Arrival at Cochin Airport, Meet and arrival assistance and after a traditional welcome by a local representative, drive to Munnar; on your way, visit Thattekad Bird Sanctuary, spread over 25 Sq kms. of forests, wetlands and rivers. More than 300 species of birds are found here and the list is ever growing, as new birds are added every year.

A guided walk around the Sanctuary and you will come across dozens of species of birds.

After spending some time in bird Sanctuary continue being driven to Munnar, a beautiful hill station which retains its colonial charm and is famous for its tea plantations. The town is situated at the confluence of three mountain streams Mudrapauzha, Naliathani and Kundala, where sprawling tea plantations, picture book towns & winding lanes make it a unique experience, enroute visit Cheyyappara & Valara waterfalls (cascading down 500ft in seven steps), Viewpoint etc. Upon arrival, we check into our hotel and spend the rest of the day at leisure enjoying the ambiance of the town or the beauty of its bazaars.

Wake upto the scenic beauty of wonderful waterfalls & hills with low flying clouds. Today, on your city tour visit Rajamala Sanctuary for glimpses of endangered mountain goat Nilgiri Tahr (enroute visit, picturesque Nyayamakad waterfalls (for a breathtaking waterfall here cascade down the hills from a height of 1600 meters and creates a foggy atmosphere) & Anai Mudi, the highest peak of South India. Picture the rare goats locking their thorns with each other roaming on a stretch of grassland or climbing the pinnacles of the undulating hills. The park also shelters macaques, langurs & Neelakurunji (a plant which blossoms every 12 years) and turns the entire landscape blue when it does.

Trek at the rolling hills, at the lush mountains of Pothamedu – offering an excellent view of tea, coffee and cardamom plantations in Munnar.

This evening enjoy boating on Mattupetty Dam (on direct payment basis) or enjoy a game of golf at the Kundala Golf Course or just relax besides the Kundala Lake where the locals gather at the afternoons. Night stay at Munnar.

Morning, drive through beautiful and lush countryside across the top of the hills to Thekkady,  a small town close to Periyar National Park. As the road winds through mountains, you will descend through a carpet of tea bushes, estates of tall rubber trees and gardens of coffee, cardamom and pepper.

Arrival and check-in at the hotel.

A Spice plantation tour in the afternoon: The tour is all about explaining the history, growth and development of spices like, cardamom and pepper. Others crops include tea, coffee and vanilla. It is very exciting to see all these, as most of the world have seen this only in the supermarket shelves as a packed product.

A cultural evening of Kalaripayattu (Martial Arts) show: Catch some live performances of the traditional Kerala martial art show for one hour, “Kalarippayattu”, known as the mother of all martial arts. Kalarippayattu originated and was crafted in ancient south India drawing inspiration from the raw power and sinuous strength of the majestic animal forms; lion, tiger, elephant, wild boar, snake and crocodile. Enjoy this and get awed by the gravity-defying stunts and the agility of the performers.

After all the sightseeing, you will be transferred to your hotel for overnight stay.

A trek inside the forest: Early morning, proceed for a guided jungle walk in Periyar National Park to admire its abundant birdlife – kingfishers, storks and hornbills; this is a dawn to afternoon range hiking. The forests are rich in bird life and arboreal animals like giant squirrel and Nilgiri langur are a common sightseeing. Animals like elephant, gaur and sambar are also sighted keeping close to the edges of the lake.

We retrace our steps backwards for a quick breakfast at the hotel.

Duration of Hiking: 2.5 hrs

Post breakfast, transfer to Kumarakom, a cluster of small islands on  the Vembanad Lake; on your city tour experience the local color and beauty at the Kumarakom village as the rich greens and the rural life are clubbed with the beautiful Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary, the bird sanctuary is a favorite haunt of migratory birds and an ornithologist’s paradise, migratory birds like the Siberian stork that live in flocks are a fascination for visitors.

Enjoy your lunch besides the beautiful Aruvikkuzhi Waterfalls (direct payment basis) where numerous streams tinkle softly as they make their way through a verdant landscape and waters roar as they cascade down precipitously down a height of 100ft.

Later learn about plucking, de-husking, breaking, grating and finally using the grated coconut. Enjoy sunset cruise on a Rice Boat (on direct payment basis)

Overnight will be at hotel in Kumarakom.

We check out and drive to Alleppey (also known as Alappuzha) – a principal center for backwater cruises in Kerala. Upon arrival, we board our houseboat and begin our cruise along the backwaters of Kerala, (locally known as ‘Kettuvalam), one of the highlights of the trip, these enchanting boats have been decorated and made into comfortable cruise vessels. While sailing down a maze of canals one sees, paddy fields, coconut palms, fisherman along the palm fringed backwaters, understand simple life of the village people as you cruise. Lunch, and tea snacks will be provided in the boat.

Dining onboard is an experience in its self. The ethnic meals are prepared on board by a personal cook and fish delicacies like white prawns, pearl spotted fish, crabs and mussels are the specialties.  The day ends with a special dinner hosted on the deck of the houseboat, followed by a memorable night stay. The boat will be anchored in the lake for overnight stay.

Early morning, enjoy the scenery as our Houseboat again rows over the backwaters. Post breakfast check-out and transfer to Kovalam, a conjunction of three adjacent crescents or beaches, comprising of Lighthouse Beach, Hawah or Eve’s Beach and Samudra beach.

At evening, treat your taste buds as you relish banana chips, raw banana dishes, banana milk shake, banana ice cream, (optionally) hire a boat from the local fishermen to view the adoring sun setting behind the vast sea.

At dinner (optional), enjoy the flavors of India and fell the magic of its food, take your pick from the fisherman’s net, (purchase juicy sear fish, sardines, prawns, red snappers etc.)  & ask the friendly fisherman to fry it for you the local way OR simply try Kerala’s hot red fish curry with steamed tapioca or boiled rice OR simply enjoy a full Prawn.

During your stay at the beach we have arranged for you a massage at one of the Ayurvedic Massage centres. Experience a new life emerging within you, a new source of energy, a skin which is rejuvenated, an age which has no effects of time. You will have full day to relax at the wonderful tropical beach and later set out for fishing with local fishermen on traditional kattamaran (optional).

Morning after breakfast, time at leisure to explore on your own or rest at the hotel.

Afternoon, you will be driven to Trivandrum Airport to board your flight for onward destination.