Kerala Travel Guide: 2-Week Itinerary, Things to Do & Costs

Many travellers told us that India is magical, but also overwhelming and crazy at times. Zooming rickshaws, traffic noise, heavy crowds and packed trains. Not sure we were ready for the intense, heady-side of India, we researched the south to find a “soft India” trip for our first foray into this beautiful and chaotic country.

We settled on Kerala.

This south Indian state is known for being one of the cleanest and safest states, with 100% literacy rates locals are proud of. We visited Kerala in November and spent two weeks exploring its crumbling colonial cities, tranquil backwaters, verdant tea plantations and scorching beaches.

This guide covers our full two-week itinerary, the best things to do in each place, what everything cost, and the honest stuff other guides skip — including why we didn’t take a houseboat.

Our 2-Week Kerala Itinerary

Days	Where	Stay
Day 1	Fly into Kochi (COK), Fort Kochi	Dutch Manor Hotel (or go upmarket at Postcard Mandalay Hall)
Day 2	Stopover en route to Munnar	Windermere River House
Days 3–5	Munnar tea country	Windermere Estate
Days 6–7	Backwaters (Kumarakom, not Alleppey)	Little Chembaka homestay
Days 8–13	Varkala Beach	Utopia Varkala
Day 14	Fly out of Thiruvananthapuram (TRV)	—

Alternative Kerala Itinerary: We didn’t do this, but you could swap Kumarakom for Munroe Island for a less crowded/polluted version of the backwaters, and add Thekkady National Park before Varkala if you don’t want so many beach days.

Why Visit Kerala?

We spoke to locals, international travellers and local Indian travellers and all but one agreed: Kerala is the best part of India to visit.

This is because Kerala is your “soft landing” into India. If you’ve always wanted to explore India’s culture, cuisine, people and beautiful landscapes, but skip the pollution, hassle, traffic and general chaos, then “God’s own country” (as Kerala is locally known) is the place for you.

• The people of Kerala are kind and welcoming. It’s much less overcrowded than some other Indian states.
• The cuisine is delicious, very vegetarian-friendly, and cooking classes are highly educational.
• The landscapes are varied: colonial cityscapes, gentle backwaters and rolling tea plantations.

Best Time to Visit Kerala

We visited in November, at the tail end of the second monsoon, and it worked well: warm sun on the backwaters, misty blue-sky mornings in Munnar, and warm sunny days in Varkala. The trade-off for travelling just before peak season was a few rainy days that come with the shoulder season, but it was worth it for quieter beaches and better prices.

December to February is Kerala’s dry, peak season, with the most reliable weather and the biggest crowds and rates. Book accommodation well ahead if you’re travelling then. June to September is monsoon season, when the backwaters and tea country are at their greenest but downpours are a daily event, and it’s best to avoid Kerala at this time.

Check out our Kerala Instagram stories to get a full feel for travelling Kerala in this season.

Best Things to Do in Kerala

These are the best things to do in Kerala in our experience travelling around the state. Each is covered in detail in the place sections below:

1. Take a sunrise canoe through the backwaters — better than a houseboat, and we’ll explain why
2. Stay at the magical Windermere Estate
3. Hike the Seven Hills of the Lakshmi Estate in Munnar tea country
4. Take a Keralan cooking class in Kumarakom
5. Learn to surf at Varkala
6. Explore Jew Town and Mattancherry Palace in Kochi
7. Go birdwatching in the Western Ghats
8. Watch the Chinese fishing nets at work in Fort Kochi

Kochi

Kochi is Kerala’s main colonial city, and a glimpse into the state’s colonial and pre-colonial past. Beautifully dressed young Indian women pose for photos outside crumbling colonial buildings, fabrics, teas, ayurvedic oils and spices tumble out of overflowing stores, fishermen haul up giant Chinese nets, watched closely by tourists and seabirds alike.

Best Things To Do in Kochi

Kochi is Kerala’s main colonial city, and a glimpse into the state’s colonial and pre-colonial past. Beautifully dressed young Indian women pose for photos outside crumbling colonial buildings, fabrics, teas, ayurvedic oils and spices tumble out of overflowing stores, fishermen haul up giant Chinese nets, watched closely by tourists and seabirds alike.

Visit Jew Town and the Old Synagogue

Start your morning in Kochi with a stroll through Jew Town. Estimates vary, but even conservative guesses put the Jewish history in Kerala as starting almost 2,000 years ago. Jew Town is an excellent place to buy gifts for family members back home. There’s a haggle system, but it’s less intense than in other places we’ve visited. You can visit the synagogue, the oldest still-working synagogue in the Commonwealth, for only 10 rupees per person.

Explore Mattancherry Palace (Dutch Palace)

Next to Jew Town, Mattancherry Palace has been converted into a small but fascinating museum. It costs only 5 rupees per person to enter and far exceeded our expectations given that price point. The stars of the palace are the beautiful murals depicting scenes from the Hindu cosmos, like the Ramayana. Don’t miss this!

Visit Lila – Curated Experiences

My one regret from Kochi is that I didn’t get a sweet treat from Lila – Curated Experiences. This is a beautiful colonial building (complete with a line of well-dressed Indian women taking Instagram shots outside) which houses a small cafe, art gallery, and a couple of shops. The sweets look decent, but the building itself is the reason to visit.

Take Photos of the Chinese Fishing Nets

We almost skipped the Chinese fishing nets, not eating fish ourselves, but I’m glad we took a chance. The huge counterweighted nets, manned by three fishermen at the end of a jetty, are an impressive sight up close. We stayed to watch the catch: just a few tiny fish. Within seconds a heron, a kite, and a pair of eagles swooped in, turning it into an incredible little spectacle. We tipped the fisherman 100 rupees for his time, which made his day.

Where To Eat in Kochi

We ate at Postcard Mandalay Hall in Jew Town, which is a beautiful modern hotel in Mattancherry with a restaurant. We ate decent dosa and had a quick walk around the garden.

Best Places to Stay in Kochi

Tourists normally stay in either Mattancherry or Fort Kochi. Mattancherry is where Jew Town is located, whereas Fort Kochi is a slightly larger old town. I must admit, I didn’t realise it was a 30-minute walk (and not a particularly nice one) between the two, so choose your base around what you most want to see.

We stayed in Mattancherry at the Dutch Manor Hotel, which was clean, comfortable and friendly, a good value choice right by Jew Town. But Kochi is a city where the building you sleep in can be half the experience, and next time I’d stay in Fort Kochi in one of its heritage properties. These are the ones on our shortlist:

Old Harbour Hotel — A 300-year-old Dutch heritage monument with Portuguese touches, and the first hotel in old Cochin. The garden pool and the sense of history make it the romantic pick.

Forte Kochi — A Portuguese-era building restored into a 27-room boutique hotel: four-poster beds, tinted windows and tiled floors that feel properly colonial-era Kochi rather than themed.

Le Colonial — Built in 1506 as the Portuguese governors’ residence, this is the oldest hotel in Fort Kochi, filled with art and antiques, with a quiet inner patio and garden pool.

Postcard Mandalay Hall — The most polished stay in Mattancherry itself, a beautiful modern boutique hotel in an old building near Jew Town. We ate a decent dosa at its restaurant and had a walk around the garden; it’s undoubtedly lovely, but very much on the expensive side.

Munnar

Munnar means one thing: rolling, verdant tea plantations draped over sweeping hills. It’s India best enjoyed at a slower pace, ideally with a steaming cup of cardamom tea in hand. The cooler, mistier climate is a welcome relief from the coastal heat, and the blue-sky mornings are breathtaking.

Best Things To Do in Munnar

Hike the Seven Hills of the Lakshmi Estate

If you do only one thing in Munnar, make it the Seven Hills hike on the Lakshmi Estate (3-5 hours). It’s the best way to experience functional tea plantations up close. While you could technically navigate it alone, I found having a guide helpful — some paths cross private property and it’s not always obvious where access is permitted. Arrange a guide through your accommodation, and do it a day or two before you plan to hike.

Go Birdwatching in Munnar

Munnar — and the Western Ghats more broadly — is renowned for excellent birdwatching. Our favourite sighting was the sunbird, Asia’s answer to the hummingbird. It drinks nectar, hops rather than hovers, and has the same delicate beak and build.

My second favourite sighting (birdwatchers, forgive me) was the giant Malabar squirrel. This charming, monkey-sized climber is endemic to the region. Our birdwatching tour was arranged as part of our stay at Windermere Estate.

Climb Chokramudi

This is a significant peak in the region, offering spectacular views of the surrounding tea fields… when the weather cooperates. It didn’t for us. We paid the 800-rupees entry fee moments before a wall of fog rolled in. Because we hadn’t booked in advance, we didn’t have a guide, and ended up abandoning the hike as parts of it felt genuinely precarious in those conditions.

Visit the Lockhart Tea Factory

If you want to see how tea is processed, Lockhart Tea Factory is the place to go. Entry is 250 rupees and tours depart every 30 minutes. Note that this isn’t the spot for walking through the plantations themselves — and we couldn’t buy a cup of tea either, as the café was closed for maintenance.

Best Place to Stay in Munnar

It’s important to realise that “Munnar” refers to both the town and the wider region. Do not stay in Munnar town itself: it’s crowded, busy, and noisy. The best experience comes from staying in the surrounding hills.

Windermere Estate — Look for accommodation that provides meals and can help arrange transport. We highly recommend the beautiful Windermere Estate, a working cardamom farm run by an exceptionally friendly and welcoming team. They made our stay so special.

Blackberry Hills — We also visited Blackberry Hills for a meal and thought it looked like another excellent option. The restaurant’s view was extraordinary, and they offer yoga and Ayurvedic treatments at their spa.

Stopover: Windermere River House (2-hours from Munnar)

Windermere River House sits midway between Munnar and Alleppey, tucked along an idyllic riverbank surrounded by tropical flowers, fluttering butterflies, and free-roaming peacocks. It’s a peaceful retreat from the wider world, a place to read, do yoga, and reconnect with nature. Though we didn’t stay at the River House, we were invited to visit and break up a long journey by the charming owner, Dr John Simon, who made an excellent impression on us.

The Kerala Backwaters (Kumarakom, not Alleppey)

The backwaters: an endless maze of waterways, coconut trees, rice paddies and fuchsia pink water lilies. We chose a motorised canoe over a traditional houseboat, and Kumarakom over the better-known Alleppey (Alappuzha). Here’s how it went, and why we’d do it the same way again.

Best Things To Do in the Kerala Backwaters

Take a Sunrise Canoe Through the Backwaters

Our sunrise trip on a motorised canoe began at 6am, right from the doorstep of Little Chembaka homestay.

At that hour the backwaters were glassy and quiet, and only the birds witnessed our slow progress along the narrow channels. Gradually, the villages around us stirred to life. We stopped at a local tea shop — friendly, though very male-dominated, almost like stepping into a British pub in the 1980s — and later watched how rope is made from coconut fibre and how palm wine is tapped from the coconut tree.

Some stretches showed more plastic than wildlife; others were utterly serene, with the November sun warming the water and birds everywhere you looked. Though the backwaters are less fashionable with tourists than they once were, we loved the trip and would strongly recommend exploring them by canoe rather than by houseboat.

You can book a sunrise canoe with Little Chembaka here, even if you’re not staying at their homestay.

Should You Take a Kerala Houseboat?

Honestly? We wouldn’t. The houseboat is the image on every Kerala brochure, so it feels like the ‘must-do’ activity in Kerala. However, after plenty of research, we decided on the alternative of a sunrise canoe ride. Our full guide as to why we didn’t can be read here.

The houseboat industry is in visible decline. A local explained that a boom in demand led to overcrowded waterways and a race to the bottom on prices. Standards fell, visitor experiences suffered, and the decline accelerated. We saw more than a hundred houseboats tied up at their moorings, but only two or three actually out on the water — and even those carried just a handful of guests.

A motorised canoe gets you into the narrow channels a houseboat can’t reach, at a fraction of the price (ours was ₹4,500/ approx £35 per person for a private sunrise trip), with none of the moored-up-in-a-queue experience. If your heart is set on sleeping on the water, choose your operator carefully and manage expectations, but our advice is to base yourself at a backwater homestay and explore by canoe instead.

If you do decide to take an overnight Kerala house boat, make sure you read the reviews before you book. We’ve read some poor experiences after tourists tried to turn up in Alleppey and negotiate better prices amongst the hustle and bustle. We’d recommend finding an option like this one which has reviews and planning in advance.

Take a Cooking Class in Kumarakom

Learn the essentials of Keralan cooking, from how coconut oil is made to the inner workings of a real spice factory. We arranged our Keralan cooking class through Little Chembaka, and I loaded up my phone with 10+ authentic recipes that I can’t wait to try back home.

Jes, our energetic instructor, patiently walked us through the foundations of Keralan cuisine late into the evening, then followed up the next morning with extra notes and tips. The class is on the pricier side by local standards, but if you’re interested in Indian cooking, it’s absolutely worth it.

You can book a cooking class with Little Chembaka even if you’re not staying at their homestay. Our class was made fully vegetarian on request.

Best Place to Stay in the Backwaters

We chose to stay in Kumarakom rather than Alleppey (officially Alappuzha) after some research, and we’re glad we did. Alleppey is far more touristy, while Kumarakom offered the peace and quiet we were hoping for.

Little Chembaka Homestay — Our base was Little Chembaka Homestay, essentially a private cabin overlooking the river. The stay was fantastic, thanks largely to Jes, our host, who spent hours talking about Kerala, India, and life in general. The only downside is its proximity to a road, but the overall experience more than made up for it.

Coconut Lagoon — the upmarket alternative. If your budget stretches further, the fanciest address on this stretch of the backwaters is Coconut Lagoon, a CGH Earth eco resort just along the water from where we stayed. You can only arrive by boat, which sets the tone: heritage cottages rebuilt from centuries-old Keralan tharavad houses, a resident naturalist who leads bird-spotting trips on Vembanad Lake, a butterfly garden, and guided kayak tours through the same channels we explored by canoe.

Varkala Beach

Varkala is a coastal town in southern Kerala, known for its surf breaks, yoga culture, and a ribbon of restaurants and shops perched dramatically along the cliffside. I’ll be honest: our first impression wasn’t great. The combination of unseasonable rain and weekend crowds left the place feeling chaotic and a little overwhelming. But once the weekend rush ebbed and the sun finally appeared, Varkala shifted into a slower, more tranquil rhythm than we came to enjoy immensely.

Best Things To Do in Varkala

Join a yoga class

Yoga surely has to rank among India’s greatest cultural exports. Our 90-minute yoga class, provided by Utopia Varkala, was great, with a focus on wisdom, spirituality and inner peace.

Take a Surf Lesson

Varkala is a great place for beginner to intermediate surfing. Whilst it lacks the clean pipes of Bali, the waves are consistently powerful enough that you’ll have plenty of chances to learn how to stand. Varkala does have riptides, so join a surf school to be safe (1,500 rupees). We booked lessons through Moon Waves Surf and our friendly instructor, Rohith, helped us both improve massively.

Note that at the time of writing, the best surfing beach (Edava Beach) was closed due to disputes between surfers and local fishermen. We still had a blast on the beginner waves elsewhere, but check beach closures before you visit.

Enjoy an Ayurvedic Massage

Enjoy an oily Ayurvedic massage to relax your muscles after an early morning surf or yoga session. We visited the excellent and distinctly high-end Gramam Living for a 30-minute couples massage that cost 1,800 rupees (£14) each. 

Best Places to Eat in Varkala

Eat Idli at Tickety Boo

Idli, which like dosa, is made from a fermented rice-and-lentil batter, comes in an astonishing range of shapes and sizes across Kerala. Tickety Boo serves some of the most authentic, no-frills idlis around. You eat with your hands: tear off a piece, dip it into sambar or chutney, and let the flavours do the rest. Prices are wonderfully old-school too. Mains start at just 80 rupees (under £1), and a cup of chai is 10 rupees (about 8.5p). The staff are deaf, but ordering is effortless; gestures and smiles seem to be a universal language here.

Enjoy the Views from Café Sarwaa

Perched near South Cliff, Café Sarwaa is a Varkala institution — something the ever-present queue makes very clear. It’s absolutely worth the wait for both the views and the food. I especially loved the momos.

Coffee at Vedaa by Aum

Vedaa by Aum in Odayam was by far our favourite coffee and food stop. The coconut iced latte is too good, and we drank one almost everyday. Their food is freshly prepared and we enjoyed it all. Try the uttapam and paratha plate.

Best Places to Stay in Varkala

Most travellers base themselves in one of three areas: North Cliff, South Cliff or Odayam. North Cliff is the most developed and lively, and best avoided if you’re not into neon lights and booming music. We stayed in the quieter Odayam and were glad we did.

Utopia Varkala — We stayed at Utopia Varkala, which overlooks green rice paddies and offers rooftop yoga three or four times a week. It’s run by a Czech mother and daughter who have lived in India for many years, and has a relaxed and laid-back feel. We fell in love with the rice paddy views and felt so serene after our week’s stay here. There’s only a handful of places to eat in this neighbourhood, but fortunately our favourite, Vedaa by Aum, is located here and has the best coconut iced coffee and vegetarian food.

Villa Akasa — On the other side of Varkala from the North Cliff bustle, Villa Akasa is a serene five-room homestay tucked into greenery on the quiet South Cliff, a few minutes’ walk from a beautiful, near-untouched stretch of beach. Rooms come with balconies or garden patios, breakfast can be eaten out among the plants, and there are free bicycles for pedalling between the cliffs and Varkala Town. If Odayam’s rice-paddy calm appeals but you want to be closer to the South Cliff cafés, this is the option for you.

Soul & Surf Kerala — South Cliff, by contrast, is close to Varkala Town yet feels far more peaceful. I’d recommend Soul & Surf Kerala, which has a lovely clifftop garden along with daily surf lessons and yoga classes. Yoga is offered in the evenings here, a real bonus, since the best waves are usually in the morning. The accommodation is, however, overpriced for the area. We only ate here in their garden, but didn’t stay.

Kerala Travel Costs

Kerala is exceptional value overall, especially for food and activities. We spent more on mid-range accommodation as we wanted the places we stayed to be part of our experience, but it would be possible to stay in much more budget alternatives. Real prices from our November trip:

Item	Price (₹)	Approx £
Old Synagogue entry, Kochi	10	~9p
Mattancherry Palace entry	5	~4p
Lockhart Tea Factory tour	250	~£2
Chokramudi peak entry	800	~£7
Private sunrise canoe trip (per person)	4,500	~£38
Surf lesson, Varkala	1,500	~£13
30-min Ayurvedic massage (each)	1,800	~£15
Idli mains at Tickety Boo	From 80	Under £1
Cup of chai	10	~8.5p

Getting To and Around Kerala

Getting There — We flew into Kochi (COK) and out of Thiruvananthapuram (TRV) in the south, which meant no backtracking. It was the single best logistical decision of the trip, and saved us so much time. From the UK, both airports are typically reached with one stop via the Gulf hubs.

Getting Around — Kerala’s distances are short but journeys are slow on winding roads, especially up to Munnar. We arranged drivers through our accommodation for the longer legs, which is standard practice and lets you break journeys.

We made a mistake by travelling all the way from Munnar to Varkala, a 7-hour car journey which cost us £70 plus a tip. Next time, we’d go straight from Kochi to Munnar, and stay at Kumarakom or Windermere River House on the way back from Munnar.

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