A 7-Day Kerala Itinerary (Solo Female Traveler Approved!)

Kerala is one of the most beautiful destinations on the planet, and my Kerala itinerary will help you see the most spectacular places in this region in just seven days.  This is the exact route that I followed while I was traveling as a solo female in South India, but the only difference is that I stayed in the region for several weeks, and I know that not everybody has that much time.

I have seen other Kerala itineraries that have you moving between different cities and towns every night, but that’s not my preferred travel style. I like to take things more slowly, so I have time to wander, explore and get immersed in the local culture. India is one of those places where everything moves impossibly quickly and impossibly slowly at the same time, and this itinerary has enough flexibility to accommodate those ebbs and flows.

Day 1 – Arrive in Kochi

The first stop on your Kerala itinerary will likely be Kochi, where you can fly into the Cochin International Airport. From there, it’s almost 90 minutes by taxi to the historic Fort Kochi district, so factor that transfer into your plans for your arrival day in Kerala.

Spend some time strolling around the quiet historic center of Fort Kochi, which is infinitely more peaceful than most of the other cities you’ll visit in India. Stop at Saint Francis Church, which was the original resting place of Portuguese explore Vasco de Gama (now he rests in Belem, Portugal). As sunset approaches, head to Vasco de Gama Square to see the famous Chinese fishing nets silhouetted against the skyline.  End your night with a leisurely dinner.

Where to Stay in Kochi

The guesthouse where I stayed in Kochi is now closed, but it was in a great location. Some nearby properties with very good reviews include Sajhome Fort Kochi and Bastian Homestay. As a solo traveler, I liked staying in guesthouses where I could get recommendations from the local owners and meet other backpackers.

If you’d prefer a more upscale hotel, there are two luxury properties right on the waterfront in the Old Town. Forte Kochi is a historic heritage hotel, and nearby Neemrana’s Tower House (part of a nationwide group of boutique hotels) has antique-adorned rooms around a beautiful outdoor pool.

Where to Eat in Kochi

There are lots of cute little restaurants in Fort Kochi, many of which are concentrated around Princess Street.  Here are a few you might want to check out:

• Tibet Kitchen – I really like Tibetan food, and this restaurant near the Kerala Kathakali Center does it really well. I recommend the thukpa (noodle soup).
• Kashi Art Cafe – This art gallery doubles as a delicious restaurant with international flavors ranging from vegan breakfast platters to hummus and pita.
• Anantha Bhavan Inn – This pure veg restaurant gets great reviews for affordable set-price meals served on banana leafs.

Day 2 – Kochi

The highlight of your second day in Kochi will be a performance at the Kerala Kathakali Center, where you can see the traditional masked dances and musical performances of the region.  Book your tickets in advance, and be sure to show up for the early seating where you get to watch the performers apply their elaborate makeup.  You’ll need to be at the theatre around 4:45 pm, so plan the rest of your day accordingly.

I would recommend working with your accommodation to hire an auto-rickshaw (tuk-tuk) driver for the day. Tell him what you’d like to see and he can plan a suitable route.  Some spots to consider include:

• Mattancherry Palace – It’s not necessarily the most palatial palace you’ll ever see, but it is famous for its interior murals. It’s closed on Fridays and Saturdays, so I didn’t make it inside.
• Jew Town – That’s the actual name of the neighborhood just south of Mattancherry Palace. There’s a sixteenth-century synagogue here, along with antique shops and a few quaint cafes.
• Magic Pigeon Ceremony – Every day, around noon (arrive a bit early) the pigeons who reside at this Jain temple preform a “magical” ritual where they fly in circles around the temple three times before descending to be fed by worshippers and visitors.
• Dhobi Khana Public Laundry – I could have spent all day at this massive public outdoor laundry facility. Seeing people wash their clothes the same way it was done a hundred years ago is a stark reminder that India is not a fully-developed country.
• Bishop’s House and the Indo-Portuguese Museum – If you want to learn more about Portuguese colonialism in Kerala, visit these two spots near the Fort Kochi Beach.
• Jail of Freedom Struggle – This small museum, situated in the local police station, tells the stories of the local people who resisted British colonialism and fought for Indian independence.

With a stop for lunch that should be more than enough to fill your day before the Kathakali show.  After the show, go out for a relaxed dinner. I’m a vegetarian, but if you’re not then you’ll probably want to try one of the local fish curries made from the daily catch.

Day 3 – Kochi to Alleppey

The second stop on your Kerala itinerary will be Alleppey (Alappuzha in Malayam). I did the trip by taxi and the drive was absolutely, unbelievably beautiful. Wikipedia calls the land here a “narrow landform”, not an island or a peninsula, and for most of the trip you get these spectacular jungle and sea views. I think that most of the buses drive further inland, so if there’s room in your budget do consider a taxi (and negotiate a bit of extra money for some photo stops en route).

Upon arrival, work with your accommodation to organize a boat cruise for the following morning. Then, walk towards Alappuzha Beach, a long stretch of golden sand that is popular with both locals and tourists. It’s possible to swim here (and it looks quite clean) but as a solo female traveler I didn’t feel comfortable going in solo, so I just waded in up to my knees. Even that caught the eye of quite a few local men!

While you’re at the beach, ascend the striking lighthouse, which dates back to the 1860s. You’ll get panoramic views of the beach and the town, and a sneak peak at some of the canals you’ll sail down tomorrow.

If there’s still time left in the day, you can walk or take an autoricksaw to the Mullakkal Market, a bustling shopping street (be careful of the traffic!). The nearby Mullakkal Rajarajeswari Temple is 500-year-old Hindu temple built in the typical style of Kerala. People come from around India to see the famous idol of the goddess Durga that is kept inside.

Where to Stay in Alleppey

I chose to stay in a hostel in Alleppey because I was hoping to connect with other travelers for a shared backwaters boat tour. I stayed at goSTOPS Alleppey, although at the time it was under a different name. I had a spacious private room, but it ended up being hard to meet other travelers as there wasn’t a common area.  When I went out for dinner I noticed that Zostel Alleppey looked busy, with lots of foreign travelers mixing and mingling in the common areas.  I wish I’d stayed there, even if the reviews aren’t quite as good.

If you want something a bit nicer, there are some lovely beachfront homestays on the beach, just north of the lighthouse. I’d start my search with Neela Waters or Asthamaya Beach Homestay.

⭐ You can also spend one or both of your nights in Alleppey on a houseboat!  This tour is rated 4.9/5 and includes a houseboat cruise through the backwaters from noon until 9:00 am the next day. It includes pick-up in Kochi. ⭐

Where to Eat in Alleppey

Unsurprisingly, Alleppey is known for its fish dishes. Ask your guide or your hotel where they recommend going for great fish and seafood. As a vegetarian, I can recommend these spots:

• Hotel Aryaas Vegetarian Restaurant – When the staff at my hotel found out I was a vegetarian they put me in an autorickshaw and sent me to this pure veg restaurant, where they just kept putting more and more and more food on my plate. I was the only foreigner and I had lots of fun.
• Cafe Catamaran – A fun and trendy beachfront restaurant that mostly caters to foreigners. The menu has a combination of Indian and international dishes.
• Cafe Paradiso Espresso – Right by the pier where you catch the boats into the backwaters, this eclectic cafe does great coffees, juices and sandwiches.

Day 4 – Alleppey Backwaters

I visited India as part of an eight-month around-the-world trip, and when I think back to the top three most memorable experiences from the trip, my day spend sailing through the Alleppey backwaters ranks right up there. Truly, it is like you’re in the Jungle Cruise.

It’s possible to cruise the backwaters entirely by public ferry, but I don’t know how a foreigner could do that and not end up lost in a distant canal with no way to get home that evening. Routes and schedules for the ferries that sail through these waters are hard to find, hard to read and nearly impossible to actually confirm. So, the safest, easiest and most comfortable way to spend a day in the Kerala backwaters is through an organized boat tour. Most of these tours will start on the public ferries, and once you’re well into the canals you will switch to a canoe or kayak that is paddled by a guide.

Your accommodation should be able to help you book a tour, as long as you give them a day or two of notice. The tour will start in the early morning at the jetty, and will likely include a stop for lunch (we stopped in a local home) and at least one other stop to buy cold drinks and snacks. The rest of the time you’ll be sailing through the backwaters, taking in the beautiful views, watching people who live on the water go about their daily lives, and waving at people passing on other boats.

I can’t recommend this experience enough, and even if you don’t have a full week I think it’s worth spending just two or three days in Kerala so that you can include this on your India itinerary.

Day 5 – Alleppey to Munnar

The final stop on your Kerala itinerary will be Munnar, a hill station in the nearby Western Ghats mountain range.  I took a bus directly from Alleppey to Munnar, but if the schedules have changed you may need to backtrack and change in Kochi.

You could also make the trip in a taxi for about $50 USD – it’s expensive because you’ll probably have to pay for the driver to go both ways, as he’s unlikely to get a fare back. Still, if you’re in a group it cuts the travel time by almost half, and you can stop for photos at some of the waterfalls on the way up.

You’ll probably arrive in Munnar in the early afternoon.  Get checked into your hotel, grab a light meal and then head to the Tea Museum. Here, you can learn about the history of the tea industry in the region and see how tea leaves go from field to cup. The tea museum is owned by Tata, an Indian conglomerate, and once you’ve visited you’ll start noticing the Tata name everywhere (even when you’re back home).

The center of Munnar is mostly for tourists, with shops selling expensive teas, spices and souvenirs. Feel free to browse around a bit before or after dinner, but retreat to your hotel early so that you’ll be ready for a big day tomorrow.

Where to Stay in Munnar

In Munnar, I stayed at Greenview Holiday Inn. It’s about 500 meters (slightly) downhill from the town center, but it has the added bonus of being quiet. The staff here helped me book my treks and tours to the surroundings.  Nearby, there is also Maharaja Cottage and SMM Cottage, which both also have good reviews. All three of these properties are basic, no-frills guesthouses.

If you’re looking for something fancier, you have to go further away from town. Blackberry Hills Nature Resort and Spa looks lovely, and the staff can assist with transportation into town for sightseeing and restaurants.

Where to Eat in Munnar

If you’re getting tired of eating vegetarian food, you’ll find more meat dishes in Munnar as many of the local restaurants are owned by Muslim families who don’t adhere to a vegetarian diet. Either way, you might want to consider these Munnar restaurants:

• Saravana Bhavan – You’ll find these vegetarian restaurants across India, and the location in Munnar has some great dishes (you have to order their special, towering, cone-shaped dosa).
• Rapsy Restaurant – I’m a vegetarian so didn’t come here, but my hotel recommended it for big portions of meat-based curries (including beef, chicken and seafood).
• Tea Tales Cafe – If you’re missing Starbucks, this cafe has lots of sweet coffee drinks served hot and cold.

Day 6 – Munnar

There are several different ways to spend a full day in Munnar.  I was here for a few days and organized all of my excursions through my guesthouse – chat with them when you’re checking in to see what is available for the next day.

I spent one full day hiking in the hills around Munnar.  Although the hike was long it was not overly strenuous, and the views were beautiful. We got to see locals really working in the tea plantations (not the sanitized version you see in the Tea Museum) and it really gave me a new appreciation for the hard labor that goes into harvesting tea. We also saw some elephant droppings, but unfortunately we didn’t see any elephants on our trek.

Another day, my guesthouse organized an autorickshaw driver to take me on a full-day sightseeing tour. He took me through the tea plantations and up into the hills, all the way to the Top Station (the highest point) and the border with the neighboring state of Tamil Nadu. Unfortunately it was quite foggy during my visit so the views were obscured, although this made the high-speed return drive a white-knuckle experience I will never forget!

If the weather is good you can also do one of a few different sunrise hikes from Munnar. These begin with a 4:30 am Jeep or autorickshaw ride to the trailhead, followed by a short trek to a beautiful lookout point where you can take in the views with a cup of steaming masala chai.

Be aware that even in the dry season, Munnar can be cold and damp due to its altitude. You’ll need warm clothes, and I would personally recommend hiking boots (or other shoes with non-slip soles) for any walking on trails outside the town center. I was just wearing my Nike running shoes and there were a few close calls.

Day 7 – Munnar to Kochi

I couldn’t find a photo of the bus that I took from Munnar back to Kochi, but I did find this photo of a very cute kitten underneath a motorcycle, and motorcycles have wheels, and buses have wheels, so it’s practically the same thing! 😉

From Munnar you will probably need to end your Kerala itinerary by traveling back to Kochi, either to catch a flight or to get on a train or bus to your next destination.  There are sleeper buses that travel from Munnar to both Bangalore and Chennai overnight, but I can’t imagine they would be particularly comfortable.

Make sure to follow along the drive on your phone using Google Maps (if you’re low on data you can download the offline map beforehand).  You probably noticed the waterfalls on your way up – now is your chance to get photos on the way down!

When you get back to Fort Kochi, end your trip to Kerala with a relaxing massage and skincare treatment at an Ayurvedic health care center like Ayushveda Spa or Ayurveda Sanctum. This will help heal your sore muscles (whether that’s from yesterday’s hike or yesterday’s bumpy autorickshaw ride!) and relax you before you embark on your next adventure!

8, 9 or 10 Days in Kerala

If you have more than seven days in Kerala, there are are few different ways you can extend my recommended Kerala itinerary:

• If you didn’t do the overnight houseboat tour in Alleppey, that would be the first thing I added to my itinerary.
• Further down the coast, Varkala is famous for its cliff-lined beach and a 2000-year-old Hindu temple
• Periyar Tiger Reserve is about 90 kilometers south of Munnar, and by joining a guided tour of this national park you could see more than 60 species of mammals including elephants, tigers and leopards

While you’re in South India, I recommend spending at least one week at an Ayurvedic yoga retreat.  The one that I visited was located in an Ayurvedic doctor’s family-run guesthouse and featured vegan meals, daily Ayurvedic treatments and daily excursions around the region.

If you’re hesitating to book a trip to India, I can quell some of your worries with my India Travel Q&A.  I wrote down my questions before I traveled to solo to India, and then at the end of my trip I went back and answered them all.

Planning a trip to India?  Pin this post for later!