Cochin is the ideal starting point for exploring the unfathomable diversity and beauty of Kerala. This tour will take you through the rich cultural and natural diversity of Cochin.
Tour items:
* 1 Heritage Tour : Visit to heritage sites in Cochin in the morning by boat conducted by Tourist Corporation. The Place of interests are as follows:
Dutch Palace: The glory of the palace lies in mural paintings, which are the best traditions of Hindu temple art, decorative and stylish.
Synagogue: The oldest synagogue in commonwealth built in 1568. The great scrolls of the Old Testament and exquisite Chinese hand painted tiles are the attractions. The area around synagogue is a center for curio shops and spice trading.
St. Francis Church: The first church built by Europeans in India where the body of Vasco–da -Gama was buried.
Chinese fishing net: These nets on the bay mouth were first erected by traders from the court of Kubla Khan between AD1350 and 1450.
Sunset Tour in the evening: A conducted tour on boat to see the beautiful sunset while cruising through backwaters and lagoons.
* 2 Ayurvedic Healthcare and Body Massage : Health care by ayurvedic physician /therapist, either by a body massage or a consultation is essential for good health. Ayurveda is a complete naturalistic system of medicine for purifying body, mind and soul in the natural way. The rejuvenation therapy for body, mind and soul; enhancing longevity treatment for retarding ageing process is a must.
* 3 Eco–Tourism: The tour to the native village, where spice plantations situated. Here, villagers live a simple life in the pattern prevalent in olden days.
You will be getting a whiff of a real Kerala village by the visit and also an ideal get away from your every day tensions. At the gateway of the village you will be welcomed by the rustling sound of waterfall during monsoon. The village stream flowing through paddy fields and spice plantations add to the picturesque. It paints a pretty scene with pineapple, vanilla, nutmeg and rubber plantations.
This natural lovers paradise is blessed with abundance of natural beauty, stunning view of rolling hills draped in the greenery of rubber plantations and also of velvet lawns of pineapple gardens. A couple of cows in a family is a rule; at dawn cycle riders with pails of milk can be seen on village roads.
Go to a natural walk through rubber and nutmeg gardens and observe birds, butterflies and squirrels. See the harvesting of rubber by a long curving cut on the outer bark of the trunk of rubber tree. The latex with in the tree seeps to the surface of the cut and trickle down through the cuts into the container tied to the tree.
A journey to the graceful village church on the near by hill, laden with the fragrance of natural beauty is relieving one. Cycling through the bund roads of irrigation canals is quite enjoyable. A visit to village blacksmith reveals the age-old art of making agricultural equipments for the villagers. A village lunch with locally grown vegetables, fresh village chicken dish will be an unforgettable experience in your life.
* 4 Elephant safari: The elephant-training centere at Kodanad is at a distance of 45minutes drive. The wild elephant calves rescued from the forests are tamed here to do the jobs such as ferrying trees or caparisoned and used in spectacular pageant of festivals especially in Kerala temples. Now half a dozen calves are undergoing training and the youngest one is three months old. You can enjoy the joy rides on the tamed elephant also.
* 5 Birding: One hour drive will leave you at Thattekad bird sanctuary, situated between the branches of Periyar river. The sanctuary is an evergreen tropical forest, is a perfect habitat and home for different species of birds. You can watch the birds either from the watch tower or a rowing country boat.
The rare birds in the sanctuary are horn bill, crimson-throated barbet, Bee-eater, Sunbird, Shrike, Fairy blue bird, grey-headed fishing Eagle, Back winged kite, Night Heron, Grey Heron, Malabar Shama. You can also see the common birds like Indian Roller, cuckoo, jungle Nightjar, kite, Malabar trogon, Grey jungle fowl, Robin bird, woodpecker, jungle Babbler and darter etc.
* 6 Wild life Expedition: A 3hrs drive through sprawling tea gardens, pristine valleys, picture book towns, winding lanes ends in Eravikulam National park. The park is the abode of Nilgiris Tahr, the endangered mountain goat, now having the largest population in the world.
This wild life sanctury, an ever green tropical forest is sprinkled with patches of shrubs and grass lands. The other animals you can see are lion-tailed Macaque, Gaur, Samber,Tiger, Leopard, Sloth bear, Panther, Wild dogs and Nilgri Languor. It is closed for visitors during monsoon.
* 7 Native Fishing: Catch the fish at the Medieval Times Style by using hook and line from Lagoons and Rivers of Cochin. Experience Shrimp catching by net. Learn the art of fishing by Chinese fishing net.
* 8 Canoing: Exploring the life of the people in the countryside on a country boat, by canoing through narrow canals, in the midst of lush green Coconut grooves is enjoyable one. You can see the coir rope making, Chinese fishing net in action and toddy tapping. A visit to the prawn and crab farms during season will be an added excitement. In the evening you can have your shopping in the city.
Tour Itineraries:
* Package 1 (3 Nights/4 Days US$450.00)
Day 1: Pickup from Air port/ railway station. See “Kathakali” in the evening.
Day: 2-3: Select any two items as per choice from the list of activities.
Day 4: Break fast and transfer to Airport/ Railway station.
* Package 2 (5 Nights/6 Days, US$550)
Day 1: Pickup from Air port/ railway station. See ‘Kathakali’(traditional visual art of kerala) in the evening.
Day 2-5: Select any four items as per choice from the list of activities.
Day 6: Break fast and transfer to Airport/ Railway station.
* Package 3 (7Nights/8Days, US$650)
Day 1: Pickup from Air port/ railway station. See ‘Kathakali’ in the evening.
Day 2-7: Select any six items as per choice from the list of activities.
Day 8: Break fast and transfer to Airport/ Railway station.
Notes:
Airfare is not included in the tour price.
Price Includes:
- Break fast
- Lunch and dinner
- Sightseeing
- Entry fees
- Guide fees parking fees
- Air port/Railway station pick up and delivery
* Travel will be arranged in an Air Conditioned vehicle.
* The package cost mentioned is per person only.
* All stays are on twin sharing basis.
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