TripWise

These figures use an example traveller: two adults from Bengaluru, 4-star stays. Enter your own budget to see what this costs you.

Houseboat on the Kerala backwaters

Photo: Augustus Binu : flickr · CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia

India · South India

Kerala

Backwaters, tea hills and the gentlest pace in the country.

Comfortably affordable
Excellent fit

Why TripWise recommends this

  • Fits comfortably inside your ₹95K trip budget at about ₹75K
  • Strong match for nature and landscapes
  • Strong match for comfortable travel
  • October is the best time to go
  • No visa paperwork to deal with

Kerala packs several trips into one state: a houseboat night on the Alleppey backwaters, tea estates around Munnar, and colonial Fort Kochi. Distances are short, roads are good and it suits families and older travellers particularly well.

Things to do

Must see

  • Alleppey backwater houseboat

    ₹4,500 pp

    An overnight kettuvallam through rice paddies and village canals.

    Alappuzhaabout 10hView on map

Food

  • Kayees Rahmathulla Hotel

    ₹350 pp

    The biryani locals queue for; go at lunch or it runs out.

    Mattancherryabout 1hView on map

Relaxation

  • Ayurvedic massage

    ₹2,000 pp

    A proper 90-minute abhyanga at a licensed centre, not a hotel spa.

    Kovalamabout 2hView on map

Culture

  • Fort Kochi and the Chinese nets

    Free

    Colonial streets, Jew Town antiques and cantilevered fishing nets.

    Kochiabout 3hView on map

  • Kathakali performance

    ₹500 pp

    An hour of classical dance-drama, with the make-up done in front of you.

    Kochiabout 2hView on map

Nature

  • Munnar tea estates

    ₹400 pp

    Terraced green hills, a working tea museum and cool mornings.

    Munnarabout 4hView on map