A private tour of Kerala which is an immersive cultural experience of God's own country over 6 days. Key highlights include boat safari in the Periyar wildlife sanctuary, Spice plantation walk, houseboat stay experience on the backwaters of the Bay of BEngal, a local market visit, cultural experience – Kathakali dance and Kalarippayattu martial art performance, folklore museum, Palace of Kochi and the oldest synagogue of India.
This tour is organized by Five Senses Tours, a private limited company recognized by the Ministry of Tourism and a member of the Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO). The tour has been designed to support local livelihoods by way of employment of local guides, and supporting local businesses in line with the mission of the company to ensure travel dollars stay where they are spent.
Our guide will pick you from the hotel lobby
We visit Mattancherry Palace built by the Portuguese in 1557 and presented to Raja Veera Kerala Varma of Kochi, the Palace was renovated in 1663 by the Dutch. The palace with a Bhagavathi Temple in the central courtyard is built like the typical Kerala style mansion - the Nalukettu - the home of the aristocracy, nobility, upper classes, with four separate wings opening out to a central courtyard.
We will visit the famous Jew town and see Paradesi Synagogue, the oldest Synagogue in commonwealth nations.
Its an architectural and ethnographic museum. This is a treasure trove of stone, wood and bronze sculptures, ancient terracotta, Stone Age objects, jewelry, paintings, oil lamps, musical instruments, tribal and folk art, wood works, utensils, masks and traditional art forms etc. The folklore theatre also features traditional art performances.
We will see the famous Chinese fishing nets in Kochi.
The Kerala cultural centre has shows on Kalaripayattu the ancient martial art. his martial art draws inspiration from inspiration from the raw power and sinuous strength of the majestic animal forms lion, tiger, elephant, wild boar, snake and crocodile. The show with its sheer energy will be spellbinding.
This is a performance of Kathakali the dance form of Kerala. Kathakali is a dance drama which originated in the 17th century. Dancers get a fantastic makeup and then tell a story, often from the epic Ramayana, through their dance. You will get to see the main performance of the dancers.
We will visit a unique fishing village called Kumbalingi. For the next 4 hours we will ride a country boat and wade through the back waters and experience the village life. The experience includes fishing, crab farm visit, coir yarn making, weaving of coconut leaves, Chinese fishing nets and culminates with lunch.
Drive from Kochi to Thekkady
After breakfast we visit Periyar National park Covering 777 sq. kilometres, of which 360 sq. kilometres is thick evergreen forest, Periyar Wildlife Reserve is both a Tiger and an Elephant Sanctuary. We take a boat cruise to the dam catchment area for wildlife sighting in their natural habitat.
This is the spice farming capital of Kerala with cardamom, pepper, ginger, turmeric, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, all spice, etc being its being its major produce. A two hour tour amidst the spice plantations can do wonders to the mind and body. Abraham’s Spice Garden is a famous and well reviewed plantation that is open to guests all year round.
A 4 hour drive will bring us to Allepey. Check into House boat. We start cruising through the lakes; enjoy the panoramic views and the glimpses of the life along the banks. We also visit a historic church. All meals are organized in the house boat itself. We anchor at night in the backwaters.
A 90 minute drive will bring us to Fort kochi. After lunch we will walk through the spice bazaars of Kochi, before drop back to Airport.
If you cancel at least 6 full day(s) before the scheduled departure time, you will receive a full refund.
If you cancel between 2 and 6 day(s) before the scheduled departure time, you will receive a 50% refund.
If you cancel within 2 day(s) of the scheduled departure, you will receive a 0% refund.
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