Signature India: Highlights of Southern India – Kerala with Home Stay

DAYS 1 and 2: Depart: USA or Canada on a flight to COCHIN, India

DAY 3: ARRIVE IN COCHIN

On arrival, receive assistance at the Cochin airport and transfer to the hotel. The city is now known as Kochi, which with its wealth of historic associations, its setting of a cluster of islands and narrow peninsulas, perfectly reflect the eclecticism of Kerala. Rest of the afternoon is at leisure. Evening enjoy World famous Kerala Mask dance show – Kathakali. Stay overnight at the home stay. Malabar or Trinity House.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Welcome Dinner.

Duration: 1 Hour: Meet and interact with Kathakali mask dancers and watch out their make up session prior to the Kathakali dance performance.

DAY 4: COCHIN - THEKKADY (160 KMS / 5.5 HOURS BY ROAD)

After breakfast, drives to Thekkady enjoy an authentic Keralan lunch enroute. On arrival in Thekkady, check-in to the home stay for overnight stay. Rest of the afternoon is at leisure. . Evening enjoy The Oldest Martial Art show – Kalaripayattu. Stay overnight at the home stay. Pepper County.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Duration: 1 Hour: Kalaripayattu – the oldest of martial art and after show to take photo options with the martial art artists.

DAY 5: THEKKADY

In the early dawn, enjoy a jeep safari in the Periyar Tiger Reserve. The Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary is situated on the banks of the Periyar Lake - an artificial lake, at Thekkady. Here, the high ranges of the Western Ghats are clothed in dense evergreen, moist deciduous forests and savannah grasslands. Below this thick green canopy roam herds of elephants, sambars, tigers, gaurs, lion tailed macaques and Nilgiri langurs. Enjoy a boat ride on the lake in the afternoon and see the wild animals in their natural habitat. In the evening take a spice plantation tour. The spice plantations of Kerala are fascinating farms to wander in, for different sections of each plantation are dedicated to different spices. Apart from spices traditionally grown in India such as pepper, cinnamon, ginger and cardamom farmers in Kerala have taken to growing spices that are used worldwide. Some of the spices cultivated in spice plantations are vanilla, oregano, rosemary, thyme, basil, mint, bay leaf and sage. Take a trip to the spice plantations of Kerala with Kerala Backwater and feel transported into a green paradise. Walk through the aromatic spice gardens where the air is laden with the fragrance of nature's bounty. Some spice plantations in Kerala offer tourists accommodation in the lodges and mansions on the plantation. Guest can stay with the plantations owner's family and enjoy home cooked traditional Kerala cuisine and witness the activities of the spice plantation. Stay overnight at the home stay. Pepper County.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

DAY 6: THEKKADY - KUMARAKOM (103 KMS / 3 HOURS BY ROAD)

In the morning, proceed to Kumarakom. Situated on the banks of Lake Vembanad, Kumarakom is famous for the backwaters and spices. Check-in to the home stays on arrival. In the evening, enjoy a sunset cruise. Stay overnight at the home stay. Philipkutty's Farm.

Enjoy a sunset cruise every evening on a vallam (country boat) out in the open backwaters. The sights, breeze, sounds and smell of the late evenings are indeed very soothing. If you are lucky you can also catch the moonrise.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.

DAY 7: KUMARAKOM
Ask for a cooking class from mum and learn the nuances of the local cuisine. For bird watchers the backwaters and the farm offer ample opportunities for sighting kingfishers, woodpeckers, egrets, cormorants, herons, crow pheasants, snakebirds, teals, etc. Do a farm walk with any of us and learn about farming below lake level as well as the different crops cultivated. Do check out toddy tapping. Walk around the island along the outer dyke. This may take a little under 3 hours and covers a distance of approximately 8 kms. You could also walk in the village and the market, across in the mainland. Do a wider sightseeing and exploration trip of the countryside on a bicycle. A sketch of the region can be provided and you get to enjoy the coconut groves, paddy fields, canals and villages that blend into each other. Most of the roads in the mainland are flat with little or no gradient. The property also offers an ideal setting and is inspiring for serious writers and artists. But, if you are the kind who wants to just relax and cool off, sit on the verandah or under the trees and dream or observe the passing backwater life or catch up with your reading. You could also star gaze into the clear pollution free night sky. Finally you could engage the family members and just chat about anything and everything. Stay overnight at the home stay. Philipkutty's Farm.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.

Visit the Ayurvedic Center opposite the property for consultation. Try out rejuvenating massages to proper Ayurvedic treatments for various ailments spread over weeks if need be.

Duration: 1 Hour.  Experience Kerala Ayurvedic massage. Supplement cost: US$ 40 (approximately)

DAY 8: KUMARAKOM - ALLEPPEY (45 KMS / 1.5 HOURS BY ROAD

In the morning, proceed to Alleppey. Situated on the banks of Lake Vembanad, Alleppey is famous for the backwaters and spices. In the evening take a walk to churches and temples if you so desire and you can take a tour of the countryside on a bicycle and feast on the immaculate beauty of the place. It will take you one step closer to the true backwater life. Check-in to the home stays on arrival. Stay overnight at the home stay. Akkarakalam Memoirs.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.

DAY 9: ALLEPPEY

4 hours Day Cruise Houseboat with Lunch – Welcome drink on board. Cruise by premium houseboat with state of the art facility. Traditional Kerala lunch will be served onboard. Go fishing and enjoy yourself. Catch them with rods or cast the net and catch them or take aim and pierce a fish with spike. Or if you prefer night fishing, simply go about it and rejoice. Or get into a canoe and row over to the middle of the canal with your fishing line and try your luck. Stay overnight at the home stay. Akkarakalam Memoirs.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.

DAY 10: ALLEPPEY - COCHIN (90 KMS / 3 HOURS BY ROAD) to USA or Canada.

In the morning, proceed to Cochin and transfer to the hotel. In the afternoon, visit the Jewish Town and Jewish Synagogue. The Mattancherry Palace and also visit Fort Kochi, Chinese Fishing Nets and local market. Come back and dip in the pool, relax at the patio, chill out at divine or retreat to the peace of your room. We not only offer a good night’s sleep, we offer you an array of experiences. This includes heritage, art, design, music and dance, ayurvedic massage treatments and the acclaimed fine dining.  Stay overnight at the home stay. Malabar or Trinity House.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Farewell Dinner.

DAY 11: COCHIN to USA or Canada.

Enjoy morning at leisure, Step out and discover and life surrounding you. Take the history walk through Fort Cochin with its rich layers of historical remains or take one of our bicycles and discover adjoining Mattancherry, home of 14 distinct communities, a maze of markets, churches and the fabled 16th century synagogue. The warehouses of the old spice market have become India’s biggest market for antigues, artifacts and collectibles, a place to browse and discover. In the afternoon, transfer to the Cochin International Airport to board flight for onward travel to USA or Canada.