Kerala Backwater Tour
Duration : 08 Days 07 Nights
Destination : Cochin - Kumarakom
- Periyar National Park - Alleppey
Day 01: Arrive Cochin
You will arrive Cochin by morning; our representative
will meet you at the airport and will provide you assistance and transfer
to your hotel for your overnight stay.
After breakfast you will have your sightseeing tour of Cochin. The commercial
city of Kochi (or Cochin), also known as "The Queen of the Arabian Sea"
is famous for its exquisite designer Gold Jewellery. Kochi lies at the
heart of the ancient State of Kerala, and its position, straddling a number
of islands and peninsulas, together with its rich trading past and Jewish,
Portuguese, British and Dutch influences, make it one of the most fascinating
cities of India.
In the evening visit to the Kathakali Dance performance centre. The most
popular and sacred dance-drama of Kerala, Kathakali dates back at least
400 years and requires lengthy and rigorous training to attain complete
control of the body and emotions so as to be able to render all its nuances
through facial expressions and hand gestures. Themes centre on the two
great Indian epics - the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. We suggest arriving
early in order to witness the artists putting on their make-up.
Day 02: Cochin - Kumarakom
After breakfast at your hotel, you will drive southwards to Kumarakom
which you should reach after about two hours and where you will stay at
a beautifully situated resort for two nights.
Rest of the day at leisure OR you can visit Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary where
numerous species of wildfowl and water-birds can be found, especially
in late afternoon as large numbers of herons and egrets fly in to roost
in the reserve. A five-minute boat ride from the resort, followed by a
short stroll on the other side will facilitate entry.
Day 03: Kumarakom
Day at leisure at Kumarakom
Day 04: Kumarakom - Periyar National Park
After breakfast you will drive to Periyar Tiger Reserve and will settle
down for two nights in your resort.
Periyar, one of the sixteen Project Tiger Reserves in India, and considered
by many to be one of the most picturesque and beautiful wildlife sanctuaries
in the world with its waterways, forests and grasslands.
Despite the destruction of much of the lowland forest within the Reserve
as a result of the construction of a dam across the Periyar River in 1895,
its 777 square kilometres provide a haven for a wide range of mammals,
including Tiger, Elephant, Gaur, Sloth Bear, Leopard, Dhole, Nilgiri Langur
and Lion-tailed Macaque.
The Reserve also has a rich and varied bird fauna and we will be hoping
to see several of the species found only in Southern India and Sri Lanka,
such as Grey Jungle fowl, Malabar Grey Hornbill, Malabar Parakeet, White-cheeked
Barbet, Crimson-fronted Barbet, Black-headed Cuckoo-Shrike, Heart-Spotted
Woodpecker, Rufous Babbler, White-bellied Flycatcher, Rufous-tailed Flycatcher,
Ruby-throated Bulbul and White-bellied Treepie. 
Day 05: Periyar National Park
Morning visit to the Periyar National Park with your naturalist. In the
evening you will have a boat ride at Lake Periyar for animal watch.
Day 06: Periyar National Park - Alleppey (House Boat)
After breakfast you will drive to Alleppey, a pleasant easygoing market
town surrounded by coconut plantations and built on the canals, which
serve the coir industry of the backwaters. Rightly called the "Venice
of the East", Alleppey is criss-crossed by a network of canals.
You will enjoy an overnight Houseboat Cruise to drift along the backwaters,
in a journey, which takes you along narrow canals, passing paddy fields
and water bound villages.
Some fifty years ago, there were more than 5000 houseboats (kettuvalloms
as called locally) in the backwaters of Kerala that were mainly used for
transporting goods. They became obsolete when the goods began to be transported
by rail and road. Today these houseboats have become popular with foreign
tourists and some 150 boats are used for this purpose offering guests
a remarkably comfortable and unusual means of navigating the network of
waterways. A standard houseboat is about 55 feet in length and has a width
of around 15 feet at its broadest point and can hold up to 30 tonnes of
weight.
The kettuvalloms are constructed with eco-friendly materials like bamboo
mat, areca nut trees and coir. They are designed for comfortable cruise
and overnight stay. Every houseboat has one / two bedrooms and a bathroom
with a WC and washbasin, a living cum dining room, sundeck and a kitchen.
The boat has solar lamps and fans apart from the hurricane lamps. Thatched
awnings on both sides of the boat allow the breeze and views to flow in.
There is also a separate rest room for the crew. Some boats are powered
by an out board engine/motor.
Usually every houseboat has a team of three staff including a cook and
two crewmembers. The cook also acts as the captain of the boat and tour
escort. The meals include lunch, evening coffee / tea with snacks, dinner
and breakfast depending on the time of boarding and disembarking the boat.
Day 07: Alleppey (House Boat) - Cochin
After disembarking from the houseboat you will travel to Cochin by road,
a journey of about three hours. You can relax for a night at Cochin OR
can visit the rest of the places which you have left on Day 01 during
your sightseeing of this beautiful city.
Day 08: Cochin - Onward Destination
After an early breakfast our representative will provide you a departure
transfer to the International airport to connect your flight to your country.
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