Munnar Tea Hills and Alleppey Houseboat

5 Nights 6 Days Munnar tour package from Bangalore

5N / 6D Coimbatore (1N) → Munnar (2N) → Alappuzha (1N) → Coimbatore (1N)

1352 km

by road

31.5 h

driving

places

nights

meals

Pick the hotels that suit your budget

Private car with driver from Bengaluru

No payment now. We call to confirm

Overview

A road trip to Kerala's two big classics, Munnar's tea hills and Alleppey's backwaters, with your own car and driver from your doorstep in Bengaluru. Munnar is too far for one comfortable day, so we break the drive with a night in Coimbatore on the way in and on the way out, and see the Adiyogi statue at Isha and Fort Kochi on the way. You get a full day for Eravikulam, Mattupetty, Echo Point and Top Station, and a whole afternoon and night cruising the backwaters on a private houseboat with all meals cooked on board. Best from September to January. Honest caveats: Eravikulam National Park usually closes in February and March for the Nilgiri tahr calving season, and houseboats must stop cruising and anchor by about 5:30 PM by Kerala rules.

Your route

Real road route from Google. Tap a day to zoom in. Numbers match the places in each day below.

Is this trip for you?

Moderate

Day 1, 5 and 6 have 6 to 7 hours in the car with stops. Day 3 is a full day of hill driving with short walks.

Great for

Families who want both hills and backwaters
Couples on a first Kerala trip
Groups who prefer road trips to flights

Think twice if

You get car sick on winding ghat roads (Day 2 and Day 4)
You travel in February or March, when Eravikulam is usually closed
You want to cruise the backwaters after dark, which is not allowed

Day by day

Day 1

Bengaluru to Coimbatore and the Adiyogi at Isha

367 km 7 h 16 min driving 1 place

6:00 AM
Pickup from your home
Your driver calls 30 minutes before. An early start beats the Hosur traffic.
2 h 8 min · 91 km
8:15 AM
Breakfast near Krishnagiri
Pongal, vada and filter coffee at a highway restaurant. Pay as you eat.
3 h 35 min · 196 km
12:30 PM
Lunch on the Salem to Coimbatore road
A full Tamil meals plate on a banana leaf.
1 h 32 min · 81 km
3:00 PM
Check in and rest
A couple of hours to rest before the evening outing.
5:15 PM
1
Adiyogi statue at Isha
2 h here
A 112 foot steel face of Shiva against the Velliangiri hills. Free entry. Stay for the light and sound show, usually around 7 PM.
8:30 PM
Back to your hotel
Dinner in the city or at the hotel, your choice.

Day 2

Coimbatore to Munnar via Chinnar and Marayur

157 km 4 h 15 min driving 4 places

7:30 AM
Breakfast and check out
2 h 29 min · 106 km
10:45 AM
1
Chinnar check post and wildlife drive
30 min here
Dry forest on the Kerala border. Watch for elephants, gaur and the grizzled giant squirrel from the car. Kerala entry formalities for the car happen here.
19 min · 9 km
11:45 AM
2
Marayur dolmens and sandalwood forest
1 h here
Kerala's only natural sandalwood forest, and stone age burial chambers called muniyaras on the rocks.
12:45 PM
Lunch in Marayur
Simple Kerala meals. Pick up a packet of Marayur jaggery.
30 min · 16 km
2:00 PM
3
Lakkam Waterfalls
40 min here
A short forest walk to a pretty cascade. Shallow pool for paddling when the forest team allows it.
53 min · 26 km
3:45 PM
4
Tata Tea Museum
1 h here
See how tea goes from leaf to cup, with a short film and tasting. Closed on Mondays, then we go on Day 3.
5 min · 2 km
5:15 PM
Check in at your hotel
Evenings get cool, around 12 to 15 degrees in winter. Walk the Munnar bazaar for spices and homemade chocolate.

Day 3

Munnar: Eravikulam, Mattupetty and Top Station

51 km 1 h 49 min driving 5 places

4:00 AM
Kolukkumalai sunrise by jeep
Optional · About Rs 3,200 to 4,500 per jeep, up to 6 people
Sunrise over the clouds from one of the highest tea estates in the world. Jeeps start from Suryanelli and are now booked online. Tell us 2 days before.
7:45 AM
Breakfast at the hotel
14 min · 8 km
8:45 AM
1
Eravikulam National Park
2 h 30 min here
Forest buses take you up to Rajamalai to walk among grasslands and Nilgiri tahr. We book your time slot online. Usually closed in February and March for the tahr calving season.
12:00 PM
Lunch in Munnar town
40 min · 19 km
1:30 PM
2
Mattupetty Dam
30 min here
A green reservoir ringed by tea. Speed boats and pedal boats run here.
12 min · 7 km
2:15 PM
3
Echo Point
25 min here
Shout across the lake and hear it come back.
35 min · 18 km
3:15 PM
4
Kundala Lake
30 min here
Quiet lake with shikara rides, paid there.
3:45 PM
5
Top Station
1 h 15 min here
The highest point on the road, looking down over the Tamil Nadu plains. Some steps down to the viewpoint. Clear views are best before the afternoon mist.
6:15 PM
Back to your hotel

Day 4

Munnar to Alleppey: a night on a houseboat

169 km 4 h 49 min driving 3 places

6:45 AM
Early breakfast and check out
1 h 24 min · 45 km
8:30 AM
1
Cheeyappara Waterfalls
15 min here
A quick photo stop at the roadside falls on the way down.
3 h 25 min · 125 km
12:00 PM
2
Board your houseboat
30 min here
Welcome drink and lunch on board. The car and driver wait at the jetty overnight.
12:30 PM
3
Backwater cruise
5 h here
Paddy fields below water level, coconut groves, toddy tappers and village churches. Cruising stops by about 5:30 PM as per Kerala rules.
4:00 PM
Shikara or country canoe ride
Optional · About Rs 500 to 1,000 per hour per boat
Slip into the narrow canals where houseboats cannot go.
5:30 PM
Anchor for the night
Walk along the bund, watch the sunset over the paddy, then a home style dinner on deck. AC timing depends on your boat class.

Day 5

Alleppey to Fort Kochi and Coimbatore

254 km 6 h 17 min driving 2 places

8:00 AM
Breakfast on the houseboat
Check out by about 9 AM.
1 h 43 min · 61 km
10:45 AM
1
Chinese fishing nets and St Francis Church
1 h here
Watch the giant cantilevered nets go up and down, then walk to the church where Vasco da Gama was first buried.
11 min · 4 km
12:00 PM
2
Mattancherry and Jew Town
1 h here
Old spice warehouses, antique shops and the Dutch Palace murals. The palace and synagogue are closed on Fridays.
1:15 PM
Lunch in Fort Kochi
4 h 23 min · 191 km
7:00 PM
Check in at your hotel
A quiet evening after a long day.

Day 6

Coimbatore to Bengaluru

354 km 6 h 50 min driving

7:30 AM
Breakfast and check out
3 h 1 min · 167 km
12:00 PM
Lunch near Salem
3 h 49 min · 187 km
5:00 PM
Drop at your home
Home with tea, spices and jaggery in your bag.

Hotels

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Best time to go

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Best Good Heavy rain This month

What to pack

A warm jacket or sweater. Munnar nights drop to about 10 to 15 degrees in winter.
Light cotton clothes and a hat for Alleppey, which stays warm and humid.
Mosquito repellent for the night on the houseboat.
Comfortable walking shoes for Eravikulam and Top Station.

Included

5 nights stay: 1 night Coimbatore, 2 nights Munnar, 1 night on a private houseboat in Alleppey, 1 night Coimbatore, in the option you pick (or one of the same class if it is full, we tell you before you pay)
Breakfast every morning from Day 2 to Day 6
Lunch, evening tea and dinner on the houseboat
Private car with driver for all 6 days, sized to your group, home pickup and drop in Bengaluru
Fuel, tolls, parking, driver allowance and driver stay
Tamil Nadu and Kerala border tax or permit for the car
Entry tickets for Eravikulam National Park (we book the slot), Tata Tea Museum, Mattupetty, Echo Point, Top Station and Lakkam Waterfalls
GST

Not included

Lunch and dinner except on the houseboat
Kolukkumalai sunrise jeep (about Rs 3,200 to 4,500 per jeep, paid there)
Boating at Mattupetty and Kundala, and shikara rides in Alleppey
Extra AC hours on the houseboat beyond the boat's standard timing
Christmas and New Year gala dinners or peak surcharges some hotels and houseboats add
Camera fees, tips and personal shopping
Anything not listed above

Plans change, we understand. Read our cancellation policy to see how changes and refunds work.

Munnar Tea Hills and Alleppey Houseboat

Overview

Your route

Is this trip for you?

Day by day

Pickup from your home

Breakfast near Krishnagiri

Lunch on the Salem to Coimbatore road

Check in and rest

Adiyogi statue at Isha

Back to your hotel

Breakfast and check out

Chinnar check post and wildlife drive

Marayur dolmens and sandalwood forest

Lunch in Marayur

Lakkam Waterfalls

Tata Tea Museum

Check in at your hotel

Kolukkumalai sunrise by jeep

Breakfast at the hotel

Eravikulam National Park

Lunch in Munnar town

Mattupetty Dam

Echo Point

Kundala Lake

Top Station

Back to your hotel

Early breakfast and check out

Cheeyappara Waterfalls

Board your houseboat

Backwater cruise

Shikara or country canoe ride

Anchor for the night

Breakfast on the houseboat

Chinese fishing nets and St Francis Church

Mattancherry and Jew Town

Lunch in Fort Kochi