Kerala Tour from Mumbai: Munnar, Thekkady and Alleppey Houseboat 5 Days & 4 Nights

The land package starts at Rs 13,642 per person on twin sharing. That covers four nights in 3-star stays and the houseboat, daily breakfast, every meal on board, and one private air-conditioned cab with a Hindi and English speaking driver for all five days. Tolls, parking and fuel are included. Flights or trains from Mumbai are not in the base price, so the cost table further down shows what the whole trip comes to once you add them. If you would rather book one price that already includes the flight, see our Kerala package from Mumbai with flights included.

Five days is the length most Mumbai travellers pick because it fits a single week of leave, or a long weekend plus two days. Want a different length or mix of places? Compare all Kerala tour packages from Mumbai, or browse every Kerala tour package we sell.

Trip at a Glance

Why This Route Works from Mumbai

Most Mumbai to Kochi flights leave between early morning and midday, which is what makes a 5-day version of this route possible without losing a night in Kochi. Land before 11 am and you reach Munnar by mid-afternoon with daylight left for the waterfalls on the way. On Day 5 the houseboat checks out at 9 am and the airport is about two hours away, so an afternoon flight gets you home to Mumbai the same evening.

Prices, hotel names and inclusions on this page were checked by our Kerala desk against the SKU 9230 rate card in September 2026.

Highlights

• Fly Mumbai to Kochi in about 2 hours and reach Munnar the same day

• Stop at the Valara and Cheeyappara waterfalls on the climb into the tea plantations

• See Nilgiri tahr at Eravikulam National Park and taste fresh tea at the Tea Museum in Munnar

• Look for elephants and gaur from a boat on Periyar Lake inside Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary

• Sail the backwaters of Alleppey on a private houseboat with every meal cooked on board

Getting to Kerala from Mumbai

Flying is the only option that keeps this a 5-day trip. IndiGo, Air India, Air India Express and Akasa run between 10 and 14 nonstop flights a day from Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport to Cochin International Airport, and the flight takes 1 hour 55 minutes to about 2 hours 5 minutes. The train saves money but costs you a full day each way, so treat it as a 7-day trip if you go by rail.

Pickup and drop cover Cochin airport, Ernakulam Junction and Ernakulam Town stations, and the bus stand. For every flight, train and bus option in more detail, read how to reach Kerala from Mumbai.

Mumbai to Kerala Itinerary: 4 Nights 5 Days, Day by Day

Day 1: Mumbai to Kochi, drive to Munnar (about 110 km, 3.5 to 4 hours)

Start your trip with a morning flight from Mumbai or step off the Netravati Express at Ernakulam. Your driver meets you at arrivals with a name board and loads the bags into your private AC cab. Upon arrival at Kochi airport or Ernakulam Railway Station, the road runs through rubber and pineapple country before it starts to climb past Adimali. On the way, stop at the Valara and Cheeyappara waterfalls, which fall right beside the highway, so a photo stop takes ten minutes and costs nothing. Check into your hotel in Munnar by mid-afternoon if your flight landed before 11 am. The resort is in Chithirapuram, about 10 km outside Munnar town, so ask the driver to stop in town first if you need cash or a SIM top-up. Evenings in Munnar drop to around 12 to 16°C between November and February, which is a shock after Mumbai, so keep a light jacket in your cabin bag.

Day 2: Munnar sightseeing

Wake up to breakfast and head to Eravikulam National Park early, because the queue for the forest department bus to the Rajamala tahr zone grows fast after 10 am. Entry is Rs 200 per Indian adult, and the park closes from 1 February to 1 April every year for the Nilgiri tahr calving season. On those dates we swap in Top Station, on the Tamil Nadu border. Then visit the Tea Museum at the Nallathanni estate, where you watch leaf turn into tea and taste it at the end. Spend the afternoon at the Rose Garden, Mattupetty Dam, the Elephant Arrival Point, Echo Point and the Indo-Swiss dairy project (prior permission may be needed for the farm). As the sun sets, return to your hotel for the second night in Munnar. Entry fees are paid at each gate.

Day 3: Munnar to Thekkady (94 km, about 3 hours) - Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary

After breakfast, leave Munnar and drive down through cardamom estates to Kumily, the town at the gate of Thekkady. The journey is about 3 hours covering 94 km. Check in at Hostess Thekkady and rest a little. In the afternoon, visit Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary. The forest department boat on Periyar Lake leaves at 1:45 pm and 3:30 pm (morning departures are at 7:30, 9:30 and 11:15), runs for about an hour and a half, and costs about Rs 450 per person. The late boat is the one where elephants and gaur come down to the water. A jeep safari is the alternative, booked and paid locally. Finish with a guided walk through a spice plantation in Kumily, where cardamom, pepper and cinnamon sell at farm prices. Kathakali and Kalaripayattu shows run most evenings in Kumily if you want a cultural add-on.

Day 4: Thekkady to Alleppey (138 km, about 3 hours 45 minutes) - Private houseboat

Kick off the day with breakfast before checking out. Travel to Alleppey, about 138 km from Thekkady, taking roughly 3 hours 45 minutes, which is the longest drive of the trip. Step onto your private houseboat at 12 noon and freshen up while the crew serves a welcome drink. Lunch is cooked on board as the boat sails through the Punnamada and Vembanad backwaters, past paddy fields that sit below the water level and village jetties where children wave from the steps. Cruising stops at 5:30 pm, when every houseboat must anchor for the night under Kerala rules. Evening tea with snacks and dinner are served on board. On an AC houseboat the air conditioning runs from 9 pm to 6 am. Ask the cook for karimeen (pearl spot) fry, bought from the canal-side fish sellers at a small extra cost.

Day 5: Alleppey to Kochi, fly home to Mumbai (about 85 km, 2 hours to the airport)

Today marks the end of your trip. After a good breakfast on board, the boat cruises back and you check out at 9 am. Your driver takes you to Cochin airport or Ernakulam station, a drive of about two hours. Book your Mumbai flight for 1:30 pm or later to leave a buffer for traffic around Aroor. If your flight leaves in the evening, ask the driver to route through Fort Kochi (about an hour extra, optional) to see the Chinese fishing nets being hauled in and St Francis Church. You land in Mumbai the same evening. Going home by train? Your driver drops you at Ernakulam station for the Netravati Express (16346) back to Lokmanya Tilak Terminus.

What This 5-Day Kerala Trip from Mumbai Really Costs

The package price covers everything on the ground. Here is what the full trip adds up to per person once you add travel from Mumbai, GST and entry tickets, based on twin sharing in the off-season.

Hotel rates rise from mid-December to early January, and return flights over Christmas and New Year can run Rs 18,000 to Rs 25,000, so a peak-week trip usually lands above Rs 35,000 per person. Your quote shows the exact price for your dates. Prefer a 4-star hotel in Munnar or a bigger houseboat? Ask for it in your quote and the agents will price the upgrade.

Hotels and Houseboat in This Package

Our agents will provide you these or similar hotels depending on availability.

The Munnar resort sits outside town, which buys you quiet and valley views but adds about 20 minutes to each sightseeing run. If you would rather walk to Munnar's shops and cafés in the evening, ask for a hotel in town when you request your quote. Travelling as four? Ask for a two-bedroom houseboat, because the standard one-bedroom boat is sized for a couple.

Inclusions and Exclusions

Best Time to Take This Trip from Mumbai

Pick your month by what you want to see, and by when Mumbai's school holidays push prices up.

For month-by-month detail, read our guide to the best time to visit Kerala.

Optional Add-ons

These are not in the base price. Ask for them when you request your quote or pay locally on the day.

Booking and Payment

You request a quote, and up to three verified Kerala agents send you their price for this itinerary. Pick one, pay a token amount to confirm, and clear the balance before your travel date by UPI, net banking or card; instalments are available. TravelTriangle releases your payment to the agent only after your hotel and houseboat vouchers reach you. While you travel, our 24x7 helpline and your local agent are a phone call away.

Reviews from Travellers Who Did This 5-Day Munnar, Thekkady and Alleppey Trip

Five of the reviews below come from Mumbai travellers who took this exact route, and they are honest about what worked. Ankita Jadhav (Mumbai, December 2025) travelled with a toddler and called the houseboat and the elephant ride the highlight, though her Munnar hotel was not as promised. Hiteshvijay (Mumbai, May 2025) rated the cab and driver excellent and noted the Munnar hotel sits a little outside town. Sandeep Chavan (Mumbai, December 2024) found his houseboat smaller than expected and paid separately for an extra bed. Vishwas Pant (Mumbai, December 2022) travelled as four and says the one-bedroom houseboat was tight. We've built those lessons into this page: confirm the houseboat size and any extra bed in writing on your quote, and ask for a town hotel in Munnar if you want shorter transfers.

More Kerala Trips from Mumbai

• One booking with flights: 3N/4D Kerala package from Mumbai with airfare

• For couples: 4N/5D Kerala honeymoon package from Mumbai

• Two more nights, adding the coast: 6N/7D Kerala tour from Mumbai

• Travelling with kids or parents: Kerala family packages

• More nights on the water: Kerala houseboat packages

• Every departure from the city: Kerala tour packages from Mumbai

Edited by TravelTriangle