How the plans work
Each plan fills one day, starting after breakfast and ending back at the villa in time for the pool or a boat ride at sunset.
Times are approximate driving times from the villa; allow longer in traffic. Breakfast is served from 8 to 10 am, so tell us if you need to leave early. We can arrange a car and driver for any plan, and a Kerala lunch or dinner at the villa.
Plans for 2 to 5 nights · Muziris heritage · Kodungallur and the forts · Fort Kochi · Waterfalls · Elephants · Islands · Houseboat · What we arrange
Plans for 2 to 5 nights
One night is welcome, but two or more give you time to see the region and still enjoy the villa.
- 2 nights: heritage and elephants
- Day 1: the Muziris heritage day, with a boat ride to the Chinese fishing nets at sunset. Day 2: the elephants at Abhayaranyam and Kalady.
- 2 nights: Fort Kochi and the waterfalls
- Day 1: Fort Kochi and Mattancherry, with Kathakali in the evening. Day 2: Athirappilly and Vazhachal waterfalls.
- 3 nights
- The Muziris heritage day, Fort Kochi and the waterfalls.
- 4 nights
- Both two-night plans together.
- 5 nights or more
- All of the above, plus Kodungallur and the forts, a slow day on the islands, or a houseboat day at Alappuzha. Or simply a day by the pool.
- Weekend stays
- Staying on Friday and Saturday nights? Do the Muziris heritage day on Saturday and Fort Kochi on your way home on Sunday. The Paradesi Synagogue is closed on Fridays and Saturdays, and the Muziris museums on Mondays.
The Muziris heritage day
Synagogues, a palace, a hill of four faiths and a boat ride home. Tuesday to Sunday: the museums close on Mondays.
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10 am · Paravur Synagogue and market
Start at the synagogue, now the Kerala Jews History Museum, then walk through the old Paravur market, busiest on Tuesdays and Saturdays and closed on Sundays.
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11:30 am · Kottayil Kovilakam
A temple, a church, a mosque and a synagogue built in 1614 on one small hill, with the ruins of a Portuguese Jesuit seminary in the church grounds.
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12:30 pm · Paliam Palace and Paliam Nalukettu
The palace of the prime ministers to the Kings of Cochin, now the Kerala History Museum, and the family’s 450-year-old courtyard house next door.
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1:30 pm · Lunch
Come back for a Kerala lunch at the villa (order it by 10 am), or stop at a local restaurant on the way.
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3 pm · Choose one
Watch the looms at a Chendamangalam weavers’ co-operative; see Chavittu Nadakam, the old Christian dance drama of Gothuruthu, booked a few days ahead; or take a kayak or water taxi from the Thattukadavu jetty in North Paravur.
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5 pm · Boat ride to the Chinese fishing nets
An hour on the lake as the light turns gold, then the evening by the pool.
Kodungallur and the forts
India’s oldest European fort, its oldest mosque by tradition and the place where St Thomas is believed to have landed, all within 40 minutes of the villa. Tuesday to Sunday.
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9:30 am · Pallipuram Fort
A hexagonal fort built by the Portuguese in 1503, described by Kerala Tourism as India’s oldest surviving European monument.
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10:30 am · Cheraman Juma Masjid
Believed to be India’s oldest mosque, restored to its old Kerala look with a tiled roof, and with a small museum. Dress modestly.
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11:30 am · Marthoma Pontifical Shrine, Azhikode
Where St Thomas the Apostle is believed to have landed in 52 AD, with a relic of the saint.
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12:30 pm · Kottappuram Fort and the Muziris Museum
The overgrown ruins of a Portuguese fort of 1523 at the mouth of the Periyar, with a museum beside it. Then lunch in Kodungallur.
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2:30 pm · Pattanam
A small site museum of finds from the excavations, including Roman amphorae, at what many believe was part of ancient Muziris. Or go kayaking or canoeing at Kodungallur instead.
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5:30 pm · Munambam Beach
Walk out along the breakwater at the mouth of the Periyar as the sun goes down.
Fort Kochi and Mattancherry
Colonial churches, a palace of murals, Jew Town and Kathakali by night. Sunday to Thursday: the Dutch Palace is closed on Fridays, and the Paradesi Synagogue on Fridays and Saturdays.
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8:30 am · Leave the villa
Drive down Vypin Island and cross on the ro-ro ferry when it is running, or go round through Kochi city over the Goshree bridges.
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9:30 am · Chinese fishing nets and St Francis Church
Watch the nets being worked on the shore, then visit St Francis Church, where Vasco da Gama was first buried, Santa Cruz Basilica and the old Dutch cemetery.
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11:30 am · Mattancherry Palace
Wall paintings of Hindu epics in the old palace of the Kings of Cochin, also called the Dutch Palace.
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12 noon · The Jain temple
Hundreds of pigeons circle the temple at about noon and come down to be fed. Then lunch in Fort Kochi or Mattancherry.
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3 pm · Paradesi Synagogue and Jew Town
The synagogue of 1568, entered barefoot, and the spice warehouses and antique shops in the lanes around it.
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5 pm · Kathakali
Watch the actors paint their faces, then the show at about 6 pm. You are back at the villa by about 8:30 pm.
Prefer village life to the city? Swap the afternoon for Kumbalangi, with its Chinese fishing nets, crab farms and canoes through the mangroves.
Athirappilly and Vazhachal waterfalls
Kerala’s largest waterfall, in forest on the Chalakudy River. Any day of the week.
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7:30 am · Leave the villa
An early start beats the heat and the crowds.
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9:30 am · Athirappilly Falls
The rocks near the water can be slippery, especially in the rains, so wear shoes with a good grip.
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11:30 am · Vazhachal Falls
The Athirappilly ticket covers Vazhachal on the same day. Then lunch on the way back.
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4 pm · Back at the villa
A swim, then sunset over the lake.
Elephants at Kodanad, and Kalady
A forest shelter for elephants on the Periyar, and the birthplace of Adi Shankaracharya. Tuesday to Sunday: Abhayaranyam closes on Mondays.
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8 am · Leave the villa
Breakfast first, then inland towards the hills.
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9:30 am · Abhayaranyam, Kodanad
Kodanad’s old elephant training centre has moved to this forest shelter 2 km away, where you can watch the elephants being bathed and fed and see the other animals in its care.
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12 noon · Kalady
The birthplace of the philosopher Adi Shankaracharya, on the banks of the Periyar. Then lunch, and back at the villa by mid-afternoon.
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For bird lovers · Thattekad
Swap the day for Thattekad Bird Sanctuary, which Salim Ali called the richest bird habitat in peninsular India. Leave by 5 am to be there for the early morning, and book a local guide ahead.
A slow day on the islands
Fishing boats at dawn, a 500-year-old fort, the pool at midday and sunset over the rice fields. Tuesday to Sunday.
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6:30 am · Munambam harbour
The boats come in and traders gather for the catch. Back for breakfast at 8.
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10 am · Pallipuram Fort and the Sahodaran Ayyappan Museum
The Portuguese fort of 1503, then the thatched birthplace of the reformer Sahodaran Ayyappan beside the Periyar.
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Midday · The pool
Lunch at the villa and the heat of the day by the water.
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3 pm · Kadamakudy islands
Take a canoe or kayak along the canals, cycle the village lanes past prawn farms and mangroves, and stay for sunset over the pokkali rice fields.
A houseboat day at Alappuzha
The classic Kerala backwaters by houseboat, with lunch on board. A long day, best on a longer stay.
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8 am · Leave the villa
The drive runs south through Kochi.
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11 am to 5 pm · The houseboat
Most day cruises run from about 11 am to 5 pm, with lunch on board. Ask us about booking one.
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8 pm · Back at the villa
For quieter backwaters closer to home, take our own boat ride or spend an afternoon at Kadamakudy instead.
What we arrange
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Car and driver
Tell us the plan, the date and how many of you are travelling, and we’ll send you a price.
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Boat ride and Chinese fishing nets
From the villa, best in the late afternoon.
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Kerala lunch or dinner at the villa
Order lunch by 10 am and dinner by 4 pm.
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Airport pickup and drop
Send us your flight number when you book.
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Help with bookings
Ask us about a Chavittu Nadakam performance at Gothuruthu, a visit to the Chendamangalam weavers, a houseboat day at Alappuzha or a bird guide at Thattekad.
Stay a little longer
Three or four nights give you the heritage trail, Fort Kochi and the waterfalls, with time left for the pool and the lake. Book the whole villa for up to 10 guests, or just the rooms you need. Breakfast is included.