KERALA – GOD’S OWN COUNTRY
DAY 1: ARRIVE COCHIN
Arrive Cochin we will pick you up from Airport and transfer you to hotel.
Cochin: Known as the ‘Queen of the Arabian Sea’, Kochi, formerly called Cochin, is a city founded on trade and its streets still harbour a rich mix of cultural influences and styles. A morning sightseeing tour today takes in Fort Cochin, the oldest European settlement in India, as well as the Church of St. Francis, where Vasco de Gama was buried for a short while. In the Portuguese built Mattancherry Palace (closed on Friday) you will find some of the finest murals in India, and returning to the hotel via the cantilevered Chinese Fishing Nets.
Chinese Fishing Nets – The huge Chinese fishing nets that cantilever over the shallows are the indelible image of Cochin.
Afternoon enjoy Kathakali dance – the stylised and theatrical art form retelling stories from Hindu legend.
Kathakali, as a dance form popular today, is considered to be of comparatively recent origin. However, it is an art which has evolved from many social and religious theatrical forms which existed in the southern region in ancient times.
Overnight in Cochin
DAY 2: COCHIN
Morning proceed for Kumbalanghi village tour.
Time Programme
9.00 am – Arrival at Kallanchery Island and receiving with tender coconut
9.10 am – Boat riding in the big country boat (provided with chairs and caps)
9.50 am – Visit Crab farm
10.15 am – Watching coir yarn making
10.30 am – Watching coconut leaves weaving
10.45 am – Visiting the agriculture farm (about 12 acres) and see different type of plantations (coconut, betel nuts, pepper, jack fruit, nut meg, anthurium, orchids, vanilla etc.), water harvesting ponds and biogas plants.
11.15 am – Watching Chinese fishing nets
11.45 am – Lunch at the backwater front hall
01.00 pm – Departure for hotel in Cochin.
Afternoon proceed for sightseeing of Cochin.
Overnight in Cochin
DAY 3: COCHIN / THEKKADY BY: SURFACE
Morning after breakfast checkout from the hotel and drive to Thekkady (Approx. 160 Kms/ 4 ½ hrs drive). Upon arrival check in at hotel.
Thekkday – Thekkady is a popular resort and spice trading town next to Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary in the Cardamom Hills and provides convenient access to the park. Magical land of spices and wildlife! Thekkady Wildlife Sanctuary, Kerala, is one of finest and largest wildlife reserves in India. The Indian elephant comes in herds to frolic in the lake’s waters.The road winds through a picturesque countryside with plantations of tea, cardamom, pepper, cloves and cinnamon.
Rest of the day free at leisure.
Overnight in Thekkady
DAY 4: THEKKADY BY: SURFACE
Then visit through one of the spice plantations, a highly educational and enjoyable experience seeing how crops such as pepper and nutmeg are grown and harvested. As you take a walk along the streets of Kumily or the winding pathways among the plantations, the thing that strikes you first is the lingering aroma in the air. The scent may be of cloves, nutmeg, pepper, cinnamon or cardamom and sometimes a fragrance that combines the scents of two or more spices. The geographical and climatic peculiarities of Kumily such as the cool climate and its elevation from the sea level make it ideal for spice cultivation.
Afternoon enjoy boat ride on Lake Periyar.
Thekkady is famous for the wildlife sanctuary located here. There is boating facility at Thekkady where the boat will take you around the Wildlife Sanctuary through the Periyar Lake. One can see wild animals during this boat ride but need to be very quiet
DAY 5: THEKKADY/ALLELLEPY BY: SURFACE
Morning after breakfast heckout from the hotel and drive to Alleppey (Approx. 160 Kms/ 4 hrs drive) and embark Houseboat.
Cruising Kerala’s backwaters in a traditional ‘Kettuvallom’ (boats made by tying together wooden planks with coconut ropes) is a distinctly unique experience!
These traditional wooden craft, originally used to transport rice along Kerala’s lush green backwaters, have found a new lease of life quietly exploring timeless scenes of palms and paddies, temples and villages. Boats have either one or two fan-cooled bedrooms with attached shower rooms. The sides are open allowing the breeze to flow freely. Your private crew steer the boat, cook lavish local meals and keep you in tea and cold drinks.
As you drift along the backwaters, you can see the local villagers fishing and washing clothes in the canals, as small boys swim alongside the boats shouting ‘Hello’ and ‘Which country?’. Birdlife is plentiful: stork and egret are often spotted. Even a day on a rice boat is a unique and unforgettable experience, but staying overnight, on a boat gives the chance to experience dusk and dawn on the still, reflective waters.
Afternoon board a Canoe cruise for 1 hour to enjoy the wide varieties of sceneries and freshness of narrow canals we want take a canoe trip. This trip will explain every eye of the narrow canals in the backwater. While cruising through these canals in a canoe boat we would come across many interesting aspects of day to day life in the land as well as on water
Overnight on Houseboat
DAY 6: ALLEPPEY/MARARI BY: SURFACE
After morning breakfast disembark from Houseboat and drive to Marari (Approx. 20 Kms 30 Mins Drive). Up on arrival check in at hotel.
Rest of the day free to enjoy the beach.
Overnight in Thekkady
DAY 7: DEPART COCHIN
After breakfast at hotel drive to Cochin airport to board the flight for onward journey.
Please contact us for more departure Dates
Total cost of the tour: £780.00 per person. (Minimum 2 people required.
Cost Includes:
Cost does NOT Includes:
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