Karnataka & Kerala – Varied Experiences

Arrive Bangalore

Arrival Bangalore Airport. You will be welcomed at the airport and will be transferred to the hotel (30 mts) , Overnight at Bangalore

From Bangalore to Mysore

Morning , drive to Mysore . Enroute visit Sritangapattanam. 

The ruins of Hyder Ali’s and Tipu sultan’s capital, from which they ruled much of Southern India during the 18th century.  The dungeon where Tipu held a number of British officers has been preserved.  Inside the fortress walls there’s a mosque and the Sri Ranganathsway Temple  

Mysore, once the capital of the Wodeyar kingdom is a city of fine gardens, tree-lined boulevards, art galleries and an intriguing palace. 

Evening visit the devaraja fruit & Vegetable market. Devaraja market  is an apt place to get a flavor of the local people’s . With more than 100 years of history, this market is well knitted into the heritage of Mysore. This is a good sample of a traditional Indian market place that is colourful, noisy, vibrant and a tad chaotic. 

This evening you will visit the house of a Kodava family who have settled down in Mysore. At their home you will experience a taste of authentic Kodava cuisine and culture. The Kodavas are a martial race with a tradition of ancestor worship. The family will be dressed in traditional Coorg attire. This interaction provides a fascinating insight into Kodava Culture and customs. 

Overnight at Mysore 

At Mysore - Visits

Before breakfast, proceed for a heritage walk with your lady guide, who will explain the history and heritage of Mysore. Heritage walk commences from Mysore city Town hall, Clock tower, Palace North gate and K.R. circle, R. Hospital and back to Town hall. 
You will also stop at a small vegetarian hotel to taste Masala Dosa followed by Tea. 
You will return to hotel for Breakfast. Later proceed for a sightseeing of Mysore. Visit Maharaja’s palace built in 1911-1912. The palace harmoniously synthesizes the Hindu and the Saracenic styles of architecture with archways, domes, turrets, colonnades and sculptures, which are truly magnificent. Visit the art gallery. 

Overnight at Mysore.

From Mysore to Kabini

After breakfast ,  proceed to Kabini (90 km,02 hrs) . 

The legend and romance of Kabini plays out in a theatre called Nagarhole, and revolves around a pristine river called Kabini (originally Kapila) that snakes its way through the Nagarhole National Park in Karnataka, and forms an aqueous boundary with the Bandipur National park.Together, this area constitutes the largest contiguous forest cover in this part of the world and is part of the Nilgiri biosphere, the largest in Asia, and home to the largest concentration of herbivores in Asia. And herbivores don't get larger than the Asiatic elephant, whose favourite playground this is. At Nagarhole, one can witness the largest congregation of Asiatic Elephants in the world, and these majestic mammals rule the roost here.

Evening proceed for a Jungle Safari. During the safari, which lasts for two hours the visitor has a good opportunity to sight the herbivores. Sightings of the predators are less frequent, but improve considerably during the summer.

Overnight at Kabini

At Kabini – Jungle Safari

Early morning proceed for a Jungle Safari in Jeep.  

Rest of the day, free at the resort or engage in activities offered by the resort

Overnight at Kabini.

From Kabini to Thalappuzha

Morning, drive to Thalappuzha (95 km,2.5 hrs)

Enter the 4025 acres of Parisons Tea Estates planted in 1892 by the British and Continental Tea plantation trust. Blessed with the mist of surrounding mountains, the teas are mild with a clean fragrance, medium toned biscuit notes and are fully bodied with light briskness. The plantation has old British and Scottish bungalows which are now being renovated one at a time to their former glory and face lifted as heritage eco bungalows. The 4025 acre Tea Estate has 2500 employees working in the factory and the fields. 

This afternoon, you will visit the Floriculture unit where fully organic Anthurium plants are raised. Alongside is a vermiculture unit where vermicompost are produced. These units are manned by women of the estates. 

Later visit the workers colony where thousands of tea estate workers live in harmony.
    
Overnight at Thalappuzha.

At Thalappuzha - Visits

Early morning proceed for a soft trek up the hill along the valley and plantations.

After breakfast, proceed to the tea estate to witness the hundreds of ladies engaged in plucking of Tea leaves. The manager in charge will explain you the daily routine and the process of plucking. You may also join the workers to pluck some tea leaves that would be sent to the factory for processing. 
After which, you will proceed to the most important location at a Tea Estate , Tea Factory (Monday closed) The factory in-charge will take you around and will give you a detailed explanation of Tea manufacturing and takes you through various live process until they are ready in packets to be sold. You will also experience the skill of tea tasting and how to brew a perfect cup of black tea.

You will also visit the Kindergarten school, where the children of the labours are studying. The estate also has a templ, mosque and a church.

Overnight at Thalappuzha.

From Thalappuzha to Thalassery

Morning, drive to Thalasserry (70 kms, 02 hrs)

Thalassery, also known as Tellicherry, is a city on the Malabar Coast of Kerala. This is the second largest city of North Malabar. The name Tellicherry is the anglicized form of Thalassery. 

Your home for the night will be Ayesha Manzil - A beautiful, old, colonial-style mansion overlooking the blue Arabian Sea, Aisha Manzil was built in 1862 by Murdoch Brown, an Englishman who came to Tellicherry as a trader with the East India Company. This simple heritage home boasts a multitude of period furniture as well as family heirlooms and antiques collected and restored by the present owners, Moosa and Faiza. Faiza is a wonderful chef and cookery teacher and will be happy to demonstrate some of the finer points of how to prepare Mapilla cuisine.

Visit the Local fish and Spice Market , Handloom weaving units .

In the evening witness a Theyyam or Theyyattam - a popular Hindu ritual of worship in North Kerala .As a living cult with several thousand-year-old traditions, rituals and customs, it embraces almost all the castes and classes of the Hindu religion in this region. The performers of Theyyam belong to the indigenous tribal community, and have an important position in a major form of worship.  
 
Over night at Thalassery.

From Thalassery to Cochin by Train

After early breakfast, connect the morning train to Cochin at 0745 hrs. Arrive Cochin at 1400 hrs. You will be met on arrival and will be transferred to the heritage town of Fort Cochin.

The spice trade first bought Chinese and Arabian traders to Kerala’ shores and later the Portuguese  , Dutch and British thus making Fort Cochin a cultural melting point. Wander through its old streets, the synagogue, the ancient churches, colonial houses and the picturesque Chinese fishing nets. 

Overnight at Cochin.

At Cochin – Being local

Today is a different day , this morning you will explore Cochin with your guide by being a localite. There is no car today. You will walk , take the TUK TUK through the narrow streets of Fort Cochin and Mattancherry , climb on a local bus in the busy hours to the city  , walk along thousands of people exploring the local market , know the spices , visit the railway station when thousands of people return to their nearby village after the day’s work , take the local ferry from the mainland to return to the island of Fort Cochin. By evening you will experience everything what is happening in a day at Cochin. 

During the course, you will also visit the monuments at Fort Cochin and Mattancherry  - The St  Francis  Church,  the oldest European Church in India ,where Vasco de Gama the first European traveller to India was originally buried here.  Dutch Palace at Mattancherry (Friday closed) is renowned  for its wall murals depicting scenes from the Ramayana.  The Jewish Synagogue ( Saturday closed) at the heart of what is locally called the Jew Town.  

Overnight at Cochin

From Cochin to Backwaters

Mid morning drive to Alleppey backwaters (60 km,1.5 hrs) On arrival board an house boat for an overnight cruise in the backwaters.

HOUSEBOATS, popularly known as “Kettuvallam” is converted from a traditional rice barge.  While cruising to Alleppey you will see the glimpses of village life of the people living around the backwater area.  You may watch palm-lined bank and narrow stips of land that separate the waterways and the constant quiet traffic of vallom (small boats) are typical.  

Over night at Kumarakom

From Backwaters to Kollam

Disembark from House boat after breakfast hrs and drive to Kollam (105 km,2.5 hrs)

This nature resort is designed to stay in harmony with its natural surroundings and is developed as a sustainable responsible tourism venture. The Resort is nature- based, respecting the ecology of its site. 

You will relax at the resort overlooking the beautiful river.

Overnight at Kollam.

From Kollam to Kovalam

Mid morning , drive to Kovalam (95 km,2.5 hrs)

Adorned with breath-taking views, serene beaches and refreshing atmosphere, Kovalam is an ideal leisure getaway. It has been a favourite haunt of tourists, especially Europeans since long.A massive rocky promontory on the beach has created a beautiful bay of calm waters ideal for sea bathing. 

Overnight at Kovalam

At Kovalam

Full day relax at kovalam beach

Overnight at Kovalam

Departure from Trivandrum airport

In time transfer to Trivandrum airport (16 km, 35 mts) to connect flight back home