A thatched kettuvallam houseboat on a palm-lined canal in Alappuzha

Kerala, India · 9.49° N, 76.33° E

Kerala

Tea hills in the Western Ghats, spice gardens, and 900 kilometres of canals where the day is measured by the tide.

Best time
September to March
Ideal length
7–10 days
Region
South India
Journeys from
₹72,000

Kerala is where we send people who say they need a holiday from their holidays. Nothing here is designed to be rushed, least of all the backwaters.

Rather than the crowded houseboat stretch at Alappuzha, we charter single-bedroom kettuvallams that go where the big boats can't — narrow canals past toddy shops, duck farmers and kids swimming off the steps of their houses.

Up in Munnar the air cools and the hills are clipped into rows of tea. Down on the coast, Marari's beaches are empty enough that the fishing boats are the only traffic.

(02)When to go

September to March

The monsoon (June–August) is lush, cheap and ideal for Ayurveda retreats — just not for beaches. Snake-boat races run in August and September.

  1. January: recommended
  2. February: recommended
  3. March: recommended
  4. April: not recommended
  5. May: not recommended
  6. June: not recommended
  7. July: not recommended
  8. August: not recommended
  9. September: recommended
  10. October: recommended
  11. November: recommended
  12. December: recommended

(03)Don't miss

The moments worth the journey.

A fisherman poling a canoe across still water at sunrise on Munroe Island
Photo Marieke Weller / Unsplash
  1. 01

    A private houseboat

    One cabin, one crew, a cook who shops from the canoes that pull alongside. Not the party boats.

  2. 02

    Munnar's tea estates

    Walk the estates with a planter at dawn and taste the difference between the morning and afternoon pick.

  3. 03

    Munroe Island

    Canoe the narrow canals of Ashtamudi Lake at sunrise with the village fishermen.

  4. 04

    Fort Kochi

    Chinese fishing nets, Portuguese churches, Jewish Town and the best fish curry we know.

(04)From the road

Kerala in pictures

  • Rows of clipped tea bushes rolling over the hills of Munnar
    Rows of clipped tea bushes rolling over the hills of Munnar
  • A houseboat moored under coconut palms and a mackerel sky in the Alappuzha backwaters
    A houseboat moored under coconut palms and a mackerel sky in the Alappuzha backwaters
  • Mist settling over the tea estates of Munnar on a cloudy afternoon
    Mist settling over the tea estates of Munnar on a cloudy afternoon
  • A houseboat gliding past waterside homes in the Alleppey backwaters
    A houseboat gliding past waterside homes in the Alleppey backwaters
  • Aerial view of a narrow backwater channel cutting through dense coconut palms
    Aerial view of a narrow backwater channel cutting through dense coconut palms

(05)Journeys

Ways to travel Kerala

Starting points our planners reshape around your dates, your people and your pace.

Plan a trip to KeralaAll journeys

Next destination · Uttar Pradesh, India

Varanasi