Enchanting Kerala Tour

Arrive in the bustling port city of Kochi to a warm welcome by our Namaste India trip tour guide who escorts you to a waiting coach that will take you to Munnar, a 4 hour 140 km drive over some of the most delightful countryside, a joy to the senses. Along the way you see innumerable waterfalls, streams lakes, rolling spice plantations, green rice fields and the mist shrouded mountains in the distance. Arrive in Munnar and check into your hotel. Freshen up and explore Munnar on your own with a visit to the Tea museum or just walk about winding alleys of this town that sits at the confluence of three rivers.

A piping hot breakfast over, you set out on an excursion that will take you to the loveliest places like Mattupetty Dam where the serene waters in the Lake and the gushing waterfalls combine to enchant you. Go for a boat ride and then proceed to Echo Point and try shouting. Next in line is Rajmalai nature park, a wooded magical place to bewitch you after which you go for a pleasant walk by the Kundale Lake. In the afternoon your guide takes you to the Eravikulam National Park, home to the endangered Nilgiri Tahr as well as butterflies, animals and birds of glorious plumage. Walk under the wooded canopies and watch the Anamudi Peak in the distance. It is evening and time to return to the hotel for rest. Perhaps you can set out after dinner for a quiet walk.

Breakfast on typical Kerala snacks prepared fresh and board a coach for the 110 km, 3 hour drive to Thekkaday. Check into your hotel and freshen up for a trip to the Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary, one of the biggest and most attractive in India with its collection of tigers, elephants, leopards, bison and plenty more by way of amphibious life, birds and reptiles. The best way is to observe by boat on the Lake and this is what we do. Afterwards we go to nearby spice plantations to buy and taste freshest spices. Time to return to your hotel for a blissful sleep in the lap of Mother Nature.

Sample fresh, steaming hot breakfast and set out for the jetty to board a houseboat that takes you on a leisurely 3 hour cruise over 130 km to reach Alleppey, the Venice of the East and the heart of Kerala’s fabulous waterways. The backwaters are unique to Kerala with a distinctive culture and lifestyle in which you immerse yourself for a full day. Dining, sleeping and watching life on the houseboat is an enchanting experience you will never forget. Stay in the houseboat for the night.

Leave the houseboat after breakfast for the 2.5 hour drive over 85 km to reach Kochi where you book into your hotel room, freshen up and set out for sightseeing. Kochi has plenty to offer by way of the Marine drive and beach on the one hand and its churches and synagogues on the other. The high point is a visit to the Fort Immanuel built by the Portuguese. There are other attractions such as David Hall, built by the Dutch East India Company, a colonial landmark and the Thakur house dating back to the times of the British. Proceed to Vasco da Gama square and shop, sample food, drink coconut water and enjoy. Here you can glimpse the Chinese fishing nets, the same as were introduced by Kublai Khan back in the 14th century. Stay overnight in your hotel.

Departure