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Warsaw to Kerala: Kochi, Munnar and the Alleppey backwaters

Warsaw → Kochi → Munnar → Alleppey

Munnar
"Munnar_Overview.jpg" by Kondephy, 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, is known for its spices, tea plantations and quiet waterways, and this route covers all three on a compact circuit that starts and ends at Kochi's airport. From Warsaw you'll connect via the Gulf or another hub to Kochi's airport.

In Fort Kochi, the Chinese fishing nets, St Francis Church and the spice warehouses of Mattancherry tell the story of centuries of trade. The road east climbs into the hills to Munnar, where tea estates cover the slopes and walks lead through the plantations. Eravikulam National Park nearby protects the Nilgiri tahr, a mountain goat. Back on the coast, Alleppey is the base for houseboats, which drift through the backwaters past villages, rice paddies and coconut palms, with meals cooked on board.

October to March is the best season, with drier, more comfortable weather after the south-west monsoon, which starts around June.

Choose licensed houseboat operators, and check whether a boat is moving or moored overnight. Most visitors need an e-visa for India.

How to pace it: After you arrive from Warsaw, Kochi has days one and two: Fort Kochi on day one, and the Chinese fishing nets, the spice warehouses and a Kathakali performance on day two. Munnar follows on days three and four: take the hill road up on day three, and visit the tea estates and viewpoints on day four. Alleppey takes days five and six: go down to the backwaters on day five, and spend day six on a houseboat or in a canoe.

Getting there and around: fly into Kochi, go on to Munnar overland, go on to Alleppey overland, and return overland to Kochi for the flight home.

Suggested outline

  1. Warsaw

    Start

  2. Kochi

    By air · 2 nights suggested

    Fort Kochi's mix of Portuguese, Dutch and British history, the Chinese fishing nets and the old spice trade.

    Fort Kochi Chinese fishing nets
    "Chinese Fishing Nets - 2.jpg" by Ingo Mehling, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons· licence

  3. Munnar

    Overland · 2 nights suggested

    A hill station in the Western Ghats, surrounded by tea plantations; reached by road from Kochi.

  4. Alleppey

    Overland · 2 nights suggested

    The backwater town of Alappuzha, the base for a night on a houseboat through the canals and lagoons.

    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· Warsaw → 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 → Warsaw (by air)

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

Flights, leg by leg

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Munnar

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