Kerala Honeymoon Grand Escape
Route Covered
Overnight stops in day orderOverview
This 11-day private tour is built for a longer Kerala honeymoon, moving slowly from the tea hills of Munnar to the spice forest at Thekkady, the lake birds of Kumarakom, an Alleppey backwater stay, Varkala's cliffs and a quiet finish at the Poovar estuary. It suits couples with ten days or more who want hills, water and coast in one private trip, best taken from November to February.
Couples with ten days or more who want hills, backwaters and a quiet coastal finish, without repeating the same scenery twice
Highlights
Good to know
Six hotel changes
The pace is relaxed day to day, but the trip moves on most mornings; pack so bags are easy to repackCool Munnar nights
Munnar sits above 1,500 metres and is cold after dark in December and January, so bring a light jacketBoat-only Poovar beach
Poovar's beach has no road access, so a boatman arranges the crossing; agree the route and return time before setting offHouseboat choice
The Alleppey night can be a day cruise or an overnight houseboat; tell your travel consultant which you would preferDay-by-Day Itinerary
- First evening in the tea hills
Arrive in Kochi and climb to the Munnar tea hills
- 1Meet your driver at Cochin International Airport
- 2Drive about 130 km into the hills, roughly 4 to 5 hours
- 3Settle in and rest after the climb
- 4Evening at leisure in cool mountain air
- Tea estate walk and museum
- Mattupetty Lake
- Eravikulam National Park
A full day in Munnar's tea country
- 1Morning walk through a working tea estate and a visit to the tea museum
- 2Pedal boats on the Mattupetty reservoir
- 3Eravikulam National Park for the Nilgiri tahr, when the park is open
- 4Evening at the Top Station viewpoint
- Spice plantation visit
- Periyar Lake boat ride
Munnar to the spice forest at Thekkady
- 1Drive about 91 km south, roughly 3 hours
- 2Check in and visit a spice plantation around Kumily, with cardamom, pepper and cinnamon on the slopes
- 3Evening at leisure, with a boat ride on Periyar Lake if the timing allows
- Periyar Lake morning boat ride
- Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary
Periyar Lake wildlife, then on to Kumarakom's lake birds
- 1Morning Periyar Lake boat ride, watching for deer, bison and elephants at the shoreline, if not already done the evening before
- 2Drive about 120 to 130 km to Kumarakom, roughly 3 to 3.5 hours
- 3Afternoon walk at the Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary on the shore of Vembanad Lake
- 4Evening at leisure by the water
- Vembanad Lake shore
- Alleppey backwater cruise
Kumarakom to the Alleppey backwaters
- 1A further look at Vembanad Lake's shore before checking out
- 2Short drive of about 33 km to Alleppey, around an hour
- 3Check in and board for a backwater cruise through the canals near town
- 4Evening at leisure on or near the water
- Kuttanad canal cruise
- Alappuzha Beach and pier
A full day afloat at Alleppey
- 1A slow cruise through Vembanad Lake and the narrower canals of Kuttanad
- 2Meals served aboard if a day cruise is booked, or on arrival if staying overnight on the water
- 3Evening at Alappuzha Beach and its old pier, if time allows
- Varkala Cliff at sunset
Alleppey to the Varkala cliffs
- 1Drive about 110 km south, roughly 2.5 to 3 hours
- 2Check in above the cliff
- 3Evening walk along the clifftop path, with cafes looking out over the Arabian Sea
- Papanasam Beach
- Janardhana Swami Temple
A full day at Varkala
- 1Morning at Papanasam Beach below the cliff
- 2Visit the cliff-top Janardhana Swami Temple
- 3Free afternoon for surfing, paddle-boarding or an Ayurvedic massage, all offered along the cliff path
- Neyyar river estuary
- Mangrove backwater cruise
Varkala to the Poovar estuary
- 1Drive about 65 to 70 km south, roughly 2 hours, past Thiruvananthapuram
- 2Check in at the estuary, where the Neyyar river, a lagoon and the sea meet
- 3Evening mangrove channel cruise, watching for kingfishers and brahminy kites
- Boat-only Poovar beach
A full day at the Poovar estuary
- 1Boat crossing to the golden-sand beach that has no road access
- 2Time on the beach, away from the crowds of busier coasts
- 3Return by boat through the mangrove channels as the light turns gold
- Last morning at the estuary
Poovar and departure from Thiruvananthapuram
- 1A last quiet morning by the estuary, if your flight time allows
- 2Check out and drive about 25 to 26 km to Thiruvananthapuram International Airport, around an hour
- 3Transfer to the terminal for your flight
Indicative — varies with season and hotel category.
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Trip Facts
Local Activities & Events
Updated Oct 22, 2026Munnar — Days 1-3 of this trip
Thrikarthika Festival
festivalUsually on the Karthika star day of the Malayalam month of Vrischikam, in late November or early December
Kerala's festival of lights reaches the Sri Subrahmanya Swamy Temple in Munnar, with lamps lit across the temple grounds on the Karthika star day of the Malayalam month of Vrischikam.
Reach out to us for the confirmed datesAlleppey (Alappuzha) — Days 5-7 of this trip
Mullakkal Chirappu
festivalUsually runs from mid-November into late December; the Chirappu days are the final 11 of the festival
Alappuzha's Mullakkal Rajarajeswari Temple holds a 41-day festival whose last 11 days, the Chirappu, bring elephant processions and fireworks.
Reach out to us for the confirmed datesKerala — across your trip
Vettukadu Feast
festivalMadre de Deus Church in Thiruvananthapuram marks the feast of Christ the King over ten days, with worshippers of several faiths attending.
Champions Boat League: Kayamkulam
sportsA snake-boat race at Kayamkulam in Alappuzha district, a round of the 2026 Champions Boat League.
Kalpathy Ratholsavam
festivalChariot festival in Kalpathy, Palakkad, where decorated chariots are pulled through the village streets from the Viswanatha Swamy Temple.
Sabarimala Mandalam-Makaravilakku pilgrim season
festivalPilgrim season at the Ayyappa temple in Pathanamthitta district, from the Mandalam opening through Mandala Pooja and Makaravilakku to closing in January.
Champions Boat League final and President's Trophy Boat Race
sportsThe league's closing round on Ashtamudi Lake in Kollam, held together with the President's Trophy Boat Race.
Guruvayur Ekadasi
festivalEleventh-day observance at the Guruvayur Sree Krishna Temple in Thrissur, with strict fasting and elephant processions.
Events are reviewed by our team before publishing and drop off after they end. Please confirm timings and availability with us before your trip — local schedules can change without notice.
What's Included & Excluded
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