Spice Of Kerala

Assistance on arrival at international airport

On arrival, once you have completed Immigration formalities and collected your baggage, please proceed to the arrival lounge. TOTAL HOLIDAY OPTIONS executive will meet you holding a placard who will assist you with a transfer to your accommodation.

Full day sightseeing with walk around Jewish Synagogue, visiting Mattancherry Palace, St. Francis church, Santa Cruz Cathedral, Chinese fishing net, Hill Palace and Kathakali dance performance

Morning proceed for the sightseeing tour of Cochin. You will have a walk around the Synagogue. The area around the synagogue is known as Jews town and is one of the Kochi's spice trade centres. Thereafter we stop at Mattancherry Dutch Palace which was built by the Portuguese and presented to the Maharaja of Cochin in 1555. Ongoing, you will visit St. Francis Church, the first church to be built in India by the Portuguese. Next after visiting Santa Cruz Cathedral, enjoy a stroll on the beach to see the Chinese fishing nets. Also visit the Hill Palace which was built in the 19th century and is the largest archaeological museum in Kerala. Later in the evening enjoy a Kathakali Dance Performance. Kathakali is a ritualized dance form that is native to Kerala, with elaborate costumes and make-up. Male dancers portray both male and female roles that tell the stories taken mostly from the epics of the Mahabharatha and Ramayana.

Travel to Munnar

Assistance on departure and travel to Munnar, a place to enjoy the scenic beauty and marvellous waterfalls, fascinating high mountains with the low flying clouds passing by. The town stands at a confluence of three mountain streams - Mudrapuzha, Nallathanni and Kundala. The three streams later join the Periyar River and finally the Arabian Sea. A haven of peace and tranquillity, Munnar is amazingly beautiful and an idyllic destination.

Check in at Hotel

On arrival in Munnar, check-in at your accommodation by self (No assistance required). Rest of the day is at leisure or for own activities.

Walk through tea estate, visit Tea Processing Factory and Museum

Morning proceed for a walk through the enchanting tea estates and enjoy the tranquillity it provides while watching women plucking tea leaves at the tea estate. Set at an altitude of 6000 ft in Idukki district, Munnar was the favoured summer resort of the erstwhile British rulers in the colonial days. It's the place you would love to visit - it's the place you would wish never to leave. Visit Tea Processing Factory and Museum. The museum puts light on the important fact and figures about the growth of the tea plantations in Munnar. It contains curios, old photographs, machinery and other things which have been used since long.

Travel to Thekkady

Morning travel to the valley of spices and see the spice plantation gardens. Thekkady, with its bountiful treasures of tropical flora and fauna, is the ultimate reservoir of many an endangered species and a rich tribal culture.

Check in at hotel

Upon arrival, check-in at your accommodation. Rest of the day is free to explore the spice town.

Morning boat ride, followed by visit to spice plantation with local market

Early morning experience a boat cruise on Lake Periyar, which showcases a kaleidoscope of activities that occur around the lake and jungle. Evergreen moist deciduous forests and savannah grass lands characterize Periyar. Later visit a spice plantation growing cardamom, pepper and coffee. It is believed that the spice trade dates back three thousand years in Kerala and many spices find their home here. The slanting slopes caress a variety of cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, ginger, turmeric and curry leaves. On the way back you could stop at the local market and purchase some fragrant spices.

Travel to Alleppey

Travel to Alleppey, famous for its several backwater canals, paddy fields and lagoons. This charming place is the hub of Kerala’s backwaters and is home to a huge network of backwaters and more than thousand houseboats.

Check in at Houseboat

On arrival, check-in and board your private houseboat converted from a Kettuvallam or traditional rice barge. Sail through the beautiful backwaters of Kerala as it reflects a world of serenity and wonderment. This large aquatic area is a vast network of lagoons, lakes, rivers and canals, and the people who live in this region have created their distinct lifestyles. Witness the peaceful way of life on amazing waterways with lunch, dinner on board. This will be a real highlight of your holiday.

Disembark houseboat at Alleppey and travel to Kollam

Disembark in the morning from the Houseboat, get picked up by the driver from the Jetty and travel to Kollam, considered as one of the oldest ports on the Malabar Coast, the town served as the leading spice market in medieval and even today. Kollam takes the credit for being the hub of the country’s cashew trading and processing industry, offering an impeccable blend of scenic surrounding, tradition and hospitality, often referred to as the dreamland of Kerala.

Check in at Hotel

On arrival, transfer to your accommodation. Remaining day is free to relax or go on a self-exploration trip of the town.

Visit small village of Kollam to interact with locals, rest of the day at leisure

Morning visit this small village, an opportunity here to interact with locals and experience their day to day life. Kollam is blessed with unique features, sea, lake, mountains, plains, streams, rivers, backwaters, forest, vast green fields and tropical crop of every variety. The sight of white egrets dipping into the clear waters of the Ashtamudi Lake on a moonlit night is simply stunning. At the many temples, mosques, churches of this town, one can meet people eager to share their stories and monuments. Rest of the day is free for your own activities to relax or to experience options for various Ayurvedic treatments available at resort.

Travel to Kovalam

Morning travel to Kovalam through green coastal belt and cashew plantations. The Kovalam beach has for long been known as the Paradise of the South. Kovalam means a grove of coconuts trees and truly the coconut trees along the beaches create a ravishing look.

Check-in at Hotel and remaining day at leisure

On arrival transfer to your accommodation. Remaining day is free for your own activities. Just relax by the beach or pool of the hotel and enjoy the hotel facilities.

Day at leisure with standard ayurveda massage

The morning is free to relax by the beach or pool and enjoy hotel facilities, or you may choose to do your own activities. In the Afternoon rejuvenate yourself with the goodness of an Ayurveda Herbal Oil Massage. The term “Ayurveda” means “science of life” and it is a holistic system that seeks the wellbeing of the person based on their dosha or constitution (vata, pitta or kapha) and their vikritis (dosha imbalances that cause disease) to adapt both the essential oils that are used as the pace and strength of the specific massage. Ayurvedic medicine considers the interaction and balance of mind, body and spirit from the internal power of the individual and seeks, through massage, a general good feeling. An ayurvedic massage serves not only to relieve pain but especially as preventive medicine increasing circulation, stimulating and strengthening the lymphatic system, and opening the flow of life force in order to cleanse and revitalize the body.

Travel to Trivandrum and departure

Assistance on departure at Kovalam and in-time transfer to Trivandrum airport to board flight for onward destination.