Kerala 5 Days Itinerary: Munnar, Thekkady & Alleppey
Standard Package

Kerala 5 Days Itinerary: Munnar, Thekkady & Alleppey

2 nights in Munnar, Periyar wildlife in Thekkady and an Alleppey backwater resort. 5 days, round trip from Kochi.

⌖ Kerala, India ✦ Family & senior friendly planning
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DestinationKerala
Travel styleStandard Package

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Your holiday

A thoughtfully planned holiday experience.

The classic first trip to Kerala in five easy days. Two nights in Munnar's tea hills with Eravikulam National Park, a boat ride in the Periyar Tiger Reserve at Thekkady, and a night at a lakeside resort on the Alleppey backwaters. No drive longer than about four hours, round trip from Kochi, with a private car and driver throughout.

Good to know

Package typeStandard Package
Planning supportSmall changes by enquiry
Best forFamilies, couples & seniors
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Trip highlights
✦ Kochi to Munnar – Waterfalls and Tea Country
✦ Munnar Sightseeing
✦ Munnar to Thekkady – Periyar Wildlife
✦ Thekkady to Alleppey – The Backwaters
✦ Alleppey to Kochi – Fort Kochi and Departure
Day-wise plan

Your itinerary, day by day.

Day 1
Kochi to Munnar – Waterfalls and Tea Country

Kochi to Munnar – Waterfalls and Tea Country

⌖ Munnar

Your driver meets you at Kochi airport or railway station, and you head east into the Western Ghats. As the road climbs, the plains give way to rubber and cardamom, then to tea. Stop at Cheeyappara and Valara waterfalls, which tumble right beside the highway, and walk through a spice garden to see pepper, cardamom and cinnamon growing. You reach Munnar by mid-afternoon; the rest of the day is yours to settle in and enjoy the cool air.

Drive: about 4 hours · Overnight: Munnar

Day 2
Munnar Sightseeing

Munnar Sightseeing

⌖ Munnar 🍽 Meals: Breakfast

Start at 9 am at Eravikulam National Park, where a park bus takes you up the slopes to see the Nilgiri tahr, a mountain goat found only in these hills, with Anamudi, South India's highest peak, behind it. Next is the Tea Museum, which shows how leaf becomes tea, with a tasting at the end. After lunch, drive out to Mattupetty Dam, shout across the water at Echo Point, and stop at Kundala Lake for a pedal boat. End the day at Pothamedu viewpoint or the Botanical Garden as the light softens over the estates. Learn more on our Munnar tour packages page.

Overnight: Munnar

Day 3
Munnar to Thekkady – Periyar Wildlife

Munnar to Thekkady – Periyar Wildlife

Leave Munnar around 9 am for a scenic 3–4 hour drive through cardamom hills to Thekkady. The afternoon is the highlight of any Thekkady tour package: a boat ride on Periyar Lake inside the Periyar Tiger Reserve, watching for elephants, gaur (Indian bison), sambar deer and kingfishers along the shore. In the evening, choose a Kathakali performance, a Kalaripayattu martial-arts show, a spice plantation walk or an Ayurvedic massage. See more in our guide to Thekkady tourist places.

Drive: 3–4 hours · Overnight: Thekkady

Day 4
Thekkady to Alleppey – The Backwaters

Thekkady to Alleppey – The Backwaters

After breakfast, drive down from the hills to Alleppey (Alappuzha), about four hours away. Check in to a resort beside the backwaters and spend the afternoon by the pool or on the lawn watching the boats go by. In the evening, walk on Alleppey Beach, or add a two-hour shikara ride through the narrow canals for village life up close. Want a night on the water instead? Swap the resort for a private houseboat; see our Alleppey houseboat packages.

Drive: about 4 hours · Overnight: Alleppey

Day 5
Alleppey to Kochi – Fort Kochi and Departure

Alleppey to Kochi – Fort Kochi and Departure

Enjoy a slow morning by the water, then drive about two hours to Kochi. If your flight or train leaves in the evening, spend the afternoon in Fort Kochi: the Chinese fishing nets, St Francis Church, Santa Cruz Basilica, Mattancherry Palace and the spice shops of Jew Town. Your driver drops you at Kochi airport or the railway station. Plan your stop with our Fort Kochi tourist places guide.

Drive: about 2 hours

Hotel confirmation

Hotel names will be provided after booking, subject to availability and confirmation. We do not hold hotel confirmations before booking.

Inclusions

  1. 4 nights in hotels or resorts of your chosen category (2 in Munnar, 1 in Thekkady, 1 in Alleppey), with daily breakfast
  2. A private sedan, SUV or tempo traveller with an English- or Hindi-speaking driver for all 5 days, including fuel, tolls, parking and driver allowance
  3. Pickup and drop at Kochi airport or railway station
  4. All sightseeing and transfers listed in the itinerary

Exclusions

Flights or trains, entry tickets (Eravikulam National Park, Tea Museum, Periyar boating), cultural shows, lunches and dinners, shikara or houseboat upgrades, and personal expenses.

Important Terms

These terms apply to every Kerala tour package booked with Dreamland Vacations LLP ("we", "us"). By paying the advance, you ("the guest") accept them on behalf of everyone named in the booking.

1. Quotes and availability

1.1 Quotes are valid for 3 days and are subject to availability until the booking is confirmed. Hotel and houseboat prices change often, especially for December and January travel.

1.2 Hotels named in a quote are our first choice. If one is unavailable when you book, we'll offer a hotel of the same category and tell you before confirming.

2. Booking and payment

2.1 Once we confirm availability, pay 50% of the total package cost to confirm your booking. Your booking is confirmed only when we have received this payment and sent you a written confirmation with hotel names.

2.2 Full payment is due 30 days before your travel date. If it is not received by then, we may treat the booking as cancelled by you, and the charges in section 4 apply.

2.3 For bookings made within 30 days of the travel date, full payment is due at booking.

2.4 We accept payment by bank transfer, UPI or our online payment link. Payment-gateway charges, where applicable, are shown before you pay and are not refundable.

3. Prices

3.1 Prices are per person, based on two adults sharing a room, unless the quote says otherwise. GST is charged extra at the rate applicable on the invoice date.

3.2 Child rates apply to children aged 5 to 11 sharing their parents' room. Children under 5 travel free without an extra bed, subject to hotel policy.

3.3 Hotels add compulsory gala-dinner charges for 24 and 31 December. These are not included unless the quote says so and are payable at the time of booking.

3.4 Once confirmed, the package price is fixed, except for changes in government taxes, park fees or fuel surcharges imposed after booking.

Cancellation by you

4.1 Cancellations must be sent by email to info@dreamlandvacations.com. The charges below are counted from the day we receive your email, in Indian time.

4.2 Bookings for travel between 20 December and 5 January, and any hotel, resort or houseboat we have told you is non-refundable, cannot be refunded once confirmed, whatever the cancellation date.

4.3 Flights and train tickets booked through us follow the airline's or railway's own cancellation rules, plus our service fee of Rs 500 per ticket.

4.4 GST and payment-gateway charges already paid are not refundable.

4.5 We recommend travel insurance that covers cancellation, as these charges apply whatever the reason for cancelling, including illness.

5. Changes by you

5.1 One change of travel dates is free if requested 31 or more days before the original arrival date, provided the new dates are within the same season and the hotels are available. You pay any difference in price.

5.2 Date changes requested within 30 days of arrival are treated as a cancellation and a new booking.

5.3 Other changes, such as upgrading a hotel, adding a night or adding a houseboat, are possible at any time, subject to availability and the price difference.

5.4 Changing the name of a traveller is free up to 7 days before arrival.

6. Refunds

6.1 Refunds are made to the original payment method within 21 working days of the cancellation, after deducting the charges in section 4.

6.2 There is no refund for any service you don't use once the tour has started, including meals, sightseeing, a missed houseboat check-in or leaving early. If you leave early, we'll try to cancel later bookings and pass on whatever the hotels or suppliers refund to us.

7. Changes by us

7.1 If we must change a confirmed hotel, we'll replace it with one of the same or a higher category at no extra cost, and tell you as soon as we know.

7.2 If we have to cancel your tour for any reason other than those in section 8, you can choose a full refund of what you have paid or a different tour of equal value.

8. Events beyond our control

8.1 Heavy rain, landslides, floods, strikes and hartals, road closures, government orders, park closures and similar events can disrupt travel in Kerala, especially in the hills during the monsoon.

8.2 If such an event affects your tour, we'll arrange the best available alternative, such as a different route, hotel or sightseeing. Any extra costs are payable by you, and we'll refund only what the hotels and suppliers refund to us for services not used.

8.3 Houseboat cruising may be shortened or stopped in bad weather or under local regulations. Periyar boating and Eravikulam National Park can close without notice. These are not grounds for a refund of the package.

9. Our responsibility

9.1 We arrange hotels, houseboats, transport and sightseeing through independent suppliers. We take care to choose them well, but we are not responsible for loss, injury, damage, delay or illness caused by their acts or omissions, or by you.

9.2 Please look after your own belongings. We're not responsible for lost or stolen items.

9.3 Wildlife sightings, weather and views cannot be guaranteed.

10. Travel notes

10.1 Every guest must carry a valid government photo ID (Aadhaar, passport, driving licence or voter ID). Foreign nationals need a valid passport and Indian visa. Hotels may refuse check-in without ID.

10.2 Hotel check-in is usually 2 pm and check-out 11 am or 12 noon. Early check-in and late check-out depend on availability and may be charged.

10.3 The vehicle is for the itinerary as booked. Drives beyond it, or after 8 pm, may cost extra. Drivers may switch off the air-conditioning on steep hill roads.

10.4 Houseboats moor for the night at a fixed time under local rules. Air-conditioning on Deluxe boats usually runs at night only.

10.5 Behaviour that endangers others or breaks the law may lead to the tour being ended without refund.

Good to Know

  1. Eravikulam National Park closes for a few weeks each year, usually in February and March, for the Nilgiri tahr calving season. On those dates we replace it with Top Station or extra time at the tea estates.
  2. The Tea Museum is closed on Mondays, and Mattancherry Palace on Fridays. The Paradesi Synagogue in Jew Town is closed on Fridays and Saturdays.
  3. Periyar boat tickets sell out in peak season and on weekends. We book them for you in advance.
  4. Hill roads to Munnar and Thekkady are winding. Carry motion-sickness tablets if anyone in your group needs them.
  5. Fly in early if you can. A morning arrival at Kochi gives you daylight for the waterfalls on Day 1.


Best Time for This Itinerary

September to March is ideal: green hills, little rain and cool evenings in Munnar. December and January are the busiest and most expensive months, so book early. April and May are hot on the coast but pleasant in Munnar and Thekkady, and the monsoon months (June to September) are lush and quiet, with the waterfalls at their best. See our month-by-month guide to the best time to visit Kerala.

Make It Your Own

This is the route we suggest most often, but every part of it can change:

  1. Add a houseboat night: swap the Alleppey resort for a private houseboat, or add one extra night on the water.
  2. Stay longer: add a night in Munnar or Thekkady, or extend into our Kerala 7 Days Itinerary.
  3. Upgrade the hotels: choose 3-star, 4-star or 5-star, city by city.
  4. Travelling with family? We'll pick hotels with pools and family rooms. See our Kerala family tour packages.

Get a free quote for this itinerary

More Kerala Itineraries

  1. Kerala 4 Days Itinerary: Munnar & Houseboat: one day shorter, with a night on the backwaters
  2. Houseboat, Thekkady & Munnar (5 days): the same places in reverse, starting on a houseboat
  3. Kerala 6 Days Itinerary: three nights in Munnar plus Thekkady and a houseboat
  4. Kerala 7 Days Itinerary: this route at a slower pace, with a houseboat night

See all our Kerala tour packages.

Get a free quote for this itinerary

Frequently Asked Questions

Is 5 days enough for Kerala?
Yes, for a first visit. Five days covers Munnar's hills, Thekkady's wildlife and Alleppey's backwaters without rushing, because no drive is longer than about four hours. With six or seven days you can add a houseboat night or slow the pace further.
Can I add a houseboat night to this itinerary?
Yes. The simplest change is to replace the Alleppey resort night with a private houseboat. You board around noon, cruise the backwaters until evening, and sleep moored on the water, with lunch, dinner and breakfast cooked on board.
Should I start with Munnar or with the houseboat?
Starting with Munnar suits most travellers, because the hill drive is easier on day one and you finish relaxing by the water. If your flight lands in Kochi before 8 am and you want the houseboat first, choose our Houseboat, Thekkady and Munnar itinerary instead.
Is this itinerary good for children and senior travellers?
Yes. Drives are short, every day has rest time, and we can choose hotels with pools, family rooms or ground-floor rooms. Eravikulam involves some uphill walking, which we can shorten for older travellers.
What should I pack for a 5-day Kerala trip?
Light cotton clothes, a sweater or light jacket for Munnar evenings, comfortable walking shoes, sunscreen and an umbrella if you travel between June and September. Carry clothes that cover shoulders and knees for temples and churches.
Can this trip start or end somewhere other than Kochi?
It can start or end in Trivandrum, but that adds about four to five hours of driving each way. Kochi is the most convenient airport for this route.
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