Kerala is beautiful : From rolling hills of Munnar to wide varieties of wildlife in Thekkady, from shallow water and low tide beaches in Kovalam to India's land end in Kanyakumari, from beautiful backwater houseboat in Alleppey to historical Kochi and south India thali in banana leaf- There is some much to discover in land of coconuts.
So if you planning to visit mesmerising city of India you can refer the day wise details shared below with Do's and Don'ts of the trip specially if you are traveling with toddler because it involve lot of travelling.
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Kochi To Munnar
The tea plantations of Kerala make for the perfect backdrop for your Instagram photos.
We took early morning flight from Delhi to Kochi and headed directly to Munnar.
Distance between Kochi to Munnar by Road is 131 Kms.
Drive time : 4 hours.
Places covered on route : We stopped for brunch and some scenic waterfall Valara, Cheeyappara.
PS: Later we realised we should have taken halt at Kochi as it became little hectic for us with Kid so if you are travelling with Kid please think about it. Without Kid there is not much issue and can go directly to Munnar as remaining was the rest day.
Resort:
The FOG Munnar :The hospitality was very good. The food was also very nice.
Munnar Local Sightseeing:
Duration :4-5 Hours
We went for local sightseeing which covered Tata tea museum , Rose garden , Eravikulam National Park , Mattupetty Dam.
Then we went for relaxing Kerala SPA and we planned spa timing as per our baby sleeping schedule so that we both could enjoy. The Spa staff were very cooperative specially when it comes with kid.
PS: Taxi /Cab drivers may insist for Jeep Safari which is another 2-3 hours long. So if you are going with toddler you can skip it and enjoy the time in resort. No animal view is there in this Safari.
Munnar To Thekkady
Drive Time : 3-3.5 hrs
We started around 10Am from Munnar as we had only one day stay at Thekkady which is sufficient but hectic . On route we stopped for spice plantation-We did it really quick because our kid was little cranky purchased some spices (Using now - They smell actually different) and went to Elephant ride - My kid favourite activity in entire trip. There are 2 option for Elephant ride one is for 15-20 which is only ride and other is for 1 hour which included activities like elephant bathing , feeding etc.
After that we checked in in our resort had a quick lunch packed something for my son and went for boating in Periyar national park. Duration of this ride is 1.5 hrs. There are some fixed time slots for ferry ride so please check in advance with cab drivers or locals. There is also Jeep safari there. We didn't have the time to do so also since we went in monsoon it was raining, the boat was covered so rain was not a problem but not sure about the safari. From there we went for watching some local Kerala activities like Kathakali dance & Martial arts . We purchased the tickets of the shows in advance. Each show is of 1 hour.. It is in closed auditorium so kids may little cranky. Luckily our kid slept at that time so we enjoyed it.
PS: Please carry some food with you if you are travelling with baby as there may be no time between boat ride and activity.
Resort
The Mountain Courtyard Thekkady : Ambience was amazing. Feels like leaving in jungle only.
Thekkady to Kovalam
Drive time: 5-6 hours
The tea plantation scenic view was amazing on the route. After a hectic day in Thekkady we took a non stop drive to Kovalam which was around 5.5 hours long . You can stop at Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple in between .There are fixed timings for Darshan accordingly you can plan your departure from Thekkady .
We chose our property in Kovalam but there are some option in Poovar too. The Kovalam beach was not good as expected . It was not clean and smelly but our kid enjoyed there playing in mud . We had little “US” time there.
PS: Drive may become hectic with Kid so please carry some toys to keep toddler engage in drive.
Hotel
Gokulam Grand Turtle on the Beach : Hotel was good but the beach was 5 minutes walking from the hotel.
Day trip to Kanyakumari : India's land's end here ..
Drive time: 3 hours
Started little late from Kovalam around 11 and reached in afternoon. There we took ferry which goes to Vivekananda Memorial. It is a beautiful place and even kid can enjoy cool breeze in middle of ocean. We spent some quality time. Then we had lunch . There are plenty option just outside the ferry place and explored the local market which was quite vibrant.
We headed for sunset point little early. It was less crowded then. Our kid really enjoyed there .. The view was beyond words.
If there are clouds you may not be able to see the sunset but still can enjoy the breeze.
After sunset came back to Kovalam.
Kovalam to Alleppey Houseboat
Drive time: 4 hours
Directly checked into houseboat. There are two category room premium / deluxe -basic difference is AC. There is no AC in deluxe room. Room was Ok, small but clean. But the backwater view was amazing – beyond the words. Food was also nice and also the hospitality was very good. There were many couples in our boat so they even arranged for Candle light dinner. They stopped boat around 5 for 1 hour and go for village tour in some another small boat (This is optional) . We skipped it because of our kid but the other people were saying it was good. Then they parked the boat around 6.45, started again around 7 -7.30 in the morning and dropped us back at 9 AM in the morning after breakfast.
PS: Hospitality of people at boat was very nice. They washed our baby bottle and even provided the milk when asked. They also arrange drinks which is paid.
Kochi local sightseeing and return
We went to Alleppey beach after checkout from houseboat. The beach was not good and clean still we spent 1-2 hours there because our flight was little late from Kochi. After that we headed to Kochi and went for some local sightseeing which included Museum, Jewish town and Fort Kochi. On the way to airport we purchased some banana chips then we returned with lot of good memories .
Do’s and Don’t’s
Do’s
1. Since it involves lot of travelling carry food for toddler like roasted makhana , oats , milk powder , nuts – You can small packets of some of these . Also pack some food from breakfast.
2. Take some games/ toys to keep toddler engage during drive.
3. Umbrella / Extra clothes ( especially if travelling with Kid)
4. In august night is comparatively chilled so carry one two pair of winter clothes/ sweatshirt .
5. Carry mosquito repellent
Don'ts's
1. Can avoid stroller
2. Can driver may try to take to commission based shop/ activities – Choose accordingly as per our convivence.
3. Be punctual: Since it involves lot of travelling so plan your time accordingly so you can cover your itinerary to max.
Hope this vlog bill be useful to those who are planning to Visit Kerala specially in Monsoon
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