Your arrival in the City of Kochi. Set on a cluster of islands and narrow peninsulas, Kochi is a city of cultural diversity - winding streets, shady trees, Kathakali dance, modern Indian art, 500-year old Portuguese houses, mosques and ferry boats scuttling backwards and forwards. Once you are settled into your hotel, we can take you on our backstreet tour of the city by foot or in your car or in a tuk tuk, visiting the spice market, the fishing harbor and in the evening, the city's Kathakali dance show– the Keralan dance drama performance. Your activities include a guided tour of historic Fort Kochi area, a harbor cruise, a ride inside a tuk tuk, a guided kayaking through a mangrove in the Kochi backwaters. Accommodation: Eighth Bastion - https://www.cghearth.com/eighth-bastion

You will be transferred to Thattekkad, a lowland forest, over an hour’s drive from Kochi. 57 species of fishes, 12 species of amphibians (4 are endemic to western Ghats), 30 species of reptiles, 38 species of aquatic macro vertebrates have been recorded from sanctuary, besides 275 species of birds and 76 species of butterflies, many endemics among them. Wild animals like Elephant, Sambar, Wild Dogs, Civet Cat, Jungle Cat are sometimes also seen. Thattekkad Bird sanctuary is indeed a field laboratory for conservation education. Your stay would be at the Hornbill camp set along the shores of the river Periyar opposite the sanctuary. After a traditional lunch at the common gazebo overlooking the river, you will get an opportunity to go on the kayaks for a journey through to the rain forests on the opposite side of the river. Here if you are lucky, there are chances of sighting the Malabar Giant Squirrel & many of the 275 species of birds that congregate here. The lush rain forest also harbors endemic birds like the brilliantly colorful Malabar Parakeets & the Malabar Trogons. After your return, there is a walk planned through the local village to see how the farming community lives amidst their plantations of rubber, coconuts & various spices like pepper and ginger. The villages are friendly places and you will be welcomed in their midst. Accommodation: Hornbill camp – https://www.amritara.co.in/resort-in-thattekad.html (aircon, river facing cottage tents) Meal Plan: B L D

Today you go on an early morning walk to the rain forests in the company of a naturalist. Here you see a wide variety of birds & butterflies, many of them like the White bellied Treepie, the Malabar Grey Hornbill or butterflies like the Southern Birdwing not sighted anywhere else in the world. Return for a late breakfast at the camp. After a relaxing afternoon, you have an option of either another kayaking trip or a cycling trip along the banks of the river to spice growing hamlets in the vicinity. Accommodation: Hornbill camp – https://www.amritara.co.in/resort-in-thattekad.html (aircon, river facing cottage tents) Meal Plan: B L D

You will travel by road to Munnar (the hill country) after breakfast. Munnar is the heart of the tea-growing region of Kerala, set high on the seaward slopes of the Western Ghats. You will pass through rubber and cardamom plantations and, as you enter the freshness of thin air, the country side is covered by the green furring of tea with patches of the original rain forest clinging to some high and precipitous slope. The scale of the country, the enormous panoramas, the lush colors, the craggy vertical heights all contribute to making this area one of the most beautiful regions of the southern highlands. This high ranges tea town with altitudes varying from 1400 m to 2680 m has an eco-system that is primarily shola-grassland type. (Sholas are high altitude montane forests & typical to the Western Ghats and a hub of endemism, enabling these areas to be included as one of the 36 bio-diversity hot spots of the world.) Here you will be visiting the Rajamala park for wildlife & bird watching, walking the mountain trails, visiting the tea museum, walking through the tea gardens, going on picnics and enjoying the pristine beauty of the scenic Munnar. Accommodation: Tea County – https://www.ktdc.com/tea-county Meal Plan: B

Today you will transfer to the magnificent forests at Periyar. One of the few habitats remaining for wild tigers in India (and indeed, the world) Periyar is part of Project Tiger, a wildlife conservation project designed to protect Royal Bengal Tigers from extinction. Set high in the mountains of the Western Ghats, this protected area covers some 777 km², out of which a 350km² forms part of the core zone known as the Periyar National Park and Tiger Reserve. Famous for its picturesque (though artificial) lake and of course the tiger (which number about 40), the park is also home to 62 different kinds of mammals. The most well-known of these are the park’s famous herds of wild Asiatic Elephants, which often come to bathe in Periyar lake. Other mammals found here include gaur, Sambar, barking deer, mouse deer, wild dogs, mongoose and leopards and Indian Bison. You will join a naturalist-led walk in search of wildlife and to get a better understanding of the surroundings. Many of the guides are in fact former poachers. You can also take a boat ride around the lake for a more relaxing view of the park and more wildlife spotting. In the afternoon you can head out to a spice plantation to learn amongst other things, how cardamom and pepper grow. In the evening, there would be a martial arts show, highlighting the kalarippayattu – Kerala’s own martial arts. Accommodation: Tea County – https://www.ktdc.com/tea-county Meal Plan: B

After the exhilarating days in the hills, it is time to move down once again to the plains to the backwaters of Kerala near the ancient trading city of Alleppey & embark the houseboat. Houseboats are a reworked model of Kettuvallams (in the Malayalam language, Kettu means "tied with ropes", and vallam means "boat"), which, in earlier times, were used to carry rice and spices from Kuttanad to the Kochi port. The crew of the boat is from the local community. They may not know your language but their hospitality is amazing & their culinary skills legendary. Settle down for some great sea food cooked in the aromatic flavors of Keralan spices (not too ‘hot’ of course). The cruise takes you through narrow canals where you can watch life of the backwater people go by women pound their washing, families work in the fields, ducks being reared, men collecting shells for making local ‘cement’ or linger at the local 'chai' shop, and canoes and ferry boats. This is a highlight - relaxing, romantic, and a chance to get to know one another better. Accommodation: Marvel Cruise Houseboat - https://www.marvelcruise.com/

After a brief visit to the coir museum and the town, check into the beach resort at Marari. Here you can laze on the beach, go swimming or go cycling along the friendly village roads. Accommodation: CGH Marari Beach Resort – https://www.cghearth.com/marari-beach Meal Plan: B

We wake up to bid adieu to our newly made friends with promises and hopes that we will cross paths in the future. Following breakfast, we drive out to the airport and take the flight out to your destination