Cochin, Munnar, Thekkady & Alleppey Package with Athirapilly – 6 Days

Your Kerala journey begins with the most spectacular waterfall in the state. Your driver meets you at Kochi airport or Ernakulam railway station and drives about two hours north-east to Athirapilly, through the green farmland and small towns of central Kerala, past paddy fields, coconut groves, nutmeg and rubber plantations, and into the foothills of the Western Ghats, where the forest thickens and the air turns cooler and fresher.

Here the Chalakudy River drops about 24 metres over a wide rock face into the forest below, often called the Niagara of India. You hear the falls long before you see them, a deep, steady roar that grows louder as you walk along the path from the entrance. Then, suddenly, the view opens up: a broad curtain of white water pouring over a black rock ledge, framed by thick green forest, with clouds of spray rising from the pool below and rainbows dancing in the mist on sunny afternoons. In the monsoon and the months just after, from June to December, the falls are at their most powerful, spreading across the whole rock face; in the dry season, the river divides into several separate streams, still beautiful as they tumble over the rocks.

Walk down the path towards the base for the full force of the falls. The path winds down through the forest, with steps in places, and takes about fifteen minutes each way. At the bottom, you can stand on the rocks near the pool and look up at the full height of the falls, with the spray cooling your face and the thunder of the water filling the air. It's a breathtaking sight, and it's easy to see why filmmakers love it: the falls have appeared in many Indian films, including the famous waterfall scenes in Baahubali.

Then drive a few kilometres upstream to the Vazhachal falls, which tumble over a series of rocks. Vazhachal is gentler and wider than Athirapilly, a broad, sloping cascade where the river rushes and foams over wide shelves of rock, surrounded by forest. It's a peaceful place to sit and watch the water, and the forest around it is alive with birds. On the way, look out for the small Charpa falls, which tumble right beside the road during and after the monsoon.

The forests around Athirapilly, part of the Vazhachal forest division, are among the richest in Kerala. They're home to elephants, sambar deer, lion-tailed macaques, Nilgiri langurs and all four species of hornbill found in South India, including the great hornbill, with its enormous yellow casque, and birdwatchers come from far and wide to see them. The Chalakudy River is also home to many fish found nowhere else, and the Kadar people, a forest community who have lived here for centuries, still gather honey and forest produce in the hills.

The falls close to visitors in the late afternoon, so you return to Kochi for the night. As you drive back, the light softens over the paddy fields and palms, and you reach your hotel in time to relax and enjoy dinner. Kochi is Kerala's largest city, a lively mix of old and new, and if you have energy, a stroll along Marine Drive, Ernakulam's waterfront promenade, is a pleasant way to spend the evening, with views across the harbour as the lights come on.

Athirapilly is also part of the cultural heartland of Kerala. The district you're in, Thrissur, is known as the cultural capital of the state, home to the Kerala Kalamandalam, the famous academy of Kathakali and other classical arts, and to the Thrissur Pooram, a spectacular temple festival held every April or May, when dozens of elephants decked in golden headdresses parade before huge crowds to the thunder of drums and fireworks.

If you're visiting during or just after the monsoon, the drive itself is beautiful, with the paddy fields flooded and bright green and every stream running full. In the dry months, the forest is quieter and it's easier to walk down to the base of the falls. Whenever you come, Athirapilly is one of the great natural sights of South India, and a dramatic start to your Kerala holiday.

Get a good night's rest in Kochi: tomorrow you head up into the hills, and the first tea gardens of Munnar are only a few hours away.

Welcome to Kerala; your adventure has begun.

Included today: pick-up at Kochi airport or railway station, private car to Athirapilly and Vazhachal falls and back to Kochi, hotel in Kochi.

Good to know: about 4 hours of driving in total. Entry tickets at the falls are paid locally, and the falls usually close around 5 PM. The path to the base can be slippery, so wear shoes with a good grip; swimming isn't allowed. Breakfast on arrival day isn't included.

After breakfast, head east into the Western Ghats, past rubber plantations and cardamom forest. Today you travel from the coast to the cool, misty tea country of Munnar, a journey of about four hours that takes you through all the landscapes of central Kerala.

Leaving Kochi, you pass through the green countryside of Ernakulam district, with its houses set among coconut palms, banana groves and jackfruit trees, its churches and temples, and its busy little towns where tea shops and bakeries line the road. Kerala's bakeries are famous, so stop for a slice of plum cake or a crisp banana chip, or a glass of sweet milky tea at a roadside stall. As the road begins to climb, the rubber plantations appear, their tall, straight trees planted in shady rows, each with a spiral cut in its bark and a small cup beneath to catch the milky latex. You cross the Periyar River at Neriamangalam on a graceful old stone bridge, and then the road winds steeply up into the hills, through cardamom and pepper plantations shaded by tall forest trees.

Stop at the Cheeyappara and Valara waterfalls beside the road. Cheeyappara cascades down a rocky hillside in seven steps, white water against dark stone and green forest, while Valara, a little further on, plunges into a deep, wooded gorge. After seeing Athirapilly yesterday, these smaller falls are a lovely contrast, tumbling right beside the highway. Then stop at a spice garden, where a guide shows you black pepper, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, vanilla and coffee growing, and explains how Kerala's spices drew traders from across the ancient world to this coast.

Then watch the tea estates appear as you climb towards Munnar. The hills are covered from top to bottom with tea bushes, trimmed into soft, rounded rows that follow every curve of the land, with silver oaks standing above them for shade and narrow paths winding between. Tea pickers move slowly along the rows, plucking the tender young leaves by hand. It's one of the most beautiful working landscapes in the world.

Check in by mid-afternoon and enjoy the cool air. Munnar sits about 1,600 metres above sea level, where three mountain streams meet, and its name means "three rivers" in Malayalam. British planters developed it in the late 19th century as the heart of a great tea-growing region, and it's been a favourite hill station ever since. Relax on your balcony with a cup of fresh Munnar tea, wrap up warm as the evening cools, and watch the mist settle into the valleys as the light fades.

The estates around Munnar are home to thousands of families, many of them descended from workers who came from Tamil Nadu generations ago, so in the town you'll hear Tamil and Malayalam spoken side by side, and see Hindu temples, churches and mosques close together. Most of the estates are now run by a company in which the workers themselves are shareholders.

Munnar's history is full of interesting stories. In the 1870s, a British planter named John Daniel Munro leased these hills from the local ruler and began clearing the forest, and tea was soon planted across the slopes. In the early 20th century, a narrow-gauge railway and a ropeway carried tea down from the estates, until a great flood in 1924 swept them away; a few traces of the old line can still be seen near Kundala.

If you'd like to go out in the evening, Munnar town has a small market and shops selling tea, spices, homemade chocolates and warm shawls, and simple restaurants serving Kerala and North Indian food. Try a plate of Malabar parotta with a spicy curry, or appam with vegetable stew. Otherwise, enjoy a quiet dinner at your hotel; many hotels light a fire on cool evenings.

If you wake early tomorrow, step out onto your balcony at dawn: the valleys are often filled with a sea of white mist, with the tops of the hills rising above it like islands, glowing gold as the sun rises.

The drive also gives you a lively picture of everyday Kerala: schoolchildren in smart uniforms, women in colourful saris on their way to market, men in white mundus chatting outside tea shops, and brightly painted buses racing along the roads. Kerala is one of the most literate states in India, and you'll see small libraries and reading rooms even in little villages.

Tomorrow is a full day of sightseeing, so rest well in the cool mountain air.

Included today: private car from Kochi to Munnar with stops at Cheeyappara and Valara waterfalls and a spice garden, hotel in Munnar, breakfast.

Good to know: drive about 4 hours. Lunch is at your own cost. Evenings in Munnar can be cold from November to February, so pack a warm layer.

Start at Eravikulam National Park when it opens at 9 AM and take the park bus up to the grasslands, home of the Nilgiri tahr. The park protects the high plateau around Anamudi, the highest peak in South India, a landscape of rolling grassland dotted with small, dense patches of shola forest found almost nowhere else on earth. The Nilgiri tahr, a sturdy mountain goat with short curved horns and a thick brown coat, lives only in the Western Ghats, and Eravikulam is its most important home. Once hunted almost to extinction, the tahr have recovered under protection, and today they graze calmly beside the walking path, often just a few metres away, while the young ones play on the rocks.

The walk along the path is easy and the views are magnificent, across rolling green hills and deep valleys, with waterfalls ribboning down the cliffs after the rains and clouds drifting past below you. The park is also famous for the Neelakurinji, a shrub that flowers only once every twelve years, turning the hillsides a soft blue-purple; the next great flowering is expected around 2030.

Visit the Tea Museum to see how tea is processed and taste a fresh cup. Set in an old factory, the museum tells the story of Munnar's tea from the 1880s, when the first planters cleared the forests, through photographs, documents and old machines, including a stone sundial and early tea rollers. You'll watch fresh leaves being withered, rolled, oxidised, dried and graded, and then taste the finished tea. The shop is the best place to buy fresh tea to take home.

In the afternoon, drive the Mattupetty road to Mattupetty Dam, Echo Point and Kundala Lake, stopping at viewpoints over the estates. Mattupetty Dam holds back a long, calm lake in a fold of the hills, where wild elephants sometimes come down to drink, and the Indo-Swiss dairy farm nearby keeps herds of cattle on the slopes. At Echo Point, shout across the water and hear your voice return from the hills. Kundala Lake, ringed by eucalyptus and tea, is a peaceful place for a pedal-boat or bamboo-raft ride, with the hills reflected in the still water.

Finish the day at a viewpoint over the estates as the light softens, when the low sun picks out every row of tea and the shadows of the silver oaks stretch across the slopes. It's the perfect time for photographs, and many travellers say it's their favourite moment in Munnar.

If you have more time, Munnar has plenty more to explore. Top Station, about an hour's drive away on the border with Tamil Nadu, is the highest point on the road and offers dramatic views down to the plains, often over a sea of clouds. Pothamedu viewpoint looks over tea, coffee and cardamom estates, and the Blossom Park and Botanical Garden are pretty places for a stroll. Munnar's homemade chocolate shops sell bars and truffles flavoured with cardamom, pepper and coffee, which make lovely gifts.

The weather in Munnar can change quickly, from bright sunshine to drifting mist within an hour, and light showers are common after the monsoon. Carry a light jacket and an umbrella, and wear comfortable shoes for the walk at Eravikulam. The mist often makes for the most beautiful photographs, as the tea gardens fade softly into the clouds.

In the evening, enjoy dinner at your hotel. Kerala's hill food is warming and delicious: try kappa, boiled tapioca, with a spicy fish curry, or a bowl of hot soup by the fire, followed by a cup of strong, sweet tea. Tomorrow you head south to the forests of Thekkady, so enjoy your last night in the tea hills.

Kundala Lake is also known for its cherry trees, which bloom pink along the banks in spring, and for the Kundala Dam, said to be one of the first arch dams in Asia. Nearby, the Kundala Valley once had a narrow-gauge railway that carried tea from the estates. On the way back to town, ask your driver to stop at one of the quieter viewpoints, where you can walk a little way among the tea bushes and look out over the valleys in silence.

Then return to your hotel for a relaxed evening. Munnar's evenings are quiet and peaceful, and there's no better way to end the day than with a cup of tea on your balcony, watching the last light fade over the hills.

Keep a little cash handy for entry tickets and boating, as some places don't accept cards.

Included today: Munnar sightseeing by private car, breakfast.

Good to know: Eravikulam usually closes for a few weeks early in the year for the tahr's calving season; entry tickets are paid locally. The Tea Museum is closed on Mondays. See our Munnar tour packages for more ideas.

Drive three to four hours through cardamom plantations to Thekkady. The road winds south through the Cardamom Hills, past small towns such as Pooppara and Nedumkandam, spice estates and patches of forest, with views across the ranges of the Western Ghats at every turn. You'll see farmers spreading green cardamom pods to dry on mats outside their homes, and roadside shrines decorated with marigolds.

Thekkady lies on the edge of the Periyar Tiger Reserve, on the border of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The reserve is one of the best-protected in India, home to elephants, gaur, sambar deer, wild boar, otters, lion-tailed macaques, Nilgiri langurs, more than 300 species of birds and a small population of tigers.

In the afternoon, take the boat ride on Periyar Lake, looking for elephants, gaur and sambar deer along the shore. The lake was created in 1895, when the Mullaperiyar Dam was built across the Periyar River, and the trunks of trees drowned by the rising water still stand in the lake, bare and silvery, where cormorants and darters perch to dry their wings. As the boat glides along, the forest rises steeply on both sides, and grassy clearings along the shore draw animals down to drink. Herds of elephants, wading and bathing in the shallows with their calves, are the highlight for most visitors.

In the evening, choose Kathakali, Kalaripayattu or a guided spice plantation walk. Kathakali is Kerala's spectacular classical dance-drama, telling stories from the Ramayana and Mahabharata through dance and expressive eye and hand movements, with performers in vivid make-up and elaborate costumes. Kalaripayattu, one of the oldest martial arts in the world, is a thrilling display of leaps, kicks, sword fights and acrobatics by firelight. A plantation walk shows you how cardamom, pepper, coffee and vanilla grow, and the spice shops of Kumily, next door, are the best place in Kerala to buy them.

If you'd like to explore the forest more closely, the reserve offers eco-tourism activities led by guides from local tribal communities, who know the jungle intimately: guided nature walks, bamboo rafting on the lake and longer treks. These have limited places and must be booked in advance through the forest department, so tell us if you'd like one.

The forests of Periyar are wonderful for birdwatching, with more than 300 species recorded. Look out for the great hornbill, the Malabar grey hornbill, the brilliant Malabar trogon and the racket-tailed drongo, which can mimic the calls of other birds. Butterflies are everywhere too, including the southern birdwing, India's largest.

The Mullaperiyar Dam, which created the lake, has its own story. It was built by the British engineer Colonel John Pennycuick to send the waters of the Periyar east across the mountains to the dry farmland of southern Tamil Nadu, and the story goes that when funds ran short, he sold his own family's property in England to finish the work. In the villages that still depend on its water, he is remembered as a hero.

Thekkady is also one of the best places in Kerala to try Ayurveda, India's ancient system of natural medicine. Many hotels have spas offering traditional massages with warm herbal oils, the perfect way to relax after a day on the road. As night falls, the forest comes alive with the sounds of insects and frogs, and the air is cool and fragrant with spices.

The drive from Munnar to Thekkady is one of the most beautiful in Kerala, and it's worth taking slowly. Ask your driver to stop at a cardamom estate, where you can see how the pods are picked by hand, dried in heated sheds and graded by size and colour; the best cardamom, bright green and fragrant, is among the most expensive spices in the world.

Kumily's spice shops are well worth a visit in the evening. They sell fresh cardamom, black pepper, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla pods, tea and coffee from the surrounding plantations, as well as Ayurvedic oils, handmade soaps and Kerala handicrafts, and prices are fair. It's the best place on your trip to stock up on spices to take home.

Thekkady sits at around 900 metres above sea level, so it's warmer than Munnar but much cooler than the coast, and the evenings are pleasant for sitting outdoors. Enjoy dinner at your hotel; many Thekkady restaurants serve dishes from both Kerala and Tamil Nadu, from Kerala fish curry and appam to Tamil-style dosas and Chettinad chicken, reflecting the town's position on the border.

Keep a little cash handy for the boat ride, shows and spice shopping too.

Welcome to the forests of Periyar.

Included today: private car from Munnar to Thekkady, hotel in Thekkady, breakfast.

Good to know: drive 3–4 hours. The boat ride, shows and plantation walk are optional and paid locally. Read our guide to Thekkady tourist places.

Leave Thekkady at 8 AM for the four-hour drive to Alleppey, now officially called Alappuzha, and board your private houseboat between noon and 1 PM. The road descends from the spice hills through rubber plantations and small towns to the green lowlands of Kuttanad, where the backwaters begin.

Your houseboat, a kettuvallam, is built in the traditional style from wood and coir, with a curved roof of woven bamboo and palm leaves, a bedroom with an attached bathroom, a sitting area and an open deck. These boats once carried rice and spices along the backwaters to the port of Kochi; today they're floating holiday homes, each with its own crew.

Spend the afternoon cruising past paddy fields, coconut palms and village life, while the crew cooks a Kerala lunch on board. The backwaters are a vast network of lakes, canals and rivers running parallel to the coast, and life here revolves around the water: children go to school by ferry, villagers paddle canoes loaded with coconuts, women wash clothes on stone steps, and ducks are herded along the canals. Lunch is a feast of rice, fish curry, fried fish, vegetable thoran, sambar and pappadam, served on deck.

The boat moors for the night at about 5:30 PM, and dinner is served on deck. Watch the sun set over the paddy fields, the sky turning gold and pink and the palms standing dark against it, and then enjoy the peace of the backwaters at night, with only the sounds of frogs, crickets and lapping water.

Kuttanad, the region you cruise through, is one of the most remarkable farming landscapes in the world. Much of it lies one to two metres below sea level, and farmers grow rice here in fields reclaimed from Vembanad Lake, the largest lake in Kerala, protected by earthen dykes and drained by pumps, a system recognised by the United Nations as a globally important agricultural heritage. Depending on the season, the paddy fields are flooded and freshly planted, bright green with young rice, or golden and ready for harvest.

The backwaters are also wonderful for birdwatching. Look out for kingfishers flashing blue and orange along the banks, darters with their long snake-like necks, purple herons standing still in the reeds, little cormorants drying their wings on posts, and Brahminy kites circling overhead. In the evening, flocks of egrets fly in to roost in the trees, filling the sky with white.

In the late afternoon, enjoy tea and banana fritters on deck. If you'd like, your crew can stop at a village so you can stretch your legs along the narrow paths between the paddy fields, or buy fresh fish, prawns or crab from local fishermen to cook for dinner, at a small extra cost. Let your cook know if you're vegetarian or prefer milder food.

Alleppey is also famous for its snake boat races, held during the monsoon, especially the Nehru Trophy Boat Race every August on Punnamada Lake, when long wooden boats, each rowed by around a hundred oarsmen singing traditional boat songs, race across the water before huge crowds. After dinner, sit out under the stars; with few lights around, the night sky over the backwaters is beautiful.

Houseboats in Alleppey come in many sizes and styles, from simple deluxe boats to premium and luxury boats with glass-walled bedrooms and upper decks. All have a private bedroom, a bathroom, a sitting area and an open deck, and a crew of two or three, including a cook, who look after everything.

As the boat drifts along, notice the little details of backwater life: the narrow wooden canoes carrying schoolchildren, the floating shops selling groceries, the churches with tall white facades rising above the palms, and the toddy shops where palm wine, tapped fresh from the coconut trees each morning, is sold. Many families here have lived beside the water for generations, and their lives follow the rhythm of the seasons, the rains and the rice harvest. For many travellers, this night on the water is the highlight of their whole Kerala trip.

Wake early tomorrow if you can: dawn on the backwaters, with mist on the water and the villages slowly coming to life, is one of the most beautiful moments of the trip. Keep valuables and phones safely inside the cabin when you're not using them, and carry sunscreen and a hat for the deck, as the afternoon sun on the water can be strong.

Enjoy the peace of the water and the simple pleasure of doing nothing at all.

Welcome aboard, and enjoy the backwaters.

Sit back, relax and let Kerala drift by.

Included today: private car from Thekkady to Alleppey, private houseboat with lunch, dinner and breakfast on board.

Good to know: drive about 4 hours. Bedrooms are air-conditioned at night. Compare boats on our Alleppey houseboat packages page.

After a short morning cruise and breakfast, leave the boat by 9 AM and take a walk on Alleppey Beach before the two-hour drive to Kochi. With an evening flight, there's time for Fort Kochi: the Chinese fishing nets, St Francis Church and the spice shops of Jew Town. Your driver drops you at Kochi airport or the railway station.

Wake early if you can: dawn on the backwaters is magical, with mist hanging over the paddy fields, fishermen paddling out in their canoes and the villages slowly coming to life. The boat sets off on a short cruise while breakfast is served on deck, perhaps appam with vegetable stew or puttu with a curry of black chickpeas.

Alleppey Beach is a long, golden stretch of sand lined with palms, with the ruins of an old 19th-century pier reaching out into the sea from the days when Alleppey was a busy port, and a red-and-white striped lighthouse nearby that you can climb for a view over the town and the coast.

Fort Kochi was one of the great spice ports of the world. After a great flood in 1341 opened its natural harbour, Kochi became the most important port on the Malabar coast, and Arab, Chinese, Jewish, Portuguese, Dutch and British traders all left their mark. The Chinese fishing nets, huge frames of wood and rope worked by teams of fishermen, are its most famous sight. St Francis Church, built in the early 16th century, is one of the oldest European churches in India, where Vasco da Gama was first buried in 1524. In Jew Town, the old spice warehouses fill the air with the scent of ginger, pepper and cardamom, and nearby, Mattancherry Palace has superb murals and the Paradesi Synagogue, built in 1568, has a floor of hand-painted Chinese tiles.

Fort Kochi is also a lovely place for a last Kerala meal: try fish moilee cooked in coconut milk, karimeen pollichathu wrapped in a banana leaf, or appam with chicken stew, and finish with a sweet payasam. Before you leave, pick up a few souvenirs: spices and tea from Jew Town, a handloom mundu or sari with a golden border, a brass lamp or a carved wooden elephant. Pack spices and tea safely in your checked luggage.

As you head to the airport, look back on your journey: the thundering falls of Athirapilly and Vazhachal, the waterfalls and spice gardens on the road to the hills, the Nilgiri tahr and tea gardens of Munnar, the elephants of Periyar and a peaceful night on the backwaters. Six days is a wonderful amount of time to see Kerala's variety, and we hope you'll return to discover more, perhaps the beaches of Kovalam and Varkala or the temple town of Guruvayur.

Kochi airport is known around the world as the first airport to run entirely on solar power. Allow plenty of time to get there, as traffic can be heavy in the evening, and keep a little cash handy for parking, entry tickets and small purchases. Remember your driver too: a small tip at the end of the trip is customary and much appreciated. Thank you for travelling with Dreamland Vacations, and safe travels home.

Fort Kochi is also lovely simply to wander. Its quiet streets are lined with old Portuguese and Dutch houses with tiled roofs and wooden shutters, many now turned into boutique hotels, art galleries and cafés, and the walls are bright with street art. The Santa Cruz Basilica, with its twin white spires and painted interior, is one of the most beautiful churches in India, and the waterfront promenade is perfect for a late-afternoon stroll, as families gather to watch the ships glide in and out of the harbour.

If your flight is early, simply relax over breakfast on the boat and drive straight to the airport; Fort Kochi will be waiting for your next visit. Either way, allow plenty of time for the journey, as traffic around Kochi can be heavy, and keep your ID and tickets handy.

Before you leave Alleppey, take a last look at the backwaters, with their palms, canals and paddy fields shining in the morning light; many travellers say it's the image of Kerala they carry home with them. We hope you go home rested and happy, with a camera full of photographs and many stories to share.

If you've enjoyed your houseboat night, a small tip for the crew, who cooked and cared for you on board, is customary and always appreciated.

Included today: morning cruise and breakfast on the houseboat, private car to Kochi, Fort Kochi if time allows, drop at Kochi airport or railway station.

Good to know: drive about 2 hours. Book a flight that leaves at least 3 hours after you reach the airport. See our Fort Kochi tourist places guide.