Wayanad, Munnar and Periyar: Kerala Wild Hills
Route Covered
Overnight stops in day orderOverview
This Wayanad Munnar Thekkady tour is a seven-day private trip through Kerala's hill country, with two nights each in Wayanad, Munnar and Thekkady. You arrive at Kozhikode airport and leave from Madurai airport in Tamil Nadu. It suits walkers and wildlife watchers, and October to March is the best window.
Walkers, wildlife watchers and plantation lovers who can take one long drive day; not for anyone wanting short hops or beach time
Highlights
Good to know
Day 3 is the long drive
Wayanad to Munnar is about 320 km, roughly 5 hours or a little more with stopsMountain roads
The climb into Wayanad passes nine numbered hairpin bends on the Thamarassery ghatEravikulam closure
Eravikulam normally shuts for roughly two months, February and March, so plan Day 4 differentlyCool evenings
Munnar nights in December and January fall to around 12 to 14 C, so bring a warm layerDay-by-Day Itinerary
- Thamarassery ghat hairpins
- Pookode Lake
Kozhikode airport to Wayanad by the Thamarassery ghat
- 1Meet your driver at Kozhikode airport
- 2Climb the Thamarassery ghat road, nine numbered hairpin bends ending at Lakkidi
- 3Stop at Pookode Lake near Vythiri if the flight time allows
- 4Check in around Kalpetta and rest
- Edakkal Caves
- Banasura Sagar Dam
- Coffee and pepper plantations
Edakkal Caves and Banasura Sagar
- 1Morning at the Edakkal Caves near Sultan Bathery, where the walls carry human and animal figures and signs nobody has read
- 2Cross to the other side of Kalpetta for Banasura Sagar at Padinjarathara
- 3Walk or boat along the reservoir's islands, if boating is running
- 4Drive back through coffee and pepper country
- First tea slopes of Munnar
The long road from Wayanad to Munnar
- 1Leave early on the day's single big drive, about 320 km to Munnar
- 2Break the journey for lunch and leg-stretches, with stops agreed with your driver
- 3Watch the land turn to tea terraces as you climb toward Munnar
- 4Check in and keep the evening quiet
- Eravikulam National Park
- Tata Tea Museum
- Mattupetty Dam
- Top Station viewpoint
Tahr country, tea museum and Mattupetty Dam
- 1Begin in Eravikulam National Park, home of the Nilgiri tahr, using the Rajamala section (shut for about February and March)
- 2the Tata Tea Museum follows, tracing tea from leaf to cup
- 3afternoon is for Mattupetty Dam, where pedal boats cross the reservoir
- 4if the sky is clear, finish at the Top Station viewpoint
- Cardamom hill drive
- Spice plantation walk
- Kumily spice shops
Munnar to Thekkady and the Kumily spice slopes
- 1Drive south through cardamom hills to Thekkady, about 91 km
- 2Check in near Kumily
- 3Walk through a working spice plantation, with cardamom, pepper, clove, nutmeg and vanilla on the slopes
- 4Wander Kumily's spice shops before dinner
- Periyar Lake boat ride
- Guided nature walk
- Bamboo rafting (optional)
Periyar Lake and the tiger reserve
- 1Take the early boat ride on Periyar Lake, the lake where deer, bison and elephants come to drink (sightings cannot be promised)
- 2Choose a guided nature walk in the reserve if a slot is open
- 3Spend the afternoon at leisure in Kumily
- 4Optional bamboo rafting or a tribal hamlet visit, subject to availability and forest-department booking
- Hill road into Tamil Nadu
Down to Madurai airport
- 1Breakfast at the hotel
- 2Drive east out of the hills to Madurai airport in Tamil Nadu, roughly 150 km
- 3Allow a flight time of midday or later
Indicative — varies with season and hotel category.
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Trip Facts
Local Activities & Events
Updated Oct 23, 2026Munnar — Days 3-5 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 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.
Bekal International Beach Festival
culturalBeach festival at Bekal in Kasaragod district with music, dance and arts; the state calendar lists it for December to January.
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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