Cruising The Kerala Backwaters

Arrive in Chennai at 05.31 hrs. Group transfer to Taj Connemara Hotel, dating from 1854 and carefully restored with modern amenities, where two nights are spent. Lunch at the hotel. Option to visit to the Chennai Government Museum with its outstanding collection of bronze statues. Dinner at the hotel.

Morning city tour of Chennai (formerly Madras) capital of Tamil Nadu where the East India Company was established in 1639, leaving a legacy of elegant buildings and gardens. Visit Kapaleeshwar Temple at Mylapore, the Cathedral of San Thome and The Fort, which originally dates from the 1640s Lunch at a local restaurant. Afternoon at leisure. Dinner at the hotel.

Morning departure to Mahabalipuram, famous for its fabulous rock-cut temples, friezes and shore temples built by the Pallava dynasty in the 7th and 8th centuries. Lunch at a local restaurant. Drive south to Pondicherry, former capital of French India and still retaining a strong French colonial influence with pastel coloured villas and shady courtyards. Check into the beautifully restored colonial mansion, the Palais de Mahe Hotel, situated in the heart of the historic French Quarter, where two nights are spent. Remainder of the afternoon at leisure to enjoy the hotel’s facilities including a swimming pool and Ayurvedic spa. Dinner at the hotel.

Full day tour of Pondicherry starting with a visit to the town of Auroville (City of Dawn), founded in 1968 as a tribute to revolutionary and philosopher Sri Aurobido, where different nationalities can live in peace and harmony. Lunch at Villa Shanti restaurant. Walking tour of the old French Quarter with its elegant leafy avenues and chic boutiques and cafes, including the 300-year-old Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception. Rickshaw ride from the French Quarter to the Tamil Quarter with its colourful Grand Bazaar and Hindu temples. Dinner at the hotel.

Full day tour of the historic Portuguese settlement of Fort Cochin including St. Francis Church, India’s first European church and original burial site of Vasco de Gama; the old Jewish Synagogue, built in 1568 and magnificently decorated by Chinese tiles and Belgian chandeliers; and the Chinese fishing nets, unique to Cochin.

Lunch at a local restaurant. Walking tour of Mattancherry, the bustling part of Old Fort Cochin and the epicentre of the spice trade for centuries, to discover its rich blend of Arab, Portuguese, British, and Dutch influences. Visit the Dutch Palace originally built by the Portuguese and modified by the Dutch in 17th century. Dinner at the hotel.

Check out and drive to the nearby village of Nettoor and see a performance of the local martial art Kalaripayattu. Drive to Pallippuram, at the northern border of Cochin, to embark on the river cruise boat RV Vaikundam.

Traditional lunch on board. Set sail to on the Backwaters. Talk on Cochin’s geographical, cultural and social significance. Stop at the ancient village of Vaikom in Kottayam, land of natural rubber latex and spices, and see a performance of the traditional dance Kathakali. Tuk tuk ride to the ancient Temple of Shiva where each element of the temple represents an element of the human body. Dinner on board.

Cruise to Chenganda Village and see the locals making coir, collecting mussels and prawns, fishing and coconut farming. Return to the boat and cruise through the Thanneermukkom Barrage which divides the salt-water half of the lake from the fresh-water half.

Lunch at a farmhouse located on an island reclaimed from the Backwaters. Take a walk on the farm and enjoy a demonstration of traditional Syrian Christian cuisine. Dinner on board.

Early morning bird watching by local boat in the Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary, made up of a cluster of lagoons of Lake Vembanad with a backdrop of mangroves, paddy fields and coconut groves. See endemic waterfowl, cuckoos, owls, egrets, herons and duck and also migratory parrots, teal, lark and flycatchers. Return to the boat for breakfast. Cruise the lake, passing reclaimed paddy cultivating regions.

Lunch on board. Arrive in Kavalam where the River Pampa reverses its course and drains into Lake Vembanad. Explore by local ferry, walk along the dykes surrounding the expanses of paddy fields and interact with the farmers and a women’s collective. Cruise on until sunset, en route meeting toddy tappers to learn how they make this local alcoholic beverage from the sap of coconut palm flowers. Dinner on board.

Cruise to Kainakari, another vibrant village in the interior, and take a local boat through the narrow canals. Stop at Chavara Bhavan, the ancestral home of Saint Kuriakose Chavara, the first canonised Catholic male saint of Indian origin, now a museum.

Lunch on board. Continue cruising and arrive in Mankompu village and see a cultural performance. Dinner on board.

Drive to Aranmula Village and visit the workshop of a family of mirror makers whose secret methods have been passed down through generations. See the nearby ancient temple of Krishna ‘Aranmula Sree Parthasarthy’.

Lunch at a fine local house on the banks of the holy river Pampa and visit the institute of Traditional Architecture and Mural Painting. Return to the boat and cruise to Champakkulam Village. Visit the monumental St. Mary’s Church on the riverside, built in 1550 by the descendants of Syrian Christian traders, who converted to Roman Catholicism under the Portuguese. Cruise on to the remote village of Changankari. Dinner on board.

Early morning walk in Changankari Village. Continue sailing towards the coastal village of Thottappalli, passing by the spillway in Kuttanad, which prevents the saline water at the river mouth from flooding the low-lying paddy fields. Learn about indigenous practices of paddy cultivation on reclaimed land below sea level.

Lunch on board. Stop to plant a coconut sapling to mark the cruise. The coconut tree is considered the ‘Kalpavriksha’ or the Divine Tree of Kerala because all parts of coconut tree are used in one way or the other. Drop anchor at Thottappalli and take a walk along the beach to see local coastal life. Dinner on board.

Visit a temple with female priests where serpents are worshipped. Continue by road to Mannar Village, famous for ornate locks, lamps and vessels used in temples.

Lunch on board. Visit the quiet and rustic village of Karumadi and see its 11th-century statue of Buddha preserved in a small shrine. Cruise to Kanjippadom Village to visit a boat yard and see the art of traditional Kettuvallum or coir rope lashed wooden plank boat building. Farewell dinner on board.

Cruise to Punnamada Lake, where the annual Snake Boat Race is held in traditional highly decorated boats. Cruise to Alleppey, the ancient port town, criss-crossed by rivers, lakes, canals, lagoons and paddy fields, known as the Venice of the East. Disembark and take walk through the marketplace. Transfer to Cochin airport.

Lunch at a local restaurant en route. Domestic flight to Chennai and transfer to the Trident Chennai airport hotel where one night is spent. Dinner under own arrangements.

Group transfer to Chennai Airport for suggested flights (not included) British Airway BA 36 departing at 07.50 hrs arriving London Heathrow at 13.10 hrs.