Hills and Backwaters
5 Nights/ 6 Days
Kochi - Munnar - Thekkady - Kumarakom - Alappuzha


Day1-Kochi - Munnar
You are picked up from the railway station or from any location in Cochin by the representative of Halo for your journey in Kerala.Like a bashful bride, she blushes when you call here the ‘Queen of the Arabian Sea’. She offers an enchanting vista of old Kerala, along with mementos of her European guests.

Get ready after breakfast for your morning drive to Munnar, where sprawling tea plantations, picture book towns, winding lanes, trekking and holiday facilities make it a unique experience. Check in to your resort and get ready for the special trip to Pothamedu for an excellent view of the tea, coffee and cardamom plantations in Munnar. The breath taking scenery here is ideal for trekking and long mountain walks. Return to your resort in the evening.

Day2- Munnar
Munnar gets its name from the Malayalam and Tamil phrases for ‘three rivers’ - as the town is situated at the confluence of three mountain streams, at a height of 5,250 ft above sea level.

This morning after breakfast, visit Mattupetty famous for its highly specialized dairy farm, the Indo-Swiss live stock project. Proceed to Mattupetty lake and dam, which is a very beautiful picnic spot. You could enjoy boating in the lake and view mountains and landscapes from afar. Onwards proceed to Echo point famous for the natural echo phenomenon and then to Top Station offering marvelous views of Munnar valley below. Return to the resort and enjoy the facilities at your resort.

Day3 - Munnar - Periyar
Get ready after breakfast for your morning drive to Periyar nestled in spice and rubber plantations. Known to be Kerala’s pride and testimony to nature’s splendor, Periyar has a lot to offer in terms of wildlife. Periyar is famous for its rare habitat of birds and animals and is one of the most popular destinations for nature lovers. Check in to your resort and get ready for your trip to cardamom hills where you could have a closer look at the spice plantations.

The Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary is one of the places where the chances are pretty high that you will spot an elephant in the wild at close quarters and from the safe confines of a boat. Rest of the day at leisure.



Day4 - Periyar - Kumarakom
After breakfast check out and drive to Kumarakom.Kumarakom is a sleepy little village tucked away from the din and bustle of city life. The Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary is an Ornithologist's paradise and a favorite haunt of migrating birds like Siberian stork,darter,heron and teal to name a few. Overnight at Kumarakom.

Day5 - Houseboat Cruise
Check into the houseboat at 12 noon for 1 Night / 2 Days riding in the backwaters & small canals.
A glide in a houseboat through the enchanting backwaters is sure to rob your heart. Palm fringed narrow canals winding through the vast expense of panoramic sight one can never forgetting less than 15 minutes, the low hum of the motor and the dazzling afternoon light have tuned out the noises in your head, the deadlines, the telephone, the unfinished chapters. Watch the white tire-tread clouds turn into wisps of animal fur and then disappear. The isolation on a luxury houseboat is total. Overnight stay in a houseboat.

Day 6 - Alappuzha - Kochi
Breakfast on board. Disembark at Alappuzha.70 Kms from Cochin, this unique backwater destination situated on the banks of the Vembanad lake is considered as gateway to the backwater of Kuttanad, the granary of Kerala.
Transfer to Kochi railway station/airport. On departure the tour concludes with happy memories. Tour concludes.

Suggested Hotels

Destination No of Nights Standard Hotels Deluxe Hotels Luxury Hotels
Munnar 2
Issacs Residency
T & U Leisure or Blackberry Hills
Club Mahindra
Periyar 1 Silver Crest/Tree Top Cardamom County Spice Village
Kumarakom 1 Cocobay Waterscape/Taj Garden Retreat Coconut Lagoon
Houseboat 1 Non A/c Standard Houseboat Non A/c Deluxe Houseboat A/c Deluxe Houseboat
Cost of Package for 2 adults ( For Indians) Indian Rupees 30,000/- Indian Rupees 37,000/- Indian Rupees 62,000/-
Cost of Package for 2 adults ( For Foreigners & NRIs ) US $ 750/- US $ 925/- US $ 1550/-


Tour Includes :
- Hotel Accommodation in above star hotels/resorts on twin sharing basis.
- All transfers to or from hotels, city tours, excursions, drives by A/c car.
- All toll, driver’s batta and taxes.
- Daily breakfast.
- All meals during the houseboat cruise.
- Boat ride at Periyar.
- Kathakali Dance presentation at Kochi.
- Meet and Assist services.
- Valid from 1st of April, 2010 to 31st of March, 2011 except from 15th of December, 2010 to 15th of January, 2011.
- All prevailing taxes like Luxury tax in all hotels and Expenditure tax wherever applicable.
- Service Tax of 4.99 % as per Govt.rules.

Tour do not include
- Rates are not valid in between 15th of December, 2010 and 15th of January, 2011.
- Any Air/train fares.
- Personal expenses like telephone, fax, internet, laundry.
- Entry ticket, permit fees, boat/ferry ticket, camera ticket at various places of sight seeing.
DESTINATIONS
Kerala offers the traveller a throng of choices, from famous beaches to big metropolises to quiet secluded islands. The beauty of it says it all, you don't need to spend a lot of time or
money - the places we have selected can be just a weekend getaway to soothe those
tensed nerves.