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| Kochi,
Backwater & Wildlife Tour – 7 nights |
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About this holiday
Using a handful of excellent mid-range
hotels, this inland tour boasts a number of Keralan delights:
a good look at cultural Kochi, a tranquil cruise through the
lush lagoons of Kerala’s backwaters as well as two-night
stay in the beautiful and exotic Periyar National Park. The
tour works very well on its own and can also make an interesting
addition to holidays in Sri Lanka and/or the Maldives. It
is available all year, with special rates on offer during
the off-season from May to September, although due to the
monsoon we advise against traveling in June.
Holiday highlights
• Wander around historic Fort
Kochi
• Visit St. Francis Church, Mattancherry Palace &
medieval synagogue
• Shop for antiques and see unique Chinese fishing nets
• Watch a traditional Kathakali dance performance
• Watch elephant herds in Periyar National Park
• Trek through Periyar jungle
• Visit one of Thekkady’s spice planatations
• Explore Kerala’s serene backwaters and village
life
• See coir-making and toddy-tapping along river banks
• Stay overnight on exclusive Kettuvallam style houseboat
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Day
1 & 2:
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Arrive at Kochi Airport and be welcomed by a Red Dot Tours representative
and transferred in one of our comfortable Ambassador cars to
Fort Kochi, an ancient Roman trading port that provided a safe
port of call for sailors on the main trade route from Europe
to China. The journey from the airport will take approximately
one hour before you check in to Malabar House. After resting
at the hotel, dipping into the cool courtyard swimming pool
and enjoying your first taste of Kerala’s distinctive,
spicy cuisine, we suggest you wander around the fort in the
late afternoon. Walk along the promontory and see the unique
Chinese Fishing Nets and generally soak up the atmosphere of
the town. During the evening you may wish to watch a Kathakali
dance performance, a noisy, colourful and spellbinding 400-year
old dance-drama, which is well worth seeing.
The following day, hopefully after a refreshing night’s
sleep, we will show you around the fort, the highlights of which
are a magnificent synagogue dating back to 1568, the St. Francis
Church, India’s oldest European church, and the Mattancherry
Palace, a gift to the Raja of Kochi back in 1557. Having been
built by the Portuguese and with subsequent additions from the
Dutch, this two-story Palace makes an interesting amalgam of
European styles of architecture. While the outside of this palace
is not particularly striking, the interior is quite the opposite,
its walls adorned with murals, the quality of which is said
to make them the best kept secret in India. Along with the sixteenth-century
friezes illustrating stories from the Ramayana, these are fine
examples of the Keralan School of art. Other objects of interest
include a collection of Dutch maps, coronation robes, weapons
of war and household furniture.
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Accommodation profile:
Malabar House is a little gem: a sophisticated boutique hotel
that has quite understandably become one of the most sought-after
properties in Fort Cochin. Formerly a Dutch col onial mansion,
which has been lovingly restored, there are 17 individually
designed suites that mix contemporary design with vibrant colours
and antique local furnishings. The atmosphere is peaceful, the
service is excellent and the fusion food is acclaimed. |
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Day 3 & 4:
Travelling by car, you will venture inland through the spice-scented
foothills of the Western Ghats, an area famous for its cardamom,
clove, pepper, coffee and rubber plantations. At the end of
this scenic journey, which will have taken four hours, you arrive
at the Periyar National Park, the leading wildlife park in South
India which was designated as part of Project Tiger in 1972.
The lakeside sanctuary, best explored by boat or on foot with
a trekking guide, is home to a relatively small population of
game but thanks to the stringency of its newly introduced anti-poaching
policies, the number of animals is rapidly replenishing. With
the Kerala Forest Department having happily enlisted the support
of the indigenous Mannan community, who now conserve the reserve
in exchange for money from eco-tourism, you are likely to see
elephant grazing by the lakeside as well as bison, sambar, wild
boar and barking deer. There are also quite a few tigers in
Periyar, but these are more often heard than seen, especially
at the night when prowling the jungle for prey.
Given the amount of travelling you will have done, coupled with
the fact that there is so much to see and do, we recommend that
you spend two nights here, in a small six-bedroom former Maharajah’s
game lodge called Lake Palace. Spend your days relaxing on your
island, cruising around the lake and trekking through the jungle.
For the tirelessly active, there are a number of additional
excursions that can be organised, such as a tour of the spice
plantation, a night trek, elephant and even bullock cart rides.
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Accommodation profile:
Lake Palace, a former Maharaja’s holiday home now managed
by the Kerela Tourism Development Corporation, is a very special
property because of its idyllic peninsula location inside the
heart of Periyar Wildlife Reserve. Supplies and guests are ferried
across the lake, a pleasant 20-minute journey. Elephants stroll
close-by and tigers, leopards and wild dogs can often be heard
at night. Thankfully, it has been preserved as a heritage property,
and thus it retains much of its old-world charm. |
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Day 5:
In the morning depart for Alappuzha (formerly
known as Alleppy and referred to by some as the ‘Venice
of the East’), a town surrounded by a large network of
canals that has now become a major centre for backwater tours
and is most famous for its annual ‘snake boat’ races
in August. The drive from Kochi will take about 90 minutes and
you will board your traditional Kettuvallum houseboat (reconverted
rice barges) at noon for one of the highlights of your holiday.
Journey through Kuttanad country, a land of shimmering waterways
and dense tropical greenery, witnessing the age-old village
livelihoods so vividly described in Arundhati Roy’ novel,
The God of Small Things. Chugging slowly through canals and
creeks, the hours will slip by as you gaze ashore, passing homes,
farms, paddy fields, playful children, fisher-folk in traditional
dugouts and bathing buffaloes. Watch out for fish-eagles circling
for prey and wise cormorants perched on the riverbank. At 6pm
the houseboat will moor up and the staff will cook a sumptuous
traditional feast. Sleep contentedly in your air-conditioned
cabin and look forward to the coming day. |
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Day 6 & 7:
After breakfast you will have another two hours to cruise as
you head for Kumarakom, an island on the large Lake Vembanad.
There is a wonderful bird sanctuary here, which serves as a
winter home for many migratory birds, some from as far away
as Siberia. Enthusiasts should visit at dawn when, depending
on the time of year, species may include the golden-backed wood-pecker,
darter, little cormorant, night heron, white-breasted water
hen, tree pie and many more. We head straight for Coconut Lagoon,
one of Red Dot’s favourite Keralan properties for a relaxing
two-night stay. Accommodation
profile: Coconut Lagoon is an attractive
boutique hotel, cleverly crafted from the fragments of ancient
village homes and palaces. In some cases entire houses - complete
with beautiful wood carvings and original brass work - have
been painstakingly transplanted into the property, piece by
piece. The result is the ultimate backwater resort, whose
serene surroundings make it virtually impossible not to relax
and unwind. The cuisine is delicious and the staff are friendly.
Like the other Casino Hotels, there is a special emphasis
on caring for the environment. In fact, they are so serious
about it that there is a full-time director in charge of their
environmental policies, which include comprehensive waste
management schemes and a breeding programme to protect the
endangered Vechoor cows.
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Day 8:
Unfortunately, you have to leave. Those travelling back to the
UK will need to leave early, at around 6am, for a two-hour journey
that starts on a boat and finishes at Kochi Airport in a faithful
Ambassador car. Your late morning flight connects with a lunchtime
flight from Colombo meaning you should arrive in the UK by early
evening. |
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Cost:
Package price includes:
- 6 night’s BB hotel accommodation on twin-sharing
basis (HB at Lake Palace)
- 1 night’s full-board accommodation on houseboat
- Airconditioned car and English-speaking driver for transfers
- Entrance fees: St. Francis Church, Mattancherry Palace,
Synagogue, Kathakali dance performance
- One trek with a private guide in Periyar National Park
- Unlimited boat cruises in Periya National Park
- Spice plantation tour
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