High Ranges & Backwaters3 days / 2 nights
Munnar
Colonial Kochi, the misty tea hills of Munnar and a houseboat cruise through the Alleppey backwaters — the soul of Kerala in three unhurried days.
from €49ppView itinerary
Backwaters
Alleppey, Houseboat & Kumarakom — 4-Day Backwater Escape
4 days / 3 nights · from €49 per person
Duration4 days / 3 nights
Best seasonOctober – March
Group size2 – 10 travellers
PaceVery relaxed
Four unhurried days in south Kerala, built around water. You settle into Alleppey with its beach and temples, then board a private houseboat at noon for a full afternoon through the Punnamada lake, the Pamba river and the narrow Irumbanam canal, with lunch cooked on board and an hour in a country canoe where the big boat cannot go. You wake on the water, cross Vembanad Lake at sunrise, and continue to the fishing village of Kumarakom for a bird sanctuary walk, a shikara ride or an Ayurvedic treatment — before a final morning in colonial Fort Kochi. Private air-conditioned car, an experienced driver-guide and everything arranged in advance.
Highlights
- Full private houseboat night with a dedicated crew and full-board Kerala cooking
- Punnamada Kayal, SNDP canal, Pamba river and the narrow Irumbanam canal
- One-hour country-boat ride through Kuttamangalam canal, past paddy fields and villages
- Sunrise cruise across Vembanad Lake, Kerala's largest freshwater lake
- Kumarakom bird sanctuary, Driftwood Museum, shikara ride and Ayurvedic treatments
- Fort Kochi finale: Chinese fishing nets, Jewish Synagogue and the Dutch Palace
Your route
- PickupCochin International Airport · Ernakulam / Alleppey rail or bus
- AlleppeyBeach, canals, Ambalapuzha & Mannarsala temples
- Alleppey backwatersPrivate houseboat, overnight on the water
- KumarakomBird sanctuary, shikara, Ayurveda, lakeside stay
- Drop-offFort Kochi sightseeing · Kochi airport or Ernakulam station
Day by day
- Day 1
Arrival — Kochi to Alleppey
We meet you at Cochin International Airport (about 2 hours) or Ernakulam station (about 1.5 hours) and transfer to your pre-booked Alleppey hotel. Afternoon half-day sightseeing at your own pace: Alleppey beach and pier, the canal-side lanes of this small, walkable town, and optionally the Ambalapuzha Sri Krishna Temple or the Mannarsala Nagaraja Temple. Overnight in Alleppey.
- Day 2
Aboard the houseboat — canals, lunch and an overnight mooring
Breakfast and a relaxed morning, then check out and board your private houseboat at the Alleppey jetty at midday. From noon the boat cruises the Punnamada Kayal, the small SNDP canal, the wide Pamba river and the narrow Irumbanam canal. Lunch is served around 1.30pm on Meenappalli Kayal. In the afternoon you pass the villages of Kainakari and Kuttithod, and swap to a country boat for an hour in the Kuttamangalam canal, too narrow for the houseboat. The boat moors by 6pm — walk the village path, try the fishing rod, and dinner is served on board. Overnight on the houseboat.
- Day 3
Sunrise on Vembanad Lake — on to Kumarakom
Wake early for sunrise from the deck. The boat sets off at 8am through Chithira Lake and Vembanad Lake, Kerala's biggest freshwater lake, and returns to the Alleppey jetty by 9am. A 40-minute drive brings you to Kumarakom. Before check-in, choose from the bird sanctuary and its watchtower, the Driftwood Museum, an Ayurvedic treatment (30% discount for our guests), a shikara ride through the fishing canals or the Thaneermukkam barrage for photographs. Overnight in a Kumarakom hotel.
- Day 4
Kumarakom to Kochi — Fort Kochi and departure
Check out after breakfast and drive to Kochi. If your flight or train allows, we add a Fort Kochi walk: the cantilevered Chinese fishing nets at Vasco da Gama Square, the 1568 Jewish Synagogue with its hand-painted Cantonese tiles, the Dutch Palace at Mattancherry and the Portuguese-Dutch-British streets of the old township. Drop-off at Kochi airport, Ernakulam station or your onward point.
What's included
Included
- 3 nights accommodation: 1 night Alleppey hotel, 1 night private houseboat, 1 night Kumarakom hotel
- Full board on the houseboat — lunch, evening tea, dinner and breakfast
- One-hour country-boat ride through the Kuttamangalam canal
- Private air-conditioned vehicle with an experienced driver-guide throughout
- Daily breakfast at your hotels
- All transfers, tolls, parking and applicable taxes
- 30% discount on Ayurvedic treatments in Kumarakom
- 24/7 on-the-ground support from our Kerala team
Not included
- International and domestic flights, e-visa fees and travel insurance
- Entry tickets: bird sanctuary, Driftwood Museum, Fort Kochi monuments
- Shikara rides and Ayurvedic treatments
- Lunches and dinners on hotel days
- Alcohol on the houseboat and personal expenses
- Early-morning freshening-up room if you arrive before dawn
- Tips and gratuities (always optional)
Gallery
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