Kumarakom and Alleppey Backwater Weekend
Route Covered
Overnight stops in day orderOverview
This Kumarakom Alleppey weekend trip is a private three-day, two-night tour of the backwaters of Kerala. You sleep one night by Vembanad Lake at Kumarakom and one night on a houseboat at Alleppey (Alappuzha), with Cochin International Airport transfers at both ends. The tour suits couples and families who want slow water and short drives, and November to February is the best time.
Couples, families and friends who want a short, slow break on the water with a bird morning and no hotel-hopping
Highlights
Good to know
Houseboat evening
Overnight houseboats moor for the night in the evening, so the cruising is done by dayBird seasons
Migrant birds at the sanctuary are best from November to February, resident birds from June to AugustRain
The heaviest rain falls from June to September, so pack a light rain layer outside the cooler monthsAirport days
Days 1 and 3 each start or end with a drive of about 2 to 2.5 hours, so allow margin around flightsDay-by-Day Itinerary
- Vembanad Lake shore
- Optional canoe ride
Cochin International Airport to Kumarakom
- 1Meet your driver at Cochin International Airport
- 2Drive about 80 km to Kumarakom on the eastern shore of Vembanad Lake
- 3Check in and rest
- 4If time allows, a walk by the water at dusk or an optional canoe ride
- Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary
- Kettuvallam houseboat cruise
- Kuttanad paddy fields
- Alleppey canals
Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary, then a houseboat night at Alleppey
- 1Early visit to the Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary for herons, egrets and kingfishers, on foot or by boat
- 2Drive about 32 km to Alleppey
- 3Board a kettuvallam houseboat and cruise the canals and the edge of Vembanad Lake
- 4Watch the paddy fields and village life from the deck
- 5Moor for the night and have dinner on board
- Breakfast on the water
- Alappuzha Beach pier
A last backwater morning and the drive to Cochin airport
- 1Wake on the boat and have breakfast on deck
- 2Step ashore at Alleppey
- 3If time allows, a stop at Alappuzha Beach for the old sea pier
- 4Drive about 90 km to Cochin International Airport for your flight
Indicative — varies with season and hotel category.
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Trip Facts
Local Activities & Events
Updated Oct 3, 2026Alleppey (Alappuzha) — Days 2-3 of this trip
Mullakkal Chirappu
festivalUsually runs from mid-November into late December; the Chirappu days are the final 11 of the festival
Alappuzha's Mullakkal Rajarajeswari Temple holds a 41-day festival whose last 11 days, the Chirappu, bring elephant processions and fireworks.
Reach out to us for the confirmed datesKerala — 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.
Guruvayur Ekadasi
festivalEleventh-day observance at the Guruvayur Sree Krishna Temple in Thrissur, with strict fasting and elephant processions.
Bekal International Beach Festival
culturalBeach festival at Bekal in Kasaragod district with music, dance and arts; the state calendar lists it for December to January.
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
Quick Answers
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