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Request Brochure - Simply Kerala - God's Own Country
To book or for more information please call: 0330 341 1117 and quote RTA
Simply Kerala - God's Own Country
Wildlife, Culture & History of Kerala
Enjoy this 11 day tour, simply Kerala and discover an idyllic land of ancient ports, labyrinthine backwaters, forested uplands, spice- and tea-plantations and palm fringed beaches.
Journey to India’s far southwest and start with a stay in sublime port-city Kochi, an ancient, cosmopolitan trading gateway fusing Indian, Chinese and a rich mélange of European cultures in an enthralling, captivating mix. Head into the temperate, misty mountains beyond, where the spices and wildlife of Lake Periyar, and colonial hill-station Munnar’s tea plantations are memorable highlights. Cruise gently through a verdant, languid landscape on a traditional houseboat, then head for a few relaxing days in a Keralan beach-front cottage.
Holiday Highlights
Enjoy an included city tour to cosmopolitan Kochi
See Kochi’s famous Chinese fishing nets
Enjoy a traditional Kathakali dance performance
Visit a traditional Keralan crafts village
Cookery lesson and dinner with a Keralan family
Scenic hill-station Munnar's colonial-era charm
Visit the famous Tata Tea Museum and learn about tea cultivation
Idyllic Periyar with its spice plantation and wildlife sanctuary
Spend a night on a traditional kettuvallam houseboat
Cruise through the languid backwaters, through coconut groves and rice fields
Enjoy a boat trip on Lake Periyar, looking out for elephants and other species
Two relaxing full days at a beach-front hotel on the Indian Ocean
What's Included
Eight nights’ half-board accommodation at hotels in Kochi (2 nights), Munnar (1), Periyar (2) and Mararikulam (3), plus one night on the aircraft
One night’s full-board accommodation on a traditional Keralan houseboat
Return flights to Kochi, via Muscat or Dubai
Comfortable, air-conditioned coach travel and transfers
Fully escorted by a friendly, professional tour manager
Itinerary
Day 1
Fly overnight to Kochi.
Day 2
Upon arrival at Kochi airport, meet your tour manager and transfer to your hotel in this, one of India’s most cosmopolitan cities and a trading port for centuries, that still has a distinctly European feel – especially in the Fort Cochin area.
This evening, experience a traditional Kathakali dance performance, a colourful spectacle that combines elaborate costumes with literature, music, painting and dance, before sitting down to dinner in your beautifully appointed hotel.
Day 3
Today, you’ll enjoy an included guided tour of Kochi, historic Cochin. See the Dutch Mattancherry Palace and its exquisite murals, the ancient Jewish synagogue and enchanting Fort Cochin, where the Chinese fishing nets lining the northern shore are one of India’s most photographed sights. A village green straight from a genteel English scene is overlooked by historic St Francis Church, while a short ferry ride away, sprawling Ernakulam, with its high-rises, cinemas, international shopping and modern take on street food, is the contrasting face of 21st-century Kerala.
Enjoy a cookery demonstration and dinner with a local Keralan family.
Day 4
Today you’ll leave Kochi for a memorably scenic drive to the hill station at Munnar, a quintessential reminder of the days of the Raj and a place of tea plantations, verandas, golf links and manicured lawns. You’ll spend a night in this former favourite of South India's European settlers, and will also enjoy visits to a working tea plantation and the fascinating Tata Tea Museum, for insights into the cultivation and production of Indian teas. Later, enjoy the evening and dinner at your comfortable resort hotel.
Day 5
Travel up into a lush, rolling landscape dotted with tea and spice plantations, where the air is filled with the scent of cardamom, to remote Periyar. This National Park is one of India’s most celebrated wildlife sanctuaries, and a refuge for several species of endangered mammals and over 250 bird species. This evening, enjoy a traditional Kalaripayattu martial arts display before dinner at your comfortable hotel in its beautiful setting.
Day 6
This morning, join a guide to explore a spice plantation and learn about the history of Indian spices, which are grown in abundance on the verdant slopes around you, dried, sorted by hand, and exported far and wide.This afternoon, complete your visit to enchanting Periyar with a boat ride (water levels permitting) on serene Periyar Lake at the national park's heart. Keep an eye out for of elephants, who come down through the forest to play in the waters, as well as colourful bird life during the cruise. Indian tigers and even leopards, some of which inhabit the sanctuary, are more elusive. Enjoy a second evening in this idyllic place.
Day 7
Today you’ll travel the short distance to Alleppey, your gateway to the Keralan backwaters and often described as 'the Venice of the East'. Here you’ll board a traditional, thatched-roofed kettuvallam houseboat, and enjoy a welcoming lunch prepared by the boat’s chefs, as you begin a wonderful cruise through a labyrinth of canals and waterways lined with coconut groves and rice fields dotted with temples. Tiny islands offer subsistence to fishermen, buffalo farmers, coconut growers and coir processors, who turn the fibre taken from coconut husks into rope and matting.
After a wonderful day, you’ll enjoy dinner and a night aboard this very special vessel.
Day 8
After a leisurely breakfast on board, bid farewell to your floating home, disembarking in Kumarakom, an island town in the heart of Kerala's backwaters and a well-known haven for migratory birds.
You’ll journey back down to the shores of the Indian Ocean, to charming Mararikulam for three night relaxing stay by palm fringed beaches. Your final hotel is right by the beach and rooms are housed in cottages throughout the grounds.
Day 9 & 10
Over the next two days, enjoy the pool and deck, take a stroll on the hotel's private white, sandy beach or visit the nearby coastal village of Mararikulam.
There's an Ayurveda centre where you can enjoy a relaxing spa (extra cost) or explore the expansive beach front grounds of the hotel with its natural ponds, a butterfly garden and an organic vegetable farm.
Day 11
Transfer to Kochi airport, and check in for your return flight to London.
Special requirements
If you have notified us of any special requirements, please check that they have been noted and acknowledged. This is especially important with any dietary needs you may have.
Disabled access
The majority of our tours involve a certain amount of walking, including a short walk from the coach stop to the town, attraction or venue you're visiting. If you are bringing a wheelchair, please let us know at the time of booking so that appropriate arrangements can be made.
Itinerary changes
Occasionally, for operational reasons, we may have to change the order of the excursions on your holiday. The final day-by-day itinerary will be confirmed on your Final Travel Documents, which you will receive approximately three weeks prior to your departure.
Foreign Office Travel Advice
Visit www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice to find out the latest Foreign And Commonwealth Office travel advice for your holiday destination, as well as information about passports and visas.
Passports and visas
British citizens require machine-readable passports when travelling overseas. Your passport must contain two blank pages and be valid for 180 days after your return date from India. A visa is also required for entry to India. Full details of how and when to apply will be sent out about eight weeks before departure. British CITIZENS and some other European nationals satisfying certain conditions may use the online e-Tourist Visa application process at a cost of $10 (US) per person for entry to India for arrivals in the months of April, May and June or $25 (US) per person for arrivals in other months. Other British passport holders, who are not British CITIZENS, must apply for a full visa which costs £112. You may also, at extra cost, use the services of CIBT, our recommended visa handling partner, who will handle the whole process for you. Note that all travellers of Pakistani descent, regardless of citizenship, will generally be subject to more detailed processing by the Indian authorities, which can take up to four months from application.
On your flight
Flights from London leave in the evening and land at your destination the next day. All return flights leave in the morning and land in the UK on the same day. On-board meals will usually include dinner and breakfast on outbound flights, and lunch and a snack on the flight home. Drinks are complimentary.
Travel vaccinations
Requirements and advice can vary over time, and from person to person, so please contact your GP about eight weeks before your trip to check whether you need any vaccinations or any other preventive measures.
Road conditions
In developing countries road networks are continually being improved and expanded, which can mean that, from time to time, roadworks and rough road surfaces can extend journey times. Many roads do not have separate pavements or safety barriers, and great care should be taken when crossing or walking alongside roads.
Changes to your hotels
Should circumstances require, we reserve the right to accommodate you in alternative hotels, of a similar standard, nearby. Full details of your hotels will be sent with your Final Travel Documents.
Luggage allowance
You are permitted to take one suitcase per person on the aircraft, which should not exceed 23kg.
Hotel transfer times
The transfer time from the airport to your hotel on arrival is approximately one hour.
Flight information
Please note, all flights operate via Muscat or Dubai. New local laws prohibit some hotels in Kerala from selling alcohol.