KERALA EXPERIENCE

Today you will enjoy a tour of Cochin - Kochi Nivasi (resident of cochin). This unique tour will make you a resident of Kochi (long known as Cochin) for a day. At 9am you will be driven to Fort Cochin to visit The St Francis Church, the oldest European Church in India, Vasco de Gama the first European traveller to India was originally buried here.

Visit the Chinese fishing nets. Then take an autorikshaw ride (tuk tuk) to Mattancherry. The Dutch Palace at Mattancherry is renowned for its wall murals. Visit the Jewish Synagogue (Friday and Saturday closed) at the heart of what is locally called Jew Town.

At about noon take the local bus from Mattancherry to Broadway (40 minutes), the famous wholesale market. The bus journey is a thrilling experience passing through the bridges, narrow roads and finally the Mahatma Gandhi Road. Broadway is the final word in wholesale shopping in Cochin; you name it and you get it here.

A stroll along Marine Drive, a long tree-lined coastal pathway that lines the backwater reveals the bustling backwaters, dotted with fishing boats, speedboats, ships, tankers and passenger boats. At 3pm enjoy a motor boat cruise for 45 minutes around the harbour area. At 4pm travel to Ernakulam South Railway station, one of the busiest train station in Kerala. In the busy evening hours, you will see thousands of passengers busily moving around to catch their train after the day's work. Then return to your hotel where you can relax and perhaps enjoy a spa treatment or massage.
Overnight : Taj Malabar Resort & Spa, Cochin
Meals : Breakfast

At 4.30am transfer by car (40 minutes) to the nearby village of Kuthiyathode. Then a 20-minute tuk tuk ride to the fishermen's beach where you witness the boatmen bringing in their fresh catch for auction. En route visit coir yarning and mat weaving units. Later continue your drive to reach the beautiful farmhouse set by the backwater. Here you will enjoy breakfast and have the chance to interact with the family and exchange experiences, plus enjoy a brief introduction to some of the heritage relics in the house. Later a 2 km rickshaw ride will drop you at a point for a short village walk. A 10-minute walk will bring you to the local Panchayath ferry. Later walk through the paddy fields/prawn farms, a paradise for bird watchers. Continue on your rickshaw for another 4 km to reach the fish market. Return to the farmhouse at 11.30am, where you can freshen up, have a tender coconut and will be transferred by auto rickshaw to your car and to your hotel.

In the late afternoon, proceed to a local theatre where you can witness a live performance of Kathakaly dance and other performing arts of Kerala.
Overnight : Taj Malabar Resort & Spa, Cochin
Meals : Breakfast

Set out at 7.30am for a half-day bamboo rafting experience. Travel past a mosaic of habitats before boarding the rafts made of bamboo. The forests are rich in bird life and arboreal animals like giant squirrel and Nilgiri langur. Rafting lasts for about three hours revealing a panoramic view of forest-clad hills reflected on the lake. Elephant, gaur and sambar are usually seen keeping close to the edges of the lake. The team hikes back to the boat landing at about 12.30 pm. This tour is excellent for nature lovers to feel the beauty of nature.

In the evening proceed for an elephant ride through the spice plantation followed by a tour with a naturalist. You will get first hand information on the various spices like cardamom, pepper, cinnamon, clover and nutmeg. Learn to cook with spices at our evening cookery class. The focus is on Kerala cuisine, with the accent being on (of course) the effective use of spices.
Overnight: Spice Village.
Meals : Breakfast