Tour Overview
| Duration | 5 Days / 4 Nights |
|---|---|
| Destination | Kerala — Thekkady, Periyar Tiger Reserve & Alleppey Backwaters |
| Price From | $285 per person (twin share) |
| Best Season | October — May |
| Data Source | keralapackage.org / Periyar Tiger Reserve 2026 verified pricing (₹21,500-₹24,500) |
Itinerary Highlights
Day 1: Arrive Kochi — Drive to Thekkady
Airport pickup and 5-hour drive east into the Western Ghats. Thekkady is the gateway to Periyar Tiger Reserve — Kerala’s premier wildlife destination. Check into your jungle resort surrounded by spice plantations. Evening: Kalaripayattu performance — Kerala’s ancient martial art (predating Kung Fu by centuries), where performers demonstrate weapons, acrobatic combat, and the art of fighting with swords, shields, and bare hands. Overnight in Thekkady.
Day 2: Periyar Tiger Reserve — Bamboo Rafting & Wildlife Trek
Full-day adventure in Periyar Tiger Reserve, a 925 sq km protected area centered on a 26 sq km artificial lake created by the British in 1895. Morning: guided nature walk (3 hours) through moist deciduous forest with trained tribal guides — descendants of the Mannan community who have lived in these forests for centuries. They read the forest like a book: pugmarks, alarm calls, and signs invisible to untrained eyes. Sightings of elephants (the reserve has 900+), sambar deer, wild boar, and the rare Nilgiri langur are common; tigers (40+ in the reserve) are elusive but the possibility adds electric tension. Afternoon: bamboo rafting on the Periyar Lake — a unique experience gliding silently past forested banks where animals come to drink. Evening: spice plantation tour — Kerala produces 70% of India’s pepper, and the air around Thekkady is perfumed with cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and vanilla. Overnight in Thekkady.
Day 3: Thekkady to Alleppey — Spice Markets & Houseboat
Morning: visit Kumily spice market — the largest cardamom trading center in India, where auction floors hum with traders from across the country. The aroma is intoxicating. Then drive 4 hours to Alleppey. Board your private houseboat at noon. Cruise through the Kuttanad region — an extraordinary landscape where rice paddies are cultivated 2m below sea level, protected by an intricate system of dykes and sluice gates, an agricultural marvel that has sustained communities for 3,000 years. Your chef prepares Kerala specialties as you drift past village life that has barely changed in generations. Sunset over the backwaters — the sky turns orange, fishermen in dugout canoes (vanchis) head home, and temple lamps flicker across the water. Overnight on the houseboat.
Day 4: Alleppey to Marari Beach — Kerala’s Coast
Disembark after breakfast and drive 30 minutes to Mararikulam (Marari Beach), a fisherman’s village with one of Kerala’s finest beaches — an 11km stretch of golden sand lined with coconut palms, far from the crowds of Goa. The beach is the village’s front yard: fishermen haul in catch, children play cricket, and the pace of life mirrors the gentle Arabian Sea waves. Afternoon: bicycle tour through the village — past temples, coir-making workshops (coconut fiber processing is a local industry), and toddy shops serving fresh palm wine (kallu). Ayurvedic massage at a beachfront wellness center. Sunset walk along the beach. Overnight at a beach eco-resort.
Day 5: Departure
Sunrise beach yoga. Morning at leisure for a final swim in the Arabian Sea. Transfer to Kochi Airport (1.5 hours).
Included
- 4 nights accommodation (jungle lodge + houseboat + beach resort)
- Daily breakfast + all meals on houseboat
- Periyar bamboo rafting & guided trek
- Spice plantation tour
- Private houseboat overnight cruise
- Kalaripayattu show & Ayurvedic massage
- All transportation & airport transfers
