Active India

Our tour is an interesting experience into culturally enchanting and verdant landscapes and charms of tropical South India. We explore ancient Hindu temples and lavish palaces; enjoy picturesque hill walks; see exotic wildlife in its natural habitat; and relax on a houseboat while cruising through the famous Kerala backwaters.

Highlights:

• Watching wild elephants and tigers in national parks in Bandipur, Madumalai and Nagarhole.
• Riding the toy train through the hills.
• Exploring Munnar hill station famous for its picturesque tea gardens.
• Experiencing old seaport of Cochin.
• Riding the boat on Periyar Lake.

This tour explores the stunning rich and verdant green landscape of Kerala. We experience charms of an old trading port; take a houseboat cruise on its backwaters and spend relaxing downtime by the beach. The itinerary begins with a two-night stay in Kochi with a sightseeing tour exploring its long heritage and some outstanding architecture. We then travel to the coast for a memorable houseboat cruise through Kerala’s famous backwaters, a lush green water world of great beauty, before the tour concludes with a two-night stay at the enchanting seaside resort of Mararikulam.

Highlights

• Fort Kochi, with its grandiose colonial architecture and laid back tropical charm.
• The backwaters, a picturesque network of canals, lagoons and lush greenery.
• Houseboat cruise through the backwaters of Alleppey.
• Mararikulam, a serene and tranquil beach destination

Our family-friendly journey is the perfect introduction to the scenic southwestern corner of India. From picturesque old hill stations and colonial trading ports to wildlife sanctuaries and pristine beaches, there much to see, appreciate and digest on this varied tour. The tour features backwater cruise on houseboats. The tour begins at Kochi on the Malabar Coast, with its handsome old colonial buildings harking back to the day when this was the hub of India’s lucrative spice. After exploring Cochin we head inland to the green hills for a two-night stay in the lovely old hill station of Munnar. We enjoy a gentle walk through the hills and tea plantations, visiting the picturesque village of Annamudi, before we head across to the city and arrive at thekkady. After seeing the spice plantations around Thekkady, we visit Periyar National Park to watch wildlife including elephants and tigers. We descend to the coast for an enjoyable cruise along the picturesque Kerala backwaters before the tour concludes with some downtime on beautiful beaches of Marari’.

Highlights

• Fort Kochi - an amalgam of Old Portuguese, Dutch and British colonial architecture.
• Munnar - a beautiful hill station high in the Western Ghats.
• Periyar National Park - a sanctuary for exotic wildlife including elephants and tigers.
• Alleppey - a picturesque town of canals, backwaters, lagoons & beaches.
• Mararikulam- A serene and tranquil beach destination.

This tour is a rewarding two-week discovery of all the best that this beautiful and green south-western corner of India has to offer. Get close to real Kerala with an off-the-beaten-track two-wheeled exploration of its back-roads and byways, and of course, some well-deserved relaxation on a tropical beach. This narrow Indian state sandwiched between the Arabian Sea and the mountainous Western Ghats is known for its tropical greenery, quiet backwaters, spectacular wildlife reserves and endless tea and spice plantations. This carefully designed two-week itinerary gives one the freedom to stop wherever one likes; to interact with the local villagers; to get close to the soul of the place.

The tour begins with a relaxing stay in Kovalam, with its sandy beaches and lively, before we set off up the coast to the picturesque cliff tops, and bike through villages inhabited by the traditional fishing community of Varkala. It’s a gentle ride on to Kollam, the southern gateway to the Kerala backwaters – mile after mile of stunningly beautiful palm-lined inland waterways. We navigate this quiet and green world aboard wooden canoes from our base in the village of Mancombu. Our route then heads inland, into a landscape of spice, tea and rubber plantations, to reach the charming hill station of Wagamon at an altitude of 1,200 metres, and surrounded by picturesque waterfalls. We enjoy some challenging hill-cycling, and stop by at Periyar National Park where there’s a chance to see wild elephants, leopards and other rare wildlife, before returning to the coast via the hill station of Kuttikkanam. The last two days are spent in the delightful old city of Cochin, with its colonial mansions and laid-back ambience.

Highlights:

• Cycle the Kerala coastline beside magnificent tropical beaches.
• Relax on the beaches of Kovalam.
• Explore Varkala, an unspoiled village with a lovely beach.
• Explore the magical waterways around Kollam and Mancombu.
• Stay in the charming hill station of Wagamon.
• Spot wildlife at Periyar National Park.
  

This relaxing journey explores laid-back southern state of Kerala, blessed with enchanting green landscapes of paddy fields, palm trees, golden beaches and forested hills. We experience old trading ports and idyllic backwaters along the coast to wild elephants and hill stations as also a spectacular Hindu temple in Tamil Nadu.

We start our tour in Kochi, the centre of the Indian spice for many centuries, before heading inland to visit the hill station of Munnar - a cool and serene town full of tea and rubber plantations and surrounded by grasslands and verdant forests. Christianity and even Judaism have left their mark on these coastal regions but it is Hinduism that dominates and hence a huge and elaborately decorated temple at Madurai – a treat for the eyes and the soul. High in the Western Ghats, Periyar National Park is home to a huge variety of wildlife where even colourful birds of various species are in abundance. We finish by relaxing on the tropical beaches of Kovalam but not before cruising along the picturesque Kerala backwaters with an overnight stay on a houseboat.

Highlights:

• Fort Kochi - an amalgam of Old Portuguese, British and Dutch architectural treasure.
• Munnar - a cool and picturesque hill station in the Western Ghats.
• Meenakshi Temple - one of the largest temple-complexes in India.
• Thekkady - famous for its spices like black pepper, cardamom, cinnamon and cloves.
• Periyar – for its Wildlife Sanctuary with vast wildlife; particularly elephants.
• Alleppey – for a memorable houseboat cruise through its backwaters.