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Unique Kerala

Backwaters

Backwaters

Fishing net

Fishing net

Philipkuttys Farm

Philipkuttys Farm

Windermere Estate

Windermere Estate

Katakhali Dancer Cochin

Katakhali Dancer Cochin

 

Unique Kerala

This 9-night Kerala holiday offers a genuine insight into the culture of Kerala and the diversity of one of India’s most beautiful states.

Staying in boutique hotels and 'home stays' with a local flavour, this Kerala holiday offers a different twist to the standard Kerala tour.

Begin in Cochin and see the best of this charming destination, with a chance to experience the best Kerallan cuisine.

From Cochin head to the hill station of Munnar and stay in a Plantation residence with the chance to experience life in the Kerallan hills.

Visit Lake Periyar in search of local wildlife on a boat cruise and stay at Philipkutty's Farmhouse in the backwaters.

An overnight backwaters cruise is included and the trip finishes with 2 nights at a charming boutique resort in Kovalam.

As with all of our holidays to Kerala and India, this one can be ammended to suit you as you wish - so just let us know your preferences.

Inclusions

  • International flights from UK
  • Accommodation with breakfast
  • All airport transfers by private car
  • Private car, driver and guide
  • Entrance Fees

Accommodation

  • 2 nights Cochin
  • 2 nights Munnar
  • 1 nights Thekkady
  • 1 night Kumarakom
  • 1 night Backwater Cruise
  • 2 nights Kovalam

Excursions

  • Evening cruise Cochin
  • Full day Cochin tour
  • Journey to Munnar
  • Eravikulam National Park
  • Periyar National Park with boat ride
  • Overnight Backwaters Cruise
  • Trivandrum

Day 1: Fly UK to Cochin

Overnight flight from UK to Cochin.

Day 2: Cochin

On arrival at Cochin you will be met and transferred to your boutique hotel with the afternoon at leisure.

In the evening enjoy a sunset motorboat cruise past Cochin’s famous Chinese fishing nets.

Overnight: Cochin
Meals: Breakfast included

Day 3: Cochin

Cochin is one of the most interesting cities of India and has one of the finest natural harbours in the world.

After breakfast, enjoy a half-day sightseeing tour of Cochin covering the Dutch Palace, Jewish Synagogue, Jew Town, St. Francis Church and the Chinese fishing nets.

In the afternoon enjoy a cooking demonstration at Nimmy's Residence and in the evening enjoy a spectacular Kathakali dance performance to round off your day of Kerallan culture.

Overnight: Cochin
Meals: Breakfast included

Day 4: Munnar

After breakfast, drive to Munnar, the most beautiful hill station n the Western Ghats at about 7,600 feet above sea level.

On arrival check into the Windermere Estate. The presence of a planter's family next door ensures excellent hospitality devoid of a ‘hotel’ atmosphere.

Cardamom is grown in the same protected valley of the Western Ghats of Kerala, where Windermere is located.

The rest of the day is free for relaxation.

Overnight: Munnar
Meals: Breakfast included

Day 5: Munnar

The Eravikulam National Park in Munnar is known for the presence of Nilgiri Tahr, an endangered species of Ibex.

Once the summer resort of the British, Munnar is most famous for its tea and nearly 55,000 acres of land are covered with tea plantations.

This morning visit Eravikulam National Park, Mattupetty Dam, the scattered villages and a tea factory.

A visit to old Munnar and the local market make for an interesting excursion.

Overnight: Munnar
Meals: Breakfast included

Day 6: Thekkady

After breakfast, drive to Periyar, through a chain of hills and spice scented plantations.

Periyar is one of the most well known wildlife sanctuaries in India and is famous for its elephants.

This is the only sanctuary in India where you can view wildlife at close quarters, from the safety of a boat on Periyar Lake.

On arrival check in to your chosen hotel.

In the evening enjoy a 2-hour boat cruise on the lake to search for wild animals ashore, before making a short visit to a spice plantation.

We highly recommend a stay at the boutique Hills & Hues in Thekkady.

Overnight: Thekkady
Meals: Breakfast included

Day 7: Kumarakom

After breakfast drive to Kumarakom and check into Philipkutty's Farm House.

Set within the confines of a small, beautiful organic farm island are three traditional, spacious and private villas.

There are plenty of options to enjoy the lush beautiful surroundings including the tranquil backwaters.

The rest of the day is free to relax or to enjoy a short walk around the Farm House.

Philipkutty's Farm is a generous local family’s effort to showcase the emerald backwaters and rustic India in its simplest and purest form.

Overnight: Kumarakom
Meals: Breakfast included

Day 8: Backwater Cruise

Enjoy the morning at leisure before departing on a backwater’s cruise at midday from Kumarakom to Alleppey.

With the Arabian Sea on the west and a vast network of lakes, lagoons and freshwater rivers criss-crossing it, Alleppey is a district of immense natural beauty.

Referred to as the 'Venice of the East', Kerala’s backwater country is also home to diverse animal and bird-life.

Overnight: On Board
Meals: All Meals included

Day 9: Kovalam

Arrive in Alleppey around 9:30 am and after a relaxing breakfast on board proceed to Kovalam.

En-route, visit the attractions in Trivandrum, a city built over seven hills.

Visit the Padmanabhaswamy Swamy Temple, the Puthen Maliga Museum (Horse Palace), Napier Museum, and the Sree Chitra Art Gallery.

Overnight: Kovalam
Meals: Breakfast included

Day 10: Kovalam

Enjoy time at leisure in your boutique hotel by the beach in Kovalam.

There are other beach options for this part of the trip and the beach stay can be extended, so just ask us if you prefer to stay in a different beach destination or extend your stay.

Overnight: Kovalam
Meals: Breakfast included

Day 11: Trivandrum - UK

Transfer to the airport for the return flight back to the UK.

Day 12: Arrive in the UK

Arrive back in the UK

Is this a Private Tour or a Group Tour?

All of our tours are private tailor made itineraries, customised for you - we can amend things to entirely suit you.

You will have your own private car, driver and guide on excursions and for transfers around India.

Vehicles are modern and air-conditioned and bottled water is provided.

What are the departure dates?

Let us know your preferred dates of travel and we will find the best and most suitable flights to fit your itinerary.

As this is a private tour, there are no set departure dates.

Which Airlines do you use?

We work with all the major airlines flying to India.

Typically for India, British Airways, Virgin, Emirates, Qatar Airways, Air India and Jet Airways are the airlines we most often use.

However, just let us know your preferred airline if you have one. We can organise flights from any regional destination in the UK.

There are currently direct flights to Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Goa and Ahmedabad.

Which Hotels do you use?

We're careful with our choice of hotels in India, but we're guided by our customers also. If you have some preferred hotels, just let us know.

We specialise in boutique hotels and so we will often suggest some of our favourite smaller hotels where we think these will be suitable.

We keep on top of hotel developments in India through our own inspection trips and also through the expertise of our local partners. We also keep tabs on feedback online and from our customers.

India has a really great choice of heritage hotels in Rajasthan in particular - usually former royal palaces or lodges converted into boutique hotels - often very luxurious, usually very atmospheric.

There are also many great boutique hotel options in destinations such as Kerala which we try to utilise. The bigger cities have some outstanding luxury hotels and an increasing number of smaller, more interesting options too.

Do you cater for Solo Travellers & Families?

Yes, we have many solo travellers. India can present some challenges to travelling alone, which is why being accompanied by a professional driver and guide can take so much of the concern away.

India is suitable for adventurous families of all ages and we can tailor something specifically to fit your family's needs.

Bear in mind that driving distances can be long in India and a family holiday to India requires some careful planning.

How long have you been organising holidays to India?

We've been organising tailor made holidays to India for over 10 years.

Our team has a wealth of combined experience in the industry and our Director has been involved in organising holidays to India since the early 1990's.

Our partners on the ground in India have over 20 years experience in operating there.

They understand the country inside out and have a strong infrastructure of staff, guides and vehicles.

We've had the same partnerships in India for over 10 years.

How do I get the most out of my India trip?

India is such a large country that it's often overwhelming looking at the different destinations and trying to work out what to include.

We often find that our customers come with a 'shopping list' of destinations for a tour of India that has run out of control.

In our experience we usually need to tone down people's expectations of how much of India they can see in one trip and we try to steer the focus on to one or two areas.

Rajasthan for instance is like a country in its own right and its the perfect place to start for first time visitors to India. Delhi, Agra and Rajasthan is the perfect combination for a first time trip.

Varanasi, Shimla and one of the Tiger Reserves in Madhya Pradesh can also be added.

Of course we're guided by you, but we recommend trying to include a variety of sights or activities on a trip and also to allow some days to slow down the pace as India can feel quite intense.

Hotel Suggestions Cochin - Superior:

Brunton Boatyard

Hotel Suggestions Munnar - Superior:

Windermere Estate

Hotel Suggestions Thekaddy - Superior:

Hills & Hues

Hotel Suggestions Kumarakom - Superior:

Philipkutty's Farm House

Hotel Suggestions Kovalam - Superior:

Xandari Pearl

9 nights Unique Kerala - Superior:

  • Price from £1,650 pp

This is a guide price only, based on travel in low season.

Prices will vary according to choice of hotel and seasonal airfare and hotel surcharges. Please ask us for any current special offers.

Contact Us:

All of our Kerala Holidays are completely tailor made and we can put together any kind of itinerary to suit your interests and budget.

Call us now to speak to a Kerala holiday expert about your Kerala holiday or honeymoon to Kerala.

Call us now on 0333 7000 747

Click to enquire by email

Extending your Kerala Tour

There are several great options for extending your holiday to Kerala.

Why not consider combining the north and south of India in one two-week trip. A tour of India's Golden Triangle - Delhi, Agra and Jaipur makes for a great combination with a tour around Kerala.

Kerala is easily combined with the neighbouring southern states of India such as Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Distances can be fairly long but travelling across the Deccan Plateau is one of the high-points of a journey to India.

The Maldives & Beyond

The Maldives is just a short flight from Kerala and makes for a very nice combination with a Kerala tour, especially for those who might feel a bit stir crazy sitting on the beach in the Maldives for an extended period.


Palaces & Palms

Palaces & Palms

Combine the north and south in a Luxury Indian Journey.

See Delhi, Agra, Jaipur & Udaipur plus Cochin, a Backwaters Cruise & Kerala beach.

11 nights from £3,595 pp

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Add on the Maldvies

Add on the Maldvies

Combine a tour of Kerala with a beach stay in the Maldives.

Ideal honeymoon or holiday to combine touring with the best beaches & snorkelling.

12 nights from £2,595 pp

View

Southern Splendour

Southern Splendour

Combine a tour of Kerala with Tamil Nadu & Karnataka.

See the best of southern India on a private Tailor Made Tour across three states.

15 nights from £2,595 pp

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