Kochi

Kerala moves at the speed of water, and our classic loop lets you slow down to match it. The trip begins in Kochi, Kerala's old port city, where Fort Kochi's Chinese fishing nets rise and dip at the water's edge, St Francis Church holds the original grave of Vasco da Gama, and Mattancherry's Jew Town leads to the Paradesi Synagogue and the Dutch Palace with its Ramayana murals. An evening Kathakali performance, with the elaborate make-up applied in front of you, is the perfect introduction to the state.

From Kochi the road climbs into the Western Ghats to Munnar, at about 1,600 metres, where tea estates cover every ridge in neat green rows. Two nights here allow a visit to Eravikulam National Park to see the endangered Nilgiri tahr, the tea museum, Mattupetty Dam and Echo Point, and the views from Top Station. The next stop is Thekkady, on the edge of Periyar Tiger Reserve, for a boat safari on Periyar Lake, a guided walk through cardamom and pepper gardens, and a Kalaripayattu martial-arts show.

The trip ends the way most visitors hope it will: on a private kettuvallam houseboat in Alleppey, gliding through palm-lined canals and paddy fields below sea level, with lunch, dinner and breakfast cooked on board from the day's catch. September to March is the best time, with cool hill weather and calm backwaters, while the June to August monsoon is the traditional season for Ayurveda treatments and the hills are at their greenest. Six days covers the essentials comfortably, with Kovalam or Varkala as easy beach add-ons.