Kerala & the Magic of India's Malabar Coast, Holiday in 2026
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The Natural World
Kerala & the Magic of India's Malabar Coast, Holiday in 2026
Explore Kerala’s aromatic forests, emerald tea plantations, palm-fringed beaches and tranquil backwaters, while enjoying sustainable luxury at award-winning eco-resorts
Stretching along India’s tropical Malabar Coast, Kerala is a land of golden beaches, tranquil backwaters gliding with houseboats, and misty hills blanketed in coffee, tea, and spice plantations. Its national parks shelter elephants, langurs, and tigers, while its historic towns and living traditions reveal the vibrant soul of this enchanting region.
Kerala is a nature-lover’s paradise. Over 15 days and 13 nights, journey from the coastal charm of Kochi, one of the world’s finest natural harbours, to the peaceful hill resort of Munnar, nestled amid the emerald slopes of the Kannan Devan Hills. Discover the wildlife-rich forests of Periyar, South India’s most celebrated sanctuary, renowned for its elephants, and explore Eravikulam National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site home to the endangered Nilgiri Tahr, leopards, Indian bison, over 120 bird species, and the delicate Palni Forewing butterfly.
Experiencing the local culture is at the heart of every journey with us. In Kerala, you’ll encounter the graceful artistry of Kathakali dance, the intricate handlooms of Chendamangalam, the spice growers of Periyar, and the vibrant fishing community of Village Rubble in Mararikulam. Even the exceptional CGH Earth hotels you’ll stay in embrace this spirit of authenticity, putting local traditions and sustainable living at their core.
Big adventures for small groups
We create holidays that connect you to the history and culture of each destination and are filled with opportunities to participate rather than simply observe. To ensure the very best experience, with time to speak with local experts, space to explore hidden gems and the chance to fully immerse yourself in every activity, we keep our groups intentionally small, typically between four and ten guests.
We can also arrange this tour for bespoke dates! Please get in touch to discuss
What we love
Experiences you will treasure
What people say
God’s own country or heaven on earth. Place full of mountains, greenery and streams. Oh Kerala! God created you with utmost care.
Rekha Menon, Indian film actor
How much is it?
What's included
Itinerary
Where you will stay
CGH Eight Bastion – 3x nights
Built on a historic plot, this boutique heritage hotel is a celebration of Kochi's Dutch legacy. Most of the 19 rooms are open to airy patios or balconies, making it the perfect place to enjoy the tropical breeze over a morning coffee. The bathrooms are modern with both baths and rain shower systems. Facilities include an infinity swimming pool, free WiFi, a lobby bar, tea lounge and a central courtyard, which is a lovely place to meet friends in the early evenings. The East-Indies restaurant serves a fusion of local favourites with Dutch flavours.
Or
CGH Brunton Boatyard – 3x nights
Located on a stretch of Kochi's famed harbour in a former 19th-century boatyard overlooking the vast expanse of the Arabian sea, stepping into Brunton Boatyard is like stepping into the distillery of history where your soul goes back in time to relive the past and there is some mystical aura about the place which takes you back to the colonial era. Facilities here include an Ayurveda Centre, swimming pool, a souvenir shop, free WiFi and 24-hour room service. The hotel also boasts three restaurants, reflecting the cultural past of Fort Kochi and showcasing the Arab, Jewish, Dutch and Portuguese influences.
Fragrant Nature, Munnar – 2x nights
This luxury 5* hotel has the best views in Munnar. Built in the style of local planter bungalows, the rooms all have cosy fireplaces and imposing views of the mountains, while the state-of-the-art spa offers luxuriant Ayurvedic massages. There is an all-day dining restaurant showcasing the best of North/South Indian and Arab delicacies and a café offering delicious light snacks. Other facilities include a gym, free WiFi, and guest stationery.
CGH Spice Village – 2x nights
Located in the cardamom hills, this beautiful 4* eco-resort offers a rare opportunity to live close to nature, enjoy the local wildlife and feast on the beauty of the nature. Fill your lungs with fresh mountain air and savour the all-prevalent fragrance of cinnamon, cardamom and cloves. Located just outside the Periyar tiger reserve and inspired by Oorali and Mannan tribes that inhabit this region, the hotel’s architects have recreated the mood of the tribal community in the cottages and the settings. Here, nature controls the temperature and all cottages are built with split bamboo and elephant grass.
This is an eco-resort, but it provides every comfort a modern traveller could need, from luxurious accommodation and mouth-watering cuisine to an exclusive swimming pool and an Ayurvedic Centre. WiFi is available in the reading lounge. As a resort hotel, there’s also a wide range of in house activities ranging from cookery and saree demonstrations to nature slide shows and paper-making workshops.
CGH Coconut Lagoon - 3x nights
Located by the backwaters of the mighty Vembanad lake, the heritage resort of Coconut Lagoon is a unique recreation of a traditional Keralean village. Each of the wooden houses is an original Kerala Tharavadu which has been brought from all over the state and painstakingly reassembled by skilled craftsmen. An architectural marvel, Coconut Lagoon celebrates the simple joys of life and it is an affirmation of CGH group's belief that holiday environments are catalysts that ensure the preservation of the earth and her reserves. Endangered Vechoor cows mow the lawns and great efforts are made to recycle and reused resources.
Comfort and luxury have not been sacrificed. All the rooms are air-conditioned and other facilities include an Ayurvedic Centre, swimming pool, free morning yoga classes, and an in-house boutique. WiFi is available in the reception area either on your laptop or at the Internet Centre. There are two restaurants, Ettukettu offering international cuisine, and the lake-side Aymanam which serves specialty cuisine of the area along with fresh seafood delicacies. There is also a garden lounge bar serving irresistibly delicious cocktails and mocktails and a Poolside Snack Bar serving hot snacks, salads, sandwiches and beverages.
CGH Earth Marari Beach Resort – 2x nights
Built in a traditional fishing village style with palm-thatched roofs on the shores of the azure Arabian sea, this is a luxurious eco-resort. Far from the madding crowds, Marari is all about space, silence, and nature. For example, there are no televisions in the rooms because guests can watch the waves crashing on the beach and listen to the whispering coconut groves. Conservation is key here too with initiatives including rainwater harvesting, solar heating, and the recycling of food waste for biogas. The resort is also plastic-free.
All the rooms are air-conditioned and equipped with modern amenities like ceiling fans, mini-bars, safes, hairdryers, complimentary organic toiletries, phones, tea and coffee making facilities, and insect screens. Facilities include a swimming pool, an Ayurvedic center, an organic garden, tennis, badminton, beach volleyball and a boutique. Activities such as yoga classes, interactive cooking, meditation and saree/dhoti tying demonstrations are also available.
Port Muzuris Hotel, Kochi - 1x night
Conveniently located close to the airport, this luxury boutique hotel is the perfect base for your last night in Kerala. The comfortable, artfully designed bedrooms will ensure a good night's sleep and you can also relax in the rooftop swimming pool. Lilas Kitchen, the hotel's signature restaurant, offers both classic international dishes and regional favourites from Kochi.
Flight details
Outbound flight
Day One
13:40 - depart London Heathrow on British Airways flight BA0119 to Bengaluru
Day Two
05:05 - arrive at Bengaluru Airport
Flight time: 10 hours 20 minutes
Internal flights
Day Two
09:00 - depart BLR on IndiGo flight BA8200 for Kochi
10:10 - arrive at Kochi Airport
Flight time: 1 hours 50 minutes
Day Fourteen
16:30 - depart Kochi Airport on IndiGo flight BA7959 for Mumbai
18:55- arrive at Mumbai Airport
Flight time: 2 hours 25 minutes
Inbound flight
Day Fifteen
08:40 - depart Mumbai on British Airways flight BA134
13:35 - arrive at London Heathrow
Flight time: 10 hours 35 minutes
BA Economy flight includes:
- 1x handbag up to 40x30x15cm
- 1x 23kg cabin bag up to 56x45x25cm
- 2x 23kg checked bags up to 90x75x43cm
IndiGo Economy includes:
- 1x 15kg checked bag up to 158cm combined dimensions
- 1x 7kg cabin bag up to 55x35x25cm
A Deeper Dive
For a more immersive holiday, we have created a flexible programme of optional excursions so you can 'bespoke' your holiday with a selection of specially curated visits and activities in each destination. Please note that all these experiences require pre-booking and carry an extra charge.
Option 1: 'Click and Capture' photography sessions with Sebinster Francis
Sebinster Francis is a wildlife and landscape photographer featured in books by Kerala Tourism and the social media platforms of National Geographic India and more. Highlights include a technical photography session, a walk through plantations and a local market for landscape and portrait shots. You will also enjoy a cup of tea. You will need a camera, or phone, cap, trainers, and sunscreen.
Option 2: Walking 'Story Trail - Life of Eleanor'
Eleanor is Eleanor Isabel, wife of the early manager of Kannan Devan Hills, Henry Mansfield Knight. The couple came to Munnar in 1894 and, amazed at the beauty of the hills, Eleanor playfully asked her husband to bury her on the hilltop in old Munnar. When she died of cholera later than same year, he did as she wished. Her tomb is still decorated to this day and visited by her family and people who hear the story of this young wife. Starting at the church that was built in her memory, this tour takes you back to the Munnar of 1894. through the eyes of Eleanor, who was amazed at the beauty of this mysterious land.
Option 3: Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary Experience
Explore a unique protected area on the Eastern Slopes of the Western Ghats, celebrated for its medicinal plants and diverse wildlife, including grizzled giant squirrels, star tortoises, gaurs, leopards, elephants, and vibrant birdlife. En route, witness the making of Marayoor Jaggery and weave through ancient sandalwood forests.
Watch a Kalaripayattu Performance
Also known as 'Kalari', this Keralan martial art and fighting style is believed to be the oldest surviving martial art in India.
Visit to Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary
Dawn into an ornithologist’s paradise along Vembanad Lake, where migratory birds flock amid lush mangroves. Spot local stars like egrets, herons, and waterfowl alongside seasonal visitors such as Siberian cranes, teal, and flycatchers.
Option 1: ‘Alleppey Magic’ heritage tour
On this magical journey around the paddy fields of Kuttanad, you will get to know how coconuts, rice and fish sustains the livelihood of thousands of families in this region and gain an insight into the history of how, over the millennia, the backwaters of Alleppey were systematically turned into paddy fields and how networks of canals were created to irrigate, collect silts and connect these fields.
Option 2: Alleppey Heritage tour
Learn about this historic town with a local guide by car and on foot, taking you through the Gujarati quarter, past the canal banks and to an old wholesale market. You will have lunch at a local house at the end of the tour.
Prices for these experiences range from £8 to £155 per person, please email us for more details
There are five main centres for weaving the traditional handlooms of Kerala – Balaramapuram, Chendamangalam, Kuthampully, Kannur and Kasaragod. The array of handloom fabrics woven in Chendamangalam are similar to what one finds in Balaramapuram, but with less emphasis on kasavu patterns. Instead, the typical Chendamangalam mundu or settu mundu has coloured borders with a matching colour stripe, and only small amounts of kasavu for ornamentation.
Like in other parts of Kerala, weavers in Chendamangalam were under the official patronage of the feudal family of Paliam, who served as chief ministers for the Rajas of Kochi. In terms of the actual process, Chendamangalam textiles are woven on frame looms, and their texture is slightly heavier than similar fabrics from Balaramapuram
Nestled in the serene Kannan Devan Hills, quiet Munnar offers panoramic views of mist-filled valleys and low-lying clouds under a bracing, cool climate—a true hilltop haven. Pioneering planters opened these virgin forests over a century ago, with Anaimudi, South India’s highest peak, rising beyond.
Munnar boasts some of the world’s most stunning tea plantations, sparked by Lt. Benjamin Swayne Ward’s early-1800s surveys of the fertile terrain. Planter John Daniel Munro soon established revenue-generating estates, turning the area into a beloved British summer retreat. They even formed a Freemason group, traces of which linger today.
Explore this legacy on our guided tour of the area: British-era bungalows, vintage machinery still in use, historic dams, and evocative relics that whisper Munnar’s colonial past. The experience culminates in a traditional High Tea, served in timeless style.
One of India's premier national parks, Periyar spans 925 sq km (350 sq miles) across the Western Ghats, sheltering endangered flora and fauna amid deciduous and semi-evergreen forests. Towering teak, rosewood, sandalwood, and bamboo thrive alongside South India's only native conifer, Podocarpus wallichianus.
Over 265 bird species flit through the canopy - watch for Malabar grey hornbills, darters, flycatchers, laughing thrushes, and jungle fowl. Among 35+ mammals, Periyar protects Bengal tigers (around 40) and Asian elephants, though both stay elusive deep in the jungle. More visible stars include gaurs, sambar deer, wild pigs, Indian giant squirrels, Nilgiri langurs, lion-tailed macaques, and Travancore flying squirrels.
Join a guided tour with a local naturalist to uncover these treasures. Optional upgrades: expert birdwatching or field photography excursions.
When our CEO, Theresa McDermott, last visited Kerala, she stayed at two CGH Earth Experience hotels - Coconut Lagoon and Marari Beach Resort - where sustainability meets seamless luxury. So impressed, she’s woven stays at both (plus two more CGH properties) into this itinerary.
Coconut Lagoon
Coconut Lagoon is in a sheltered and enchanting cove in Kumarakom and the only way to get there is over the water. I arrived at the private jetty and the boat was waiting to take me downstream, past coconut palms and the occasional house, to the hotel where I was greeted with music and a welcome drink. I was then taken across the garden (where I spotted a fruit bat) to my accommodation. Rather than the usual bedroom and ensuite bathroom, here, guests stay in pretty wooden cottages built from the remnants of old mansions, called ‘tharavads’, that once belonged to the local nobility and which were brought here in sections and painstakingly reassembled by skilled craftspeople. Mine had an outdoor bathroom. It was completely private, and it was wonderful to be somewhere warm enough to shower outside.
Sustainability is at the heart of everything here, but so is comfort. There’s even air conditioning! (They generate their own electricity.) And the food is delicious, especially the vegetables which are all grown on site. The flavours are local, but they are very happy to adapt to special diets or British tastes.
There are lots of activities, from bird watching and a sunset cruise to cookery and mat weaving, all designed to help you get in tune with the location. I went on a guided walk with a nature guide who pointed out lots of different plants and animals, as well as many species of birds and butterflies. It made me realise how depleted nature is in the UK. I treated myself to a treatment in the Ayurveda Centre too. I felt enveloped in warmth as soon as I stepped inside and listening to the birds and the warm breeze in the palm trees as I had a massage was a truly special experience.
Marari Beach Resort
This hotel is set right on the beach and is surrounded by coconut groves, so it has a truly tropical feel. The first thing I did was to go down and paddle. The water was warm and there was no one else to be seen – except for the hotel lifeguard who is always there during operational hours monitoring sea conditions and watching out for potential hazards. I was pleased to hear that there are no sharks or jellyfish!
The guests stay in cottages here too – it’s like having your own private idyll. The ones here reflect the thatched houses in the fishing villages that dot this area, so you also get a real sense of the community, especially as all the staff are local.
Marari is also a nature lover’s paradise - they have catalogued 97 species of butterflies, 350 species of endemic plants, three varieties of turtles, 10 types of frogs and around 80 species of birds. I went on a walk with one of the naturalists and it was fascinating to hear about the complex ecosystems that define the unique ecology of the Malabar coast.
Before you book
- Please read our Booking Conditions.
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This tour requires a minimum of 10 passengers to run. Please refer to point 7 in our booking conditions for more information
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This tour is suitable for most guests, but if you have any concerns or a specific mobility issue, please let us know ahead of booking
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You will need a visa for this tour, which you can apply for here
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For all travellers booking from outside of the UK to join this tour departing from the UK, please check if you need a ETA Visa
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