Kerala Backwater
Destination : Munnar - Periyar
- Cochin - Kumarkom
- London .
Duration
: 10 Days 09 Nights
DAY 01 DEPARTURE LONDON
Depart from London Heathrow to Cochin
DAY 02 ARRIVE COCHIN
Arrive Cochin
You will be met on arrival and driven
to backwaters.
Check in at your hotel for overnight stay
DAY 03 COCHIN
PERIYAR
Drive from Cochin to Periyar (about 5 hours
drive)
Check in at your hotel for two nights
Afternoon visit spice plantation
DAY 04 PERIYAR
Early morning jungle walk
Afternoon enjoy a boat-ride on Lake
Periyar to spot herds of wild elephants.
The Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary lies
around the lake, on the cool hills of the Western Ghats; the heartland
of which luxuriate in matted coffee, tea, pepper and cardamom
plantations. Periyar offers one of the most sybaritic ways of seeing
big game. The tropical jungle around Periyar Lake can be explored on
the foot as well but we lounge in a motor launch as it drifts around a
bend and comes into sight of elephants, deer or bison coming to the
shores of the lake for a drink. It is famous for its wild elephants
and boasts a large population of Gaur, Sambar, Cheetal, Sloth Bear,
Wild Dog and many species of birds. During the dry season when
water-holes within the forest are dry, leopards and tigers also pad up
to the lake for water.
DAY 05 PERIYAR
MUNNAR
Drive from Periyar to Munnar (about 4- 5 hours
drive)
Check in at your hotel for overnight stay
Day is at leisure to explore the city
A hill station at a height of 1525
mtrs., Munnar offers a breathtaking view of the hills draped in folds
of green carpet of tea gardens. Munnar - the right royal resort lazily
nestled in the verdant slopes of tea country, is a quaint little town
that exudes a rare old world charm and strangely reminds one of the
days of the Raj in its elegant splendour. Beyond the rolling hills
discover the rich tropical forests abounding in exotic flora &
fauna. It is here that you will find the Anamudi peak, the highest
peak in the Western Ghats, in South India. Munnars serene atmosphere,
silver streams and pleasant climate welcome you to have a whiff of the
cool mountain breeze.
DAY 06 MUNNAR -
BACKWATERS
Board a private rice boat for a cruise along
the backwaters.
(Boat built in traditional style)
The House Boat traditionally known as
'Kettuvallam' is made entirely of natural materials; wood, rattan and
bamboo, in harmonious tones of brown and honey. It has neither engine
nor machinery of any other sort on board. Sixty eight feet long and
ten feet wide, with a slightly unturned prow and rear, it sits low in
the water. In front, roofed but otherwise open to air, is the living
and dining area, its sides shaded by shutters props open at midway by
bamboo poles.
This comfortable space is covered with coir
matting and is furnished with four rattan chairs and a little table.
Although the superstructure was only few years old, the boat itself is
century old - until it was reconditioned as a house-boat, it has
transported rice and wood. Two handsome dark, broad wooden thwarts -
original features of the boat - lay across the space like benches.
Lashed to the ceiling were wooden paddles and a couple of life
preservers.
Overnight is on board the boat
DAY 07 BACKWATERS
Disembark from houseboat
Day is at leisure operational visit to
the bird sanctuary
DAY 08 BACKWATERS
COCHIN 
Drive from Backwaters to Cochin (about 1 ½ hours drive)
Check in at your hotel for two nights
Enjoy a sightseeing of the town in the
morning.
(This will include the Synagogue, Dutch Palace and St
Francis' Church)
Jewish Synagogue is closed on Saturdays
Dutch Palace is closed on Fridays
Cochin - formerly a princely state
beckoned travelers from distant shores. This commercial city, also
called The Queen of the Arabian Sea is famous for its exquisite
designer Gold Jewelry. The Indian Navy, the Port and the Airport share
the largely man-made Willingdon Island. The sightseeing includes the
visit to Dutch Palace built by the Portuguese for a local King in 1555
A.D. The famous Jew Street, a cul-de-sac leading to the beautiful
Parsi Synagogue built in 1568. A walking tour of Fort Cochin will
take you through the streets still graced with traces of Portuguese,
Dutch & British colonial architecture, including a few old trad¬ing
factories, the only ones still standing anywhere in the world.
Afternoon is at leisure
In the evening enjoy a Kathakali dance
performance, the traditional dance-form of Kerala.
(Suggest
arrive early to see make-up being put on by the artists)
The most popular and sacred dance-drama
of Kerala, Kathakali evolved across the last 400 years. This classical
dance requires lengthy and rigourous training to attain complete
control of the body and sensitivity to emotion 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.
DAY 09 COCHIN
Day is at leisure
DAY 10 DEPARTURE COCHIN
You will be transferred to Cochin international
airport for your flight back to London
END OF SERVICES
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