Kerala Package Itinerary: Munnar, Thekkady and Alleppey Houseboat 5 Days & 4 Nights

This Trip at a Glance

Overview

This 4 nights 5 days Kerala package covers the three stops most first-timers want from a short trip: two nights in Munnar's tea hills, one night at Thekkady on the edge of the Periyar Tiger Reserve, and one night on a private houseboat in Alleppey's backwaters. You start and finish in Kochi, at Cochin International Airport or Ernakulam station, and the same AC sedan and driver stay with you all five days. Total driving is about 450 km, split so no leg runs past four hours.

Munnar gets two nights because it needs them. The drive up from Kochi takes most of Day 1, and Day 2 is a full loop: Eravikulam National Park for the Nilgiri tahr and a view across to Anamudi, the highest peak in South India, then the Tea Museum, Mattupetty Dam and Echo Point. On Day 3 the road drops through cardamom estates to Thekkady for a spice plantation walk, a jeep safari and the boat ride on Periyar Lake. Elephants, gaur and sambar along the shore are the usual sightings. Tigers are rarely seen from the boat, so treat one as a bonus.

The houseboat night is the one travellers mention most. You board near Alleppey around noon, the crew cooks lunch, tea and dinner on deck, and the boat cruises past paddy fields and canal villages until it anchors at dusk. Day 5 ends with a drive back to Kochi, with time for Fort Kochi if your flight leaves late in the afternoon.

Want a different length or a cheaper stay? Compare every option on our Kerala tour packages page, or read the free Kerala itinerary guide if you are still planning the route yourself.

Highlights

• Stop at Cheeyappara and Valara waterfalls on the drive up to Munnar

• See the Nilgiri tahr at Eravikulam National Park (open April to January)

• Walk a spice plantation in Thekkady and take the Periyar Lake boat ride

• Go on a jeep safari around Kumily, a detail most 5-day Kerala itineraries skip

• Spend a night on a private houseboat on the Alleppey backwaters

4 Nights 5 Days Kerala Package Price (2026)

The 4 star version of this Kerala 5 days tour package costs INR 17,000 per person on twin sharing, which is INR 34,000 for a couple. Prices below are for the same route and the same five days. Only the hotel level changes.

Prices shown are for September 2026. October to January is peak season in Kerala, and Christmas and New Year weeks cost the most. June to September monsoon rates are usually the lowest. Children's prices depend on age and whether they need an extra bed, so the agent quotes a family of four on your exact dates. Browse Kerala family packages or Kerala honeymoon packages if you want a trip built around either.

Kerala 5 Days Itinerary at a Glance

If Eravikulam is closed on your dates (1 February to 31 March, for Nilgiri tahr calving), Day 2 swaps in Top Station and Kundala Lake instead.

Day-wise 4 Nights 5 Days Kerala Itinerary

Day 1: Kochi to Munnar via Cheeyappara and Valara Falls

Your trip begins at Cochin International Airport or Ernakulam Railway Station, where our representative meets you and you set off for the hill town of Munnar, about 130 km and around 4 hours away. The road climbs past Valara and Cheeyappara waterfalls near Adimali, both right beside the highway, so the photo stops take ten minutes each. Most drivers also pull in at a spice garden on this stretch, where you can see pepper vines, cardamom and cinnamon growing before you buy any. The last hour runs through tea estates. You reach the hotel by late afternoon, check in, and the evening is yours. If you still have energy, a Kathakali or Kalaripayattu show in Munnar town is a good first night (tickets are paid on the spot).

Day 2: Munnar Sightseeing, Eravikulam National Park and the Tea Museum

After breakfast, head to Eravikulam National Park first, since the queue for the park bus grows through the morning. The park is home to the Nilgiri tahr, a mountain goat found only in the Western Ghats, and on a clear day you can see Anamudi, the highest peak in South India. Next comes the Tea Museum run by KDHP (Tata Tea), which shows how leaf becomes tea and is closed on Mondays. Continue to Rose Garden and Photo Point, then Mattupetty Dam, Elephant Arrival Point and Echo Point on the same road, and the Indo-Swiss dairy project if time allows. You are back at the hotel by evening.

Eravikulam closes from 1 February to 31 March for calving. On those dates the driver takes you to Top Station and Kundala Lake instead. Entry tickets at every stop are paid on the spot.

Day 3: Munnar to Thekkady, Spice Plantation and Periyar Lake

After breakfast you drive about 90 km (3 hours) down to Thekkady, the town at the edge of the Periyar Tiger Reserve. The road passes cardamom estates, and most travellers take a guided spice plantation walk on arrival before checking in. The jeep safari runs along the forest and plantation tracks around Kumily, with stops at viewpoints over the Tamil Nadu plains. The Periyar Lake boat ride leaves in fixed slots (7:30 am, 9:30 am, 11:15 am, 1:45 pm and 3:30 pm) and lasts about 1.5 hours. After a morning on the road, most travellers fit one of the two into this afternoon, usually the 3:30 pm boat, and do the other at dawn on Day 4 before the drive to Alleppey. KTDC and the Periyar Tiger Reserve sell separate boat tickets, at ktdcboating.com and periyartigerreserve.org, and seats go fast in season, so book as soon as your dates are fixed. The KTDC fare is INR 450 per person including GST. Reach the Anavachal parking area about an hour before your slot for the shuttle to the boat landing. Bamboo rafting inside the reserve is a full-day programme, so it needs an extra night here. End the day at the Kumily spice market, a short walk from most hotels.

Day 4: Thekkady to Alleppey and a Night on the Houseboat

After breakfast, check out and drive about 140 km (4 hours) to Alleppey. You board your houseboat around 12 noon, and the crew serves a Kerala lunch of rice, fish curry, thoran and papadam soon after you settle in (vegetarian meals if you ask at booking). Through the afternoon the boat moves slowly past paddy fields, coconut groves and village jetties, and you get tea and banana fritters on deck around 4 pm. Houseboats must anchor by about 5:30 pm, so the evening is quiet: dinner on board, and the AC switched on for the night.

Day 5: Alleppey to Kochi, with an Optional Fort Kochi Stop

Breakfast is served on the houseboat, and check-out is at about 9 am. The drive to Cochin International Airport is about 80 km and takes 2 hours, so flights after 1 pm are comfortable. If your flight leaves after about 4 pm, ask the driver to stop in Fort Kochi on the way. The Chinese fishing nets, St Francis Church and the Jew Town lanes of Mattancherry fit into two hours. The Mattancherry Dutch Palace is closed on Fridays and the Paradesi Synagogue on Fridays and Saturdays, so plan around those. You are then dropped at the airport or Ernakulam station for your journey home.

Hotels and Houseboat on This Package

Our agents book these or similar 4 star stays, depending on availability on your dates.

Inclusions and Exclusions

Booking, Payment and Cancellation

Booking this Kerala package takes three steps, and nothing is charged until you pick a quote.

• Personalise this package. Change hotels, add a night or swap a stop, then submit your request.

• Get multiple quotes. Up to 3 verified Kerala agents send quotes. Compare them and keep adjusting.

• Book the best deal. Pay a booking amount to confirm, then the balance in easy instalments before you travel.

Each quote shows the agent's cancellation and refund terms in writing before you pay anything, so you know exactly what you get back if plans change. Read the full TravelTriangle terms and conditions for how refunds are handled. If you are travelling in December or January, confirm early: houseboats and Munnar hotels fill first.

How we check this package

Itinerary, drive times and prices on this page are checked by our Kerala desk against the live booking engine, KTDC's Periyar boating schedule and the Kerala Forest Department's Eravikulam dates. Every trip is run by one of 650+ verified agents under TravelTriangle's quality checks.

Best Time for This 5-Day Kerala Trip

October to March is the best time for this route. Munnar's views are clearest, Periyar is dry enough for the jeep tracks, and the backwaters are calm. It is also peak season, so prices are highest from mid-December to early January. June to September is the monsoon: the cheapest months, with the fullest waterfalls, but expect mist over Munnar and a wetter houseboat night. Plan February and March trips knowing Eravikulam is closed. The full month-by-month picture is in our best time to visit Kerala guide.

Other Kerala Durations and Starting Points

• Budget 4N/5D Kerala package with 3 star hotels on the same route, from ₹13,863

• One night shorter, the 3 nights 4 days Munnar and Alleppey tour. Longer trips, the 6 nights 7 days Kerala tour and 9 nights 10 days Kerala tour

• Starting by road? Kerala 4N/5D tour from Bangalore

• All Kerala tour packages · Munnar travel guide · Thekkady travel guide · Alleppey travel guide