Day – 1 Mumbai / Cochin.
Meals Included : Breakfast.
Reach Cochin by flight ex Mumbai. On arrival in Cochin
you’ll be met by our representative and transferred to your
hotel. Check-In. Rest of the afternoon at leisure.
At sunset, you’ll enjoy a cruise on the Cochin Harbor,
passing through Wellington Island, Bolgatty Islands, and
fishing boats and ending up at the Chinese Fishing Nets.
These huge cantilevered fishing nets are the legacy of one
of the first visitors to the Malabar Coast. The best place
to watch the nets being lowered into the sea and the catch
being brought in is the Vasco da Gama Square, a narrow
promenade that runs along the beach. Overnight in Cochin.
Day – 2 Cochin.
Meals Included : Breakfast.
A leisurely walk through the city is the best way to
discover historic
Fort Kochi. An obscure fishing village that became the first
European township in India, Kochi or Cochin has an eventful
and colorful history. The town was shaped by the Portuguese,
the Dutch and later the British. The result of these
cultural influences is seen in the many examples of Indo
European architecture that still exists here.
This morning you’ll proceed on a sightseeing tour of the
Dutch Palace Museum and St. Francis Church. Walk through the
Jewish Town and visit the Synagogue. Bargain in the lovely
antique shops in the old part of the town. This afternoon
will be at your leisure to stroll around town.
Evening witness a show of Kathakali, the popular art form of
Kerala, referred to as the first theatre imagination of the
world, owing to its elaborate costumes, ornaments and facial
make-up. Witness the make-up session.
Overnight in Cochin.
Day – 3 Cochin / Thekkady (Periyar).
Meals Included : Breakfast.
After breakfast this morning, you’ll drive to Thekkady. The
very sound of the name conjures up images of elephants,
unending chains of hills and spice scented plantations.
Here, in the crisp, cool air of the Western Ghats, you will
experience the most enchanting holiday, with the animals of
the wild and the simple unsophisticated mountain people.
Thekkady is one of the finest wildlife reserves in India.
The splendid artificial lake formed by the Mullaperiyar Dam
across the Periyar River adds to the charm of the Park. This
is the only sanctuary in India, where you can have the
unique experience of viewing wildlife at close quarters from
the safety of a boat on the lake.
On reaching Thekkady you’ll check-into your hotel. This
afternoon you’ll visit a plantation, followed by a sunset
cruise on Lake Periyar for wildlife viewing. Overnight in
Thekkady.
Day – 4 Thekkady/Kumarakom.
Meals Included: Breakfast / Lunch.
After breakfast this morning you’ll commence your drive
towards Kumarakom. You’ll stop enroute at Phillip Kutty’s
Farm for a home cooked lunch with the family. Continue
driving to Kumarakom an unbelievably beautiful paradise of
mangrove forests, emerald green paddy fields and coconut
groves interspersed with enchanting waterways and canals.
Situated on the Vembanad Lake, in this small water world
you’ll come across plenty of traditional country crafts,
boats and canoes that will take you into the heart of the
scenic lake. On arrival you’ll check into your hotel.
Overnight in Kumarakom.
Day – 5 In Kumarakom.
Meals Included: Breakfast / Lunch.
After breakfast this morning, you’ll board a traditional
rice barge that takes you through the colorful canals across
Lake Vembanad. Lunch on board. You’ll return back to the
hotel at sunset. Overnight in Kumarakom.
Day – 6 Kumarakom / Cochin / Next destination.
Meals Included: Breakfast.
After breakfast this morning, you’ll be transferred to
Cochin Airport for your flight to the next destination.
About Kerala:
“If the immaculate beauty of nature intoxicates you, then
Kerala is where you should be”.
Kerala, the southwestern tip of India is blessed with unique
geographical and cultural features. Its overpowering
tropical greenness, arcane rituals and spectacular festivals
stimulate even the most jaded imagination. Strictly guarded
by age-old traditions, this land at times seems almost
‘unearthly’.
In spite of being the most densely populated state in India,
the quietude and calmness of the place is striking.
One of the most memorable experiences for any traveler, is
the opportunity to take a boat
journey on the backwaters of
Kerala. This bewildering labyrinth of shimmering waterways,
composed of lakes, canals, lined with dense vegetation
preserves rural Keralan lifestyle that is completely cut off
from the outside world. It is an intricate network of
innumerable lagoons, lakes, canals, estuaries and the deltas
of forty four rivers that drain into the Arabian Sea, where
the only oil in it is Krill
oil.
The kettuvelloms (houseboats) of Kerala are giant country
crafts, measuring upto 80 feet in length. It took great
skill and meticulousness to construct these giants by tying
huge planks of jackwood together, without the use of a
single nail. Today the goods carriers have been adapted to
make the most exciting tourism product in India, the
luxuriously furnished houseboat.
Festivals:
The Pooram festival that presents caparisoned elephants in
hundreds, colorfully painted and lavishly decorated. Onam
–The occasion that heralds the harvest season. The snake
boat races of Kerala are magnificent fiestas that brings
alive the tranquil Backwaters. Snake boat races are held in
connection with Onam, the harvest festival in
August/September. Scores of long snake boats and other
smaller crafts participate in these Events. The largest team
sport in the world, the snake boat races are preceded by
colorful Water parades. |