Highlights:

Description: Arrive in Cochin. After you have cleared immigration and customs formalities, you are met outside the arrival hall by our representative, who will be holding a sign with your name. He will escort you to your vehicle and assist with transfer and check-in formalities at your hotel. (Check-in time 14:00 hrs) Cochin, the commercial capital of Kerala glories in the title of 'Queen of the Arabian Sea'. A city of peninsulas and islands with a mainland entre, Cochin has a magnificent natural harbour, almost in the middle of the city, created by the underwater Malabar mud banks that ensure calm waters.

Meals: Breakfast

Locations: Cochin

Highlights: Kathakali Dance

Description: Breakfast at the hotel. In the morning, visit Cochin, which comprises of a cluster of islands and towns. Fort Cochin is believed to be the oldest European settlement in India, with the Portuguese flag first hoisted here in 1500. St Francis Church, built in 1510 by friars brought to India by Vasco da Gama, is the first European church built in India and is the site where da Gama was buried. The Chinese fishing nets are used for a very unique and unusual method of fishing. Operated from the shore, these nets are set up on bamboo and teak poles and held horizontally by huge mechanisms, which lower them into the sea. They look somewhat like hammocks and are counter-weighed by large stones tied to ropes. The 'Dutch Palace' was built in the 1550s by the Portuguese and taken over by the Dutch, who later presented it to the Rajas of Cochin. The palace contains excellent mythological murals and a rare example of traditional Keralite flooring. You have time to wander around Mattancherri or Jew Town. Jew Street is full of antique shops selling genuine and pseudo objects art. The Jewish Synagogue (CLOSED ON FRIDAYS AND SATURDAYS) was built in 1568 and considerably embellished in the mid 18th century. It contains Grand Scroll of the Old Testament and the copper plates giving privileges to the Jew settlers by the rulers of Kochi. In the evening witness a Kathakali dance performance. This is the most developed dance drama art of India. Drums beckon an audience to a performance most magnificent - actors depict characters from the Puranas and the Mahabharata, the great Indian epics - demons, superhuman beings and ordinary men and women. The dancers, all male, adorn themselves in huge skirts and elaborate head-dress, wearing what must surely be the most intricate make up known to any dance style in the world. Dialogue is combined with dance to bring myth and legend to life in the temple courtyards of Kerala.

Meals: Breakfast

Locations: Cochin

Highlights: Explore Munnar at leisure

Description: Breakfast at the hotel In the morning, depart on the drive to Munnar (169 km/3 hrs). On arrival, check in at the hotel. Munnar is haven of peace and tranquility. Set at an altitude of 6000 ft in Idukki district, Munnar was the favoured summer resort of the erstwhile British rulers in the colonial days. The afternoon is at leisure to explore Munnar on your own.

Meals: Breakfast

Locations: Munnar

Highlights: Visit to the Tea Plantation

Description: Breakfast at the hotel The full day is at leisure to explore Munnar. Unending expanse of tea plantations, pristine valleys and mountains, exotic species of flora and fauna in its wild sanctuaries and forests, the aroma of spice scented cool air - Munnar has all these and more. OPTION: The Eravikulam National Park, encompassing 100 square km of moist evergreen forests and grassy hilltops in the Western Ghats, lies 13 km northeast of Munnar. Once the hunting reserve of British planters, today it is home to one of the world's rarest mountain goats. For a wide and clear view of the Park, go to the Directors Leap.

Meals: Breakfast

Locations: Munnar

Highlights: Boat ride or a nature walk in Periyar National Park

Description: Breakfast at the hotel In the morning, depart for Periyar (100 km/3 hrs) On arrival, check in at the hotel. Periyar Tiger Reserve and National Park was established in 1934 as the Nelliampatty Sanctuary. The park was enlarged in 1950 and is India's southernmost tiger reserve. The lake covers some 10 sq. miles and most of the sanctuary is undulating. In the afternoon, take a boat ride or a nature walk in the forests surrounding the national park. Among the game found here are large herds of the Asian elephant, gaur (the largest of the world's wild oxen), wild pig, sambar, barking deer, mouse deer, the rare and endangered lion-tailed macaque, the Nilgiri langur, the common langur and the bonnet macaque, porcupine, Malabar squirrel, wild dog and tiger. Among the birds commonly seen are darters, cormorant, osprey, kingfisher and kite, great hornbill, grey hornbill, hill mynas, orioles and racket-tailed drongos.

Meals: Breakfast

Locations: Periyar

Highlights: Visit the spice plantation

Description: Breakfast at the hotel In the morning, visit a spice plantation. Kerala's spices are famous for their distinct taste and flavour. Mostly used as condiments that flavour food, some spices are used for seasoning and garnishing purposes, others are used for medicinal and cosmetic purposes. Some of the popular spices of Kerala that envelop the green Kerala hills in an everlasting fragrant cloud are ginger, bay leaves, curry leaves, turmeric, thyme, oregano, mint, rosemary, basil and sage. The afternoon is at leisure.

Meals: Breakfast

Locations: Periyar

Highlights: Backwater Cruise

Description: After breakfast drive 56 km to Alleppey. Known as the "Venice of the East", It is situated on the Vembabad Lake, the longest lake in India. A maze of canals and a network of bridges give this busy commercial town its descriptive sobriquet. Alleppey is known for its coir, the retted fibre of the coconut husk and for black pepper. Coir yarn, mats and matting and a wealth of other coir products are manufactured here and are good buys. Board the houseboat, a special delight Kerala offers. Take a leisurely cruise on the backwaters, through forests, and palm-shaded canals, enjoying the magnificent scenery along the waterways and stopping to admire what history and religion have left along the way. Your boat crew will prepare a delicious lunch and dinner for you on the houseboat.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Locations: Alleppey

Highlights: At leisure

Description: After breakfast, disembark at Alleppey and depart on the drive to Kumarakomm situated on an old rubber plantation set around the Vembanad Lake, today a bird sanctuary. The village of Kumarakom is an enchanting backwater destination. Here you can see how people have adapted their lives to the waterways and winding canals. On arrival, check in at the resort. The afternoon is at leisure.

Meals: Breakfast

Locations: Kumarakom

Highlights: At leisure to enjoy bird watching, ayurvedic massage, etc

Description: After breakfast, the full day is at leisure. You can relax by the poolside, explore the quaint villages or go for bird-watching or butterfly-watching walks Your hotel offers a selection of Ayurvedic massages, famed for their rejuvenating qualities. Ayurveda is the traditional system of medicine practiced in Kerala for centuries. The potions are prepared from herbs.

Meals: Breakfast

Locations: Kumarakom

Highlights:

Description: After breakfast, depart for Cochin airport to board your onward flight home

Meals: Breakfast

Locations: