POPULAR KERALA ITINERARIES


Once you decide to head to Kerala the very next thing you have to do is finalize a Kerala itinerary that suits your taste and time. Out of the several Kerala itineraries which one suits you the best?

1. Most Popular Tourist Circuit - Central Kerala

Start Point: Cochin / End Point: Cochin

Arrival - Cochin  - Munnar (2 Nights) –Thekkady (1 Night)- Kumarakom to Alleppey Houseboat Cruise (1 Night) - Cochin (Cherai beach or Fort Cochin  1 Night) - Departure.

This is the most popular tourist circuit in Kerala.  If you are a first time visitor in Kerala this will be a great option to consider. You can cover this circuit in 4 to 5 days. But an ideal duration to cover this circuit in a relaxed manner covering all the experiences will be 6 to 7 days.

Cochin International airport and Seaport makes this circuit very popular and easy to travel in and out.

In this, you could reduce one night stay at Thekkady and instead include,

- Athirappally Waterfalls (1Night)  

- Thattekkad – Bird watching(1Night)

- Gavi day trip and night stay at Thekkady (1 Night)

- Vagamon (1Night)


2. South Kerala Beach Circuit 

Start Point: Trivandrum /End Point: Cochin

Arrival- Trivandrum - Varkala (1 Night) - Poovar beach & Backwaters (1Night)- Kanyakumari (1 Night)- Kovalam (1 Night) - Trivandrum (1 Night) - Departure

If you are a beach lover then this will be a good option which can be covered in 5 to 6 days. If you have more days in hand you can either spend more time any of the beaches Varkala or Kovalam.

In this plan, you can reduce 1 night stay at any place and instead include,

- Ponmudi Hill station (1Night)  

- Asthamudi lake & Munroe Island in Kollam (1Night)  


3. Central Kerala and South Kerala

Start Point: Cochin / End Point: Trivandrum

Arrival- Cochin (Fort Cochin/Cheari Beach 1 Night) - Munnar (2 Night) -Thekkady (1 Night)-Kumarakom to Alleppey Houseboat Cruise(1 Night) .- Varkala beach (1 Night)- Kovalam (1 Night) - Trivandrum- Departure.

This option covers both Cochin circuit and Trivandrum circuit in 7 to 8 days. You can start from Cochin and end at Trivandrum or do vice versa. In this you can shift one night in Thekkady to one night in Kovalam if you wish to enjoy more on the beach.


4. Unexplored North Kerala Circuit 

Start Point: Calicut /End Point: Mangalore

Arrival - Calicut - Wayanad (2 Nights) - Kannur beaches (2 Nights) (Muzhippilangad drive in Beach, Dharmadam Island and  beach, Payyambalam beach, Thottada, Ezhara beach) -Backwater   Houseboat Cruise at Valiyaparamba to Nileshwaram (1 Night) –Nileshwaram beach/backwater (1 Night) - Bekkal fort & beach - Mangalore - Departure.

This north Kerala circuit is really an unexplored paradise which offers pristine hill stations, beautiful backwaters and uncrowded beaches. Away from the tourist crowd, these unexplored paradises will give you an entirely new Kerala experiences. This is highly recommended if you are travelling Kerala for second time or more. This can be further customized by including hill stations such as Paithalmala and Ranipuram. You can start from Calicut and end at Mangalore or do vice versa.

Each of these options can be easily customized by adding new places, removing some places or adding more time in some of the preferred destinations depending on the available time and personal preferences. 

For exploring some of the recommended tour packages you can check our Tour Packages. For finding out the best time to visit Kerala please see Best Time to Visit Kerala. For finding out the best places to visit in Kerala please see Best Places to Visit in Kerala