Your consultant: Sanjeet Singh. Phone:

Transcription

1 Palm & Backwaters

2 Your consultant: Sanjeet Singh Phone: info@cultureholidaysindia.com

3 Thank you for considering Culture Holidays for your holiday! We are extremely excited about your interest in our beautiful country. We want to ensure that you have the best of your time in India. Planning your Holiday: Making Journeys Unforgettable An Experience that beckons! We are always at your service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week via rapid response or through our tour representatives in every city. An airport arrival and departure service. Our representative meets you after customs at the exit with a ply card and your name written on it. Chauffeur driven modern vehicles fitted with air-conditioning and seatbelts. Professional local guides who will bring every city and its many layers to life. Once abroad, with your personal guide and chauffeur at your service, working relentlessly to attend to your every need, you have our assurance that your journey will be one that is well Truly Amazing! About us: Culture Holidays India makes you get frenzy with India s most appealing tourist locations comfortably. The company is well recognized by the Ministry of Tourism and has been rendering impeccable Tour and Travel services since 14 Years. The experience gained over these years, and the global clientele acquired reassures our competence in the Travel Segment. We have plenty of satisfied customers who say we are different. Find out how (Why us) The energetic and highly experienced team steps in whenever and wherever necessary to enhance the holiday experience. Understanding the background and blending it with Indian reverence, we provide in-depth explanations of places of interest, the customs and history of this culturally diverse land. Come Celebrate the Most Colorful Culture & The Most Vibrant Nation with Us Let the Charisma of Incredible India Spellbind you!!! Thanks again for contacting us to plan your holiday. Crew at Culture Holidays India

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5 Day 1 Arrival Cochin Arrive Cochin International airport & after customs formalities walk out of the main exit gate where our representative will meet. Overnight at Cochin. Day 2 Cochin - Munnar (140 km, 4 hrs) After breakfast start sightseeing of Cochin. Cochin. A port town since early centuries, Cochin attracted traders and invaders from the world over. Cochin offers some fascinating snippets of history and culture. Also known as the spice coast of India. The Hill Palace Museum, a fully-fledged archeological museum and Kerala s first ever Heritage Museum are the main attractions (closed on Mondays). Chinese Fishing Nets, this unique style of huge cantilevered fishing nets were erected between 1350 and 1450 AD by traders from the Court of Kubla Khan, a Chinese King. Santa Cruz Basilica, this historic church was built by the Portuguese and elevated to a Cathedral by Pope Paul IV in Pope John Paul II proclaimed the Church a Basilica in The Jewish Synagogue, constructed in 1568, this is the oldest Synagogue in the Commonwealth (closed on Saturdays & Jewish Holidays). The area around the Synagogue, called Jew Town, is the centre for Spice & Handicraft shops. Mattanchery Palace (Dutch Palace), built by the Portuguese in 1557 and presented to the Regent of Kochi (closed on Fridays). Later drive to Munnar. Throughout the journey enjoy beautiful streams Rubber, Pepper cardamom, small waterfalls, and Tea plantations and thick forests. God has blessed his own country with incomparable beauty to have everlasting memory of your honeymoon days in Kerala. Munnar a hill station located 1600 metres above sea level. Once the summer resort of the erstwhile British administration in South India it still retains its colonial charm and is famous for its tea plantations, most of which are privately owned. With its sprawling estates, rolling hills, sparkling waterfalls, picture postcard hamlets and undulating valleys, Munnar is an ideal get-away destination. Arrive Munnar and transfer to hotel. Night stay in Munnar.

6 Day 3 Munnar After breakfast proceed to explore Munnar, one of the most beautiful hills station in Kerala. Tea plantation - Tea gardens spread like a green carpet over hundreds of kilometers, lust green hills, a place so difficult to describe, very low population too far from pollution, most of the covered by Tata tea. It is one of the biggest centers of tea trade in India. Until 1790, Munnar and the surrounding area were forests covered, when they were first recognized by the European known as Duke of Wellington. Later in the year 1870, a subordinate of the ruler of Travancore, leased 588 sq. km of land to a Scottish tea planter named J.D. Munro, who was the lawyer in the employee of the Travancore Government. Raja Malai - A top peak of Munnar Rajamala is 15 km from Munnar, where you can see Neel Thar (mountain goats), it is the natural habitat of the Niligiri tahr. Rajamala is 2695 m above sea level. Half the world's population of the rare mountain goat or tahr which is fast becoming extinct, is now found here.the Nilgiri tahr in Rajamalai are now to be found in small herds found in Eravikulam-Rajamala region. The total number of Niligiri Tahrs in Rajamala is estimated to be over Mattuppetty Dam - Mattuppetty is 13 km from Munnar town. Mattupetty is known for its storage dam and lake which is 1700 mts above sea level. Mattupatty also have a beautifull view of surrounding hills and landscape. It also have lush green grasslands, tea plantations and Shola forests. The reservoir is also known to be one of the visiting ground of elephants of the region. Mattupetty is famous for its highly specialized dairy farm, the Indo-Swiss livestock project. Back to hotel. Night stay in Munnar.

7 Day 4 Munnar - Kumarakom (155km, 4-5 hrs) After breakfast drive to Kumarakom. Kumarakom is also one of the enchanting backwater regions of Kerala. The labyrinthine network of rivers, canals, streams and lagoons which form the famed backwaters offer stunning views and is an ideal place to relax. Kumarakom, a bird sanctuary located on the banks of the backwaters and renowned for its varied avian population. Local varieties such as Waterfowls, Cuckoos and Owls, as well as the migratory Siberian Cranes can be viewed here. Arrive Kumarakom and transfer to hotel. Later day excursion to the bird sanctuary and optional boat ride to the nearby village through lagoons. Night stay in Kumarakom.

8 Day 5 Kumarakom - Alappuzha (By houseboat) Morning In the morning board the Rice boat - It took great skill and meticulousness to construct these Houseboats by tying huge planks of jack wood together, without the use of a single nail. It usually has one or two bath rooms, an open lounge, deck, kitchenette and a crew comprising oarsmen, a cook and guide. The backwaters of Kerala form the lifeblood of beautiful Kerala and played a main role in the economy of the state. Riceboats and small ships used to ply in these waters, carrying coconut, rubber, rice and spices to various trading centers of Kerala. Even today, these waterways link remote villages and island with the main land.it is an incredibly different experience to cruise in the backwaters in country boats, absorbing the beauty of the villages. Sail along the winding network of Kerala backwaters, see the unique water world and experience its myriad charms. Eat spiced and baked rice cakes on board a floating rice barge, fish for fresh catch and have the cook onboard cook a traditional delicacy for you, lie down on the deck and count the glittering stars that garland a clear moon with crickets making pleasant sounds as your barge floats along the unending network of Kerala backwaters. Embark at the local villages that flourish on the banks of the emerald Kerala backwaters and visit the village bazaars that are flooded with coir products, coconuts and other villages produce. You can also interact with the local population see their lifestyle. Although practically surrounded by water, they still manage to keep cows, pigs, chickens and ducks and cultivate small vegetable gardens, prawns and fish. In houseboats, traditional Kerala food will be served. Lunch, Dinner. overnight on Boat.

9 Day 6 Alappuzha - Kovalam (175 km, 4-5 hrs) In the morning after breakfast disembark the boat and drive to Kovalam. Kovalam, one of the most popular beach hangouts in India. Kovalam means a grove of coconut trees and truly the coconut trees along the beaches gives it a ravishing look. The palm-fringed bays in secluded coconut groves, promise a relaxed stay. The boundless blue waters of the Arabian Sea and miles of white sands washed away by the surf at the feet of the stalwart palms and the rocky promontories, makes this beach paradise. On arrival, check in at the Hotel. Rest the day is free at leisure on the beach. You may take Ayurvedic massage or treatment at the hotel on direct payment basis. Rest of the day at leisure. Night stay in Kovalam. Day 7 & 8 Kovalam Free day at leisure on the beach. You may take Ayurvedic massage or treatment at the hotel on direct payment basis. Night stay in Kovalam. Day 9 Kovalam - Trivandrum (20 km, 1 hr) & departure Transfer to airport to board your onward flight to back home.

10 What you get Includes: 07 Nights accommodation in hotel with includes breakfast. 01 Night at houseboat in Alleppey with all meals (breakfast, dinner & lunch). All transfers & sightseeing by exclusive air-conditioned vehicle. Entrance fees. English speaking guide for sightseeing. Highly personalized itinerary planning. Expert advice from our India specialists, all of whom have traveled extensively in India. Local contacts at our associate offices throughout India. All taxes, driver allowances, parking etc. Does not include: Any airfare. Tips, laundry. Any item not shown in Cost Includes. Visa.

11 Dates & Rates (All prices are per person in USD.) Month Dates Twin/Double/Triple Sharing Single Supplement November $1399 $837 December $1399 $ Dates & Rates (All prices are per person in USD.) Month Dates Twin/Double/Triple Sharing Single Supplement January $1399 $837 February $1399 $837 March $1399 $837 April $1399 $837 May $1199 $616 June $1199 $616 July $1199 $616 August $1199 $616 September $1199 $616

12 City Nights 4* Hotels Cochin 01 Holiday Inn / The Renai Munnar 02 Tall Tree / Tea Country Kumarakom 01 Backwater Ripples / Ramada Alleppey 01 Deluxe Houseboat Kovalam 03 Travancore Heritage / Turtle on the beach

13 CULTURE HOLIDAYS website: mail id: toll-free: USA INDIA