Keral Tour packages Selection Guide
Kerala tourism offers variety of options for those who want to have fun, relaxation & family outings etc. But how it will fit into one trip? This is what SreesTours want to intimate the guests. How best the tour should be is being dictated by those planning the trip. Frankly speaking – we used to get lots of calls every day asking questions like – How many days required to complete Kerala trip. Simple answer is – how many days you have in your hand for Kerala trip?
There are few questions you may ask your self and then decide how to go about this. A few questions guests may ask themselves have been given below. Along with we have given our best suggestions also.
SreesTours, pioneer in Kerala tour package with 9 yrs of experience in this field, would like to mention below points before planning a Kerala Trip.
By giving this article, SreesTours intent to give a clear picture about the Kerala tour package, planning, how many days required for a Kerala trip etc.
How to Reach Kerala ?
Kerala have 3 main international airports Calicut (Kozhikode), Kochi (cochin, Kochi, cochi) and Trivandrum (Thiruvananthapuram). Most of the places are also connected by train. Arrival place and departure place is being determined based on tour package selected by the guests.
Arrival and departure place is very important for those who looking for Kerala tour packages. One can reach and departure back from Kochi airport / Ernakulam rly station. This is idle plan for those who cover only Kochi and nearby destinations like Munnar, Thekkedy, Kumarakom, Aleppey and Cherai beach. Those who visit these destinations can book their tickets to and from Kochi airport. Those who intend visit above mentioned destinations along with any of the destinations like Trivandrum, Kovalam, Verkala, Kanyakumari etc should departure back from Trivandrum airport / Trivandrum rly station. The distance between Trivandrum / Kovalam back to Kochi airport is 255kms and it take a small car around 7hrs to reach Kochi airport.
Arrival Time.
Arrival time is also very important depending upon the package. Arrival at early morning or morning till 10am is the best time to arrive. Departure should be at any time after 2pm so that half day sightseeing or shopping is available at the end of the day.
Kerala Best Must See Destinations.
Below are the best destinations of Kerala and its importance so that tourists can decide where they want to spend good time.
Wayanad (Vythiri) – Wayanad (Vythiri) – Wayanad (Vythiri) is one of the beautiful hill stations located north of Kerala. The nearest airport & Rly station is Calicut (Kozhikode). Wayanad (Vythiri) is located more closer to Ooty, Mysore, Coorg etc. Including Wayanad in a normal Kerala Tour package is difficult as distance from Wayanad to Kochi is approximately 285kms and it takes a small car like indica 7hrs by road. Due to this long road journey, fitting Wayanad in a normal Kerala Tour package is difficult.
Munnar – Munnar is another best hill station of Kerala and the nearest airport / Rly station is Kochi Airport /Ernakulam Rly station. The distance from Kochi to Munnar is 145kms and it takes 4hrs by road to reach Munnar.
Thekkedy (Periyar) – This is the famous wild life sanctuary in Kerala. Those who have love for wild life and greenery, this is the best place to visit in Kerala. Please also not that spotting of animals is very rare except wild elephants, sambar, deer etc.
Kumarakom – Kumarakom is one of the famous backwaters of Kerala. Best place for those who want to have leisure and relaxing for a day.
Alleppey Houseboat – A unique experience to see Kerala backwaters, villages, canals, paddy fields etc. A houseboat have independent modern bed room with attached bath rooms, kitchen and a lobby for sightseeing. With all prior amenities an exclusive chef & assistance are also available in the boat.
Kovalam, Verkala, & Cherai Beaches – These best beaches are located extreme south of Kerala and the nearest airport is Trivandrum.
Poovar – Beach and Backwater – Located 41 Kms from Trivandrum, this is the best place for relaxing not much crowded and golden sand beach.
Best Time to Visit Kerala.
According to Srees Tours, who provide tour package sine last 9yrs, the best time to visit Kerala is Aug and Sep. Below are the main reasons –
- After heavy monsoon during Jun and Jul, the water falls are live, full of greenery and it makes a good trip.
- After the monsoon, climate during Aug and Sep is cool in plain areas like Kochi, Trivandrum, Kumarakom, Aleppey, Kovalam etc
- Onam is celebrated in the month of Aug / Sep. There are cultural activities in many parts of Kerala.
- Pulikali is very famous and it is being conducted at Thrissur during Onam celebrations.
- 2nd Saturday of Aug is the famous Nehru Trophy Boat Race at Aleppey.
- Hotels rates are much cheaper and will get discounts upto 40%.
Best time to visit Kerala is determined by certain factors like, climate, price of the hotels etc. Below are some of the important points, which will help the tourists to decide about their tour to Kerala.
Climate in Kerala. General climate in Kerala is always pleasant except summer. Below are the climatic factors of Kerala.
Monsoon – Jun, Jul and till half Aug. Kerala faces monsoon from Jun to half Aug. With regard to tourism, monsoon does not affect the sightseeing aspect. It does not mean that it rains 24hrs non stop, floods, land slides etc. Monsoon is the best time for those looking for ayurvedic medical treatment, due to low temperature.
Summer – Kerala faces summer from March to May. Since Kerala have wide costal area, high humid climate is one factor which tourist may face during summer and it’s not suitable. But hill stations like Munnar, Wayanad and Thekkedy is the best location one can visit during summer.
Winter – Kerala does not have known winter season except in hill stations like Munnar, Wayanad and Thekkedy. But Nov, Dec and Jan the climate in Kerala will be very pleasant. The average temp in the early morning may be 15 – 18c and during day time it touches upto 26 – 28c. Munnar, Thekkedy and Waynad some time will be minus temperature in the night.
Kerala Hotel Room Prices in Different Season
Most people think that Dec is the season time and after that it is off-season in Kerala. They think that after Dec the hotel rates will come down. Some of the guests are also asking whether they will get a discount in case book in advance.
Kerala hotels have three different price ranges depending upon the season, peak season and off season.
Season in Kerala is from 01 Oct to 19 Dec and 15 Jan to 31 Mar. Prices of the hotel rooms will remain same in this period.
Peak season is from 15 Dec to 15 Jan and hotels have an increase of prices upto 40%. In most of the hotels, 24th Dec and 31 Dec charges extra for Xmas gala dinner and New Year Gala Dinner.
Off season is from 01 April to 30 Sep in all the hotels except hotels at Munnar. Prices of the hotels during this period are relatively low and one may get a discount up to 40% cheaper.
The above is not applicable for Munnar Hotels. Since Munnar is a hill station and it attracts tourists during summer, off season in Munnar hotels start from 01 Jun to 30 Sep.
How to Plan Kerala Tour Package.
Kerala is a costal land of long stretches from north to south. Most of the must see destinations are located from North to South. Connecting one destination to another destination by road travel will be minimum take 4 to 5hrs, because Kerala does not have highways. Just for example – from Kochi airport to Kumarakom is just 83kms, but a small car will take 2hrs. Average speed of a sedan car is approximately 50 – 60kms per hour. Therefore one needs to plan a trip properly so that unnecessary travel can be avoided.
- Wayanad (Vythiri) is located north of Kerala and this destination is closer to Mysore and Ooty. Clubbing this destination with Munnar, Thekkedy, Kumarakom is difficult because after Wayanad (vythiri), travel to Kochi is approximately 7hrs by road.
- Always start the trip from Kochi and then proceed to Munnar, Thekkedy, Kumarakom, Aleppey, Kovalam, Trivandrum etc. This is the correct route. One can also do a reverse trip.
- Kanyakumari is located 92kms / 2.5hrs from Kovalam. One can go for a day trip to Kanyakumari while staying in Kovalam beach.
- Kochi Airport is located in Nedumbassary which is 42kms away from Kochi city.
- When traveling from Thekkedy to Aleppey for Houseboat, one can also board houseboat from Kumarakom and drop at Aleppey. Most of the houseboat operators does not do the same. Lake View Houseboat provides this round trip.
Considering all the above aspects in mind, one needs to think how to select or plan Kerala Tour Package. Munnar required minimum 2 nights as there are number of good sightseeing places available and distance from Kochi is approximately 4hrs. Thekkedy needs only 1 night stay, and then a stay in houseboat is highly recommended. If you have only 5 days this trip gives you a memorable short trip of Kerala. In case if you have couple of days more then adding Trivandrum, Kovalam, Kanyakumari etc are possible.
How to Book a Discounted Kerala Tour Package.
This is really important to know how to book a discounted Kerala tour package without compromising the quality of the hotels and services. Below are some of the important points by which one will surely get a reduced price.
Travel as a group of Minimum 2 or 3 couples. When travel as a group of two or three couples a considerable tour package cost will be reduced. Two main cash saving object is Houseboat and Taxi. When travel as a couple, most of the travel agents provide an indica or indigo car which is considerably costlier. But a tavera/Innova/Xylo etc is not double the cost of indica and upto 6 adults can travel in this type of car.
A one bed room houseboat is approximately 7000. But a 2 room or 3 room houseboat is approximately 10000 and 15000 respectively. So the cheapest private Kerala Tour Package will be when 3 couples joining together.
Join the Big Group. When joining a big group, the package cost reduces considerably. There is no agency or travel agents in Kerala make fixed departures. Some of the agents at Mumbai and Gujarat do group tours. The main disadvantage of group tour is that ones privacy is questioned, always needs to be ready at a particular given time and most of these group does not cover one of the Kerala main attraction of Houseboat.
In case of single couple or those do not want to go with the group. SreesTours would like to give good suggestions to how to go about on this.
Booking Hotels Directly. Most of the tourists think that if he calls directly and asking for a rate, the hotels will give a cheapest price. It is not true. Most of the hotels have two or three different rates. Cheapest rates are being offered to travel agents / online portals those who give them bulk business. So just think that if you are getting a room rate from hotel directly, it is not cheap but expensive. This case will not be applicable to budget hotels, home stays etc.
Booking Hotels with Online Travel Portals like Expedia, Booking.com, Makemytrip.com etc.Online travel portals shows hotels rates independently making the customer think that this is the cheapest rate. Most of the guests book the hotels with online portals and then look for a cab separately. Here also, a local online travel agent have cheapest price than online travel portals. See below example. All rates are as on 31 Jan 2015.
Kerala Tour Package Comparison
Destination & Hotel name
Munnar KTDC Tea county
Thekkedy Abad Green Forest
Kumarakom The world backwaters
Booking.com
Rs 5652
Not available
Rs 4503
GOIBIBO
Rs 6733
Rs 4999
Rs 5400
SreesTours
Rs 5400
Rs 3500
Rs 4300
Booking with Travel Agents. The cheapest way of booking a package is directly with any online tour agency in Kerala. Most of the guests hometowns travel agents are depend on local travel agents in Kerala making the travel package cost higher because of commission and taxes by two travel agents. Here also in most of the cases a breakdown prices of each hotel, taxi etc are not being shown clearly. Due to this reason one may think of overpricing of package cost.
Compare Kerala Tour Package Costs. The best way to get a cheapest tour package quotation is select your hotels in each destination first. Selection can be done on each place with reviews of previous guests which are available in different review portals like Trip Advisor, Yelp etc. Once the selection is over, ask a quote by a couple of travel agents. Ensure, do not allow the travel agent decide your hotels. This is the best way to get a cheapest quote on Kerala Tour packages.
How to Selection Guide
Selecting a hotel or resort is very important with regard to budget management. If selected properly, some of the unwanted expenditure can be saved. Below are some important tips for selecting a proper resort or hotel depend up on the couple and family.
Those arriving at Kochi airport by evening can opt for airport hotel. There are hotels which available on hourly basis. A free pick up and drop is also available from Kochi Airport Hotels. Kochi airport is located in Nedumbassery, which is 42 Kms away from Kochi city.
Most of the sightseeing in Kochi is centric to Fort Kochi. Those looking for relax and avoid pollution and rush of city can choose Fort Kochi instead of Kochi city. Fort Kochi is 15 Kms from Kochi city. Willington island is also a good place where a peaceful atmosphere available.
Munnar is a hill station and spread around 35 Kms. Except city hotels, most of the resorts are located outside ie minimum 4 to 30 Kms away from the city. Those who are looking for food at a cheaper price, should book their resorts/hotels near to the city.
Family of 4 (husband, wife and 2 gown up children) – they should look a family room or hotels have big rooms where 2 extra bed can be provided. Taking two rooms instead of a suit room or a family room will make much difference.
When staying in Beach or Hill station, it is always advisable to take a room which has a good view to tea plantations or sea. One can check whether the hotel is located on the beach or near to plantations.
Special Attractions of kerala
There are some unique attractions in Kerala which one can include in the trip for memorable trip. One should try below attractions to get a good and memorable tour package.
Tree House. Tree House is room built on a top of a Tree or on erected pillars. This resembles to old age time when people stay in forest and made their huts on the top of a tree to escape from the wild animals. Presently some of the resorts have adopted this and constructed their own tree houses within the resort. These are available in Munnar, Thekkedy, Vythiri etc. All the basic amenities like master bed room, attached bath room, a balcony etc are available in tree house. A stay in a tree house will remain a unique experience.
Floating Cottages. Floating cottage (which does not move in the water) is a cottage or luxury room constructed on a platform in the water. This is available in Poovar & Kumarakom etc.
Private Pool Villa. There will be independent villas available in luxury resorts which also have a private pool in the cottage itself. This will definitely give more privacy to the guests. This is very expensive like starting at around 11k depending upon the resort. This is highly recommended for the honeymoon couple.
Kathakali – Kerala Art Form. Kathakali is a famous art form of Kerala. This art form is very attractive due to its color combination of dress, big face mask, etc. This is being conducted at Fort Kochi, Munnar and Thekkedy. This is being run by some of the agencies with an entry fee of Rs 250 per person.
Kalaripayattu – Martial art of Kerala. Martial art of Kerala is always become much attractive thing for tourists. One can join the combined audience which runs by some of the agencies in Fort Kochi, Munnar, Thekkedy etc for tourists.
Best Kerala Tour Package
The best Kerala Tour Package is a 6 night 7 days trip which covers Munnar (2 Night), Thekkedy (Periyar) (1 Night) , Houseboat( 1 Night) and Kovalam Beach (2 Night). One can also cover Kanyakumari from Kovalam for a day trip.
SreesTours have designed an affordable and discounted 6 ni 7 days package.
Best Short Trip to Kerala
The best short trip to Kerala is 3 night 4 days trip which covers Munnar(2 Night) and Aleppey (1 Night) with a day in Kochi. SreesTours have designed an affordable and discounted 3 ni 4 days package. Pl give the link here
Booking a Taxi In Kerala
Those who are booking hotels directly and looking only for cab service in Kerala, We have already published an article about this. Check out complete guide of Kerala taxi booking.
Veg Hotel / Restaurants in Kerala
Kerala people are mostly Non Veg and in most of the restaurants non veg food is available. There are also pure veg restaurants available in all the tourist destinations like Munnar, Thekkedy, Kumarakom, Kovalam etc.
Most of the tourists always think that there is a problem for lunch and dinner during their tour in Kerala so they should include lunch, dinner and B/F when booking a Kerala Tour package or when booking a hotel. What we suggest to the tourists visiting Kerala –
- Veg and non veg restaurants are available in all the places. A good driver cum guide can solve this problem.
- Should not include Lunch in hotels because you always moving from one place to another place.
- When dinner is booked in hotels, they also charge for Non veg. In case the guest is a pure veg, then including dinner in hotels is not recommended or it’s a loss for the guest.
- Generally 3 star hotels charge Rs 400 per person for dinner. If the guest order according to the menu available in the same hotel 2 adults dinner charges will be max Rs 500 – 600 saving approximately Rs 200 at a time.