Today you will be arriving at the International airport of Cochin. Our representative will be holding a placard of your name & will meet you at the arrival lounge. (We will welcome you with Indian traditional style) After meeting, he/she will take you to your hotel & explain you about the tour which starts from the Day 2.

Later drive to Munnar: Breathtakingly beautiful - a haven of peace and tranquility, an idyllic tourist destination in God's own country.

 

Set at an altitude of 6000 ft in Idukki district, Munnar was the favored summer resort of the erstwhile British rulers in the colonial days. Unending expanse of tea plantations - pristine valleys and mountains- exotic species of flora and fauna in its wild sanctuaries and forests - aroma of spice scented cool air. Munnar has all these and more. It's the place you would love to visit - it's the place you would wish never to leave.

 

Evening at leisure.

Meals: Breakfast

Start a sightseeing tour visiting tea estates, Mettupatty Dam to enjoy a boat ride, Echo point, Kundala Lake etc. 

Guide: Included for the day

Meals: Breakfast

Drive to Thekkady in Kerala State, India's largest wildlife sanctuary is a dream destination for any tourist visiting India. The 120 years old 'Surki' dam built across Peryiar, Poorna in Vedic parlance, is a major tourist attraction. This sanctuary is spread over an area of 777 Sq.Kms, surrounded by an artificial lake over an area of 25 Sq.Kms.The Country's sole Tiger reserve, Thekkady, with its bountiful treasures of tropical flora and fauna is the ultimate reservoir of many an endangered species and a rich tribal culture. Thekkady is a pleasant heaven on earth for those who love nature in its wild manifestations.

Meals: Breakfast

Boat ride on the lake periyar. After enjoying the boat ride, we will take you to experience the Spice plantation tour.

 

Spices have always been an important part of life in Kerala. Here the masters of ayurveda, the science of life, discovered the use of spices for medicinal purposes. Spices also play an important role in the Kerala cuisine, non-ayurvedic medicine and cosmetics. Periyar is, due to its location in the lower mountains around 1000 meters above sea level, blessed with numerous types of spices. Consequently, the spice plantation tour is in one of the most important activities outside the reserve that a visitor can engage in. It is an opportunity to see why the Kerala cuisine is so different from most of the other Indian cuisines. The tour gives you a chance to enjoy cardamom, pepper, clove, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla and many other varieties of spices and medicinal plants.

 

In the evening enjoy Kalaripayatu show (Martial arts of south India).

Meals: Breakfast

Later proceed to Alleppey. Upon arrival board the Houseboat and enjoy your trip to the famous backwaters of Kerala. Cruise through the canals & coir villages.

 

About Alleppey: Situated 13 Kms away from Kottayam is a sleepy little village on VembanadLake in Kerala. It offers wide variety of flora, exotic sightseeing, boating and fishing experience. The bird sanctuary spread across 14 acres is safe home for many migratory birds like Siberian stork, wild duck etc. They live with other birds in flocks such as darters, herons, egret, waterfowls and cuckoos are fascinating sight for the visitors.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Check out from Houseboat and drive towards Cochin.

 

Enjoy a sightseeing tour of Cochin: Visiting Mattancherry and the oldest Jewish Synagogue (Closed on Saturdays & All the Jewish holidays) in India, built in 1568; it was destroyed by the Portuguese and rebuilt by the Dutch a century later. You will also visit The Dutch Palace (Closed on Fridays)- which was built in 1555 and its coronation hall and murals at Ramayana are noteworthy features.

 

Chinese fishing nets: The cantilevered fishing nets line the entrance to the harbour mouth. Chinese traders are believed to have originally introduced them in the 14th century although, today parts of the nets are known by Portuguese names. Your next stop will be St. Francis Church, originally named after Santo Antonio and dedicated to him as the Patron Saint of Portugal, St. Francis Church is the first church to have been in the new European influenced tradition.

 

Evening enjoy a Kathakali dance performance: In the evening, you will be taken to a Kathakali dance centre where you will witness the most elaborate of the dance forms in southern India. Here you will witness the artists readying themselves up with the make up for the final performance.   Kerala owes its transnational fame to this nearly 300 years old classical dance form, which combines facets of ballet, opera, masque and the pantomime. It is said to have evolved from other performing arts like Kootiyattam, Krishnanattam and Kalarippayattu. Kathakali explicates ideas and stories from the Indian epics and Puranas. Presented in the temple precincts after dusk falls Kathakali is heralded by the Kelikottu or the beating of drums in accompaniment of the Chengila (gong).

Guide: Included for the day

Meals: Breakfast

Tour ends with sweet memories of God's Own Country "Kerala". We look forward to serve you again…

Meals: Breakfast