Kerala – God’s Own Country

Arrive at Kochi Airport, meet and transfer to your hotel.  Enjoy the rest of the day at leisure.

Enjoy a sightseeing tour of Kochi in the morning today. Drive to Mattancherry, where we visit the oldest Jewish Synagogue in India, built in 1568 AD. It was destroyed by the Portuguese and rebuilt by the Dutch a century later. This will be followed by visit to the Dutch Palace. Built in 1555 AD, its coronation hall and murals at Ramayana are noteworthy features. From Jewish Synagogue, visit Chinese fishing nets. The cantilevered fishing nets line the entrance to the harbor mouth. Chinese traders are believed to have originally introduced them in the 14th century although, today parts of the nets are known by Portuguese names. End the tour with the visit of St. Francis Church. Originally named after Santo Antonio and dedicated to him as the Patron Saint of Portugal, St. Francis Church is the first church to have been in the new European influenced tradition. Originally a wooden building was replaced by the present stone building. Vasco De Gamma died on the site in 1524 and was originally buried in the cemetery. 14 years later his body was removed to Portugal. The church was renamed St. Francis in 1663. In the evening, visit a local theatre to experience Kathakali. Literally meaning “story dance”, it is the pantomimic dance drama, the dancing and the acting being blended into an inseparable form. It is a combination of facial expressions and body movements, which brings out the thought and emotion of the character.

Morning, head into the lush hills of the Western Ghats and the hill-town of Munnar. Strategically located at the confluence of three rivers, the town sits high amongst the cool highlands, surrounded by tea plantations and the mist shrouded hills of the Western Ghats. Look out for some wonderful waterfalls on your way up to the tea country. On arrival, check in for your stay. Located in the Western Ghats at an altitude of 1,524 metres, Munnar is close to Anamudi, the highest peak in South India. The surrounding Nilgiri Hills are covered in a dense carpet of tea and a visit to the town’s Tea Museum reveals how the plant was first introduced and cultivated in the area. As a former colonial hill station, the British would retreat here from the heat of the plains in the summer months and the refreshing climate and stunning hill scenery continue to make it a popular escape. The rest of the day is at leisure for independent exploration.

Morning explores the surrounding tea plantations with an interesting trek to one of the plantations owned and managed by the Estate people. At the plantation, the guide will explain the different types of tea, the plucking and manufacturing process and partake in tea tasting session. Enjoy the sunrise view and return to the estate. In the afternoon drive to Thekkady, with its eternal rainforest, spice plantations and canopies. Thekkady is the ‘Land of the Spices’ Columbus was seeking when he stumbled on the New World; Kerala’s Malabar Coast is famous for its fabulous spice crops. It is a spice trading town next to Periyar National Park in the Cardamom Hills and provides convenient access to the park. Early morning walks are recommended as the forest comes to life with the calls of birds and monkeys, while a day spent inside the reserve trekking, bamboo rafting or strolling through one of the spice plantations, a highly educational and enjoyable experience seeing how crops such as pepper and nutmeg are grown and harvested. On arrival, check in for your stay.

Spend the morning in Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary with your local guide trekking through the jungle and enjoy a bamboo rafting trip on Lake Periyar.The Western Ghats – geologically older than the Himalayas – is one of the world’s most significantly biodiverse regions and has been given World Heritage Site status by UNESCO. The Forests of Kerala account for more than one-third of its terrain. Drive up to nearby Periyar National Park reserve, along the Cardamom and Pandalam hills of the Western Ghats and take a guided nature walk for about an hour on a trail through the park towards Periyar lake. The ecosystem of the park is very interesting – the trees grow up to 40m, and the dense canopy above only allows limited sunlight.

Along with the Malabar giant squirrel, hornbills, woodpeckers, and several other species of birds are easy to spot within the reserve. Afternoon, visit the pepper plantation to see the traditional plantation techniques, while walking amidst the rows of vines creeping upwards on trellises. The correct time to pluck the peppercorns is when they are beginning to redden, just before they are completely ripe. Try your hand at it but be sure to wash up before touching your eyes or nose! The scent of pepper mingles with the fresh mountain air. This is the starting point of the centuries old spice trade and that delicious flavour which makes such a difference to foods worldwide.

Today, drive downhill towards the backwaters of Alleppey. On arrival, board Kettuvallam, a traditional houseboat and spend several hours drifting through the backwaters of Kerala enjoying meals onboard. The Kettuvallam or ‘boat with knots’- was so called because the entire boat was held together with coir knots only – not even a single nail is used during the construction. The boat is made of planks of jack-wood joined together with coir. This is then coated with a caustic black resin made from boiled cashew kernels. With careful maintenance, a Kettuvallam can last for generations. While most boats are poled by local oarsmen, some are powered by a 40 HP engine. The backwaters are a network of canals, lakes, lagoons and estuaries stretching over almost 1000 square miles. Here, palm-fringed narrow canals wind through a vast expanse of paddy fields. As you float along, enjoy the picturesque hamlets that line the banks, migratory birds in abundance, water lilies and coconut groves.

After breakfast, transfer to airport for your homebound flight to Canada.

B – Breakfast L – Lunch D – Dinner