-in at Windermere Estate
Munnar — Sunrise Pick & Mountain Trails
04
Day 4 · Munnar

Munnar

Sunrise Pick & Mountain Trails

Before dawn, you join the tea pickers on the slopes — the only visitors allowed — as mist rolls through the valleys and the first light turns the leaves to gold. Visit the Tea Museum. Afternoon trek to Eravikulam National Park, home to the endangered Nilgiri Tahr mountain goat.

  • Sunrise tea picking with plantation workers
  • Tea Museum visit
  • Eravikulam National Park trek
Thekkady — Into the Spice Country
05
Day 5 · Thekkady

Thekkady

Into the Spice Country

Descend from the tea hills into the spice country of Thekkady on the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border. Your guide walks you through a working spice plantation — pepper vines climbing teak trees, cardamom pods splitting open, vanilla orchids coiling around wooden stakes. Check in to Spice Village, an eco-resort of thatched cottages hidden in a spice garden.

  • Drive through Western Ghats to Thekkady
  • Private spice plantation walk — pepper, cardamom, vanilla
  • Check-in at Spice Village
Thekkady — Periyar at Dawn
06
Day 6 · Thekkady

Thekkady

Periyar at Dawn

Dawn boat safari on Periyar Lake — the stillest, most beautiful wildlife experience in South India. Wild elephants come to bathe at the water's edge. Bison, sambar deer, and if you are very fortunate, a tiger's pugmark in the mud. Afternoon at leisure in the forest, or an optional bamboo rafting excursion deeper into the reserve.

  • Dawn boat safari on Periyar Lake — elephants & birdlife
  • Periyar Wildlife Reserve forest walk
  • Afternoon at leisure or bamboo rafting
Alleppey — The Backwater Houseboat
07
Day 7 · Alleppey

Alleppey

The Backwater Houseboat

Drive to Alleppey and board your private kettuvallam — a luxury houseboat with personal chef, crew, and an air-conditioned suite. Drift through palm-fringed canals as village life unfolds on the banks — women washing clothes, children diving from coconut palms, fishermen casting nets. Lunch of freshly caught karimeen fish curry, cooked on board. Sleep under the stars.

  • Board private luxury houseboat with personal chef
  • Cruise through palm-fringed backwater canals
  • Fresh Kerala fish curry lunch on board
  • Sleep on the water under the stars
Marari Beach — Barefoot Luxury
08
Day 8 · Marari Beach

Marari Beach

Barefoot Luxury

Disembark at dawn. A short drive brings you to Marari Beach — not Kovalam's tourist crowds, but a pristine fishing village where your boutique resort hides behind coconut groves. Check in to Marari Beach Resort. Afternoon on the beach — golden sand, warm Arabian Sea, and not another tourist in sight.

  • Disembark houseboat at dawn
  • Drive to Marari Beach Resort
  • Afternoon on pristine private beach
Marari — Ayurveda & Farewell
09
Day 9 · Marari Beach

Marari

Ayurveda & Farewell

A full day for the soul. Morning Ayurvedic consultation followed by personalised treatments — Abhyanga massage, Shirodhara, herbal steam bath. Afternoon catamaran fishing with local fishermen who have fished these waters for generations. Farewell dinner on the beach — fresh seafood, candles in the sand, the sound of waves.

  • Ayurvedic consultation & personalised treatments
  • Catamaran fishing with local fishermen
  • Farewell seafood dinner on the beach
Departure
10
Day 10 · Departure

Departure

Until Next Time

Morning at leisure. Private transfer to Cochin International Airport. Kerala does not rush its goodbyes.

  • Morning at leisure
  • Private airport transfer to Cochin
Where You'll Stay

Kerala's Finest Addresses

Nine nights across five hand-picked luxury properties — every room the best in the house.

Brunton Boatyard, Cochin
Cochin · Days 1–2

Brunton Boatyard, Cochin

Heritage Luxury

A colonial waterfront hotel built where the first European ships docked in India. Portuguese, Dutch, and British architectural elements, harbour views, and authentic Kerala cuisine at the History restaurant.

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Windermere Estate, Munnar
Munnar · Days 3–4

Windermere Estate, Munnar

Plantation Retreat

A restored colonial planter's bungalow at 1,600 metres, surrounded by tea gardens and cardamom plantations. Just five rooms, mountain views, farm-to-table dining, and the kind of silence that cities cannot offer.

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Spice Village, Thekkady
Thekkady · Days 5–6

Spice Village, Thekkady

Eco Resort

An award-winning eco-resort of thatched tribal-style cottages set in a working spice garden on the edge of Periyar Wildlife Reserve. CGH Earth's most beloved property.

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Private Luxury Houseboat
Alleppey · Day 7

Private Luxury Houseboat

On the Water

A kettuvallam — a converted rice barge — with air-conditioned suite, personal chef, and private crew. One night drifting through Kerala's enchanted backwater canals.

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Marari Beach Resort
Marari Beach · Days 8–9

Marari Beach Resort

Barefoot Luxury

A barefoot luxury retreat hidden behind coconut groves on an unspoilt fishing beach. Thatched villas, Ayurvedic spa, organic garden, and the Arabian Sea at your doorstep.

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Investment

Choose Your Experience

What's Included

Private expert guides at every destination
Luxury air-conditioned vehicles throughout
All hotels — 9 nights in finest rooms
Private luxury houseboat with chef & crew
All experiences & entrance fees
Dawn boat safari at Periyar Wildlife Reserve
Kerala cooking class & spice plantation walk
Ayurvedic consultation & treatments at Marari
24/7 dedicated journey concierge
Daily breakfast & selected meals

Not Included

International flights
Travel insurance
Personal expenses
Meals not specified
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