Kerala and Tamil Nadu Classic: Hills, Temples and the Southern Tip
Route Covered
Overnight stops in day orderOverview
A seven-day private Kerala and Tamil Nadu tour that runs from Kochi to Kanyakumari. You stay in Kochi, Munnar, Thekkady, Madurai and Kanyakumari, land at Kochi airport and fly out of Thiruvananthapuram, with a private car and driver throughout.
Travellers who want tea hills, a forest lake and a great temple city in one trip, and accept some long days on the road
Highlights
Good to know
Long drives
Kochi to Munnar and Madurai to Kanyakumari are the longest legs, each around 4 hours or moreDress
Shoulders and knees are covered at temples, and shoes come off at the entranceCool evenings
Munnar is cool and often misty, so a warm layer helpsDeparture flight
Day 7 includes a drive of around 2 hours to the airport, so a flight in the afternoon or later suits bestDay-by-Day Itinerary
- Chinese fishing nets at dusk
Arrive at Kochi airport and settle in
- 1Meet your driver at Cochin International Airport
- 2Drive to Kochi, roughly 40 km and about 1 to 1.5 hours
- 3Check in and rest
- 4If time allows, an evening stroll by the Chinese fishing nets
- Fort Kochi walk
- Drive up to the Munnar hills
Fort Kochi in the morning, then up to Munnar
- 1Early walk through Fort Kochi to see St Francis Church and the harbour lanes
- 2Leave Kochi by mid-morning so the hill road is driven in daylight
- 3Climb through Aluva and Kothamangalam to Munnar, about 130 km
- 4Check in and enjoy a cool evening
- Tea estates and tea museum
- Mattupetty reservoir
- Top Station viewpoint
Munnar tea country
- 1Drive through the tea estates and visit the tea museum
- 2Boating on the Mattupetty reservoir
- 3Continue to the Top Station viewpoint
- 4Eravikulam National Park for the Nilgiri tahr, if it is open (it usually closes in February and March)
- Spice plantation walk
Down to Thekkady and the spice gardens
- 1Morning drive from Munnar to Thekkady, around 90 to 100 km depending on the road
- 2Check in near Kumily
- 3Afternoon walk through a spice plantation
- 4Evening at leisure
- Periyar Lake boat trip
- Meenakshi Temple evening ceremony
Periyar Lake, then across the border to Madurai
- 1Boat trip on Periyar Lake in the tiger reserve
- 2Drive east into Tamil Nadu through Cumbum and Theni, about 141 km
- 3Check in at Madurai
- 4Evening visit to the Meenakshi Temple for the nightly ceremony
- Thirumalai Nayakkar Mahal
- Sunset at Kanyakumari
Madurai palace and temple tower, then south to Kanyakumari
- 1Morning at the Thirumalai Nayakkar Mahal and, if time allows, a second look at the Meenakshi Temple's towers
- 2Drive south through Tirunelveli and Nagercoil, about 244 km
- 3Check in at Kanyakumari
- 4Catch the sunset if the timing works
- Kanyakumari sunrise
- Vivekananda Rock Memorial
- Thiruvalluvar statue
Sunrise at the southern tip and departure
- 1Watch the sunrise from the shore
- 2Ferry to the Vivekananda Rock Memorial and see the Thiruvalluvar statue beside it
- 3Visit the Kumari Amman temple if time allows
- 4Drive about 2 hours to Thiruvananthapuram airport for your flight
Indicative — varies with season and hotel category.
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Trip Facts
Local Activities & Events
Updated Oct 23, 2026Munnar — Days 2-4 of this trip
Thrikarthika Festival
festivalUsually on the Karthika star day of the Malayalam month of Vrischikam, in late November or early December
Kerala's festival of lights reaches the Sri Subrahmanya Swamy Temple in Munnar, with lamps lit across the temple grounds on the Karthika star day of the Malayalam month of Vrischikam.
Reach out to us for the confirmed datesTamil Nadu — across your trip
Kanda Sashti and Soorasamharam
festivalSix days of fasting and worship at Tiruchendur's Murugan temple lead to Soorasamharam, the re-enactment of Murugan's victory over the demon Surapadman.
Karthigai Deepam
festivalArunachaleswarar temple in Tiruvannamalai holds a ten-day festival that ends with a flame lit on Arunachala hill at dusk and an overnight walk around it.
Kerala — across your trip
Vettukadu Feast
festivalMadre de Deus Church in Thiruvananthapuram marks the feast of Christ the King over ten days, with worshippers of several faiths attending.
Champions Boat League: Kayamkulam
sportsA snake-boat race at Kayamkulam in Alappuzha district, a round of the 2026 Champions Boat League.
Kalpathy Ratholsavam
festivalChariot festival in Kalpathy, Palakkad, where decorated chariots are pulled through the village streets from the Viswanatha Swamy Temple.
Sabarimala Mandalam-Makaravilakku pilgrim season
festivalPilgrim season at the Ayyappa temple in Pathanamthitta district, from the Mandalam opening through Mandala Pooja and Makaravilakku to closing in January.
Champions Boat League final and President's Trophy Boat Race
sportsThe league's closing round on Ashtamudi Lake in Kollam, held together with the President's Trophy Boat Race.
Events are reviewed by our team before publishing and drop off after they end. Please confirm timings and availability with us before your trip — local schedules can change without notice.
What's Included & Excluded
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