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Gentle Walking Kerala
The perfect two week introduction to Kerala with all the must-see sights, scenic walks and a backwaters cruise.
Duration: 14 Days
Combine your itinerary with your preferred hotels or other accommodation. Take a look at the Accommodation section for ideas and inspiration.
| Days 1 - 2 | After an overnight flight you arrive in Kochi and transfer to your hotel. After time to rest you will enjoy a sunset cruise around the islands and headlands that make up the city of Kochi. The cruise will end by the Chinese fishing nets giving you the opportunity to see and photograph one of Kerala's most famous sights. |
| Day 3 | You have a full day sightseeing in Kochi with a local guide. Your tour will take you to the many sights that reflect Kochi's central role in the international spice trade and also its periods of colonisation by the Portuguese, Dutch and British. You will explore the narrow streets and historic houses of old Fort Cochin and visit the riverfront area of Mattancherry - once the centre of the the Malabar spice trade. In the evening you visit a cultural centre to see a fascinating Kathakali dance performance. |
| Day 4 | You leave Kochi this morning and drive east, stopping first at Pazhayaveedu Plantation House. A working rubber plantation, Pazhayaveedu has been home to many planters, activists and entrepeneurs. You will take a walk around the estate to learn its history and see how rubber is produced, before enjoying lunch at the estate house. After, you drive up to Munnar, a former colonial-era hill station and a present day centre of tea production in the mountainous Western Ghats. |
| Day 5 | Today you enjoy a good walk with your guide on the 'Top Valley Trek' trail which reveals the beautiful scenery that made Munnar a popular retreat in the days of the Raj. The hills around Munnar are blanketed by tea plants above which rise sharp, dramatic peaks up to 2,700m. Your trail will take you through tea plantations to forest and grassland before reaching the open ridges of the Ghats, and a summit of 2,250m with sweeping mountain views. Descending back down, you will be met and taken back to your hotel for a well-earned dinner and rest. |
| Day 6 | Tea was first introduced to Munnar in the 1870s and this morning you will visit a tea factory to see all the processes involved in making tea. You will no doubt have the opportunity to try a cup or two of the local brew known as High Range Tea. Lunch will be taken in a tea planter's bungalow followed by a gentle guided walk through the estate where you will see tea pickers nimbly going about their work. |
| Day 7 | This morning you continue your journey east to Madurai in the state of Tamil Nadu. The city of Madurai was originally built in the shape of a lotus flower, centred on the celebrated Sri Meenakshi Temple. The temple attracts pilgrims and visitors from around the world and the streets around it teem with life from dawn till dusk. A local guide will take you on a tour of the temple complex and you will see its famous 12 towers covered in a profusion of multicoloured carvings of gods, goddesses and mythical figures - they are quite extraordinary. |
| Day 8 | You need to make an early start this morning to take an auto-rickshaw to Madurai's flower market, one of the biggest markets in Tamil Nadu. The noise, crowds and heady scent of jasmine will assault all your senses. Later in the day you take a walking tour to see the ruined Nayak Palace and also the Gandhi Memorial Museum. |
| Day 9 | Today you drive back to Kerala, firstly stopping at Thekkady - a big production centre in the Cardamom Hills for all manner of spices. You stop to tour a spice plantation where they grow pepper, cardamom, nutmeg and cinnamon. You will enjoy lunch with the family which will no doubt be a spicy treat. Afterwards, you continue to Periyar where you will spend the next two nights. |
| Day 10 | Today you have a full day's wildlife adventure at Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary. Accompanied by an expert guide and armed ranger, you will spend several hours walking the trails of the sanctuary in search of birds and animals. The park is home to tigers and leopards but they are rarely spotted, instead you may see elephants, giant Malabar squirrels, gaur and mongoose as well as numerous exotic birds. As well as walking you'll also explore on a bamboo raft which is especially good for getting close to the larger mammals that come to drink at the water's edge. |
| Days 11-12 | Driving west you leave the hills for the final time and head down towards the coastal plains, arriving in Pallathuruthy by lunchtime. Here you board a rice barge (kettuvallam) for an overnight cruise on Kerala's celebrated backwaters. The cruise gives you the chance to observe traditional rural life as you stop to observe paddy cultivation and local fishermen at work, and see historic churches and local temples. You will anchor overnight and disembark the next morning at beautiful Lake Vembanad. We recommend staying at the lakeside Aveda Resort where you can relax in real style and enjoy views of the lake from your private balcony. |
| Day 13 | Early this morning you will head out onto Lake Vembanad in a motorised canoe so that you can explore the surrounding villages. You'll then have some time at leisure before a late afternoon walk in nearby Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary. The area attracts an enormous array of resident and migratory birds so be sure to have some binoculars with you. |
| Day 14 | After breakfast you will be transferred to the airport for your flight home, arriving the same day. |
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