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Lagos to Kerala: Kochi, Munnar and Alleppey

Lagos → Kochi → Munnar → Alleppey

Chinese fishing nets
"Chinese_Fishing_Net_Raising_Birds_Sunrise_Ashtamudi_Kollam_Mar22_A7C_01784.jpg" by This Photo was taken by Timothy A. Gonsalves. Feel free to use my photos, but please mention me as the author. I would much appreciate if you send me an email tagooty@yahoo.com or write on my talk p, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons· licence
Kochi Skyline (Kochi)
Photo: Fsquares (The Ibrahims), CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Kerala backwaters & tea Best season (general guide): Oct–Mar

Kerala, on India's south-west coast, combines a historic spice port, tea-covered hills and a maze of inland waterways. From Lagos, the journey to Kochi usually connects in the Gulf, which has frequent flights to Kerala.

Kochi is a gentle start. Fort Kochi's streets mix Portuguese, Dutch and British buildings, and the Chinese fishing nets on the waterfront are a familiar image. Spice warehouses and a Kathakali performance can fill an evening. From the coast the road climbs into the Western Ghats to Munnar, where tea estates cover the slopes and the air is noticeably cooler. Walks among the bushes, tea factory visits and viewpoints over the valleys are the main activities here. The last stop, Alleppey (Alappuzha), takes you back down to sea level and onto the backwaters. A night on a converted rice barge, or a day exploring small canals by canoe, shows village life along the water.

Kerala Tourism and most travel guides recommend October to March, after the main rains. The southwest monsoon usually arrives around June and brings heavy rain through the summer, when ayurvedic treatments are popular but outdoor plans are less certain. Distances are short, but hill roads are slow, so give the drive to Munnar most of a day.

Food is a big part of the trip. Kerala's cooking leans on coconut, curry leaves and seafood, and a traditional sadya meal is served on a banana leaf. Many houseboats include meals cooked on board. Dress modestly when visiting temples, some of which are open only to Hindus. Munnar's mornings can be misty and cool, so pack a light layer. Backwater days are slow by design, so bring a book.

Suggested outline

  1. Lagos

    Start

  2. Kochi

    By air · 2 nights suggested

    Two nights in the historic port.

  3. Munnar

    Overland · 2 nights suggested

    Reached by a winding hill road. Two nights among the tea estates.

    Munnar
    "Munnar_Overview.jpg" by Kondephy, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons· licence

  4. Alleppey

    Overland · 2 nights suggested

    Two nights on the backwaters, one of them perhaps on a houseboat.

    Kerala backwaters
    "House_Boat_DSW.jpg" by Augustus Binu : flickr, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons· licence

Day by day

  1. Day 1 · Kochi — Arrive; Fort Kochi· Lagos → Kochi (by air) — long-haul; may arrive the next calendar day
  2. Day 2 · Kochi — Chinese fishing nets, spice warehouses, Kathakali
  3. Day 3 · Munnar — Hill road to Munnar· Kochi → Munnar (overland)
  4. Day 4 · Munnar — Tea estates and viewpoints
  5. Day 5 · Alleppey — Down to the backwaters· Munnar → Alleppey (overland)
  6. Day 6 · Alleppey — Houseboat or canoe day
  7. Day 7 · Alleppey — Travel home from Alleppey· Alleppey → Kochi (overland), then Kochi → Lagos (by air)

A suggested pace only; expedition days are set by the operator.

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Kochi

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Munnar

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