Complete Kerala Circuit — Kochi to Trivandrum

Every landscape Kerala offers, in the order that makes geographic sense. Fly in at Kochi, fly out at Trivandrum.

Why This Route

Kerala’s landscapes run in vertical bands — mountains, spice forest, backwaters, coast, city. This circuit follows that natural progression from north-east to south-west. No day exceeds 4.5 hours of driving. No backtracking. The one-way Kochi-to-Trivandrum routing uses both airports and eliminates the 5-hour return drive.

Pro Tips :

Book outbound flight into Kochi (COK) and return from Trivandrum (TRV). This single change saves a full day of backtracking and makes every day of the circuit purposeful.

Option A

6 Days / 5 Nights

  • Kochi → Munnar (130 km)

Cheeyappara Waterfalls. Arrive Munnar. Mattupetty Dam. Echo Point. Kundala Lake.

  • Munnar full day

Eravikulam NP (6:30am, pre-booked). Echo Point. Top Station. Tea Museum. Optional: Kathakali 7pm.

  • Munnar → Thekkady (55 km)

Nyayamakad Falls before checkout. Cardamom ghat drive. Spice Garden walk. Kalaripayattu 7:30pm.

  • Thekkady → Alleppey (180 km)

Periyar Lake dawn safari 6:30am. Houseboat 1:30pm. Vembanad Lake + Kuttanad canals. All meals on board.

  • Alleppey → Varkala (100 km)

Houseboat checkout 9am. Arrive Varkala 12pm. Cliff walk. Papanasam Beach. Janardana Temple aarti 5pm. 

  • Varkala → Trivandrum (51 km)

Ayurveda session. Padmanabhaswamy Temple outer courtyard. Napier Museum. Kovalam Beach. Drop at TRV airport.

Option B

8 Days / 7 Nights

  • Arrive Kochi → Fort Kochi

Chinese fishing nets, Jew Town, Dutch Palace, Fort Kochi heritage dinner.

  • Kochi → Munnar

Scenic drive, waterfalls, check in, Munnar town

  • Munnar full day

Eravikulam NP. Echo Point. Mattupetty. Top Station. Tea Museum.

  • Munnar → Thekkady

Waterfalls. Cardamom ghat. Spice walk. Kumily market. Kalaripayattu. 

  • Thekkady → Alleppey

Periyar dawn safari. Houseboat. All meals. Overnight on water.

  • Alleppey → Varkala

Checkout 9am. Krishnapuram Palace. Varkala cliff, beach, temple

  • Varkala full day

Beach morning. Ayurveda treatment. Sivagiri Mutt. Cliff-top dinner.

  • Varkala → Trivandrum

Padmanabhaswamy Temple. Napier Museum. Kovalam. Drop TRV airport. Optional: Kanyakumari en route if flight is evening

Investment

Duration Budget (3 star ) Standard (4 star) Honeymoon (5 star)
Option A ( 6D / 5N ) ₹18,500 ₹24,500  
Column 1 Value 2 ₹22,000 ₹30,000 ₹42,000

What’s Included

Included

  • 1

    Private AC cab full circuit

  • 2

    English-speaking driver-guide

  • 3

    All toll charges and allowances

  • 4

    Hotel per package category

  • 5

    Daily breakfast

  • 6

    1-night certified houseboat

  • 7

    All houseboat meals

  • 8

    Periyar boat safari (pre-booked)

  • 9

    Eravikulam NP ticket booking

  • 10

    24/7 WhatsApp support

Not Included

  • 1

    Airfare or train tickets

  • 2

    Lunches and dinners at hotels

  • 3

    Entry fees to monuments

  • 4

    Kalaripayattu show (₹350 pp)

  • 5

    Spice plantation walk (₹200 pp)

  • 6

    Ayurveda treatments

  • 7

    Personal expenses and tips

  • 8

    Travel insurance

Travel Advisory

Six days covers the highlights but every day has sightseeing. Seven or eight days adds a Varkala rest day and a Fort Kochi opening evening — which most guests wish they had on the 6-day version.

Yes. Kanyakumari is 87 km south of Trivandrum (2 hours). If your return flight is after 6pm, we route the airport drop via Kanyakumari with no extra cab charge. See the Trivandrum–Kanyakumari page

Yes — the reverse routing (Trivandrum → Varkala → Alleppey → Thekkady → Munnar → Kochi) also works and is preferred by guests whose flights are from TRV. The same destinations, reversed sequence.

October to February. October–December: active waterfalls, full Eravikulam NP open, comfortable temperatures. December–January: peak season — book 6–8 weeks ahead. Avoid April–May (very hot). Monsoon (June–September) is viable at 30–40% lower prices but Eravikulam is closed.

Shorter Options

The Backwater Loop

Skip Trivandrum city — 5–6 days, from ₹15,500, end at Varkala near TRV airport

Kochi Return Circuit

Skip Varkala + Trivandrum — 4–5 days, from ₹12,500, back to Kochi

Kanyakumari Detour

Add Kanyakumari at end — en route to TRV, no extra cab charg