Backwaters of Kerala

Days- 7 & 8 Nights
Theme - Kerala – at its best This tour package has been specially woven to cover the events like the snake boat race(June – July) and the Thrissur Pooram (April to May). In the months of April to July ; the two main festivals are held – two of the many reasons which make the beautiful and serene Kerala turn into vibrant Kerala. (You are at ease to choose the festival you want to see thereby choosing the months of your visit). * If you are visiting Kerala in the winter season it is advisable to keep light woolen clothes. Your stay in Kerala will be at predecided Hotels/Restaurants. In this tour you will be able to see some of the special things of Kerala like the Festive Dance. Stay at the backwaters is complementary. Destination 1 – Cochin (Day 1) – Its a one day visit to the city. ● Backwaters stay On your arrival to the Cochin airport your tour guide will take you to the hotel. After breakfast you will began your tour by sightseeing. First is the visit to the Jewish Synagogue – a Jewish worship place. Look out at the artifacts of the synagogue; the number of colors used in decorating the place; the lamps which shower a display of lights and manner in which the prayer is held. Take a walk in the Jewish Town clustered around the synagogue, and the Chinese fishing nets near the beach in the Jewish Town. Take some photographs of the place to have book full of memories. From here we drive towards the backwaters of Kerala. Your lunch will be served at the backwaters – in Kettuvallam – the houseboat of the backwater. This 86ft long boat has everything to suit your needs – from one room to five rooms - it has all the luxury for a comfortable stay. After finishing your lunch take rest in this moving houseboat as you are taken for a ride around the waters. Read a book, chat with the people on board, or have a cup of fresh filter coffee – do whatever enjoyable comes to your mind - along with the South Indian refreshment like banana chips. The evening is filled with fun as the chef on board invites you to try your hand at South Indian cuisine – but be good at it as the dinner will be nothing else but your preparation! Take rest in the Kettuvallam among the sound of water flowing by and the chirping of night birds. Destination 2 - (Day 2 ) - Allepy or Alappuza - * Its a one day stay at the Place of water battleships ● Snake Boat Festival ● The Elephant Festival Wake up to the first sunlight – and get ready for the day ahead. As soon as you finish your breakfast we began our tour for Allepy or Alappuzha – the city known as 'The Venice of the East'. It is also the destination for the famous festival – Snake Boat Race or the Nehru Trophy Boat Race or locally known as 'Chundan Vallum' (battleships of kings). With 130ft long snake boats having 100 rowers, 4 helmsmen and 25 cheerleaders its a race beyond words. Keep your cameras ready to capture this eventful event. (If you happen to visit in the month of April you will gather the view of Thrissur Pooram( ( The Elephant Festival) - the 'Pooram' is held at the Thekkinkadu Maidan outside the Vadakkunathan Temple in the Malayali Medam. This festival is held in the city of Trichur – 83km north of Cochin. Beautifully caparisoned elephants in two processions representing the Thiruvambadi and Paramekkavu temples, compete to create impressive sights and sounds. This eventful celebration begins in the early morning and lasts till the next morning). The lunch will be at one of the best hotels of the city. In the evening go for a walk around the local market for shopping artifacts. The night stay will be at the hotel itself. The next morning you will head for Periyar. ( Allepy is also known as the heaven of backwaters. In case you are not able to attend Kerala in the festive months; we will take you a different kind of one day tour in the same cities where the festivals are held. Your tour guide will take you to the interior parts of Kerala – away from the city lights – to give a feel of the life of Indian Village. We assure you a comfortable stay in both cases.) Destination 3 - (Day 3) – Perriyar – Its a one day stay ● Perriyar Wildlife Sanctuary Apart from the Kettuvallums and the silk, Kerala is also famous for its flora and fauna. And its this you will be seeing next. Periyar presents you another aspect of South India – and the best way to explore it is by boat. Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary has a 26km long artificial lake – get on the boat to be face to face with boars, monkeys, langurs, bison, antelopes, a wide variety of birds. Silence is the most important thing while on this cruise. The boatman and the tour guide will keep on telling you about the various species found in the sanctuary. Another fascinating way of exploring the Sanctuary is the elephant ride. Get on the back of the elephant to have a close shave with the lions, tigers and the cheetah. For the bird loves its heaven and the elephant ride will give them a closer look at the birds- Darters, cormorants, kingfishers, great hornbills (the great Malabar hornbill) and racket-tailed drongoes are some of them. Spotted deer, Sambur. Malabar Squirrel, Pea Fowl and the lion tailed Macaque are some of the good recepies for your camera – so keep it handy! Your stay will be at one the forest rest houses like the Periyar House, Aranya Niwas.....The dinner will be served here only. Its a new day. After breakfast get ready to set out for next destination. Destination 4 - (Day 4) – Thiruvananthpuram – Its a one day stay at the capital of Kerala. Its the most important gateway to the palm- fringed land of Kerala. Refresh yourself with medicated baths, rejuvenate yourself with herbal diets, and revitalize yourself with meditation at the numerous ayurvedic resorts in Thiruvananthapu – thats all you are here for – to rejuvenate yourself. ● Kuthiramalika (Puthenmalika) Palace Museum After a little refreshment we will set out for a visit to the Padmanabha Swamy Temple. The murals and the stone carvings of the temple are worth capturing. However it will be a visit from outside only. From here we move on to see the Kuthiramalika (Puthenmalika) Palace Museum. Have a look at the the traditional Travancore style of architecture as it depicts excellent craftsmanship and possesses exquisite wood carvings. The palace made by the King of Travancore is a marvel of architecture which will leave a lasting impression in your mind. To make the visit more special the lunch will be the traditional 21 multi cuisine serve. 21 varieties of south Indian delicacies will be served here. Its a special cuisine so enjoy the food as the chef presents the delicacies with their specialty. Trivandrum is one of the most well planned cities of Kerala and a visit to the city without sightseeing is something like coffee without sugar. Keep your camera handy to take photographs of the lively city as you drive to Vile Tourist village. Get on the pedal boats here to explore the lagoons, hop on the speedboats for a faster ride or just walk about to refresh yourself in this journey. A tour to Kerala is incomplete without shopping for silk The evening is yours to shop. Here silk is found in its vivid form – from raw to refined forms. Do take a pick of Kanjivaram saris (four to nine meters long unstilted cloth tied around the waist), the woodwork and the semi- precious jewelery. If you like the gold jewelery – its the place for you as Kerala is famous for its exquisite gold jewelery design. And as you shop don't forget to take a sip of the filter coffee and the banana chips. There's more to add – the Kathakali Dance – which is an integral part of South Indian Culture. Kathakali, incorporates elements of yoga and ayurvedic medicine. What is unique about Kathakali is that only men can become Kathakali dancers, something which lends an excessively pantomime like quality to the female roles. This special program of Kathakali dance has been arranged for you at one of the theaters of the city. To add to your excitement the night stay and dinner will be in a Kuttuvalum (the houseboat) which will take you to Kovalam (on a 10 hours cruise). Enjoy your dinner as the houseboat cruises slowly towards Kovalam. Destination 5 - ( Day 5) – Kovalam – Its a one day stay at the city of beaches. ● Kayaking ● Ayurveda The road to the hotel of Kovalam is full of day to day life. Capture the local people doing their daily chores, fisherman putting on their nets, local shops with artifacts and other daily activities. Its the best way to capture South India. After breakfast and a little rest you are all set to enjoy the sea life and various water sport activities at the sea beach. Go for Kayaking(rafting in the sea water), para sailing,scuba diving(experience the life underwater as you swim in the midst of colorful corals and small fishes) and wind surfing. For those who prefer the safer side should experience the world famous Ayurveda treatment. There are various kind of therapies – choose the one that suits you best. For the lunch you are at ease to have it at either one of beach side restaurants or at the hotel. In the evening go for a round about of the local market just by the beach. Shop for craft carpet (usually of Tibetan, Kashmiri and Rajasthani origin), clothing stores. There is also the wooden craft made up of sandalwood. Its time for Shop till you drop! The dinner will be served at the resort. Destination 6 – (Day 6) – Munnar – Its a two days stay at the city of tea bagans (estate). ● Tea estate Visit ● Athukad Falls ● Annamalai Hills Better known as the Hill Station of Kerala, this place resounds itself in the form of lush greenery. It feels like out of the world once you are here; you will forget all your tiredness once you step here – for sure. It will be around afternoon when you reach Munnar. Keep your bags in the hotel room, refresh yourself for a while - for soon after the lunch your tour guide will take you to Athukad Falls. Just a sight of the falls and you will feel like being in heaven. Take out your cameras as you will look your best admist the serene beauty of the Fall. Its will be the evening time when you will set forth for the Munnar market. Giving a feeling of a hill station market this market is buzzing with local people. Try to mingle with them as you walk around the market. Shop for local stuff if you like any. Sip a cup of coffee to have a feel of the local South Indian stuff. Enjoy at your own ease till the sun settles down. Walk back to the hotel or catch a cab for dinner and rest. ● Destination 7 - (Day 7) - Rise up to the beautiful sun rays falling on your face. Soon you will be welcomed for a splendid yet light breakfast after which your tour guide will take you for a joy ride along the hills. Its a beautiful place around the hills as you ride on the horseback atop the hill along the crest of Annamalai hills – 15km from Munnar. Its the house of Nilgiri Thar – a highly endangered species of mountain goat – which you will find in abundance here. Try to take pictures of this wild beauty as they run past by. Don't try to catch them as they are very fast runners! Walk over to reach the Directors Leap Viewpoint. Landscapes, greenery and the wild – its all very near to heaven – worth of taking a number of photographs. In between to your way to Tea Gardens of Munnar your lunch has been arranged at one of the hotels. On reaching the tea garden see the way Tea is prepared – how the tea leaves are taken from the gardens and then dried, roasted and then packed to give you a aroma of the morning cup of hot tea. The evening is at your leisure to spend. To make your stay more memorable the dinner is set along the bonfire. Enjoy your dinner with sweet memories of your stay in South India. (Day 8) – After breakfast we bid you farewell as you set foot on the coach for the airport to your homeland.


For More Information on Kerala and South India , refer to site: South India Tour Planners