7 days · 6 nights
Old Kochi, spice hills, a night afloat on the backwaters and two slow days by the sea.
Choose your dates when you enquire
Ask about datesBegin in Kochi, with its synagogue, Dutch Palace and fishing nets at sunset, then climb inland to the lake and spice country of Periyar. From there you come down to the backwaters at Kumarakom for a night aboard a traditional houseboat, and finish with two free days on the beaches of Kovalam.
The same person from your first question to the flight home, with a wedding or vow renewal planned alongside if you like.
How the days unfold. Your advisor tailors the pace, the hotels and the extras to you.
Kochi
Day 1 · Kochi
You are met at Kochi airport and taken to your hotel. In the afternoon, a walk through the old quarters takes in the Pardesi Synagogue in Jew Town, the Mattancherry or Dutch Palace, the streets of Fort Kochi and St Francis Church. You finish at the fishing nets on the shore, watching the fishermen at work as the sun goes down.
Periyar
Day 2 · Periyar
Drive inland to Periyar, a country of hills, spice plantations and a wildlife sanctuary around a lake. In the afternoon, a boat ride on Periyar Lake gives you the chance to see elephants, deer and birdlife along the shore, depending on the water level.
Kumarakom
Day 3 · Kumarakom
Travel to Kumarakom on the eastern shore of Vembanad Lake, a quiet backwaters village with a bird sanctuary that draws migrating ducks in winter. You arrive around lunchtime, and the rest of the day is free.
Kerala backwaters
Day 4 · Kerala backwaters
A short drive to the jetty, where you board your kettuvallam, a long rice barge built without nails and now fitted out with bedrooms and a shaded deck. Spend the day gliding past rice fields and villages, with all meals on board, and sleep on the water.
Kovalam
Day 5 · Kovalam
Leave the houseboat after breakfast and drive south to Kovalam, a seaside village near Thiruvananthapuram set among coconut palms. The afternoon is free for Lighthouse Beach and Eve's Beach, a swim or an Ayurvedic massage.
Day 6 · Kovalam
A free day: time on the beach, a wander through the village and its shops, a trip to the Karamana River, or simply the hotel.
Kovalam and Trivandrum
Day 7 · Kovalam and Trivandrum
A last breakfast, then your transfer to Trivandrum airport for your onward flight.
The hotels for each stop. Your advisor confirms them, or something just as good, for your dates.
Kochi · 1 night
Or similar
Periyar · 1 night
Or similar
Kumarakom · 1 night
Or similar
Kerala backwaters · 1 night
A traditional kettuvallam, with all meals on board
Kovalam · 2 nights
Or similar
Tell us when you would like to travel. Your advisor confirms dates and hotels, tailors the trip to the two of you, and stays with you until you are home.
India
9 days · 8 nights
Delhi → Varanasi → Khajuraho → Agra → Jaipur → Delhi
Begin in Delhi, then fly east to Varanasi for the evening ceremony on the Ganges and a dawn boat ride. From there you follow the temples of Khajuraho and Orchha to Agra and the Taj Mahal, then the forts and palaces of Jaipur before driving back to Delhi.
India
6 days · 5 nights
Delhi → Jaipur → Agra → Delhi
A short, classic circuit of northern India. From Delhi you drive to Jaipur for its forts and palaces, then on to Agra by way of Fatehpur Sikri, with an afternoon at the Taj Mahal and a morning at Agra Fort before returning to Delhi.
India
6 days · 5 nights
Delhi → Jaipur → Agra → Delhi
This version of the Golden Triangle gives Delhi a full day, from the Red Fort and Chandni Chowk to Humayun's Tomb and the Qutub Minar. You then spend two nights in Jaipur and one in Agra, visiting the Taj Mahal and Agra Fort on the final morning before the drive back to Delhi airport.
Begin in Kochi, with its synagogue, Dutch Palace and fishing nets at sunset, then climb inland to the lake and spice country of Periyar. From there you come down to the backwaters at Kumarakom for a night aboard a traditional houseboat, and finish with two free days on the beaches of Kovalam.
Every trip can be shaped around you before you book.
Arrive early or stay on at the end, in the same hotel or somewhere new.
Your travel expert books flights that fit the first and last day.
Choose a better room or a hotel with a view for the nights that count.
A honeymoon, an anniversary or a birthday, planned into the trip.
Other ways to see India, closest in length first.
Small group tour | 6 days | Delhi · Jaipur · Agra
Small group tour | 6 days | Delhi · Jaipur · Agra
Small group tour | 9 days | Delhi · Varanasi · Jaipur
Small group tour | 10 days | Chennai · Madurai · Pondicherry
