Malabar Western Ghats | Visit to Kerala | Holiday in Kerala | Travel to Kerala

Upon arrival at Kochi airport, you will be meet and greeted by our representative. Then you will be transferred to the hotel. Overnight stay.

Kochi is the only place in the country where you can see St. Francis church, Jewish synagogue, Hindu temples, Dutch palace & Mosque nearly side by side. This evening enjoy a boat trip along the palm fringed lakes & backwaters of the area. As you will sail along the shady canals,  you will see cantilevered Chinese fishing nets. Later attend the performance of the Kathakali, one of India’s most famous classical dance. Lavish costumes & exotic makeup & masks intensify the beauty of the dancers, intricate moments. Overnight stay. 

After breakfast, cruise the backwaters & explore the rural life in & around Alleppey to Kumarakom. Lifetime experience of Houseboat - the moving master piece, have been plying the inland waterways of southwest India for untold centuries and originally used as cargo rice boats. The fully furnished and palm covered boats (single & double) bedrooms with attached bath, sit out, kitchen and living room made of traditional wood. In each houseboat, there is 3 men staff (crew), comprising a cook and two well-trained punters throughout the cruise. Punters stand on each end of the boat for punting and directing the boat. Traditional vegetarian and non-vegetarian Kerala cuisine is served. A journey through the backwaters of Kerala offers one of the world's truly unforgettable experiences, myriad network of silent lagoons, freshwater river and hyacinth covered canals that wind their way through colorful corridors of forests, palms and fruit trees. You will see lush palm groves and stretches of rice fields. Overnight stay. 

Disembark after breakfast and leave for Philipkutty’s farm which is on a man-made island in lake Vembanad. You can then tour the farmland - staying at Philipkutty’s Farm is an excellent opportunity to enjoy the real Keralan experience in a fascinating location, with a caring family to look after you. It is a special place, as it provides something different, especially for those who prefer small and friendly places and could just be the perfect hideaway for the bespoke traveller. 

The waterfront villas are entirely independent and away from the family residence. The first villa designed by Karl Damscen, a Swiss architect, is a traditionally styled, antique filled, open plan affair, with sufficient space for a couple and an extra bed if need be. The other villas are the same in style and deco, but with separate bedroom, living room and ‘sit-out’ facing the peaceful waterfront. 

All this is set on a beautiful small farm island which was actually reclaimed from the backwaters (Vembanad Lake). The working farm, which practices sustainable / organic methods of farming, is two metres below the lake level and has coconut, toddy, nutmeg, banana, cocoa and pepper cultivation not to forget the jumbo prawn (scampi) and karimeen (pearlspot) found in some of the farm canals. Though accessible by road (up to the opposite bank), it is the ‘Vallam’ (country boat) that will finally take you across. Overnight stay.

Today you are ferried across in a local boat to just opposite the house where a car will be waiting for you. You will be driven to Kanam via Kottayam. Overnight stay.

Today you can spend some time watching the resident elephant at work (and feeding him),take undisturbed walks in the surrounding rubber plantation, finding out how rubber is produced. The area is also home to cocoa, pepper, coffee, cardamom, pineapple, tapioca, papaya and banana plantations or laze by the pool in the shade of pepper and papaya trees. Overnight stay. 

Drive to a tranquil hill retreat of Periyar upon arrival check in hotel. Evening enjoy Safari Drive to a tranquil hill retreat of Periyar. Upon arrival check into the hotel. In the evening enjoy Safari cruise with best trained guide in Periyar game sanctuary– the best way to see & enjoy the Wildlife Activities, cruise in the Periyar lake in the cool surroundings and the panorama spreads around tropical jungles, wild elephants & birds of myriad varieties. With an area of 777 sq kms in the hills of western ghats amongst the animals are wild elephants, wild boar, sambar, tiger, leopard, wild dog and monkey which can be seen and photographed at close quarters. Overnight stay.

Game viewing by boat trip. Though it is a Tiger reserve, the famous striped beasts are rarely seen; you can expect to see elephants, deer and may be macaques or langurs, as well as birdlife. Overnight stay.

After breakfast drive to Munnar. Upon arrival check into the hotel. Munnar is situated at the confluence of three mountains streams – Mudrapuzha, Nallathanni & Kundala. Later visit Mattupetty – 13 kms away from Munnar, situated at a height of 1700m. It is famous for its highly specialized dairy farm – the indo Swiss livestock project. Over a hundred varieties of high yielding cattles are reared here. Visit Mattupetty lake & dam just a short distance from the farm, is a very beautiful picnic spot. This sprawling Kundala tea plantations and the Kundala lake are the other attraction in the vicinity. Overnight stay. 

Today you are driven for Palakkad for a homestay experience at Kandath Tharavad. Pallakad is quite different from what you have seen in Kerala so far. It is known as  rice bowl of Kerala, you will be surrounded by paddy fields with a backdrop of distant hills. You will be offered  whole range of things to do, from a bullock cart ride to trekking, birding or cycling. Overnight stay.

Today you head to Nilgiris - The blue mountains - with its two famed hill stations, Coonoor and Ooty. The last part of the journey will include a 1-hour toy train ride. The car will drop you at Coonoor station and collect you at Ooty afterwards. This is a much better way of getting to the other side of the Nilgiris, as the hilly road is quite busy with a lot of hairpin bends. Overnight stay.

Enjoy countryside drive to Mysore, en route cross Bandipur national park. Take jeep safari to see the group of elephants and other animals. Upon arrival check into the hotel. Overnight stay.

Mysore is a beautiful city of stately palaces, gardens, parks and museums. Today your tour of Mysore includes visit to Mysore palace, Chamundi hill, and the colourful and aromatic spice market. At Chamundi hill, you will find Nandi, a monolithic image of Shiva's Bull, which is always garlanded with flowers and held in high esteem by Hindus. Your afternoon is at leisure. In the afternoon, you can visit Tipu Sultan Summer palace at Srirangapatnam. This evening, enjoy the beautiful and exquisitely illuminated Brindavan garden, which sprawls amid gorgeous cascading fountains. Overnight stay at the hotel.

After breakfast drive to Tranquil, a homestay in a coffee plantation, a few kilometers from Sulthan Bathery. Here, you can go for various well-signed treks in the huge estate, varying in length and difficulty from a short plantation tour (vanilla & coffee) to a hike up to a 3000-foot viewpoint. You may want to visit the nearby Edakkal caves - 1 km trek up hilly terrain to see 5000-year-old etchings. Overnight stay.

Drive to Vythiri located in the Wayanad district in north Kerala, India. Wayanad is rich in coffee and spice plantations. Wayanad is steeped in history and traditions which historians claim date as far back as 10 centuries before Christ. They refer to the Edakkal caves as evidence where ancient carvings have been traced to a highly civilized people from the pre-historic stone ages. Wayanad is also a home to proud indigenous tribesmen. Numerous tribal communities co-exist with a well-settled planter population. Overnight stay.

Morning drive to Thalassery. In the evening you can enjoy excellent home cooking, both vegetarian and non-vegetarian. Overnight stay.

Say good bye to this fascinating land of Malabar Coast and drive to Kozhikode airport for your flight to next destination.

The above itinerary can be further customized as per your travel requirements.