Private journeys in seven lands · a planner replies within one working day
Try "Udaipur", "tiger", "honeymoon", "Ladakh in July"
A seven-night journey for walkers and nature lovers in Kerala's Western Ghats: one night in Fort Kochi, three in Munnar for estate walks, the Nilgiri tahr and a sunrise at Kolukkumalai, and three at Thekkady for bamboo rafting, forest treks and cardamom plantations in the Periyar Tiger Reserve.
Kerala's hills are its coolest and greenest country, and this journey stays in them. After a night in Fort Kochi to recover from your flight, you climb to Munnar for three nights on a spice estate, with time for long walks through the tea, a pre-dawn jeep to one of South India's highest tea estates, and the Nilgiri tahr of Eravikulam.
The second half is at Thekkady, on the edge of the Periyar Tiger Reserve, where the forest is explored on foot and by bamboo raft with guards who know it intimately. Three nights allow for a full rafting day, a border trek or long nature walk, and an afternoon in a cardamom plantation. The journey suits active travellers and families with older children.
Highlights
Day by day
We meet you at Cochin International Airport and drive about 1.5 hours to Brunton Boatyard on the Fort Kochi harbour. In the late afternoon, walk with a guide past the Chinese fishing nets, St. Francis Church and the old Dutch houses to stretch your legs after the flight. Dinner at the hotel, facing the shipping channel.
Leave after breakfast for Munnar, with stops at the Valara waterfall and a spice garden. Arrive at Windermere Estate in time for lunch. In the afternoon, take a first two-hour walk with a guide along estate paths above the valley. Evenings in the winter months are cool enough for a fire.
Leave at 4.30 am for Suryanelli and a 4x4 climb to Kolukkumalai, a tea estate above 2,000 m, for sunrise over the clouds. After breakfast at the viewpoint and a visit to the old factory, walk down part of the way through the estate on footpaths with your guide before the jeep collects you. The afternoon is for rest.
Be at Eravikulam National Park at opening time to see the Nilgiri tahr on the grasslands below Anamudi, then walk the paved path through the Rajamala section. Later, a longer guided walk of about 10 km through tea estates and shola forest edges, with a picnic lunch. When Eravikulam is closed for calving, we walk the high country near Top Station instead.
Drive south through cardamom country to Thekkady, with a stop at a viewpoint over the Tamil Nadu plains. Check in at Spice Village. In the afternoon, walk a family cardamom and pepper plantation with its owner and see how the pods are dried and graded. Spice Village's naturalist gives an evening talk on the reserve.
Spend the day in the Periyar Tiger Reserve on full-day bamboo rafting with forest guards, trekking through evergreen and deciduous forest and rafting across the lake. Watch for elephants, gaur, sambar, otters and hornbills along the shores. A simple lunch is eaten in the forest. Return at about 5 pm, tired and happy.
Choose between a longer guided trek along the forested ridges of the reserve towards the Tamil Nadu border, run by the forest department's eco-development programme, or the first boat on Periyar Lake followed by a three-hour nature walk. The afternoon is free for the pool, or an evening Kalaripayattu show in Kumily.
After breakfast, drive down from the hills via Kottayam to Cochin International Airport, about 4.5 to 5 hours, for an afternoon or evening flight. If you prefer, Madurai airport is about 3.5 to 4 hours east, or we can add two nights at Kumarakom on the way. Our team in India stays in touch until you are through check-in.
Included
Not included
Where you sleep
A heritage hotel on the Fort Kochi waterfront, rebuilt on the site of a Victorian boatyard, where every room faces the harbour channel and ships pass …
A working cardamom and coffee plantation at Pothamedu, about 3 km from Munnar town, with cottages and a planter's bungalow set on a hillside facing the …
A CGH Earth resort of thatched cottages among spice gardens on the edge of the Periyar Tiger Reserve, built in the style of the area's tribal …
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Questions travellers ask
Reasonably fit. Estate walks range from 4 to 10 km with climbs, bamboo rafting includes several kilometres of forest trekking, and the border trek is longer. Every walk can be shortened, and the lake cruise replaces rafting for less active travellers.
September to March, with December to February the clearest and coolest. April and May are pleasant in the hills but hazier. During the monsoon, from June to August, walks are wet, leeches are common and views often disappear. Start walks early in the day.
This journey focuses on the hills, so Kochi is a place to rest after the flight with a short evening walk. If you would like to see Fort Kochi and Mattancherry properly, we suggest adding a second night. It adds little cost.
Yes, children over about 10 who enjoy walking. Bamboo rafting is generally for children over about 12; ask us about current rules. Younger children can do shorter estate walks, the lake cruise and the spice plantation. Tell us their ages when you enquire.
Very likely elephants, gaur, sambar, wild boar, Nilgiri langurs, giant squirrels and many birds, especially on the rafting day and early boat. Tigers are present but rarely seen in the dense forest. Binoculars make a great difference, as animals are often seen across the water.
Yes. Kumarakom is 3.5 to 4 hours from Thekkady, so two nights at a lake resort and a houseboat night can be added before flying out of Kochi, making a ten-night journey. A lake resort and houseboat make a calm end after the active days in the hills.
From about ₹2,05,000 per person, twin sharing, with private car, walking guides, naturalists and the activities listed. Peak dates and upgraded rooms cost more. Flights are extra. We send a detailed quote for your dates. We send a detailed quote with room options once you share your dates.
Yes, with the licensed local jeeps and experienced drivers. The track is rough and bumpy for about an hour each way, and it is not recommended for anyone with back or neck problems or during pregnancy. Hold on to the grab rails on the steeper sections.
Walking shoes with good grip, a light rain jacket, a warm layer for Munnar evenings, a hat, sunscreen and binoculars. A small daypack is useful. Leech socks are provided at Periyar. Walking poles help on steep estate paths. Pack light layers.
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