Kerala tour from Mumbai to Ernakulam and Trivandrum, Kerala travel guide

श्री गणेशाय नमः

The Journey from Mumbai to Kerala.

Exploring The Beauty Of Kerala God's Own Country, A Beautiful Journey from Mumbai to Kerala via Konkan Railways

Travel on premium trains and railroad in India

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Alleppey, Kerala 

Kerala Tour Vlog Link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_i9isET8d48

Hello friends, this is the first day of my travel blog and I am inaugurating my blog by sharing an experience of my journey along with the travel plan of one of my favourite and memorable journeys, Mumbai to Kerala and Kanyakumari. The entire tour was planned by me, without taking help of any tours and travel agencies. At that time, I had read multiple travel blogs and travel sites to plan my tour and to get contact details of transport and accommodation. Travel blogs are the great source of cool ideas and guidance if you are planning  a trip, which really helped me a lot in planning my trip to Kerala in a better way. During my second visit to Kerala and Kanyakumari, I decided to start writing a picnic - travel blog for sharing my traveling experience with the world so this may help others in planning their tour programme and enjoy the journey better. I hope you enjoy all travel stories and photographs on this blog "JagrutAndJourneys"  and don't forget to watch videos related to my Train journeys on my youtube channel JagrutAndJourneys. Subscribe, like, share and comment.

Poovar Backwaters, As viewed from Backwater cruise 

About my tour plan and experience of my tour to kerala: Kerala is well known as God's own country. Here on this blog, I am going to share my tour plan and travel experience in Kerala to know more about the beautiful tourist attractions of Kerala. It was a well-planned trip organized by me, Accord. to requirement, booking was done online i.e. Transport, Accommodation etc. Driver was friendly, he explained details of tourist spot also he guided us to drive on the best route to cover all famous tourist spots in Kerala. My journey was a really beautiful experience, I enjoyed hill places, forests and seas especially backwaters, boat ride etc. We wanted to see many different aspects of Kerala in possible time, and we covered almost all the famous tourist spots that we had identified during tour planning also, in the next plan, we covered Kanyakumari as well. Following are details of my tour plan which helped me to cover almost all tourist attractions in Kerala.

Poovar Backwaters boat ride, Trivandrum

Ernakulam, the eastern mainland portion of the city of Kochi (also known as Cochin, a city located on south-west coast of India), district-Ernakulam, in the state of Kerala, India. It is a favorite destination among tourists visiting Kerala. There are many tourist attractions in Ernakulam and we are going to visit all these locations during our tour to Kerala. Best time to visit Ernakulam - October to March.

How to reach Ernakulam/Kochi from Mumbai:

To visit the various tourist places of Ernakulam-Kochi, you need to know how to reach Ernakulam-Kochi. Here is how to reach Ernakulam by Train, boat and plane.

By Train (Railways)

Ernakulam is well connected by railroad from all major cities across India. Most of Kerala bound superfast mail/express/passenger trains have a major stop here. There are two major railway stations in Ernakulam City which are one of the busiest railway stations in Kerala.

Ernakulam Town (North Station) - Situated in the northern part of the city and is a station for trains going towards mainly to the Kottayam side in the south.

Ernakulam Junction (South Station) - is a junction and many Mail/express & passenger trains depart from here as well and is the stopping point for trains going towards Alappuzha (the south side).

By Air:

Kochi has its own airport i.e. Cochin International Airport, Approximate 30Kms from Ernakulam Junction.

By Road:

The road distance from Mumbai to Ernakulam is approximately 1500kms, and it will take more than 20hr to reach Ernakulam. I would suggest going by either train or flight

By Ferry:

Kochi is nestled on the coast of the Arabian Sea in Kerala & Cochin Port is a major port in the city of Kochi. You can reach Kochi by sea in yachts or travel on a cruise ship from Mumbai. There are regular boat-ferry services available between Fort Kochi and Ernakulam, also from Ernakulam to Mattancherry, Vypeen and Willingdon Island which are cheaper and I think they are faster than buses. There are also regular boat services operated by other private operators and are very popular.

Alleppey Backwaters, Houseboat, parallel action

Coming to my tour, a beautiful Journey from Mumbai to Kerala......

Day 1: First day of my Kerala tour....We had begun our packing a few days before since it was a long tour. We had our dinner at home and booked a cab to reach Mumbai LTT railway station. Around 20:50 we boarded the Duronto express for Ernakulam ERS from Mumbai Lokmanya Tilak Terminus and the journey began. I had already well planned my tour to Kerala so made arrangements of tourist car through the local travel company in Ernakulam and accommodation as well. Booking was done online (Railway, hotels etc). We travelled on the Duronto express that departs from LTT at 20:50 and reaches Ernakulam Junction next day at around 17:50. This train passes through 4 states in India namely Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka and Kerala. It takes around 21 hours to finish the entire journey from Mumbai LTT to Ernakulam via Konkan and South rail route. (Note: you can get details about train timetable/schedule on the official website of railway/railway enquiry system-helpline). 

@Ernakulam, Kerala

Day 2: Enjoy famous Konkan Railway route. Arrival at Ernakulam by train (Duronto Express) in the evening at 17.50. Dinner and Overnight stay at the hotel in Ernakulam.

After taking an overnight journey, when I woke up, it was around 6 am and the train was just entering the Madgaon Junction railway station. As usual, my train was running on right time. During the daytime, I got the chance to click some beautiful snaps. The journey from Mumbai LTT was in the night, so, I could not view the beauty of Konkan route till Kudal but while returning back, I ensured to travel during the day-time so as we did not miss enjoying the full journey through Konkan. I looked out during the whole day and enjoyed the scenery all along.

About the experience of my journey through the beautiful Konkan railway: A journey through the scenic Konkan Railway is every Indian railfan’s ultimate dream. This is the first time I travelled through Konkan Railway from Mumbai Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (LTT) to Ernakulam Junction in Kerala on the Duronto Express. We were served morning and evening breakfast and lunch in train at regular interval. It was one of my most scenic rail journeys ever. After completing part of the overnight journey from Ltt, During daytime, I got chance to click a few snaps of some part of the Konkan and South Rail route while onboard Duronto Express. During our journey from Mumbai to Kerala through Konkan Railway, We were not able to fully enjoy the Konkan route because our train passed through the Konkan region during the nighttime however we could get a good view of scenery on the southern coastal route next day morning; But during our return journey to Mumbai on the same train, we fully enjoyed beautiful sceneries along the route in Konkan i.e. we viewed all these beautiful places those we missed out during our overnight journey from Mumbai. I would suggest you travel in Daytime running trains so as you won't miss the beautiful sceneries along the route. The journey through the Konkan Railway was really exciting. The incomparable natural beauty of the coast and greenery can be experienced on this route. Our train passed through beautiful regions of Konkan and south-west coast; I enjoyed train travels along the scenic mountains of the Western Ghats, river, beautiful coasts, picturesque villages, forests, bridges and long tunnels which are the highlight of the journey. We refreshed and enriched by experiencing the scenic beauty of the Konkan Railway. (Note: Please go through the official website of railways for more details about trains)

Around 6 pm, we reached Ernakulam Junction in Kerala as per scheduled arrival. After reaching there, we proceeded to check into our hotel in Ernakulam by taking an Auto rickshaw. Since I had booked the hotel near the railway station (within walkable distance), the journey from station to the hotel was over within minutes. The 1st impression of Ernakulam is, It is one of the cleanest cities I have visited.

Ernakulam Boat Jetty

Day 3: Enjoy hill station in Kerala-Drive to Munnar in the morning by Car. It takes around 4-4.5 hrs to reach there from Ernakulam. Munnar is approx 130Km from Kochi.

Next day we woke up early and started our journey in the morning around 7.30AM for Munnar. Our driver was waiting to take us to the first tourist destination of our trip in Kerala. I observed that roads leading to Munnar are full of spice gardens surrounded. We were enjoying and refreshing to see so much greenery everywhere. We quickly finished our breakfast in the restaurant on the way to Munnar. (We made a halt for about 30 minutes for breakfast). After a delicious breakfast and tea/coffee, we moved to our destination. 1st We visited the spice garden on the way, tour to spice garden is for almost 1 hour. It was an opportunity to see plantations and was a really great experience. It was around 2 PM, and we went for lunch in a restaurant near Munnar. After lunch, we started visiting sightseeing spots including hill station points, Mattupetty dam, we spent a few hours in visiting tea gardens, rose garden and took some beautiful photographs there. The Mattupetty dam was scenic, beautiful and calm that is what I experienced. Boating at Mattupetty is one of the main attractions. This is how we enjoyed natural surroundings much better than other spots I visited in the earlier tours. After visiting sightseeing spots, we headed towards our resort for a night stay in Munnar.

Mattupetty Dam (Munnar)

Day 4: Munnar to Thekkady ( 3-4 hrs). 

Periyar National Park is a major tourist attraction there. You can enjoy Boating, bamboo rafting, Local sightseeing and other activities. OverNight stay at the hotel in Thekkady.

On the 4th day of our Kerala tour, We got ready early in the morning for proceeding towards the next destination of our trip, Thekkady. Around 7 am, we started a by-road journey from Munnar to Thekkady. Quickly we finished our breakfast in the restaurant on the way to and headed for visiting tourist places in Thekkady. We almost covered all tourist spots there as per our tour plan and after that, we came back to resort for overnight stay.

@ seafood restaurants, Fort Kochi

Day 5: Thekkady to Alleppey. Alleppy is famous for backwaters, houseboats, canal, and beaches. There you can enjoy Houseboat and shikara boat ride in Backwaters as well as you can also try traditional Kerala cuisine. (Stay in Houseboat or in case of only normal boat ride, an overnight stay will be at the hotel in Alleppey). Coming to the fifth day of our Kerala tour, that day we were so excited as we were going to enjoy Alleppey backwaters on the houseboat. Alleppey is around 140Kms from Thekkady and drive to Alleppey took 4 hrs by cab. We were already served breakfast at around 8 AM in our hotel at Thekkady, hence we decided not to take any halt in between the journey so as to save time and we can visit the beach of Alleppey as additional surprise spot other than our tour plan. Around 8.30 am, We started our journey towards Alleppey to enjoy the beauty of Kerala, backwaters and houseboat and as decided we did not take a halt for food and reached early at Alleppey. There we first had our lunch at a beachside restaurant, and then we proceeded towards the Alleppey boat station.

Alleppey Backwaters, Houseboat

We booked Shikara, enjoyed a boat ride in the backwaters of Alleppey. It was a pleasant ride for me. After spending more than hours in backwaters ride, we came back to the hotel and took some rest. After resting for a while, we planned to visit the beautiful Alleppey beach in the evening. Our driver took us to the Alleppey beach as per our tour plan. It was one of the cleanest beaches I visited on my trips. We just roamed around the beach, enjoyed watching Sea and waves, Sunset; we spent almost an hour on the beach and had dinner at the beachside restaurant. Everyone was tired because of travelling and lot of activities, so we headed towards our resort in Alleppey for overnight stay. We needed to prepare for the next day of our journey from Alleppey to Thiruvananthapuram which is about 150 Kms (approximate) from Alleppey.

 Poovar Island, Boat station

Day 6: Plan summary: In the morning, drive from Alleppey to Thiruvananthapuram. Enjoy the scenic beauty of Poovar Backwater, boat ride, beautiful island & visit Kovalam beach in the evening. Night stay at the hotel in Thiruvananthapuram.

On the 6th day of our Kerala tour, Quickly we freshened up in the morning to proceed towards the next destination of the tour, Thiruvananthapuram, by road, which was a bit long journey of approx. 3-4 hrs (150km). After reaching there, we had our lunch at the restaurant near Thiruvananthapuram market. After lunch, We asked our driver to deboard us to boat station of the Poovar Backwaters to enjoy a boat ride and fun on the island. Poovar is a small coastal village located approximate 33 Kms from Thiruvananthapuram and 20 Kms from Kovalam. The main tourist attraction of Poovar is the backwater river and boat ride through backwater to beach island. Poovar beach starts where the backwater ends. I have shared photographs of the same. We spent good 2 hrs on the beautiful boat ride and fun on the island beach. One more time I enjoyed the boat ride through backwaters and It was really amazing due to the beautiful view of the Island, beach, clean water, greenery etc. One can actually see the meeting of sea and river at the Poovar beach where you can reach only by boat. 

Accommodation: After sightseeing and dinner, We checked into our hotel for an overnight stay in Thiruvananthapuram.

As viewed from Backwater cruise, Poovar Backwater boat ride, Trivandrum

Day 7:  Plan summary: Visit Thiruvananthapuram zoo in the morning as per zoo timing, then Visit temple in Thiruvananthapuram, local sightseeing, shopping, Beaches etc. night stay in Thiruvananthapuram. (Note: From Thiruvananthapuram, you can try to visit Kanyakumari. In this case, night stay will be at the hotel in Kanyakumari. From evening till next day afternoon, you can enjoy local sightseeing in Kanyakumari. Next day in the afternoon you can come back to Ernakulam by train or by Car. Details I have mentioned in Plan 2 below..which I had followed during my second visit to Kerala)

Day 8: Return to Ernakulam in a car. Travelling to Ernakulam from Thiruvananthapuram is a bit long journey either by train or by car. In the morning around 7, We started our journey towards Ernakulam from Thiruvananthapuram. The drive from Trivandrum to Ernakulam took us around 5 hours and it was the longest distance we covered in our Kerala road-trip. We reached Kochi and checked in at one of the best and affordable hotels near the railway station. After taking some rest, we commenced our sightseeing tour in Kochi. We enjoyed a boat ride from the jetty in Ernakulam and spent evening on a private boat and Marine drive. After that, we went to a mall for shopping, etc. Overnight stay at the hotel in Ernakulam: After shopping and local sightseeing in Kochi, we came back to our hotel, had dinner and retired for the night.

Based on the previous experience of our trips, In the last few days, we were certain that we had to quickly note major tourist attractions in Ernakulam in order to have more fun in limited time. We also were planning for visiting Athirappilly falls the next day. 

Poovar Backwater, Trivandrum

Day 9: Local sightseeing in Ernakulam kochi. (Details of local sightseeing in plan2).

On the 9th day of our Kerala tour, quickly we freshened up to head out again for sightseeing in Kochi (you can also try to visit Athirappilly waterfall; Book a car to travel from Ernakulam to Athirapally and start the journey in the morning). That day we had planned to roam about in the city and shopping. We exactly did that what we had planned the day before for sightseeing in Ernakulam. We took an auto and went to the Ernakulam jetty-boat station for ferry service. There we bought our tickets and enjoyed our ride on the ferry from Ernakulam jetty to Fort Kochi and other places. There are frequent ferry services available for Fort Kochi from the Ernakulam Jetty. We spent the most time of the day in the Fort Kochi beach area and shopping over there. We were lucky to see the Chinese fishing net operation on the beach and capturing fishes. From here, You can also view the arrival and departure of big ships/large vessels from Cochin port. 

The Chinese fishing nets, Fort Cochin – This is one of my favourite places in Cochin. There is a fish market where you can choose and buy fresh fish from the market itself and have it cooked by one of the restaurants nearby. There are many food restaurants available near the market, which offer quality food and are hygienic. 

We enjoyed gov. Boat ride from Ernakulam jetty to other places. boat ticket-fare was quite competitive. 

As per our tour plan, After local sightseeing and shopping in Ernakulam, we came back to our hotel, took some rest & checked out of the hotel at 8 pm and headed towards the Ernakulam railway station which was at walking distance from our hotel. We quickly finished our dinner at the restaurant near a railway station and headed back to the railway station. At 9:30 pm, We boarded the Duronto express for Mumbai from Ernakulam Junction and started our return journey towards Mumbai. 

Chinese Fishing nets operation at Fort Kochi beach, Kerala

Day 10: Enjoy most popular the Konkan Railway route in the daytime. The journey from Mumbai LTT was in the night so I could not see the Konkan rail-route till Kudal but while returning back, I ensured to travel during the day-time so that we did not miss enjoying the scenic rail journey on the Konkan route. After completing part of an overnight journey from Ernakulam, when I woke up, it was around 8:40 am and the train was just entering the Madgaon Junction railway station. It was time to enjoy the beautiful scenery along the Konkan coast in the daytime. Our train entered the Konkan zone and passed through beautiful regions which are filled with full of hills, mountains, forests, number of bridges and tunnels. We observed alternative tunnels and bridges at many places. I fully enjoyed train travels along the scenic mountains of Western Ghats, beautiful coasts, picturesque villages, bridges and long tunnels, and got enriched by viewing beautiful sceneries along the rail-route. We were served morning and evening breakfast and lunch in the train at regular interval. Around 6:15 pm, we reached Lokmanya Tilak Terminal in Mumbai. From there, I booked a cab and reached home safely by 7 pm. 

     A small part of the island, As viewed from Backwater cruise 

Details of expenses during the journey to Kerala:

• Train reservation ticket from Mumbai to Ernakulam (Duronto express AC 2 tier ): Rs. 4000/- pp (including return journey fare from Ernakulam to Mumbai)
• Note: Please check the official site of Indian Railways to get updated details about ticket fare, train arrival and departure schedule, seat availability etc.
• Auto in Erankulam: Rs. 300/-
• Cab booking: 15K
• Ferry ticket in Ernakulam:
• Food and Refreshment during the journey:
• Shopping:
• Accommodation:

Please click on below link to read my travel blog on My trip to Kanyakumari.

https://jagrutandjourneys.blogspot.com/2018/02/a-memorable-trip-from-mumbai-to.html?m=1

Summary on my tour to Kanyakumari:

Day 1: We Boarded LTT Mumbai to Ernakulam Duronto superfast express. 

Day 2: Reached Ernakulam Junction in the evening. Dinner and Overnight stay at the hotel in Ernakulam.

Day 3: Boarded Kanyakumari Island express at 7:30 in the morning from Ernakulam town railway station and Proceeded towards Kanyakumari. Reached Kanyakumari in the noon at 15:20.

Sightseeing in Kanyakumari by local transport, taxi or auto.

1. Sunset point

2. Temple

3. Kanyakumari beach

4. Kanyakumari wax Museum.

Lunch, Dinner and Overnight stay at the hotel in Kanyakumari.

Day 4: Ferry ride to visit Vivekananda Rock Memorial and temple.

Local sightseeing in Kanyakumari. 

1.Thiruvalluvar Statue

2.Vivekananda Rock Memorial - one of the best tourist attraction in Kanyakumari.

3.Sunrise point (early morning) - The sunrise can be seen in Kanyakumari throughout the year at bay of Bengal.

4.Devi Kanyakumari Temple.

Vivekanand Rock Memorial and Thiruvalluvar Statue, view from Kanyakumari Shore

After lunch, Proceeded towards Ernakulam by Kanyakumari - Jammutavi Himsagar express. Boarded Himsagar express to Ernakulam from Kanyakumari railway station at 14.15. We Reached Ernakulam by 20:35. Dinner and overnight stay at the hotel in Ernakulam.

Day 5 and 6: In early morning, proceed to Alleppey / Munnar Or only local sightseeing in cochin by local transport bus or auto (we opted sightseeing in Kochi including Athirappilly).

Enjoyed ride of gov. State water transport (affordable) boat and private boat/ferry from Ernakulam boat Jetty 

Tourist attractions in ernakulam:

• Chinese Fishing nets, Fort Kochi - by boat
• Mattancherry Palace - by boat, 20 mins
• Fort Kochi Beach - Ernakulam to Fort Kochi by boat journey will take about 20 mins.
• Island - by Ernakulam to Vypeen boat service. 15 mins travel.
• Athirapally waterfall - is situated in Athirappilly, Thrissur district of Kerala. In monsoon season, this waterfall apear like The Niagara falls. Distance of Athirappilly water falls from Cochin (Ernakulam) is approx. 60Km might be one and half hr journey from Ernakulam.
• Cochin shipyard
• Shopping in city etc.
• Note: Day 5, try to Cover any possible famous tourist spot like Alleppey or Munnar then go for local sightseeing as mentioned above.
• OverNight stay at the hotel in Ernakulam

Athirappilly water falls

Day 6: After local sightseeing and shopping in Ernakulam, We had our dinner at restaurant and boarded ERS LTT Duronto express for Mumbai.

Day 7: Enjoyed Konkan rail route. Reached Mumbai (Lokmanya Tilak Terminus) by 6pm.

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***Photographs***

Kanyakumari

Kanyakumari-The name comes from the Devi Kanya Kumari Temple

Kanyakumari is a coastal town in the state of Tamil Nadu

@ Kanyakumari - Vivekananda Rock Memorial & Thiruvalluvar Statue

best place to see the sunrise in kanyakumari

Vivekanand Rock Memorial

Kanyakumari, meeting place of the Bay of Bengal, Arabian sea and Indian Ocean is populer and best known tourist spot in south India.

@ Kanyakumari - Vivekananda Rock Memorial & Thiruvalluvar Statue

Kerala

Poovar Backwaters 

Alleppey Backwaters and Houseboat

Athirapally Falls (Athirappilly)

Athirappilly Falls, is situated in Athirappilly Panchayat, Thrissur District of Kerala, India.

Athirappilly is popular among tourists. Athirappilly Falls is one of the best places to visit in Kerala

Our visit at Athirappilly WaterFalls

Athirappilly Falls

Ernakulam - Fort Cochin Ferry (Kochi (Cochin))

Flower Garden, Munnar

Shikara Boat Ride In Alleppey Backwaters

Alappuzha Beach

  

 Fish Market, fort kochi

Konkan Rail Duronto.

View of Sunrise: Onboard Ltt Kurla Ernakulam Duronto Express, konkan railway route.

Duronto Express

Ernakulam Junction, Onboard Duronto express

From Kanyakumari to Ernakulam by Train Himsagar express

Ernakulam Boat Jetty-Ferry time table 

***MUMBAI TO KERALA TOUR PLAN-2***

Day 1: At 20:50, Board the Duronto express for Ernakulam from Mumbai LTT.

Day 2: Reach Ernakulam Junction at 17:50. Dinner and Overnight stay at hotel in Ernakulam.

Day 3: Drive from Ernakulam to Munnar (Ernakulam to Munnar Approximate distance is 130Kms and it takes approximately 3-4hours by road) 

Sightseeing in Munnar.

Overnight stay at hotel in Munnar.

Day 4: Drive from Munnar to Thiruvananthapuram via Thekkady. (Approx. Distance of Trivandrum from Thekkady is 205Kms-5 hrs 30 mins journey) 

due to some issue, we skipped Thekkady and proceeded to Thiruvananthapuram. Overnight stay at hotel in  Thiruvananthapuram. 

(If you are not planning to visit Thekkady, then You can directly go to Thiruvananthapuram from Munnar. Please be noted that this will be a long journey. Approximate distance of Thiruvananthapuram from the Munnar is 285Kms and it takes approximately 6-7hrs by road)

Day 5: Enjoy Poovar backwaters boat ride, spend time on island, visit kovalam beach, shopping etc. Overnight stay at hotel in Thiruvananthapuram.

Day 6: Visit temple and zoo at Thiruvananthapuram. After lunch, started journey towards Alleppey. 

(Approx. Distance of Alleppey from Thiruvananthapuram is 150Kms-3 and half hrs journey)

Enjoyed Alleppey backwaters boat ride and visited Alappuzha beach in the evening.

Overnight stay at hotel in Alleppey.

Day 7: In the morning, Drive from Alleppey to Athirappilly waterfall via Kochi (Approx. Distance of Athirappilly from Alleppey is 118Kms-2 and half hr journey)

After visiting Waterfall, headed back to Ernakulam. (Athirappilly to Ernakulam approximate distance is 65 Kms and it takes approximately 2 hours by road)

Private boat ride at Ernakulam in the evening.

Overnight stay at hotel in Ernakulam.

Day 8: Sightseeing and Ferry ride in Ernakulam. 

Overnight stay at hotel in Ernakulam.

Day 9: Sightseeing and Shopping in Ernakulam. At 21:30, board the Duronto express train for Mumbai.

Day 10: Reach Mumbai LTT by 6:15pm.

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Hopefully my blog is helping traveler in planning their trip

Happy Journey