| KERALA
BACKWATERS INSIDERS TOUR
Kerala’s real insiders tour – described by Rough
Guide as “The most original, hands-on and ethical itineraries
on the market”. If you prefer staying in homestays and meeting
local people to anonymous hotels, this is the tour for you –
inexpensive and adventurous, with a hint of luxury. (If you want
total luxury, see 'Kerala Culture Tour').
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Sample tour to Kerala backwaters: 14 days/13 nights
Kerala: (Cochin) Kochi, Periyar, Allepey, houseboat.
Cost: £1050 - 1175 per person for 14 days/13 nights,
excluding international flights. Prices depend on season and your
requirements. All our tours are private - you won't be
part of a group.
There will be a peak season surcharge from December 20th 2010
until 10th January 2011. The price quoted for the Kerala backwaters
tour is for full board (except at Kochi and Periyar), A/C car/driver
(up until the backwaters, with local transfer to the rest of the
places which are in close proximity, and drop back to the airport),
local hosts/guides and other travel costs. Some activities are
included, such as sight seeing and Kathakali dance in Kochi, other
activities – such as those in Periyar and Emerald Isle are
not included in the cost (the price depends on what you choose
to do).
This is a sample tour to Kerala backwaters, we can mix and match
according to the dates and places you would like to visit, although
we encourage guests to stay in areas and accommodations that we
feel match our ethos. Note that we don’t arrange air flights.
Day one to two:
Kochi
Is your arrival in the City of Kochi. Set on a cluster of islands
and narrow peninsulas, Kochi is a – fairly touristy - city
set around the Fort, with large shady trees, Kathakali dance,
modern Indian art, 500-year old Portuguese houses, mosques, and
ferry boats. Once you are settled into your hotel, we can take
an evening stroll around the city.
Overnight: (2 nights), Fort House, Fort Cochin.
Day three to four
Mavady,
Western Ghats
We
will take the car, and then the local train, up to the foothills
of the Western Ghats, to Colonel’s Retreat at Mavady, the
residence of a former cavalry officer Colonel Jose of the Indian
Army. The Colonel and his wife Annama will be your hosts for the
next 2 days in their villa which is set against the backdrop of
the mountains. Colonel is described by previous guests a ‘delightful’
and ‘a character’. He writes a fortnight column in
the English language India magazine The Week called ‘The
Nonsense File by the Colonel’.
You
are likely to be totally spoilt over the next few days. The Colonel’s
two guests rooms are very beautiful. You can take walks through
the wilderness along country roads, visit the local rubber plantation,
swim in a nearby pool beneath the waterfalls or just sit with
a book on your private balcony with a stunning view of the wilderness
below.
Overnight:
(2 nights), Colonel’s Retreat, Mavady, Western Ghats
Day five to seven
Periyar
Nature Reserve
We'll
take the 4 hour drive to Periyar Nature Reserve and the adjacent
- and wonderfully manic - pilgrimage town of Kumily.
Periyar
is a 777 sq km forested wildlife reserve - home to bison, antelopes,
sambar, wild boar, langur, elephants and tigers. It is home also
to the indigenous Mannan tribe, who help conserve the reserve
in exchange for income from eco-tourism. Living in the outskirts
of the reserve, they run many of the activities - trekking, bamboo
rafting, night treks, elephant rides and plantation visits.
Over
the next few days, we'll participate in these activities, and
spend time with the Mannan people, visiting their homes and village.
Overnight:
(3 nights), Wildernest hotel – spacious rooms, friendly
staff and monkeys all around to entertain. Previous guests have
recommended an early visit to the forest to hear ‘the sounds
of the forest waking up’. Kumilly is also the best place
for buying souvenirs from the Kashmiri shops, as well as speices.
(note
that there are entry fee charges to Periyar Reserve and extra
charges for other programmes such as: Bullock cart ride, bamboo
rafting, border hiking - approximately £18.00 each).
Day eight to ten
Emerald
Isle, Kerala Backwaters
We'll
take the 4 hour drive to Allepey and here you will be met by the
100 year-old wooden canoe (called a 'country boat') owned by Vinod
and taken to his family homestay on Emerald Isle, an island of
400 homes. You can take it easy over the next few days - reading
in the hammock, dangling your toes in the water, taking massages,
and trying out the local tea shop.
Or
- if you're feeling more active - you can take a motorboat to
visit the fruit and vegetable market, the ancient Bhagawati temple
or the local pottery factory; go cycling through the necklace
of villages of Kuttanad; take evening walks or go bird watching
through the paddy fields and homesteads; take fishing lessons;
and learn to cook in the family kitchens.
Overnight:
(three nights), Emerald Isle homestay - warm family hospitality,
courtyard gardens, hammock and nearby chai shop. The rice, pepper,
coconut are all from Vinod's family farm. A quick count on our
fingers, and we estimate that a stay at Emerald Isle directly
supports the livelihood of over 15 families.
Day eleven
Houseboat, Kerala backwaters
From
Emerald Isle we'll make our way to the house boat, one of Kerala's
most luxurious forms of accommodation. Reclining on cushions and
drifting through quiet canals, you'll pass through paddy fields
grazed by ducks, floating markets, local toddy shops, temples
and churches. Lunch, dinner and overnight stay is possible on
board.
Overnight:
(1 night), on-board the house boat. Lunch and dinner on board.
Day twelve to thirteen
Arakkal
We'll
make our way to Arakkal homestay - just 300 meters from the sea.
Arakkal is in a fishing village. You won’t get luxury: the
beaches are grubby and the rooms are small. But if you’re
craving authenticity, you will love it. At night, you can hear
the waves on the beach when you sleep (it was raining when we
were there and we slept outside under the porch listening to the
rain and waves). On your way to the beach, you pass the boats
and homes of local fishermen, and there’s the opportunity
to take fairly chaotic cycle rides through the village (though
half the village may join you). Abbi and Mini are superb hosts
and cooks. If you’re lucky, you may be able to have an elephant
ride.
Overnight:
(2 night), Arakkal Home stay.
Day fourteen
W e'll take the two-hour drive to the airport for your departure
back home.
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GENERAL INFORMATION
Other things to do in the Kerala backwaters
Other activities that you can do: whitewater rafting, farm walks,
a visit to Kalamandalam dance school, a visit to the elephant
training center at Kodanad, mountain biking from Munnar to Periyar,
birding at Thattekkad while staying in a luxury tent in the lowland
forests.
Accommodation
If you’re yearning authenticity, this is the tour for you.
From the city of Kochi, to the mountains, backwaters and beaches,
you’ll stay in guest houses – such as Colonel’s
Retreat, Emerald Isle and Arakkal – that are extensions
of peoples’ homes and farms. In such places the whole family
– and many of the villagers - are involved in preparing
home cooked food made specifically for you, or taking you on walks,
boat rides, swimming, or village shopping expeditions.
It’s
not luxury – the beaches at the fishing village of Arakkal
homestay are far from private or pristine. But you are immersed
in the lives of Kerala fishermen and their families, and if you
sleep under the porch at night, you will hear the waves crashing
on the beach. There’s the opportunity to take fairly chaotic
cycle rides through the village (and half the village may join
you) and Abbi and Mini are superb hosts and cooks. Welcome to
the real Kerala.
Seasons for Kerala backwaters
The best time to visit is from late October to April. June, July
and August are the monsoon months. You can still travel during
monsoon season if you can put up with the rain. On the second
Saturday of August each year is the famous regatta on Vembanad
Lake. Scores of long 'snake boats' fill the lake, each boat crewed
by up to 100 rowers. The annual event celebrates the seafaring
and martial traditions of ancient Kerala.
Contact
us about the Kerala backwaters tour
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OTHER TOURS THAT MAY INTEREST YOU...
Peru tours
Click here for our Peru
Insider tours
North India tours
Click
here for village homestay holiday - Eastern Himalaya
Click
here for Rajasthan and Delhi Insider Tours
Click
here for Himalayan and Darjeeling Insider Tours
South India tours: Kerala
Click here for
Kerala culture tour
South India tours: Karnataka, Tamil Nadu
Click
here for Wilderness west of Bangalore tour
South India tours: food tour and birding
tour
Click
here for South India bird tour
Click
here for South India food tour
Sri Lanka tours
Click
here for schedules and prices for Sri Lanka tours
Weddings in India
Click
here for schedules and prices for alternative weddings
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