12 Best Honeymoon Places in Kerala (2026): Romantic Getaways for Couples

At around 1,600 metres, Munnar wakes up under mist and smells of fresh tea. Couples come here to slow right down. You can walk the estate paths at dawn, drive the winding road up to Top Station for a valley that falls away toward Tamil Nadu, and take the small boat across Mattupetty Dam in the late afternoon. Book a plantation bungalow or a treehouse and you get quiet mornings on a balcony with tea grown on the hill below you. On the climb through Eravikulam National Park you might spot the Nilgiri tahr.

If you picture Kerala, you are probably picturing Alleppey: palm-lined canals, a slow houseboat, water the colour of weak tea. Hire a private houseboat for a night and the crew cooks the day’s catch on board while you drift past paddy fields and village jetties. Swap the big boat for a narrow canoe and you slip into canals the houseboats cannot reach. Come evening, walk down to the beach for the sunset. Book a couple’s Ayurvedic massage to round off the day.

Thekkady is the spice-and-forest stop. Mornings smell of cardamom and pepper on the plantation walks, and the boat across Periyar Lake often drifts near elephants on the far bank. Couples who want a bit of a thrill can add a guided trek in the Periyar reserve or a bamboo rafting run. Sleep in a jungle lodge, pick up fresh spices to carry home, and end the day at Chellarkovil viewpoint for the sunset.

Wayanad is the quiet one. It is greener and far less crowded than Munnar, all coffee estates, misty ridges and waterfalls. Ask locally which waterfalls are open before you go (Soochipara and Meenmutty have both had long safety closures, including after the 2024 landslides). See the prehistoric rock engravings inside Edakkal Caves (closed on Mondays, with a daily visitor cap, so go early), then take a safari through the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary. Banasura Sagar, the largest earth dam in India, is a good spot for a boat ride. Stay in a forest treehouse and let the trails start from your door.

On the eastern shore of Vembanad Lake, Kumarakom is backwaters without the crowds. The resorts here are built for privacy and long lake views, which is exactly what most couples want. Take a shikara out at sunset, spend a slow morning at Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary, and boat across to Pathiramanal, a tiny island that fills with migratory birds.

Varkala is the one place on this list where the beach sits at the foot of a red laterite cliff. A path of cafes runs along the cliff edge, so you can eat grilled seafood with the Arabian Sea straight ahead and swim off Papanasam Beach below. It has a younger, easy-going feel: yoga in the morning, a spa in the afternoon, a table at the cliff’s edge for sunset. Janardanaswamy Temple and, a short drive south, Anjengo Fort add some history; the temple’s inner sanctum is open only to Hindus and a traditional dress code applies: men wear a mundu and go shirtless, women a saree or salwar kameez, and jeans, shorts and beachwear are not allowed.

Kovalam is the classic Kerala beach honeymoon. Lighthouse Beach curves under its red-and-white lighthouse, the coastal food is very good, and the resorts along the sand run some of the state’s best Ayurvedic spas. Climb the lighthouse for the view, try a surf or parasail session, then book a couple’s massage. The Vizhinjam fishing harbour nearby is worth an early-morning look.

Mararikulam, Marari for short, is a fishing village with one of the cleanest and calmest beaches in Kerala. Come here to do very little. The sand runs long and mostly empty, the boutique resorts keep things private, and mornings often feel like the beach belongs to you. Cycle out through the paddy fields, visit the fish market, and book a yoga-and-Ayurveda session for two.

Poovar sits where the Neyyar River meets the sea, so you get golden sand, calm backwater and mangrove all in one place. Most couples stay in a floating cottage and reach it by boat, which makes it feel like a private island. Take the mangrove cruise, then watch the sun drop over the river mouth. Waking up surrounded by water and birdsong is really the whole point here.

Bekal pairs history with a quiet beach in Kerala’s far north. The star is Bekal Fort, whose sea-facing walls catch the light beautifully near sunset. The coast around it stays uncrowded and holds some good spa resorts. Walk the fort walls in the evening, then have a candlelit dinner by the beach.

Athirappilly is home to Kerala’s largest waterfall, often called the Niagara of India, set in thick Sholayar forest. In the monsoon the falls roar and the whole gorge turns loud and green. Pair it with the smaller Vazhachal Falls, walk the forest trails, and stay in a riverside or forest lodge so you fall asleep to the sound of water.

Ponmudi is our quiet favourite, a small hill station above Trivandrum that most honeymoon lists leave out. The drive up is all hairpin bends, mist and tea gardens, and because it stays off the main tourist trail, couples get real privacy. Stay a night at the top (KTDC’s Golden Peak is the main stay on the summit) so you can catch sunrise with the mist still sitting in the valleys. The forest check post at Kallar only lets vehicles through in daytime hours and the road can shut after heavy rain, so clear it by late afternoon (overnight guests generally need to be through by around 5 pm) and confirm it is open before you set out. It is one of the most romantic mornings in Kerala, and you will likely have it to yourselves.