|
View Larger Map
photo: old courtyard fort cochin
photo: aryurveda mana river nila
photo: thoni cruise tirur river joins river nila
photo: rainforest camps periyar
photo: folk expression River Nila
| Route
Calicut -> Wayanad -> River Nila -> Chimmony -> Fort Cochin -> Periyar -> Kumarakom -> Alleppey -> Marari -> Cochin Activities
Caves Visit | Wild Life Safari | Rafting | Backwaters | Boat Cruise | Potter & Bell Metal Workshop | Folk Dance | Trekking | Camping About the itinerary
A classic Kerala tour that provides you the ambience of highlands, rivers, backwaters and beaches. This trip also gives you insights into interior Kerala, unknown territories, cultural richness of a river, spices and aroma of a hill station, ancient heritage of an island and the famed backwaters of Kerala along with it most beautiful beaches. Depending upon the season of your visit, we can include activities like river rafting and rain forest camping to the trip. This trip will give you the touch and feel of Kerala in all its richness. All through out the itinerary, the trip focuses on its people, culture and wilderness.
Various accommodation option ranging from home stay, heritage resorts, hotels and wilderness camping are offered. The days spent in Cochin, and Alleppey the guests has time to explore the areas on their own.
Itinerary:
Day 1 Calicut - Wayanad:
Arrival at Calicut, meet our representative outside the airport terminal and transfer to Wayanad by road (3 hours). Lunch at the hotel and relaxation. Late afternoon visit Edakkal caves, listen to the heritage of Wayanad and see the pre historic sites that unveil the mystery of the land called Wayanad. Back to the hotel in the evening.
Overnight in Wayanad.
Day 2 Wayanad:
Leave for Wildlife Safari in Muthanga wildlife sanctuary after early breakfast: 24 kilometer safari through the sanctuary. You could see Asiatic Elephants, Bears, Wild gaurs, Spotted and Sambar deers and even a leopard. Lunch at a local house hold/Uravu. Spice Tour, Tea estate and waterfall visit in the afternoon. Visit plantations enroute to waterfall areas exploring spices of all kinds grown in Wayanad. Trek down through the rainforest and to explore the Meenmutty waterfalls and back to the hotel by evening.
Overnight in Wayanad.
Day 3 Wayanad - River Nila:
Breakfast at the hotel and transfer to River Nila (4 ½ hours drive). Stop over at a planter's bungalow and lunch with the host family.Afternoon: Thoni cruise (country boat cruise) in the with a visit to Thunjan Parambu Literature Park and Vakkad beach.Proceed to \ hotel near Nila river.
Overnight in Nila.
Day 4 River Nila:
Breakfast at the hotel and morning visit Potters workshop and Bell Metal workshop. Guests get to see how potter weaves magic on clay. The sessions gives opportunity to work on pottery. Guests can give orders for small souvenirs and take it back home as a memento. A visit to the bell metal workshop will take you through the unique craft that is confined to few families in the region. Guests can watch the intricate scientific process of creating the bell metal and how they are used so artistically to create materials like traditional tea pots, unique door locks. In the evening spend time with folk artists show casing the folk heritage of River Nila. Return back to the hotel late in the night.
Overnight in Nila.
Day 5 River Nila:
After breakfast : Day with the Masters at Kalamandalam. An interaction with students and masters of classical dance and music school of Kerala. Return to Hotel for Lunch. Thereafter relax at the hotel.
Oovernight in Nila.
Day 6 Nila - Chimmony Wildlife Sanctuary.
Drive to Chimmony .approx 2hrs drive. Trek through the wilderness of Chimmony to the campsite. Light trekking with our naturalist to explore the wilderness and forest area comprise of Tropical Evergreen forest and deciduous forest.
Rainforest Camping at night.
Day 7 Chimmony - Fort Cochin:
Morning: Go on a birding tour and thereafter leave for Cochin -2hrs drive.Arrive and check into Hotel in Fort Cochin. In the evening attend Kathakali performance in a Theatre at Fort Cochin.
Overnight in Fort Cochin.
Day 8 Cochin:
This day guided tour of Fort Cochin Jew town, Synagogue, Spice Markets, Dutch Palace, St Francis Church ,Chinese Fishing nets.
Overnight in Fort Cochin.
Day 9 Cochin - Periyar :
Drive to Periyar-5hrs drive ..Arrive and proceed to Hotel in Thekkady. Relax till the evening. In the night we start three hours trekking at the fringes of Periyar tiger reserve starting at 7 or 10 at night. Return back to the Hotel.
Overnight in Periyar.
Day 10 Periyar Wild life sanctuary:
Bamboo rafting: This full day programme is combination of dawn to dusk trekking and rafting on reed raft along the Periyar Lake. Good chance of spotting wildlife in your close vicinity. Return back to the hotel by evening.
Overnight in Periyar.
Day 11 Periyar - Kumarakom:
Drive to Kumarakom - 4hrs drive. Kumarakom is about 10kms from Kottayam; one of most beautiful backwater stretches of Kerala. Proceed to backwater resort in Kumarakom.
Relaxation at the backwater resort and overnight in Kumarakom.
Day 12 Kumarakom - Alleppey:
Check out after breakfast and proceed to Jetty to board the houseboat. Backwater Cruise. All meals on board. View the village life while on boat cruise.
Overnight on the Houseboat.
Day 13 Alleppey - Marari:
Disembark the houseboat at Alleppey after a short morning cruise and transfer to beach resort in Marari (45minute drive).
Overnight at the beach resort
Day 14 Marari - Cochin Aiport
Transfer to Cochin airport.
How this particular trip makes a difference to the local community / environment :Spice tours were initiated to support small time farmers and spice planters in and around Wayanad areas to find alternative, supplementary source of income. This provides a glimpse of the issues surrounding the struggles of spice farmers in terms of price crash and issues of globalization.
Thoni Cruise:The boats used as well as the oarsmen are from the local communities. This makes an alternative, supplementary source of incomes to sand miners, coconut processors, and small size property owners.
Evening with the folk artists is part of revival of folk art and music forms.
In Periyar and Chimmony, the programs are operated by local community members belonging to the Eco Development Committees (EDCs). The benefits are transferred directly to the community members. Trekking assistants and guides were mostly poachers and the entire program in Periyar was designed to rehabilitate them. |
 TOP
TOP
TOP
TOP
|
