Kerala 7 Days Itinerary: Munnar, Thekkady & Houseboat
Standard Package

Kerala 7 Days Itinerary: Munnar, Thekkady & Houseboat

2 nights in Munnar, 2 in Thekkady, an Alleppey resort and a houseboat night. A relaxed 7 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.

Kerala at an unhurried pace. Spend two nights in Munnar’s tea hills and two in Thekkady, with a free day for a forest trek, bamboo rafting or Gavi, then slow down at a lakeside resort in Alleppey before a night on a private houseboat. Short drives, 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 – Into the Tea Hills
✦ Munnar Sightseeing – Eravikulam and the Tea Museum
✦ Munnar to Thekkady – Periyar Lake
✦ Thekkady – A Free Day in the Forest
✦ Thekkady to Alleppey – A Backwater Resort
✦ A Night on an Alleppey Houseboat
Day-wise plan

Your itinerary, day by day.

Day 1
Kochi to Munnar – Into the Tea Hills

Kochi to Munnar – Into the Tea Hills

⌖ Munnar

Your driver picks you up at Kochi airport or railway station for the drive east into the Western Ghats. Within a couple of hours the road begins to climb through rubber and cardamom plantations. Break the journey at Cheeyappara and Valara, two waterfalls right beside the highway, and at a spice garden where you can see pepper vines and cardamom up close. The first tea estates appear by mid-afternoon, and you check in at Munnar with the evening free.

Drive: about 4 hours · Overnight: Munnar

Day 2
Munnar Sightseeing – Eravikulam and the Tea Museum

Munnar Sightseeing – Eravikulam and the Tea Museum

⌖ Munnar 🍽 Meals: Breakfast

Go to Eravikulam National Park early, around 9 am, before the queues build. A park bus takes you up the hillside, where the Nilgiri tahr, a mountain goat found only in these hills, often grazes close to the path. Next, the Tea Museum shows how fresh leaf becomes the tea in your cup, with a tasting at the end. In the afternoon, follow the Mattupetty road to Mattupetty Dam, Echo Point and Kundala Lake, stopping at viewpoints over the estates. Want another day in the hills? See our Munnar tour packages.

Overnight: Munnar

Day 3
Munnar to Thekkady – Periyar Lake

Munnar to Thekkady – Periyar Lake

⌖ Thekkady 🍽 Meals: Breakfast

A 3–4 hour drive south through cardamom country brings you to Thekkady, on the edge of the Periyar Tiger Reserve. In the afternoon, take the boat ride on Periyar Lake, where elephants, gaur (Indian bison) and sambar deer often come down to the water's edge. In the evening, watch a Kathakali dance-drama or a Kalaripayattu martial-arts show, or book an Ayurvedic massage.

Drive: 3–4 hours · Overnight: Thekkady

Day 4
Thekkady – A Free Day in the Forest

Thekkady – A Free Day in the Forest

⌖ Thekkady 🍽 Meals: Breakfast

This is the day that makes a week in Kerala feel relaxed. Sleep in and enjoy your hotel, or try one of Periyar's eco-tourism activities run by the forest department: a guided nature walk, bamboo rafting on the lake, a longer trek, or a full-day trip to Gavi, a quiet forest area with a lake and cardamom estates. These are booked separately and have limited places, so tell us in advance. For more ideas, read our guide to Thekkady tourist places.

Overnight: Thekkady

Day 5
Thekkady to Alleppey – A Backwater Resort

Thekkady to Alleppey – A Backwater Resort

⌖ Alleppey 🍽 Meals: Breakfast

Drive down from the hills to Alleppey (Alappuzha), about four hours away. Check in to a resort on the backwaters and take the afternoon slowly: a swim, a book, a walk along the canal. Before sunset, head to Alleppey Beach and its old pier, or browse the shops in town.

Drive: about 4 hours · Overnight: Alleppey

Day 6
A Night on an Alleppey Houseboat

A Night on an Alleppey Houseboat

⌖ Alleppey 🍽 Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Around noon, board your private houseboat, a kettuvallam built from wood and coir in the traditional style. You glide past paddy fields, coconut groves, village churches and fishermen at work, with an hour's stop for a lunch of Kerala dishes cooked on board by the crew. The boat cruises until about 5:30 pm and then moors for the night, as local rules require. Dinner and breakfast are served on deck. Boats come in Deluxe, Premium and Luxury categories; compare them on our Alleppey houseboat packages page.

Overnight: houseboat

Day 7
Alleppey to Kochi – Fort Kochi and Departure

Alleppey to Kochi – Fort Kochi and Departure

🍽 Meals: Breakfast

After a short morning cruise and breakfast, leave the boat by 9 am and drive about two hours to Kochi. With an evening flight or train, there's time for 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. 5 nights in hotels or resorts of your chosen category (2 in Munnar, 2 in Thekkady, 1 in Alleppey), with daily breakfast
  2. 1 night on a private houseboat, with lunch, dinner and breakfast on board
  3. A private sedan, SUV or tempo traveller with an English- or Hindi-speaking driver for all 7 days, including fuel, tolls, parking and driver allowance
  4. Pickup and drop at Kochi airport or railway station
  5. All sightseeing and transfers listed in the itinerary

Exclusions

Not included: flights or trains, entry tickets (Eravikulam National Park, Tea Museum, Periyar boating), Thekkady eco-tourism activities and the Gavi trip, cultural shows, meals other than breakfast and houseboat meals, 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 between February and April 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 and eco-tourism activities have limited places and sell out in peak season. We book them for you in advance.
  4. Houseboats stop cruising by about 5:30 pm and moor for the night under local rules. On Deluxe boats the air-conditioning usually runs only at night.
  5. Hill roads to Munnar and Thekkady are winding. Carry motion-sickness tablets if anyone in your group needs them.

Best Time for This Itinerary

September to March is the best time for this trip: the hills are green, the evenings in Munnar are cool and the backwaters are pleasant for a full day's cruise. December and January are the busiest months, so book houseboats early. April and May are hot on the coast but comfortable in Munnar and Thekkady. In the monsoon (June to September), the scenery is at its greenest and prices are lower, though heavy rain can pause boating or forest activities for a day. See our month-by-month guide to the best time to visit Kerala.

Make It Your Own

Every part of this route can change:

  1. Shorter trip: our Kerala 5 Days Itinerary covers the same places with one night in Thekkady and no houseboat.
  2. Add the south: head on to Kanyakumari and Kovalam with our Kerala & Kanyakumari tour.
  3. More time on the water: swap the Alleppey resort for a second houseboat night, or the houseboat for another resort night.
  4. Upgrade the hotels: choose 3-star, 4-star or 5-star, place by place.
  5. On honeymoon? We'll suggest romantic hotels and a Premium or Luxury houseboat. See our Kerala honeymoon packages.
  6. 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 5 Days Itinerary: the same route in five days, without the houseboat
  2. Kerala 6 Days Itinerary: three nights in Munnar, then Thekkady and a houseboat
  3. Kerala & Kanyakumari (7 days): after the houseboat, south to Kanyakumari and Kovalam
  4. Guruvayur, Munnar, Thekkady & Alleppey (7 days): begins with darshan at Guruvayur temple

See all our Kerala tour packages.

Get a free quote for this itinerary

Frequently Asked Questions

Is 7 days enough for Kerala?
Seven days is an ideal length for a first trip. It covers Munnar, Thekkady and the Alleppey backwaters at an easy pace, with a free day in Thekkady and a night on a houseboat. If you also want Kanyakumari or Kovalam Beach, plan for eight or nine days.
How is this different from your 5-day itinerary?
It follows the same route but adds a second night in Thekkady and a night on a houseboat. That means fewer early starts, a free day to rest or explore, and a full day cruising the backwaters instead of only seeing them from a resort.
What is the houseboat night like?
You have the whole boat to yourselves, with a bedroom, an attached bathroom and an open deck. You board around noon, cruise until about 5:30 pm with a stop for lunch, and moor for the night. The crew cooks lunch, dinner and breakfast on board, and you leave the boat by 9 am the next morning.
What can I do on the free day in Thekkady?
You can relax at your hotel or join one of the forest department's eco-tourism activities in Periyar, such as a nature walk, bamboo rafting, trekking or a full-day trip to Gavi. They are booked and paid for separately, and places are limited, so tell us in advance.
Is this itinerary good for a honeymoon?
Yes. The pace is unhurried, you have a private car throughout, and the houseboat night is a highlight for most couples. We can upgrade the hotels and choose a Premium or Luxury houseboat for a special trip.
Can the trip end in Trivandrum instead of Kochi?
Yes, but it adds about four hours of driving from Alleppey on the last day. If you want to finish in the south, our Kerala & Kanyakumari tour ends in Trivandrum after visiting Kanyakumari and Kovalam.
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