WONDERFUL WEEK OF KERALA TOUR

Places to Go and Things to Do

Cochin – Munnar – Periyar – Kumarakom – Alleppey Backwaters

Cochin

The only metropolis in Kerala, a heritage harbor town, Cochin is a fun town to explore. Here's an abbreviated list of Cochin tourist highlights:

Harbor Cruises and Water Taxis - Getting around on the water is fun and easy and Cochin's water transport system is well-developed. Take a cruise or island hop via the taxis.

Kathakali Dance Performances - most often near the Chinese Fishing Nets

Chinese Fishing Nets - serves as the offical icon of Kochi and are a testimony of relations between Ancient Chinese Empires and the Kochi Kingdom - they were gifted by Chinese Emperor Kubalagi to the Kochi King in the 14th century.

Cochin Royal Crown at the Hill Palace Museum - crafted in pure gold weighting 1.75 kg with 95 diamonds and 2,000 other precious stones. The crown was a gift from the Portuguese to Veera Kerala Varma on his coronation day.

The Dutch Palace - the coronations of Kochi Maharajas were always held here. A large throne and coronation costumes are on display along with an extensive collection of royal chariots, swords and other artifacts. The most interesting part is the mural room, which has the entire Ramayana and Mahabharat depicted in a single mural.

Princess Street (Loafer’s Corner) - the most famous street of Fort Kochi offering a slice of authentic colonial European architecture and the perfect destination for evening walks to explore the numerous western styled cafes, souvenir shops, art galleries and heritage complexes.

International Pepper Exchange in Jewtown - The world's only pepper exchange - often likened to NYC Wall Street - but instead of money, its all about pepper trading. Well worth a visit just to see all the peppers you never knew existed.

Munnar

Walk in the Clouds - trek up into the clouds
Rock Climbing and Rappelling
Munnar Carmelagiri Elephant Safaris and Park - safaris take you through the misty forests, deep valleys and the rugged hill paths of the Munnar forests. Features are, elephant bath, elephant shower, elephant feeding, timber dragging demonstrations and displays of elephant commands and communication.
Boating - paddle boats, speed boats Shikara boat rides
Atukkad Waterfalls - very scenic falls
Chithirapuram - old playgrounds and courts, bungalows and sleepy little cottages lending an air of old world charm to the place. It's also famous for its tea plantations.
Mattupetti Dam - popular picnic spot with boating and horseback riding - great outing with the kids

Periyar

Tiger Reserve - has a rich diversity of vertebrates. The diverse forest types, vayals, marshes, and a large aquatic habitat together support a vast and diverse assortment of species of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish. The Tiger is found in all types of habitats though their density is much less in the evergreen forests. Though sighting one is difficult because of the thick vegetation, evidence like pugmarks, clawings, and scat are located throughout the reserve. The population is estimated to be between 35 to 40.

Bamboo Rafting - a dawn to dusk hiking and rafting program through some of the richest forest tracts of Periyar Tiger Reserve.

Boating on Periyar Lake
Elephant Rides
Spice Plantation Tours

Kumarakom

Boating
Water Sports
Vembanad Bird Sanctuary

Alleppey

THE BACKWATERS: Meandering through coastal areas of Kerala, the Backwaters are a 900 kilometer (560 miles) long intricate network of lagoons, lakes, canals, estuaries and deltas of several rivers that flow into the Arabian Sea. This is a natural phenomenon, as major rivers and streams that flows within Kerala drain themselves into backwaters regions, resulting in creation of several small land strips, lagoons, and islands which open to the sea at various points along the stretch.

Kovalam

THE BEACH: The old lighthouse, located at Southern Beach, is one of the oldest lighthouses in Kerala. The small rock hill that separtes Hawa Beach with Northern Beach is a local landmark, with the giant Halcyon Castle overlooking the seas. The Castle has played host to several leading European, US and Arab leaders and is a testimony to the Anglo-Travancore architecture of Kovalam.