itinerary for kerala, kerala travel blog, my trip to kerala, itinerary for kerala for 7 days

In this 7 day itinerary for Kerala, I will show you how to roadtrip this gorgeous, lush state in 7 days. My trip to Kerala was a combination of landscapes such as waterfalls, verdant tea estates, foggy hill stations and the famed yet tranquil backwaters. This Kerala travel blog will also show you how to stay sustainably, if you choose to, as well as share some unique accommodations like cave rooms. So sit back with a cuppa, and get ready to read all about my trip to Kerala, soon to be your trip!

Itinerary for Kerala – Where is Kerala

Kerala is in South India and is surrounded by the Arabian Sea in the West, the towering Western Ghats in the East and networked by 44 interconnected rivers. In this Kerala travel blog, you will learn why Kerala is one of the most sought after and visited destinations in South Asia.

Itinerary for Kerala – Best Time to Visit Kerala

For my trip to Kerala, I chose to go during the Christmas and New Year’s holiday week because my husband was also able to take off from his work during this time. The weather was unusually quite hot at this time. Winter season between September to March is typically the best time to visit Kerala. This is the time when Kerala has a comfortable climate and pleasant weather with less humidity. If you wish to explore the enchanting lagoons, tranquil canals and spicy plantations of Kerala’s amazing cities, winter is the perfect time for you. Pack some shorts, long loose cotton pants (for evenings) & long dresses and a rain jacket as it might rain occasionally.

Itinerary for Kerala for 7 days

Here’s my entire itinerary for Kerala.

Day 1 – Athirapally Falls

Athirapally Falls

We flew into Cochin International Airport and had a car/driver service pick us up for the one hour trip to the waterfalls, our first destination. For my trip to Kerala, I went through a travel agency called Coco Kerala. who helped arrange our hotels (according to my specifications) and provided for a car/driver.

Sunset at the falls

Our first stop was the Athirapally Falls so we checked into the Niraamaya Resorts, an hour away from the airport, and then headed to see the falls at sunset, about 10 minutes away from the hotel. The falls are magnificent and the subject of many a movie in the Indian movie industry. There is a viewpoint 1/4 mile from the entrance where you can watch the falls for free or pay the entrance fee and step inside a forest (walk for at least a mile) before you get to the railings to see the falls up close…and monkeys. You can also do a short hike down to the falls to get closer (included in your entrance fee of Rs 50 for adults and Rs 200 for foreigners).

Day 2 – Athirapally to Munnar

Sunrise at Athirapally

I woke up at sunrise while hubby slept and snuck out with the car/driver back to the viewpoint to take some photos with my Sony mirrorless camera. I used my 70-300mm lens mostly from this viewpoint as the falls was farther out. After sunrise, we had breakfast out at the gorgeous patio before checking out and driving onward to Munnar.

Munnar

My trip to Kerala also included visiting Munnar, a hill station. About 4 hours later we pulled into the Parakkat Nature Resort.The sun had already set by the time we arrived so we checked into our cave room and then had dinner at the on-site restaurant. What we didn’t know was that we needed to take the resort’s 4×4 jeep down to the cave room through a very windy jarring, basically not so good road, full of potholes. And each time you left the cave room, you had to call for a pickup. I was nursing a disc herniation, and would often ask the driver to go slow, so it wasn’t too bad.

Day 3 – Munnar

Munnar rises as three mountain streams merge  – Mudrapuzha, Nallathanni and Kundala. 1,600 m above sea level, and this hill station was once the summer resort of the erstwhile British Government in South India. This is one of the hottest honeymoon destinations (Jaipur being the other one, although Jaipur is more the top wedding destination)!

This morning, I woke up early and decided to go photograph the hills at sunrise.

What to see in Munnar over 1-2 days:

• Top Station: Top Station, located around 32 km away from Munnar, is the highest point (1700m) in Munnar, on the Munnar-Kodaikkanal road. Here you can enjoy the panoramic view of Western Ghats. Check with your hotel in advance because you now need reservations to go to Top Station.
• Eravikulam National Park: Eravikulam is known for the natural habitat of Nilgiri Tahr, the endangered mountain goat and this park is built with the aim of conserving them. The Kurinji Trail hike will take you through tracks of Nilgiri Tahr and Neelakurinji-filled grasslands. The park is open throughout the week and the safari timings are from 8:30 am to 4 pm. A complete Eravikulam National Park Safari takes about 2 to 3 hours. The park is open 7am-4pm and costs rs. 125 for Indian adults, and rs 420 for non Indians.
• Pothamedu View Point: A good place for sunrise or sunset, this place is one of the best to stop and see the tea plantations set amidst lush, green meadows. It offers a panoramic view of Munnar and the surrounding hills covered with coffee, cardamom, pepper plantations and tea!
• Attukad Waterfalls: Located in between Munnar and Pallivasal, this waterfall is tucked away behind a thick forest foliage. It’s an hour’s brisk walk on rocky terrains from a bridge connecting to the road head near the falls. The car route follows the Aluva-Munnar Road, on to the Attukad Waterfall Road. 
• Cheeyappara Waterfalls: These falls are located right by the highway on the Aluva-Munnar Road on your way into Munnar town or toward Parakkat Nature Resort. You can pull off the road to the side and have a closer look at the falls. There’s even a parapet to sit on to enjoy the falls.
• Mattupetty Dam: The entry fee for visiting Mattupetty Dam is Rs 10 per person. The ticket price for ordinary boating in Mattupetty Dam (Munnar) is Rs 300 for 1-5 Pax for 15 minutes. The entry price for speedboating in Mattupetty Dam is Rs 500 for 1-5 Pax for 15 minutes. The boating price for Big boat ride is Rs 700 for 20 people.
• Tea Museum: Munnar is all about tea! The tea plantations are what attracted people to this region. Tata Tea established a Tea Museum in 2005 which has photographs and machineries, which chronicle the journey of tea in the area. The museum is set up at the Nallathanni Estate and ensures that the legacy of those who worked hard to ensure the tea plantations survived this long is recognised publicly. You can see the various stages of tea processing. This place is good for tea tasting and learning about the history.

While the cave room is a super cool concept (see the review in the hotel section below), we actually did not love the damp/dark feeling inside the cave. The bed was wet, the floors were always wet, so we instead did something crazy. We checked out and found a different hotel with a room that had a stunning view over Munnar at the Panoramic Getaway. We spent the evening enjoying sunset from our hot tub in the balcony and we dined at the on-site restaurant outdoors in the hotel itself.

Day 4 – Kumarakom

Kumarakom

Post-breakfast we set out for our next destination Kumarakom, another 4 hour drive. Lunch was on the houseboat so our goal was to get there by 1pm (little did we know check in was actually 12pm).

Kumarakom is a cluster of little islands on the Vembanad Lake, and is part of the Kuttanad region. The bird sanctuary here, which is spread across 14 acres is a favourite haunt of migratory birds and an ornithologist’s paradise. Egrets, Darters, Herons, Teals, Waterfowls, Cuckoo, Wild Duck and migratory birds like the Siberian Stork visit here in flocks and fascinate all visitors. When we went to the sanctuary, the lady told us December was not the season so we couldn’t really explore. Best time to visit is between June and August for the birds.

Kumarakom Backwaters

Kumarakom and Allepy are the two most well-known backwaters of Kerala. Connected by artificial canals, the backwaters form an economical means of transport, and a large local trade is carried on by inland navigation. Fishing, along with fish curing, is an important industry. Kerala backwaters have been used for centuries by the local people for transportation, fishing and agriculture.

A Houseboat Stay in Kumarakom

Day 4 of my trip to Kerala saw us arriving at the Kumarakom boat jetty around 2pm. Our driver would spend the next two nights at a nearby car park while we spent the night at a houseboat. Check in is usually at 12pm, although our travel agent had generously told us to get there at 1pm, which turned into almost 2pm as our driver couldn’t find the jetty. When I asked the agent why he had told us 1pm, he said he wanted to give us a buffer, which made no sense because thanks to his carelessness, we lost 1.5 hours of our houseboat time which is a lot, because you have to checkout of the boat by 9am the next day.

Houseboat Review

We rented the houseboat from the agent, but you can rent it directly for a better price from here. Ours was a premium category houseboat and was fully enclosed in the bottom, while it was open on the sides upstairs. The enclosure is great for the mosquitoes that come around in the evenings and the AC is welcome during the intense heat and humidity, even in December. After you board the boat they cruise for a bit around Lake Vembanad before docking by some coconut trees.

Food on the houseboat

Here they serve you a scrumptious lunch of traditional fish fry, one vegetable dish, a chicken curry, chapathis, rice, dhal and yogurt. You can let them know ahead of time what type of food you’d like.

Sunset

Post lunch, they cruised over to the other side of Lake Vembanad for us to see the traditional Chinese fishing nets! We stopped halfway in the middle of the lake to enjoy a stunning sunset from the boat. It was a beautiful experience watching the blazing ball of fire glide down over the coconut trees in the horizon.

Overnight in the houseboat

At night the boat comes back to the boat jetty area for the remainder of the night. They served us another delicious dinner of prawns, one vegetable dish, appam, and coconut stew. We spent a few hours just chilling, reading. The boat guy got us some local wine from a liquor store so we drank a few glasses before winding down in our cozy bedroom for the remainder of the night. The bedroom & living rooms are air-conditioned so we didn’t have to worry about mosquitoes.

Day 5 – Kumarakom Hotel Stay

Sunrise Shikara Boat Ride

At 5:45am, my husband and I rented a local shikara from our houseboat owner, Rahul. His contact number is 919946618174. Or simply ask your houseboat owner to arrange a shikara for a sunrise glide into a small canal. The bigger houseboat won’t be able to go into the smaller canals and I really wanted to see village life along the backwaters. Bonus, I also caught the blooming lotus (this only happens at night/early mornings). We woke up, had our coffee, and the shikara was waiting for us in front of of our houseboat. So we just hopped on and set off.

Breakfast at the houseboat

At 9am, post a delicious breakfast on the houseboat of appam and egg curry, we very reluctantly checked out of the houseboat and got back into our car that was waiting out for us and headed toward Coconut Lagoon in Kumarakom. We decided to spend the next three nights in Kumarakom and ring in New Year’s in the backwaters since we were unable to get accommodations in Varkala. Ideally you would spend your next few nights in either Coconut Lagoon or Zuri – both properties are great but Coconut Lagoon is mind blowing. We split our stay because of….you guessed it…lack of availability!

Coconut Lagoon Hotel – Kumarakom

It was just a 15 minute drive to the property. We had an incredible lunch on-site at the restaurant, and took a free sunset cruise, courtesy of the hotel, onto Lake Vembanad. At night, pre-dinner, my husband and I indulged in some table tennis in the games room. Right before dinner, the hotel put on a beautiful open air local dance performance – it was the dance form called Bharatanatyam by a local dancer.

Day 6 – Kumarakom

The Zuri Kumarakom

For the last two nights on my trip to Kerala, we checked into the Zuri which was about 10 minutes from Coconut Lagoon. Today we rented e-bikes from the hotel and did a little village bike ride. You can either do this self guided or take a hotel guide with you. Early morning is best so you can avoid the intense day heat. We opted to have lunch at the restaurant and then just relax rest of the evening.

Day 7 – Kumarakom

The Zuri Kumarakom

Being the 31st, the town was preparing for New Year’s Eve. We pretty much relaxed during the day. You can get an Ayurvedic massage at the spa (just make an appointment ahead of time).

Private Sunset Cruise

We decided to hire our shikara friend again to take us for a private sunset ride onto Lake Vembanad. We procured a bottle of wine, 2 glasses from Zuri and drove over to the boat jetty for our ride. We had a beautiful private sunset experience for $15 as we said goodbye to the last sunset of 2022.

31st Gala Celebrations

Back at the hotel we showered and headed out for the grand dinner gala. In India and in most of Asia, if you’re staying at 4-5 star hotel property during the 31st, you’re forced to pay a mandatory Gala Dinner fee. So the included dinner was a grand one with several buffets and food stations with amazing dishes from different parts of India. We honestly had the best night here unexpectedly. We are not ones to celebrate 31st at a hotel typically, but the dj was fantastic, the dance floor was open air, the buffet was delicious and they even had a cultural program early evening which was wonderful.

Cultural Program

The cultural program included the local dance forms of Kathakali, Mohiniattam and a beautiful classical flute performance. If you’re a non resident Indian like me, living away from your birth country, when you visit your birth country, you may tend to have a deeper appreciation for these experiences. This was what my husband and I experienced, rather unexpectedly, on our latest visit here.

Where to Stay in Kerala – Hotel Reviews

Niraamaya Retreats Samroha – Athirapally Falls

Room Review:

If you go to Niraamaya’s website they’ll proudly claim they are the best 5 star luxury resort in this area! I don’t know if they are, but let me tell you my experience. We had a spacious room with a balcony overlooking the river and the falls (to the far left). It was too hot to sit outside during the daytime (even for December) and mosquitoes was a problem after sunset so we never really utilized the balcony. The bed was comfortable, bathroom was decent/clean. There was however a lizard in the room. Now I’m deathly terrified of lizards and roaches, and so automatically that put a damper on the stay (not my trip to Kerala), whenever I had to enter the room haha. A superior double room starts at $126 on Booking.com.

Hotel Review:

The best part about this property is the outdoors patio – it’s a large verandah style with casual and dining seating. The views of the river, the waterfalls, the lush green vegetation and walking access to the rocks on the river are beautiful. We tried to spend most of our time out there whenever we were in the property. The food is top notch – we mostly had buffets for dinners and ordered a la carte for lunch. There were a ton of options with the main focus being local Kerala food, which was delicious.

Rainforest Resort – Athirapally Falls

The only reason we didn’t stay here during my trip to Kerala, was because this was totally sold out. From what I can see online, you can get a room facing the falls, including soaking in a bathtub that overlooks the falls – now that would be a cool vibe! They also have one tree house that you can stay in, that looked really cute. Rooms range from $360 per night (directly from their website).

Parakkat Nature Resort – Munnar

We were having so much difficulty finding availability in Munnar because the trip was booked so last minute, so we finally booked two nights at the only available room in the Parakkat Nature Resort – a cave room. What could have been a really spectacular experience turned out to be bizarre and unfavorable at $400 per night. But it was so bad, we checked out early the second day and found accommodations elsewhere. No, we didn’t get our money back and on top of that we spent additional money at the second hotel (which hurt a little bit), but we had an incredible experience and that’s all that matters at the end of the day.

Room Review:

The room itself is large and spacious surrounded by a lush, green forest. But the cave room structure is man-made. And they did not provide for ventilation inside the room therefore it feels extremely damp, wet and cool. Your luggage, clothes, bed, sofa etc will remain damp and slightly wet. This was a turnoff for us. Also one of the arm chairs (cloth material) was heavily stained and they hadn’t bothered to clean it. For $400 a night, I expect less filthy furniture. The bathroom is large and had a hot tub but we didn’t stay long enough to even bother. There is an outdoor patio that overlooks some running water and the surrounding greenery. The room itself has windows overlooking the forest – but this also seems to be a popular walking area so lots of tourists kept walking by and we could see them checking out our cave room, trying to peer in through the windows.

Restaurant/Property Review:

We had the worst food at the restaurant on site in my entire itinerary for Kerala. The quality was abysmal and tasted nothing like what Kerala food CAN taste like. The restaurant was crowded and dirty. The view from the property’s patio is beautiful and faces the rolling tea fields.

Coconut Lagoon – Kumarakom

This was probably my favorite property on my trip to Kerala. I would have either picked between this property and Zuri (below) for the entire stay in Kumarakom but again Coconut Lagoon was only available for one night so I decided to split the nights up with three different stays in Kumarakom on this itinerary for Kerala for 7 days. Rooms start from $244 on Booking.com.

Coconut Lagoon (1 night) Room Review

We stayed in an individual cottage with a small outdoors patio (and two chairs). The property features old Kerala homes made in the centuries-old ‘tharavadu’ style. Bungalows and villas are fitted with a minibar and tea/coffee-making facilities. A telephone is provided. Ironing facilities and safety deposit boxes are also available. The bathroom is entirely outdoors and yes you can have a hot shower!

Property Review

You arrive at the property via boat from the Kumarakom jetty. This itself made it highly romantic and fun! At the entrance, there is a traditional man playing the flute as a welcome. After check-in, they walk you to your cottage via the many natural canals around which the property is built. You can opt for treatments at the Ayurveda centre and don’t miss the evening local art form performances such as the Mohiniyattam dance and Kalaripayattu martial art.

Butterfly Garden

Bird-watching on the Vembanad lake and visiting the butterfly garden are just some of the activities you can indulge in. The butterfly garden was part of the property tour (definitely ask for this) and it was amazing. We got to know why this is such an eco-friendly, sustainable property and it is simply amazing what they are doing with plastic water bottles and how they are turning food wastage into cooking gas.

Activities

A canoe ride or a sunset cruise through the canals of the backwaters can also be arranged. I highly recommend the sunset cruise – it’s free and fun to head out on the lake for an almost always stunning sunset. A games room, TV room, and children’s playground are available. Car rental and currency exchange services are offered in the resort. Games room offers local games like Table Tennis & Carrom Board which we had fun playing!

Restaurant

The Vembanad Grill restaurant is mainly a seafood restaurant and requires reservations. Food is incredible, you will not want for anything here. They also have an open-air dining at Aymanam Restaurant. Ettukettu is a multi-cuisine restaurant overlooking the lake and features rustic ambience of the ancient architectural style of Kerala.

Zuri – Kumarakom

Zuri is a decent property that overlooks the Lake Vembanad as well as has rooms that overlooks a man-made lagoon. If you can get a private pool villa overlooking the lake, this property would be worth it. The restaurant is decent, with very slow service. The food is not amazing, it’s alright. We spent New Year’s Eve at this property and they had some amazing local cultural events that we enjoyed and then a fabulous open air dance party with one of Kerala’s top dj’s which we didn’t plan to enjoy, but ended up having the best time. The room is spacious and has an outdoors sitting area. The bathroom is great, also has an outdoors option (but we didn’t get hot water so we only used the indoors shower). Rooms start from $127.

Houseboat – Kumarakom

As part of your itinerary for Kerala, you have to try a houseboat on the backwaters. You can do a day cruise out on the lake, or a 1-2 night stay on the boat, meals included. The rooms are spacious with AC, and the living room can either be open air (on the sides) or fully closed with ac. The captain’s steering area is open air and is great for sunset watching. I just pulled up a chair from the living/dining out onto his area and just hung out and watched life on the backwaters. Our living room was fully enclosed with AC – this is a good option to avoid the mosquitoes in the evening, especially if they love your blood. The bathroom was clean and the food was heaven. It’s peaceful gliding along the lake and you really learn to just disconnect. Boat costs vary depending on if it’s a luxury, premium or standard boat but expect to pay anywhere from $200-$350 per night.

Tall Trees – Munnar

Unfortunately because our trip was so last minute, Tall Trees was booked so we only ended up eating a meal one afternoon at their onsite restaurant (which I highly recommend, call to make a reservation ahead of time). The entire property is surrounded by tall trees and singing birds. It was absolutely magical. The cottages look beautiful from the outside. If you love nature and want a peaceful, zen stay, then this is it. It’s just 20 minutes from the heart of Munnar.

Itinerary for Kerala – What to Eat in Kerala

We can’t have a Kerala travel blog and not talk about the food! Because the cuisine in Kerala is absolutely sumptuous. So what should you eat?!

1. Puttu: This is a breakfast staple, a cylindrical steamed rice cake cooked with grated coconut. It’s usually served with kadala curry, a dish of black chickpeas made with shallots, spices and coconut milk, that can also be served with ripe bananas and grated coconut.
2. Appam with Stew (My fav): Appam is a Keralan staple made from fermented rice flour and coconut milk. Think of a thin pancake with crispy edges. These crepe-like bowls are made from fermented rice flour, coconut milk, coconut water and a little sugar. Stew is made from coconut milk, cinnamon, cloves and shallots. The crucial ingredient is fresh coconut milk, which lends a sweet flavor.
3. Karimeen Pollichathu: One of Kerala’s delicacies.  Karimeen or pearl spot fish is a speckled fish commonly found in the backwaters of this state. The fish is marinated in a mixture of lemon juice, red chillies, and other ingredients, wrapped and baked in plantain leaves, giving it a unique flavour.
4. Malabar Parotta with Kerala Beef Curry: Another Kerala delicacy, the beef curry is pieces of beef simmered in a curry made with tomatoes, onions, garlic and spices like bay leaves, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, black peppercorns and star anise. The parotta is layered flat bread made by kneading maida (plain flour), egg (in some recipes), oil or ghee and water. The dough is beaten and later shaped into a spiral with thin layers. The ball is rolled flat and roasted into a Parotta with ghee.
5. Erissery: This is a popular curry in Kerala, made from either raw plantains or sliced yams. It also usually includes slightly sweet pumpkin that has been boiled in water with salt, chillies or pepper, dried lentils, grated coconut, turmeric powder, cumin seeds and garlic, served on a bed of rice.
6. Fried Fish: I love Kerala fried fish, this comes whole and can be eaten with appam. You can dictate spice levels, just let the chef know how you want it.

Itinerary for Kerala – Why Visit Kerala

So what’s the big deal about Kerala?! It wasn’t named one of the ten paradises of the world by National Geographic Traveler for no reason. It has beautiful backwaters, a unique culture with rich traditions, fantastic cuisine and incredibly friendly and humble people who are always willing to help. What’s not to love?! Beyond all this, it’s a feeling I cannot describe. You have to visit to see what I mean! So pack your bags and hop on your flight/train/bus ride to God’s Own Country – Kerala. I hope you found this Kerala travel blog useful, please subscribe to my blog and leave me a comment below if you have visited Kerala or would like to! Thank you for dropping by!