A 10-day Kerala plan for first-timers

The table shows the nights, a suggested stay and the drive time to reach each place. All stays are ones we use regularly.

Arrive at Cochin International Airport and drive about 1.5 hours to Fort Kochi. Spend the first afternoon resting and walk to the Chinese fishing nets at sunset. The next day, walk the old port with a historian at first light, from the nets to St. Francis Church, then visit Mattancherry's Dutch Palace, the Paradesi Synagogue and the spice warehouses. Rest in the heat of the afternoon and end with a Kathakali performance, arriving early to watch the actors paint their faces.

Avoid scheduling Mattancherry on a Friday, when the palace and synagogue close. If you have an extra night, add the harbour by private launch, a home cooking class or the Muziris heritage trail.

Fort Kochi is also the place to settle into Kerala's rhythm. Mornings start early, lunch is the main meal, afternoons are for rest, and the town comes alive again in the cool of the evening, when families walk along the seafront and the fishing nets are lowered against the sunset. It is worth adopting the same pattern for the rest of the journey.

On day three, drive up to Munnar, about 4 to 4.5 hours with stops at waterfalls and a spice garden. Stay on an estate outside town. Day four is for the tea: a guided walk through the estates in the early morning, the Tata Tea Museum and a tasting, and in the afternoon the Nilgiri tahr at Eravikulam National Park, or Top Station when the park closes for calving in spring.

On day five, drive south through the Cardamom Hills to Thekkady, about three hours, and walk a cardamom and pepper plantation in the afternoon. Day six is for the Periyar Tiger Reserve: ideally a full day of bamboo rafting with forest guards, or the first boat on the lake and a three-hour nature walk. In the evening, a Kalaripayattu show in Kumily is optional.

Nights in the hills are cool from December to February, often around 10 °C in Munnar, so pack a warm layer. Both Windermere Estate and Spice Village are set in working plantations, and their gardens are good for short walks before dinner. If either Eravikulam or the Periyar activities are closed when you visit, we replace them with Top Station, a longer estate walk or a nature walk outside the reserve.

On day seven, descend from the hills via Kottayam to Kumarakom on Vembanad Lake, about 3.5 to 4 hours. Cross by boat to Coconut Lagoon and take a canoe through the village canals at sunset. On day eight, walk the bird sanctuary at dawn, then board a private houseboat at noon for a night in the canals of Kuttanad, mooring at sunset among the paddy fields.

On day nine, land at Alappuzha in the morning and drive 30 minutes to Marari Beach. Days nine and ten are for rest: a fishing-village dawn, a cycle ride through the palm lanes, the pool and the sea. On day eleven, drive about two hours to Cochin International Airport for your flight home.

Houseboats stop cruising at sunset by local rule and moor for the night, so the boat day runs from about noon to the following morning. Choose a premium single-party boat with an air-conditioned bedroom, and ask for a route south into Kuttanad rather than the busy loop near the Alappuzha jetties. At Marari, swim only close to shore between November and March, and follow the resort's advice on currents.

The best time for this route is mid-November to mid-March, when the coast is dry and the hills are clear. December and January are the busiest and most expensive, especially from 20 December to early January, when the best rooms sell out months ahead. October and early November are good shoulder months, with some afternoon showers. We do not recommend June and July, when the monsoon is heaviest.

At the hotels listed, with a private car and driver throughout, guides in each place, a premium single-party houseboat and the main activities, this ten-night journey costs from about ₹3,25,000 per person, twin sharing. Christmas and New Year, pool villas and larger houseboats cost more; flights are extra. Prices change, so check current status before you travel.

The route is easy to adapt. The most common changes we make are listed below. Whatever you choose, keep at least two nights in each place; one-night stops in Kerala mean long drives and little time to enjoy them.

• Honeymoon: skip Thekkady, add a third night in Munnar and a third at Marari, and book pool villas
• Families: add a third night in Munnar and replace bamboo rafting with the Periyar boat and a short walk
• Wildlife: add a third night at Thekkady for border hiking or a night patrol
• Ayurveda: add a 14-night retreat near Kovalam after Marari, flying home from Thiruvananthapuram
• Southern coast: replace Marari with two nights at Varkala and two at Kovalam, ending in Thiruvananthapuram
• Culture: add Thrissur and Kerala Kalamandalam, or travel north for Theyyam from December to March

Start each day early; the light is best and the heat lowest before 10 am. Pack a warm layer for Munnar evenings, light cotton for the coast, closed shoes for forest walks and modest clothing for temples and churches. Take motion-sickness tablets for the hill roads if you need them. Book Periyar activities and Eravikulam tickets in advance, as places are limited.

Most of all, do not try to fit too much in. Kerala rewards slowness: an afternoon on a verandah in Munnar, a canoe in the canals or an hour watching fishermen at Marari are often what guests remember most.

Finally, leave a little room in the plan. Weather, festivals and local events can change a day in Kerala, and some of the best moments, a temple procession passing on the road or a village boat race on a canal, are the ones nobody planned. Our drivers and guides are used to adapting, and our team in India is on call throughout your journey.