With kids · Kerala · India
Kerala with kids
Family-tested sights, a calm base and the practical details that make travelling with children easier.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Ranjith Siji, CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answer
Kerala is a gentle introduction to India for families: houseboats feel like an adventure, wildlife boats at Periyar and the Nilgiri tahr in Munnar delight children, and Kathakali make-up sessions are fascinating to watch. Plan shorter driving days, as hill roads are slow and winding. Top picks: Backwater houseboat cruise, Kathakali performance and Eravikulam National Park. Families usually base themselves in Fort Kochi.
Key facts
- Family picks
- 6
- Best area for families
- Fort Kochi
- Rainy-day options
- 2
- Busiest months
- December–January
Best things to do with kids
Experience · Alappuzha
1.Backwater houseboat cruise
Converted kettuvallam rice barges with bedrooms, a deck and a cook sail from Alappuzha across Vembanad Lake and along the canals of Kuttanad, where paddy fields lie below water level. Overnight trips typically board around noon, anchor at sunset and return the next morning, with Kerala meals cooked on board.
Ask for a route that leaves the main lake for narrower canals, and check the boat's licence and safety equipment before you pay.
- Time needed
- 1 night
- Cost
- Expensive
- Book ahead
- Book a reputable operator a few weeks ahead for December, January, Christmas and Onam; avoid deals offered by touts at the jetty.
- Iconic
- Couples
- Kids
- Food
- Views
Experience · Fort Kochi
2.Kathakali performance
Kathakali is Kerala's classical dance-drama, telling stories from the Hindu epics through elaborate green and red make-up, huge costumes, eye movements and hand gestures, accompanied by drums and singing. Theatres in Fort Kochi and Thekkady stage shortened versions for visitors each evening, with the make-up session open to watch beforehand.
Arrive an hour early to watch the performers apply their make-up, which is as fascinating as the show.
- Time needed
- 2 hours including make-up
- Cost
- Low cost
- Iconic
- After dark
- Art
- Kids
- Rainy day
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Park · Munnar
3.Eravikulam National Park
About 15 km from Munnar, the park protects high grasslands and the Nilgiri tahr, an endangered mountain goat that grazes close to the road at Rajamala. Park buses take visitors up to the tourism zone below Anamudi, the highest peak in southern India. The slopes turn blue when the neelakurinji shrub flowers, roughly once every 12 years.
Go early to beat the queue for park buses; the park usually closes for several weeks during the tahr calving season around February and March.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Nature
- Kids
- Views
- Outdoors
Park · Thekkady
4.Periyar Tiger Reserve
A forest reserve of about 925 sq km around an artificial lake created in 1895. Boat rides on Periyar Lake often see elephants, gaur and sambar at the water's edge, while guided nature walks, bamboo rafting and border-hiking trips run by the forest department give a closer look. Tigers are present but rarely seen.
Take the first boat of the day for the best chance of animals at the shore, and book guided walks with the forest department rather than private operators.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Book ahead
- Boat and activity places are limited each day; book through the official Periyar eco-tourism channels in advance in peak season.
- Nature
- Kids
- Outdoors
- Active
Experience · Thekkady
5.Spice plantation tour
Plantations around Kumily grow cardamom, pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove and vanilla, and guided walks show how each is grown and processed. Most tours end with a tasting and a shop selling spices by weight.
Buy whole spices on the tour or at Kumily market rather than pre-packed blends; they keep better.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Food
- Kids
- Nature
- Shopping
Museum · Thiruvananthapuram
6.Napier Museum
A 19th-century museum in Kerala's Indo-Saracenic style, with a striped brick façade, holding bronzes, temple carvings, jewellery and a temple chariot. It stands in landscaped grounds with the Sree Chitra Art Gallery and the city zoo.
Combine it with the Sree Chitra Art Gallery next door for paintings by Raja Ravi Varma.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Rainy day
- Art
- Architecture
- Kids
Rainy-day ideas
- Kathakali performance — Arrive an hour early to watch the performers apply their make-up, which is as fascinating as the show.
- Napier Museum — Combine it with the Sree Chitra Art Gallery next door for paintings by Raja Ravi Varma.
Where families should stay
$$ · Best for first-timers, culture, food lovers and families
Fort Kochi
Fort Kochi sits on a peninsula at the mouth of Kochi's harbour, with the Chinese fishing nets on the shore, St Francis Church, Dutch and Portuguese houses on Princess Street and Burgher Street, and heritage hotels in old warehouses. Mattancherry and Jew Town are a short autorickshaw ride south. It is the most atmospheric base in Kerala and the venue of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale.
- Good
- Walkable heritage streets; Excellent homestays and cafés; Kathakali shows in the evening
- Watch out
- Forty-five minutes or more from the airport; Limited beach for swimming
- Nearby
- Chinese fishing nets, St Francis Church, Mattancherry Palace, Paradesi Synagogue
Family travel tips
- Choose a houseboat with railings on the deck and life jackets for children.
- Break the drive to Munnar with stops at waterfalls; travel-sickness medication helps on the hairpin bends.
- Swim only on lifeguarded beaches such as Kovalam's Lighthouse Beach, and never in the monsoon.
- Mild dishes like appam with vegetable stew, idli and dosa usually suit children.
- Pack mosquito repellent and long sleeves for evenings on the backwaters.
Day trips for families
- Athirappilly Falls (About 2 hours by car from Kochi) — Kerala's largest waterfall drops about 25 metres over a wide rock face on the Chalakudy River, surrounded by forest.
- Alappuzha backwater day cruise (About 1.5 hours by car or train from Kochi) — If you cannot spend a night on a houseboat, a day cruise or a smaller shikara boat ride through the canals near Alappuzha gives a good taste of backwater life, with lunch on board.
- Cherai Beach (About 1 hour by car from Fort Kochi) — A long beach on Vypin Island north of Kochi, backed by backwaters on its other side, so you can see sea and lagoon within a few hundred metres.
When to go with children
The best months overall are November–February. December–January are the busiest, so book the big sights early. Weather by month.
Questions travellers ask
+Is Kerala good for kids?
Kerala is a gentle introduction to India for families: houseboats feel like an adventure, wildlife boats at Periyar and the Nilgiri tahr in Munnar delight children, and Kathakali make-up sessions are fascinating to watch. Plan shorter driving days, as hill roads are slow and winding.
+What can kids do in Kerala?
Backwater houseboat cruise, Kathakali performance, Eravikulam National Park, Periyar Tiger Reserve and Spice plantation tour.
+Where should families stay in Kerala?
Fort Kochi: Colonial-era streets of homestays, cafés and galleries on Kochi's sea front.