Discovery Kerala
8N/9D
Day 1
Morning
Arriving at Mumbai
Arrival at Kochi International Airport
Hotel transfer, room allocation, rest, catch up sleep & recover jet lag
Afternoon
Lunch
Orientation session on Kerala’s history, geography, cultural & bio diversity
Evening
Kathakali & Kalaripayattu demonstration
Kathakali
Kathakali is a traditional form of Indian Classical Dance, and one of the most complex forms of Indian theatre. It is a play of verses. These verses are called Kathakali literature or Attakatha. Mostly played in the courts of kings and temple festivals. Makeup and costumes are unique and large. It represents one of Kerala's traditional theatre art forms. This art form is native to the Malayalam-speaking state of Kerala and is almost entirely practiced by Malayali people.
Kalari Payattu
Kalari Payattu (also known simply as Kalari) is an Indian martial art that originated in Kerala, a state on the south-western coast of India, around 2,000 years ago, dating back to the 3rd century BCE.
The word Kalari Payattu is a combination of two Malayalam words – Kalari (training ground or battleground) and Payattu (training of martial arts), which is roughly translated as "practice in the arts of the battlefield".
This martial art which developed out of combat-techniques of the 11th-12th century battlefield, with weapons and combative techniques that are unique to Kerala.
Night
Halt at Kochi
Traditional local Malyali dinner served on banana leaves
Day 2
Morning
Breakfast at the property and then set out for Kochi Heritage Walk
SIC to:
Fort Kochi
Fort Kochi formerly known as Fort Cochin or British Cochin or Old Kochi, is a region of Kochi city in Kerala, India. This is part of a handful of water-bound islands and islets toward the south-west of the mainland Kochi, and collectively known as Old Kochi or West Kochi. Adjacent to this is the locality of Mattancherry. Fort Kochi is rich in heritage and culture, and is a prominent tourist destination for both domestic and international travellers- being ranked as ninth among the top 25 in National Geographic’s Top Tourist Destinations To Explore In 2020.
St. Francis Church
Saint Francis Church, in Fort Kochi, Kochi, originally built in 1503, is one of the oldest European churches in India and has historical significance as a witness to the European colonial ambitions in the subcontinent. The Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama died in Kochi in 1524 when he was on his third visit to India. His body was originally buried in this church, but after fourteen years his remains were relocated to Lisbon
Mattancherry Palace a.k.a. Dutch Palace
The Mattancherry Palace is a palace popularly known as the Dutch Palace, in Mattancherry, Kochi, in the Indian state of Kerala which features Kerala murals depicting portraits and exhibits of the Rajas (King in English) of Kochi. Despite the name Dutch Palace, the palace was built by the Portuguese Empire as a gift to the Kingdom of Cochin. The palace was built and gifted by the Portuguese as a present to the king of Cochin, around 1545. It was built to appease the king after they plundered a temple nearby.
Chinese Fishing Nets in Kochi
Chinese fishing nets (Cheena vala in India) are a type of stationary lift net in India and Indonesia. They are fishing nets that are fixed land installations for fishing. While commonly known as "Chinese fishing nets" in India, the more formal name for such nets is "shore operated lift nets". Huge mechanical contrivances hold out horizontal nets of 20 m or more across. Each structure is at least 10 m high and comprises a cantilever with an outstretched net suspended over the sea and large stones suspended from ropes as counterweights at the other end. Each installation is operated by a team of up to six fishermen. While such nets are used throughout coastal southern China and Indochina, in India they are mostly found in the Indian cities of Kochi and Kollam, where they have become a tourist attraction. This way of fishing is unusual in India and almost unique to the area, as it was introduced by Chinese explorers who landed there in the 14th century.
Afternoon
Lunch
Jew Town
Jewish community settlement in India was initially in Kerala, as Cochin Jews (also known as Malabar Jews or Kochinim) who are the oldest group of Jews in India, with roots that are claimed to date back to the time of King Solomon. The Cochin Jews settled in the Kingdom of Cochin in South India, now part of the present-day state of Kerala. As early as the 12th century, mention is made of the Jews in southern India by Benjamin of Tudela in his writings.
Next migration of Jew community to Cochin was witnessed in 1492 by expulsion of the community from Iberia by the Alhambra Decree, a few families of Sephardi Jews eventually made their way to Cochin. They became known as Paradesi Jews (or Foreign Jews). The Sephardim Jewish community spoke Ladino (Spanish or Judeo-Spanish), in India they learned Judeo-Malayalam from the Malabar Jews and maintained some trade connections to Europe. The two communities retained their ethnic and cultural distinctions. In the late 19th century, a few Arabic-speaking Jews, known as Baghdadis, also immigrated to southern India from the Near East.
Paradesi Synagogue
The Paradesi Synagogue or the Mattancherry Synagogue is a synagogue located in Mattancherry Jew Town, a suburb of the city of Kochi, Kerala, in India. It was built in 1568 A.D. by Samuel Castiel, David Belila, and Joseph Levi for the flourishing Paradesi Jewish community in Kochi. It is the oldest active synagogue in the Commonwealth of Nations. Paradesi is a word used in several Indian languages, and the literal meaning of the term is "foreigners", applied to the synagogue because it was built by Sephardic or Portuguese-speaking Jews, some of them from families exiled in Aleppo, Safed and other West Asian localities.
The synagogue is located in the quarter of Old Cochin known as Jew Town and is the only one of the seven synagogues in the area still in use. The complex has four buildings. It was built adjacent to the Mattancherry Palace temple on the land given to the community by the Raja of Kochi, Rama Varma. The Mattancherry Palace temple and the synagogue share a common wall.
Kochi Spice Market
The Cochin Spice Market, also known as the Mattancherry Spice Market, is a famous spice market located in Mattancherry, a neighbourhood in Kochi, Kerala, India. It is a vibrant and bustling market known for its wide variety of spices, herbs, and other agricultural products.
Cochin has a rich history of spice trade that dates back centuries. The city was a prominent centre for the spice trade and attracted traders from different parts of the world, including Arabs, Europeans, and Chinese. The Cochin Spice Market emerged as a hub for spice trading and continues to be an important destination for spice enthusiasts.
The market is situated in narrow lanes and is lined with shops and stalls selling an array of spices, such as black pepper, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, turmeric, and various blends of curry powders. You can also find other products like tea, coffee, dry fruits, and local snacks in the market.
The Cochin Spice Market offers a vibrant and aromatic experience. As you stroll through the market, you’ll be greeted by the fragrant aroma of spices and the vibrant colours of the various stalls. Traders, both locals, and tourists, visit the market to purchase spices for personal use, cooking, or for commercial purposes.
Evening
Tea, local snacks & Kochi tour continues
Sunset boat cruise on Kochi’s backwaters, enjoying views of the harbour and small fishing villages.
Night
Halt at Kochi & dinner at the property
Day 3
Morning
Breakfast at the property
SIC to Muziris heritage sites (20 Kms covered in approx. 45 minutes)
Muziris heritage
Muchiri, commonly anglicized as Muziris was an ancient harbour and an urban centre on the Malabar Coast. It was the major ancient port city of Cheras. The exact location of Muziris has been a matter of dispute among historians and archaeologists. However, excavations since 2004 at Pattanam in Ernakulam district of Kerala have led some experts to suggesting the hypothesis that the city was located just there. It was an important trading port for Christian and Muslim merchants arriving from other countries.
Muziris was a key to the interactions between South India and Persia, the Middle East, North Africa, and the (Greek and Roman) Mediterranean region. The important known commodities exported from Muziris were spices (such as black pepper and malabathron), semi-precious stones (such as beryl), pearls, diamonds, sapphires, ivory, Chinese silk, Gangetic spikenard and tortoise shells. Though the Roman trade declined from the 5th century AD, the former Muziris attracted the attention of other nationalities, particularly the Persians, the Chinese and the Arabs, presumably until the devastating floods of Periyar in 1341.
Cheraman Jumma Masjid
The Cheraman Jumma Mosque is a mosque in Kodungallur in the Thrissur district, in the state of Kerala, India. According to hagiographical legends, it is claimed that the mosque was built in 629 CE by Malik Bin Dinar and consequently, it is claimed to be the first mosque to be built in India, and the oldest mosque on the Indian subcontinent that is in current use.
The mosque was destroyed in 1504 by the Portuguese when they attacked the port of Kodungallur. The mosque building was restored after the attack, from the mid-16th to the early 17th century. It has been built in the Kerala-Islamic traditional architectural style, with hanging lamps, making the historicity of its date claims more convincing.
Afternoon
Lunch
SIC to Kumbalangi
Kumbalangi Modern Tourism Village
The Kumbalangi Integrated Tourism Village Project is an initiative taken up to transform the peaceful island of Kumbalangi to an ideal fishing village and tourist spot. Over the years, the activities that the village provides have gained quite a popular opinion among their guests. It is also a chance for the tourists to experience the simplicity of a calm village life, where the inhabitants continue their traditional practices of living and enjoy their lives to the fullest every day.
Participants will engage here in:
Coir-making – Learn how coconut fibres are processed into ropes and mats.
Fishing lessons – Try traditional Chinese net fishing and canoeing.
Paddy field visit – Understand Kerala’s local way of rice cultivation.
Evening
Tea & Snacks
SIC : Return to Kochi hotel
Participate in a traditional Kerala cooking workshop, preparing dishes like Appam, Puttu and Fish Curry.
Night
Halt at Kochi
Self-cooked dinner at the property
Day 4
Morning
Breakfast at the property
SIC to from Kochi to Thekkady (Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary). En route, halt at spice plantations to see the cultivation of cardamom, pepper, and cinnamon. (140 Kms covered approx. in 5 hours)
Afternoon
Lunch
Check into an eco-lodge and embark on a boat safari on Periyar Lake, spotting elephants, deer, wild boars and exotic birds
Evening
Participate in a session with a wildlife expert about conservation efforts of Kerala’s forests which are a significant part of Western Ghats along Western coast of India
Night
Halt at Thekkady
Dinner at the property
Day 5
Morning
Breakfast at the property
Bamboo Rafting at Thekkady
A thrilling eco-tourism activity allowing students to experience the wilderness from a unique perspective.
Afternoon
Lunch
Engage in a wildlife conservation discussion with local forest Rangers and visit a tribal heritage museum to learn about indigenous communities.
Evening
Leisure at the resort or explore local spice markets for souvenirs.
Night
Halt at Thekkady
Dinner at the property
Day 6
Morning
Breakfast at the property
SIC to Munnar (90 Kms covered approx. in 3 hours)
Scenic journey through forests up to Munnar which is famous for its rolling tea estates and cool climate. Check into a hilltop hotel.
Afternoon
Lunch
SIC to Eravikulam National Park
Eravikulam National Park
Located a 15 minute drive away from Munnar, the Eravikulam National Park (also known as Rajamalai Wildlife Sanctuary), houses a rich and diverse variety of flora and fauna and is a UNESCO world heritage site.
This National Park is a home to the endangered Nilgiri Tahr, an ungulate that is endemic to the Nilgiri Hills and Western Ghats in the state of Kerala in southern India.
Besides this ungulate, Elephant, Nilgiri langur, Nilgiri marten, Atlas moth (largest in the world), lion-tailed macaque, small-clawed otter, and a rare tiger or leopard are some of the main animal species that can be spotted here.
Evening
Tea & Snacks
Visit a tea plantation and factory to learn about tea cultivation, picking, and processing. Sample a variety of Kerala's best tea.
Night
Halt at Munnar
Dinner at the property
Day 7
Morning
Breakfast at property
Guided trekking in Anamudi Hills, the highest peak in South India
Afternoon
Lunch
Visit a spice plantation and learn about the cultivation of pepper, nutmeg, and vanilla. Join a hands-on spice grinding session.
Evening
Tea & snacks
Engage in a cultural exchange session with local students, discussing your experiences and customs.
Night
Halt at Munnar
Dinner at the property
Day 8
Morning
Breakfast at the property
SIC to Guruvayur (180 Kms covered approx. in 5 hours)
Guruvayur Elephant Sanctuary
This is a home for elephants owned by Guruvayur Temple. These majestic creatures are an integral part of temple rituals and festivals, symbolizing devotion and tradition. Visitors to can witness these gentle giants up close, observe their daily routines, including feeding and bathing, and learn about their care.
Afternoon
Lunch
Travel to Vypin Island to participate in a beach clean-up drive, engaging in environmental conservation efforts.
Evening
Tea & snacks
Group discussion session on responsible tourism and sustainability in Kerala.
Night
Halt at Guruvayur
Dinner at the property
Day 9
Morning
Breakfast at the property
Check out and transfer to Kochi International airport for LHR return journey