5 days, 4 nights ยท Kochi, Munnar, Alleppey
Five-day Kerala tour package: Fort Kochi, the tea hills and the backwaters
Kerala is a short state with long drives, because almost everything worth seeing is either up a ghat road or down a waterway. Five days takes the three things the state is known for — the colonial harbour town of Fort Kochi, the tea country above Munnar, and the Alleppey backwaters — and links them without a wasted day. It is the version most first visits should book, and the one that fits inside a week of leave.
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The shape
Why Kerala is a driving state, despite being small
On a map Kerala looks like a state you could cross in an afternoon. In practice the distances are short and the times are not: Kochi to Munnar is about 130 kilometres and takes close to four hours, because the last fifty of them climb a ghat road in a series of hairpins through cardamom and tea. That single fact shapes every Kerala itinerary, and it is why a chauffeur who has driven the road matters more here than on a highway circuit.
The compensation is that the drives are among the best in India. The Munnar ghat is genuinely spectacular, the road down to the backwaters runs through village after village of churches and rice paddy, and almost nowhere on the route is dull. Passengers who would normally read through a transfer tend to watch out of the window for the whole of this one.
Five days gives one night in Fort Kochi, two in the hills and one on or beside the backwaters, which is the minimum that lets each place register. Adding Thekkady and the Periyar reserve makes it six days; running on south to Kovalam makes it seven.
The three places
What each part of the circuit is for
Three very different landscapes inside about 420 kilometres of driving.
Fort Kochi — the harbour town
Chinese fishing nets on the point, a Portuguese church, a Dutch palace, a synagogue in Jew Town and a spice market behind it. It is walkable, it is the one place on the circuit with real history, and a Kathakali performance in the evening is worth the hour. The city guides cover the city arrival.
Munnar — the tea hills
At about 1,600 metres, cool enough to need a jacket at night. Tea estates in every direction, a tea museum that is better than it sounds, Eravikulam National Park for the Nilgiri tahr, and viewpoints along the Top Station road.
Alleppey — the backwaters
Either a night on a houseboat drifting through the canals, or a lakeside hotel with a day cruise. The houseboat is the postcard; the hotel is the better sleep. The desk will say which suits your party rather than defaulting to the photogenic one.
The driving
Three legs, one of them a ghat road
Short distances, long times — and the chauffeur matters most on the middle one.
- Kochi to Munnar — about 130 km, 3.5 to 4 hours Flat through Kothamangalam, then the climb from Neriamangalam upward in hairpins. Waterfalls and spice stalls on the way; the chauffeur stops for both. In monsoon the road is wet and slower but stays open.
- Munnar to Alleppey — about 170 km, 4.5 to 5 hours Back down the ghat and west across the plain through Kottayam. The descent is easier than the climb and the second half is flat and quick.
- Alleppey to Kochi — about 53 km, 1.5 hours Short and straightforward up the coast road, which is why day five leaves late and still makes an afternoon flight.
Houseboat or hotel
The one decision that changes this trip
The Alleppey houseboat is the image that sells Kerala, and it delivers on the afternoon: you drift through narrow canals past villages, the crew cooks the fish they bought that morning, and the light on the water at five o'clock is exactly what you came for. What the photographs do not show is that most boats moor for the night rather than cruising, the engine noise ends when they do, and cabins on cheaper boats are small and can be humid.
The alternative is a lakeside or canal-side hotel with a day cruise on a smaller boat, which gives you the same water and a better night. For families with small children, for anyone who sleeps badly, and for stays in the hot months, the desk will usually suggest this. For a couple on a short trip who want the experience, the houseboat is the right answer.
Either way the chauffeur delivers you to the jetty and is there when you come off, with the luggage that did not go on the boat still in the car. Send your dates through the contact page and the all-inclusive quote will name the boat or the property rather than a category.
When to go
Season, monsoon and what the rain actually does
September to March is the main season, and December to February is the peak: dry, warm on the coast, cool in the hills. April and May are hot and humid at sea level but Munnar stays comfortable, which makes a hills-weighted itinerary work when a coastal one would not.
June to August is the south-west monsoon, and Kerala is the one part of India where the rains are a reason to come rather than avoid. The hills are green in a way they never are in February, the waterfalls on the Munnar road run properly, hotel rates fall sharply, and the ayurveda season — genuinely the traditional time for treatment — begins. The trade-off is real: afternoons can be lost to rain, and the ghat road is slower. The desk schedules sightseeing into the mornings and says plainly which days may be washed out.
One practical note: Kerala's festivals move with the Malayalam calendar, and Onam in August or September fills hotels statewide. The events page carries the dates and the desk checks them against your booking.
Booking
How to book the five-day circuit
The transport package books and pays direct on the booking page, fare fixed before payment, with the chauffeur's details sent the day before. For hotels, the houseboat and entries included, ask the desk through the contact page — Kerala is a state where naming the property matters, and the quote does. Cancellation is free beyond 72 hours, then 10%, 50% and 100% inside 72, 48 and 24 hours.
Day by day
The five-day itinerary, leg by leg
The distances here are short and the times are long, because two of these legs run on ghat roads rather than highways. The figures below are what the drive actually takes.
| Day | Where | What the day covers | On the road |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Kochi | Met at Cochin airport and driven to Fort Kochi. The Chinese fishing nets, St Francis Church, the Dutch Palace and Jew Town in the afternoon, and a Kathakali performance in the evening. | Airport to Fort Kochi ~35 km, 1-1.25 hrs |
| Day 2 | Kochi to Munnar | East after breakfast, flat at first, then the climb through Neriamangalam with waterfall and spice-stall stops. Into Munnar by mid-afternoon; the tea museum or a first viewpoint. | Kochi-Munnar ~130 km, 3.5-4 hrs |
| Day 3 | Munnar | Eravikulam National Park in the morning for the tahr and the high tea country, then Mattupetty, Echo Point and the Top Station road in the afternoon. | About 60 km around the estates |
| Day 4 | Munnar to Alleppey | Down the ghat and west across the plain through Kottayam. Onto the houseboat at Alleppey by early afternoon, or into a lakeside hotel with a sunset cruise. | Munnar-Alleppey ~170 km, 4.5-5 hrs |
| Day 5 | Alleppey to Kochi | Off the boat after breakfast and a short run up the coast. Time for the Kochi spice market before the airport, or straight to an afternoon flight. | Alleppey-Kochi ~53 km, 1.5 hrs; Kochi to airport ~35 km |
What it costs
The 5-day Kerala circuit: two ways to buy it
Five charter days at the published rate, for the car rather than per person. Kerala's legs are short in distance, so the ten-hour, 300-kilometre charter day is comfortably inside its limits throughout.
Transport package — firm, published
Every kilometre of the 5-day circuit in a private chauffeured car: the chauffeur, the vehicle, fuel, and the driver's meals and accommodation on the road. Priced at the published charter-day rate × 5 days, the same figure as the rates page.
From $9,750 - $11,700 per car for the whole circuit
On the international card · Premium MPV · GST extra · tolls, parking and state entry taxes at cost
All-inclusive — stays, meals and entries
The same itinerary with hotels, breakfasts, monument entries and a licensed guide arranged for you. Because we contract stays per departure date and per hotel category, this tier is quoted on request rather than published — we will not print a per-person figure we cannot hold.
Send the dates and the hotel category you want (3-star, 4-star, heritage or palace) through the contact page and the desk returns a written quote, itemised, within one working day.
| Vehicle class | Cars | Per charter day 10 hours / 300 km | 5-day circuit International card, USD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Premium MPV 6 passengers, 5 bags |
Toyota Innova Hycross & Kia Carnival | $1,950 - $2,340 | $9,750 - $11,700 |
| Executive sedan 3 passengers, 2 bags |
Mercedes-Benz E-Class & BMW 5 Series | $1,700 - $2,040 | $8,500 - $10,200 |
| Luxury SUV 5 passengers, 4 bags |
Toyota Fortuner, Land Cruiser & Mercedes-Benz GLS | $2,250 - $2,700 | $11,250 - $13,500 |
| Group van 12 passengers, 12 bags |
Force Urbania & Tempo Traveller (executive) | $3,200 - $3,840 | $16,000 - $19,200 |
| Luxury sedan 3 passengers, 3 bags |
Mercedes-Benz S-Class & BMW 7 Series | $2,700 - $3,240 | $13,500 - $16,200 |
What the transport package includes
- A private, air-conditioned vehicle of the class you book, held for the whole circuit — the same car from the first pickup to the last drop, never shared and never re-assigned.
- One professional chauffeur for the whole circuit, holding a commercial licence and a state transport badge, police-verified and background-checked, in uniform and speaking English and Hindi.
- Fuel, the chauffeur's own meals and accommodation on every outstation night, and the vehicle's permits, fitness certificate and insurance.
- All airport, railway-station and hotel transfers inside the itinerary, with the flight tracked on the arrival leg and 60 minutes of waiting included after landing.
- A named coordinator at the desk for the whole trip, reachable on one number, who holds the run sheet and moves a leg when a day runs long.
- A written confirmation before departure carrying the chauffeur's name and licence number and the vehicle registration, so a security office or a hotel can check it against the operator record.
What it does not include
- Hotels, meals and anything consumed off the road — those are the all-inclusive tier, quoted on request rather than published.
- Monument and museum entry fees, which differ for Indian, SAARC and foreign visitors and change by notification; the desk quotes the current figures with the itinerary.
- Licensed local guides, which we arrange city by city on request and bill at cost.
- Tolls, parking and state entry taxes, charged at cost against receipts rather than estimated into the fare.
- Air and rail tickets into and out of the circuit, which the travel desk books separately.
- GST, added to every figure at the applicable rate, and any night allowance where a leg runs between 10 pm and 6 am.
- Airport transfers include 60 minutes of waiting after landing and meet-and-greet at the arrivals exit.
- The charter day (10 hours, 300 km) includes fuel and the chauffeur's meals and accommodation on outstation nights.
- Night driving between 10 pm and 6 am carries the night allowance per night; a second chauffeur is added on days over 12 hours.
- Tolls, parking, state entry taxes and permits are charged at cost against receipts; monument and guide fees through the travel desk are itemised.
- No gratuity is expected. GST is shown separately on every invoice. Cancellation terms are on the cancellation policy page.
- Vintage cars and stretch limousines are quoted per event.
- GST at 5% on chauffeured hire (18% where input credit is claimed) is added to every figure. The full international card is on the rates page; the charter builder prices a circuit of any length live, and the booking page takes the payment direct.
- Cancellation is free more than 72 hours before the first pickup, then 10% inside 72 hours, 50% inside 48 hours and the full first day inside 24 hours or for a no-show — the schedule on the cancellation policy page.
Questions
The 5-day Kerala circuit: frequently asked
Is five days enough for Kerala?
For Fort Kochi, Munnar and the backwaters, yes. It is not enough to add Periyar or the southern beaches — those make it six or seven days.
How long is the drive from Kochi to Munnar?
About 130 km but three and a half to four hours, because the last stretch climbs a ghat road in hairpins. It is one of the best drives in India and not a leg to rush.
Should we stay on a houseboat or in a hotel?
The houseboat is the experience and the afternoon is genuinely lovely; most boats moor overnight and the cabins can be small and humid. A canal-side hotel with a day cruise gives the same water and a better night. The desk advises based on your party.
Is the monsoon a bad time to visit Kerala?
It is the one part of India where the rains are a reason to come: the hills are green, the waterfalls run, rates fall and the ayurveda season starts. The cost is that afternoons can be lost to rain and the ghat road is slower.
Can we add Periyar or Kovalam?
Periyar at Thekkady adds a day and makes it the six-day circuit; running south to Kovalam and out of Trivandrum makes it seven. Both keep the same car and chauffeur.
Do we need a guide in Kerala?
Less than in Rajasthan. Fort Kochi rewards a walking guide for an hour or two, and Eravikulam has its own park guides. Elsewhere the chauffeur's local knowledge is usually enough; we arrange guides on request and bill at cost.
Same circuit, other lengths
The Kerala backwaters and hills in a different number of days
On the route
Chauffeur service in the cities this circuit runs through
Other circuits
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Book
Book the five-day Kerala circuit direct
Five charter days price live by vehicle class with the fare fixed before payment. Houseboats and hotels are named and quoted by the desk.
Weddings, film units, multi-day chauffeur hire, outstation journeys and anything with more than one vehicle are quoted by a person: call (877) 860-3388 or send the outline and a coordinator replies with a written quote.
Offers through BookingWorldwide.net
Hotels and flights for this itinerary, through BookingWorldwide.net
The stays along this route are on BookingWorldwide.net; reserve them there or ask our desk for the all-inclusive quote, and the chauffeured legs are lined up against whichever you choose.
Flight + hotel packages
Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Goa and Kerala bundles for festival weeks, school holidays and long weekends, with the airport transfer added to the same itinerary.
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Delhi, Agra and Jaipur hotels on one booking, and the RUTZ.IN chauffeur for the whole circuit quoted beside it.
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Udaipur, Jaipur, Jodhpur and Hyderabad palace hotels, chosen with the transfer distance from the airport in mind.
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Beach and backwater resorts for the weeks a chauffeur is only needed at each end of the stay, with Dabolim, Mopa or Cochin airport pickups timed to the flight.
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Shimla, Manali, Mussoorie, Darjeeling, Ooty, Munnar and Coorg hotels, with the SUV from the gateway airport quoted on the same plan.
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Ranthambore, Jim Corbett, Kaziranga, Periyar and Bandhavgarh lodges and safari permits reserved before the car is dispatched.
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Taj Mahal entry, Kerala houseboats, Jaipur hot-air balloons, city walks and festival tickets reserved ahead so the chauffeured day runs to the plan.
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Fares into every airport on the airports page, so the car is timed to a confirmed arrival rather than an estimate.
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For the middle days of a trip, returned to the airport where the RUTZ.IN chauffeur collects you again.
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See also, and where the facts come from
On RUTZ.IN: India tour packages · 6-day Kerala tour · City to City · Charter · Tourists · Rates · Travel Desk.
Official references used on this page:
- Ministry of Tourism, Incredible India Official destination guides and tourist statistics.
- National Highways Authority of India Expressway and toll information for the intercity routes we drive.
- Ministry of Road Transport and Highways Motor Vehicles Act rules for commercial permits, licences and passenger carriage.
- India Meteorological Department Forecasts and monsoon warnings we check before hill and coastal journeys.