Kerala Tea Estate, Backwater & Marari Beach Tour 10 days
- Private tour
- Solo friendly
- Family friendly
This private tour will begin with your arrival in Cochin, a metropolitan port city in Kerala. Explore Fort Kochi, old-town quarters famous for its cobblestoned lanes, Dutch, Portuguese & Jewish heritage. Then drive to Munnar, a hill station and former resort for the British Raj elite, dotted with tea plantations and a sanctuary for Nilgiri Thar. From here, head to Thekkady, a paradise for wildlife, flora & fauna of Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary. Then, after driving to Kumarakom to board a houseboat and sail to Alleppey, a Venetian-esque town built onto canals and streams known as the Kerala backwaters. Day cruise from here to Alleppey in a houseboat, serving meals on board. At the end, unwind yourself on an enchanting beach village where time stands still and allows you to unravel the miraculous beauty of nature in every form.
Day 1 Arrive Cochin
On arrival at Cochin airport, assistance & transfer hotel for check-in. In the evening, enjoy Kathakali, a traditional dance form of Kerala with lavish costumes, exotic makeup, masks, etc. Overnight at the hotel.
Day 2 Cochin - Munnar (140kms) (B)
City tour of Cochin, the lovely seaside city flanked by the Western Ghats on the east and the Arabian Sea on the west. You will find here a unique mix and match of traditional as well as Western architecture and lifestyle. Visit Fort Cochin, a charming seaside area known for its Dutch, Portuguese & British colonial architecture and elaborate bamboo fishing nets at Fort Kochi Beach. St. Francis Church was the original burial site of explorer Vasco da Gama. Upscale eateries and chic cafes serve Kerala specialities, and quaint shops sell cotton clothing and handmade souvenirs. Heritage buildings house contemporary art galleries. Also visit the Jewish Synagogue & the Mattancherry Dutch Palace. Drive to Munnar, check in & overnight at the hotel.
Day 3 Munnar (B)
Visit Pothamedu, which offers an excellent view of the tea, coffee and cardamom plantations in Munnar. Mattupetty dam and its reservoir, a concrete gravity dam built between the hill ranges for water storage for hydroelectric projects. Rajamala, a hill station in Eravikulam National Park a natural habitat of the Niligiri tahr, 2695 meters above sea level. Half the world`s population of the rare mountain goat or tahr, which is fast becoming extinct, is now found here. Mattupedi Dairy Farm, famous for the Indo-Swiss Farm, a highly specialised dairy farm which comes under the Indo-Swiss Livestock Project. Echo Point, go there and scream as loud as you can and wait for a minute to hear your echo back! Also, visit the Tea Museum to know more about the century-old culture, a lively glimpse of how the tea culture flourished across South India. Overnight at the hotel.
Day 4 Munnar - Thekkady (110kms) (B)
Drive to Thekkady via Ramakkalmedu, one of the windiest places in Asia and being so, one can find here a wind farm generating electricity. Visit Frog Rock, Turtle Rock and the highest twin statue in Kerala called Kuravan & Kurathi. Evening watch Martial Arts & Kathakali Dance show. Overnight at the hotel.
Day 5 Thekkady (B)
Explore Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary on a boat. The tropical evergreen and deciduous forests teeming with elephants, bison, sambar deer, wild dogs, jungle cats, tiger and wild boar, along with various species of snake, including cobras, vipers, kraits and many non-poisonous snakes, is a wildlife lover`s dream. A variety of birds, such as grey jungle fowl, Malabar grey hornbill, woodpeckers and bulbuls, also have found a home in this sanctuary. Afterwards, take a spice plantation tour to see crops of cardamom, cinnamon, pepper, coffee, tea estates etc. You could stop at the local market and pick some fragrant spices. Overnight at the hotel.
Day 6 Thekkady - Kumarakom (132kms) Sailing Boat Cruise to Alleppey (B, L, D)
Drive to Alleppey boat jetty to board a houseboat and sail through the tropical countryside, enchanting backwaters. While sailing, enjoy palm-fringed narrow canals winding through the vast expanse of paddy fields and the neat, tiny hamlets lined up along either side of the canals, the panoramic sights that one can never forget. Pass through one of the few areas in the world where farming is done below sea level. Alleppey is referred to as the Venice of the East, due to canals, backwaters, and lagoons. Boats are the main mode of transportation here; you can see Shikara boats, small motor boats, passenger boats, cargo boats, and houseboats. In the evening, enjoy the sunset from the sun deck of the houseboats. The Houseboats have generated electricity, a sitting cum dining area, a separate bedroom with attached English toilets, a sun deck and a fully loaded kitchen with a chef & driver. The Houseboats have generated electricity, a sitting cum dining area, a separate bedroom with attached English toilets, a sun deck and a fully loaded kitchen with a chef & driver. Overnight in a houseboat.
Day 7 Kumarakom - Marari Beach (190kms) (B)
Disembark from the houseboat and transfer to Marari Beach, check in at the hotel. Rest time is free and easy to relax on the beach. Overnight at the hotel.
Day 8 Marari Beach (B)
Day free and easy to relax on the beach. Overnight at the hotel. (Transport not included)
Day 9 Marari Beach (B)
Day free and easy to relax on the beach. Overnight at the hotel. (Transport not included)
Day 10 Marari Beach - Cochin Departure (Flight) (B)
As per the flight schedule, transfer to the airport to board the flight for the onward destination.
What's included
* Please check prices for full list of inclusions and exclusions
Inclusions
- Assistance on arrival at the airport
- 9 Nights accommodation in selected price category hotels
- Daily breakfast & meal as per day plan (B- Breakfast, L- Lunch, D- Dinner)
- Private air-conditioned deluxe car for airport transfer, sightseeing and excursion as per the program
- English-speaking tour guide on sightseeing days (local guide in each city), as per the program
- Monument entrances and activities charges mentioned in the itinerary
- Bottled drinking water in the car
- Government taxes
- Cochin x 1 night 3* - The Dune Hotel/ Abad Plaza DEPENDING ON PRICE SELECTED
- Cochin x 1 night 4* - Casino Hotel/ Le Maritime DEPENDING ON PRICE SELECTED
- Cochin x 1 night 5* - Xandari Harbour/ Le Meridien DEPENDING ON PRICE SELECTED
- Kumarakom x 1 night 3* - Abad Whispering Palm/ Cocobay Resort DEPENDING ON PRICE SELECTED
- Kumarakom x 1 night 4* - Eastend Lake Song/ Goldfield Lake Resort DEPENDING ON PRICE SELECTED
- Kumarakom x 1 night 5* - Coconut Lagoon/ The Zuri DEPENDING ON PRICE SELECTED
- Marari x 3 night 3* - EL Oceano Beach Villas/ La Plage Marari DEPENDING ON PRICE SELECTED
- Marari x 3 night 4* - Abad Turtle Beach Resort/ Marari Sands Beach Resort DEPENDING ON PRICE SELECTED
- Marari x 3 night 5* - Xandari Pearl/ Marari Beach Resort DEPENDING ON PRICE SELECTED
- Munnar x 2 night 3* - Fort Munnar/ Abad Copper Castle DEPENDING ON PRICE SELECTED
- Munnar x 2 night 4* - Nature Zone Jungle Resort/ Fragrant Nature Munnar DEPENDING ON PRICE SELECTED
- Munnar x 2 night 5* - Chandys Windy Woods/ Tea County DEPENDING ON PRICE SELECTED
- Thekkady x 2 night 3* - Abad Green Forest/ Hotel Treetop DEPENDING ON PRICE SELECTED
- Thekkady x 2 night 4* - The Elephant Court/ Cardamom County DEPENDING ON PRICE SELECTED
- Thekkady x 2 night 5* - Spice village/ Cardamom County DEPENDING ON PRICE SELECTED
Exclusions
- Any flight tickets
- Camera charges at monuments
- Meals other than those mentioned in the day plan
- Expenses of a personal nature like liquor, laundry, tips, telephone, fax, internet etc
- Gratuities & optional activities
- Anything not mentioned in the inclusions
Details
Available in
English, French, German
(Other than English guide subject to availability at additional cost)
Available for
Infants, Children, Students, Adults, Seniors
Departure & Return
Start city: Cochin , Kerala, India
Pick-up times available: 09:00
Pick up location: Cochin Airport
Ends at: Cochin Airport
Nearest airport: Cochin International Airport (COK)
Eco Features:
- Licensed tour guide
Cancellation policy
0% cancellation fee - 31 days or more before the travel date
50% cancellation fee - between 16-30 days before the travel date
75% cancellation fee - between 7-15 days before the travel date
90% cancellation fee - between 4-6 days before the travel date
100% cancellation fee - between 0-3 days before the travel date
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from A$2051 per person