TIMELESS ALLURE OF KERALA – 8 DAYS – Destination Management Company- India I Nepal I Bhutan I Sri Lanka I Maldives

TIMELESS ALLURE OF KERALA – 8 DAYS

Cochin- Periyar -Alleppey –Marari- Cochin

SAILORS ONCE SWORE that a blind man could steer a ship to the Malabar Coast, guided by nothing more that offshore winds heavy with the scent of Kerala’s fragrant spices. Legend has it that King Solomon’s ships traded off the Malabar coast between 972 and 932 B.C., followed by the Phoenicians, Romans, Chinese, Portuguese, and Arabs, all of whom came to stock up on Malabar’s monkeys, tigers, parrots, timber, and, of course, the abundance of spices that were literally worth their weight in gold.India’s most verdant state — rated by National Geographic Traveler as one of the world’s 50 must-see destinations and also one of “ten earthly paradises” — is a seamless landscape of palm-lined beaches rising to meet steamy jungles and plantation-covered hills, watered by no less than 44 tropical rivers.

DAY 1: ARRIVE COCHIN

Upon arrival, you will be met and greeted with a traditional welcome. Transfer to the Hotel. Cochin has been luring wanderers and traders for over 600 years and remains a living homage to its varied colonial past. The result is an unlikely blend of medieval Portugal, Holland and an English country village grafted on to the tropical Malabar Coast. Evening witness the colorful ‘Kathakali’ dance performance. Overnight at the Hotel.

DAY 2: COCHIN

Breakfast. Morning visit the Jewish Synagogue (closed on Fridays and Saturdays), constructed in 1568, walk through the Jew Town Road and visit the Dutch Palace (closed on Fridays). Later, visit the St. Francis church, India’s first European Church and see the Chinese fishing nets in operation. Afternoon enjoy a Heritage Walk through Fort Cochin area and later, enjoy a demonstration of ‘Kalaripayattu’, local martial arts. Enjoy a special treat, meet a local family and participate in a culinary experience at their home followed by dinner. Overnight at the Hotel.

DAY 3: COCHIN/PERIYAR

Breakfast. Morning travel by road to Periyar, originally the hunting grounds of the Maharajah of Travancore. Enjoy a boat ride on Lake Periyar from where you can view animals coming to drink at the water's edge. Visit a spice plantation to learn about the various locally grown spices. Overnight at the Hotel.

DAY 4: PERIYAR/ALLEPPEY

Breakfast. Morning travel by road to Alleppey visiting en route a rubber plantation. Alleppey is famous for the pristine backwaters, a chain of brackish lagoons and lakes lying parallel to the Malabar Coast. Embark your journey on a traditional houseboat called Kettuvallam (Kettuvallam "kettu" means "to tie" and “vallam” means boat). Cruise on the backwaters will give you the pleasure of observing the local way of life. Travel along the “water highways” to see one of the few areas in the world where farming is done below sea level. Lunch, Dinner and Overnight on the Houseboat.

DAY 5: ALLEPPEY/MARARI

Breakfast. Morning transfer to a spice farmhouse for home cooked lunch and later transfer to the beaches of Marari. Transfer to the Hotel. Rest of the day at leisure. Overnight in the Beach Resort.

DAY 6: MARARI

Breakfast. Full day at leisure to enjoy the beaches or the Ayurveda centre of your resort, etc. Overnight in the Beach Resort.

DAY 7: MARARI

Breakfast. Full day at leisure to enjoy the beaches or the Ayurveda centre of your resort, etc. Overnight in the Beach Resort.

DAY 8: MARARI/COCHIN & DEPART

Breakfast. Afternoon transfer to the Cochin airport for flight back home or fly to Mumbai to connect homebound flight.