Festival · 6 Nights · Kerala · Aug–Sep 2026
Flower carpets and the 26-course Onam Sadhya, Kathakali and Pulikali, and the thunder of the Nehru Trophy snake boat race - Kerala at its most glorious.
Private & Fully Customizable
Every journey we plan is completely private and shaped around you. We craft this route in three lengths - all fully customizable to your dates, pace and budget:
Why this journey
Onam is Kerala at its most joyful - a ten-day harvest festival welcoming the legendary king Mahabali, marked by intricate pookalam flower carpets, the magnificent 26-course Onam Sadhya served on a banana leaf, and a whirl of Kathakali, Pulikali (tiger dance) and folk performance.
Its great spectacle is Vallam Kali - the snake boat races, where 100-foot longboats crewed by a hundred oarsmen surge down the backwaters to the beat of drums and song, watched by roaring crowds. The Nehru Trophy race at Alleppey is the most famous of all.
We weave the festival through a journey of Kochi, the backwaters and the hills - Kerala's beauty and its greatest celebration together.
Onam is Kerala's ten-day harvest festival, welcoming the mythical King Mahabali home to his people. The celebration runs from 16 August 2026 to the main day of Thiruvonam on 26 August, with intricate pookalam flower carpets at every threshold, the great vegetarian Onam Sadhya served on a banana leaf, and Kathakali and the painted Pulikali tiger-dance in the streets. On the backwaters, the spectacular Vallam Kali snake-boat races - around 20 August 2026 - send hundred-oared chundan vallams thundering down the water.
Major Attractions
The Itinerary
A representative 7-night flow timed to Onam and the boat-race dates. The festival schedule shapes the plan, which we tailor each year.
Arrival · Kochi
Met at Kochi as the whole state dresses for Onam - intricate pookalam flower carpets at every doorway, the colourful Athachamayam street procession that opens the ten-day festival, and an evening performance of the painted, gesture-rich Kathakali dance-drama.
Highlight An intricate pookalam of fresh petals laid out across a Fort Kochi threshold.
Kochi
The Chinese fishing nets and spice lanes of Fort Kochi and Mattancherry, the Onam markets heavy with produce and flowers, the leaping Pulikali tiger-dancers if the dates align, and a true Onam Sadhya - a feast of two dozen vegetarian dishes served on a banana leaf.
Highlight A 26-dish Onam Sadhya unfolding course by course on a banana leaf.
Kochi → Alleppey
To Alleppey on the backwaters for Vallam Kali, the great snake-boat race - hundred-foot chundan vallams, each pulled by a hundred singing oarsmen in perfect rhythm, surging down the water to the thunder of drums and the roar of the banks.
Highlight A snake boat of a hundred oars exploding off the start line to the beat of the drum.
Alleppey
A private kettuvallam houseboat on the Onam-festive backwaters - village celebrations and tug-of-war along the palm-lined banks, the slow green canals, meals cooked fresh aboard, and a final Sadhya on the water as the day fades.
Highlight Festival drums drifting across the glassy backwater at dusk.
Alleppey → Munnar
Up into the cool tea hills of Munnar, the air clearing as you climb - the endless green terraces, the edge of Eravikulam park, and the high viewpoints, a serene contrast to the festival days on the coast below.
Highlight Tea terraces folding into mist after the colour and noise of Onam.
Munnar
A full day in the tea country - a walk through a working estate to watch the plucking, the quirky Tea Museum, and the long views from Top Station and Mattupetty, the gentle close to a festive journey.
Highlight Dawn over the rolling tea hills, pluckers already in the rows.
Munnar → Kochi · Departure
A final highland breakfast before the descent to Kochi for your onward flight.
Where You Stay
Representative stays - heritage Kochi, an Alleppey houseboat and a Munnar tea estate. Confirmed with your quote.
A harbour-front heritage hotel in the colonial quarter.
A private kettuvallam houseboat for the snake-boat days.
A planter's bungalow among the terraces to end the journey.
The Detail
Pricing
Indicative lead-in price for the festival season. Premium stays and race seating are quoted on request - book early.
Common Questions
Good to Know
The ten days run 16-26 August 2026, with Thiruvonam, the main day, on 26 August. The great snake-boat races fall around 20 August.
Fly into Kochi; the backwaters, Kumarakom and Alappuzha all lie within a few hours by road. We move you by private car and overnight houseboat.
An Indian e-Visa is sufficient - we send a step-by-step guide.
Food-lovers, culture travellers and families. It is Kerala at its most festive and impossibly green, just as the monsoon eases.
Light cottons and a rain layer (the monsoon tail lingers into August), sandals, and a healthy appetite for the 26-dish Sadhya.
The Kerala backwaters, the Munnar tea hills, or an Ayurveda retreat on the coast.
Continue Exploring
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Plan Deeper
Go deeper on the destinations along this route - what to see, where to stay and when to go: See also Wangala Festival Tour.
Tell us your dates around Onam and the boat race - we'll build the festival in. A thoughtful proposal follows within 24 hours during office hours.
Planned and hosted by our own team in Kolkata — the same people who filmed this route. Meet us.
Read our booking and cancellation terms before you enquire.
Prefer to talk first? WhatsApp us or call +91 74497 70077.