Kerala Culture and Wellness

  • Kochi
  • Alappuzha
  • 11 nights from
  • £3,445 per person
  • Trip Code: MC-1249

Holiday Overview

Kerala Culture and Wellness

 

A superb holiday for anyone wanting to experience some of the beauty of Kerela, whilst also rejuvenating mind and body. This introductory tour of Kerala showcases some of the natural beauty of the region, along with an insight into it’s culture and heritage, combined with an opportunity to enjoy some of the Ayurveda spas that the region is famous for.

Kerala Culture and Wellness includes:

  • International Flights
  • Transfers and sightseeing as listed
  • 3 nights Periyar Riverside accommodation
  • 2 nights Kochi accommodation
  • 2 nights Backwaters accommodation
  • 4 nights Marari Beach Accommodation
1

Day 1 - Arrive Kochi

Warm welcome at the airport by our representative and transfer to the hotel.

Stop for a refreshment (payable locally) and freshen up at the Hotel Port Muzuris near Kochi Airport.

From there head to Quiet by the River located inside the forests of Malayattoor by the Periyar River. It takes about 60 minutes from Kochi airport to reach the forest entry gate (gate opens 07:00 hrs/closes 17:00 hrs). From the entry gate there is another scenic 30-minute drive up a rugged jungle path to the embarkation point where a canoe will pick you up and take you to the Lodge. Experience the River and discover the Forest over the next 3 nights.

Meals Included: Dinner

Featured accommodation

Quiet By The River

2

Day 2 - Quiet by the River

Go on a guided nature walk through the woods with an experienced guide and learn about the lesser known facts about Malayattoor. Experience the untamed wild and on your walk don’t forget to look up and spot the colourful bird-life in the tree tops; and if you’re lucky, spot elephants too in their natural habitat. Listen to jungle lore under a canopy of multi-hued green, and come back with a greater knowledge of the forest and a higher sensitivity to the eco-system.

Meals Included – Breakfast Lunch & Dinner

Featured accommodation

Quiet By The River

3

Day 3 - Quiet by the River

A full day of leisure to enjoy the river lodge and it's facilaties

Meals included: Breakfast Lunch & Dinner

Featured accommodation

Quiet By The River

4

Day 4 - Quiet by the River to Kochi

After a leisurely breakfast transfer to Kochi (Cochin) Cochin (Kochi) is spread across islands and promontories in a stunning location between the Arabian Sea and the Backwaters. The city was founded in 1341 when a flood created a natural safe port which became the principal harbour for Malabar Coast’s spice trade. Cochin was on the main trade route between Europe and China. The rulers invited people of various religions to settle here, attracting the Jews and the Christians who built places of worship and their own communities. Kochi better known as Cochin serenades the present with her past.

In the evening, enjoy an hour boat cruise operated by Brunton Boatyard.

Meals Included: Breakfast

Featured accommodation

Brunton Boatyard

5

Day 5 - Kochi

Today there is an option to start the day a early and experience a wonderful yoga session.

Cochin is the ideal starting point for exploring the unfathomable diversity and beauty of Kerala.

Visit the Dutch Palace (closed on Fridays), which has some of India’s most beautiful murals, the Jewish Synagogue (closed on Fridays & Saturdays) in the heart of Jew Town and the cantilevered Chinese fishing nets. See St. Francis Church (closed on Sundays) where Vasco da Gama was originally buried and the Santa Cruz Church with its pastel coloured interior and carved wooden panels. Also, visit the Hill Palace Museum, which displays royal memorabilia, paintings, carvings and arms.

Later in the evening enjoy the performance of Kathakali, the pantomimic dance-drama. It is a combination of facial expressions and body movements, which brings out the thought and emotion of the character. Kathakali is predominantly a male art and the dancing is mostly of the masculine type. The female character is lasya which is gentle and grateful.

Guests can experience the Ayurvedic massages at the hotel (payable locally).

Meals Included: Breakfast

Featured accommodation

Brunton Boatyard

6

Day 6 - Kochi - Coconut Lagoon

After Breakfast check-out and transfer in by private vehicle to Kumarakom.

The name Kumarakom comes from Lord Kumaran who was worshipped here. Kumarakom is a pictorial, unsoiled village lies on the shores of the pleasant Vembanad Lake. Popularly known as the rice bowl of Kerala, Kumarakom is an invigorating and fascinating paradise with a variety of flora and fauna. Kumarakom is Kerala’s heartland of lagoons, palm fringed lakes and paddy fields, inter-linked with hundreds of winding canals and with the typical low slung country boats that carry almost everything. It is also famous for the bird sanctuary where many species of migratory birds visit.

Check in to the hotel and relax. Rest of the day is at leisure.

Meals Included: Breakfast

Featured accommodation

Coconut Lagoon

7

Day 7 - Backwaters Day Cruise

Enjoy a day cruise on the backwaters. Lunch will be served onboard

The Kerala backwaters are a chain of interconnected canals, rivers, lakes and inlets, located parallel to the Malabar Coast of Kerala state in southern India. Discover how agriculture is practiced below sea-level, a unique cultivation pattern. The boat cruises through the fascinating Vembanad lake of Kerala backwaters allowing you to sample a slice of life in harmony with nature that most travellers don’t see.

After your cruise, you will be assisted & transferred back to hotel.

Meals Included: Breakfast & Lunch

Featured accommodation

Coconut Lagoon

8

Day 8 - Marari Beach

After a leisurely breakfast, check out and transfer in your private vehicle to Mararikulam.

Mararikulam is a quiet fishing village ideal for an enjoyable and relaxing time by the beach after the Kerala holiday. The sun, sea and sand apart, while at Mararikulam, learn more about the life of the simple fishermen, hear their songs as they haul in their catch or the amazing simplicity in the way they thatch their roof with palm fronds. Spend the evening at leisure.

Meals Included: Breakfast

Featured accommodation

Marari Beach

9

Day 9 - Marari Beach

A full day of leisure at Marari Beach.

The yoga centre at Marari is open daily for sessions guided by experts. Clients may opt to watch and interact with Ayurveda therapists as they practice their rigorous and complex Kalari Payattu asanas every other day. There is also an Ayurvedic spa on site for futher pampering (payable Locally)

Meals Included: Brekafast

Featured accommodation

Marari Beach

10

Day 10 - Marari Beach

A full day of leisure at Marari Beach

Meals Included: Breakfast

Featured accommodation

Marari Beach

11

Day 11 - Marari Beach

A final full day of leisure or availing of the hotel’s facilities 

Featured accommodation

Marari Beach

12

Day 12 - Return to Kochi

After breakfst you will be met at the hotel and transferred to Kochi airport for your onward flight.

Meals Included: Breakfast

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