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Holiday Overview

Periyar Boat Ride (Nivalink Trip Dated - 5 May 2008)
Periyar Boat Ride (Nivalink Trip Dated - 5 May 2008)
Periyar Boat Ride (Nivalink Trip Dated - 5 May 2008)
Elephant Junction (Nivalink Trip Dated - 5 May 2008)
Gaur (Indian Bison)
Inside Periyar Sanctuary
Chinese Fishing nets (Nivalink Trip Dated - 23 September 2008)
Fort cochin Beach views (Nivalink Trip Dated - 31 August 2012)
Fort Cochin beach (Nivalink Trip Dated - 31 August 2012)
Harbour Views (Nivalink Trip Dated - 31 August 2012)
Typical Heritage Hotel in Fort Cochin (Nivalink Trip Dated - 31 August 2012)

This is a short break for experiential travellers looking to do a bit of walking, trekking, nature / heritage exploration and experience heritage / backwater / seaside character of Fort Cochin and area around and plantations and reserve forests around Thekkady.

Route

Cochin (Fort Cochin)(2) - Thekkady(2)

Summarised Itinerary
  • Day-1 Arrive at Cochin. Proceed to Fort Cochin. Evening Walk around the Heritage Bylanes. Visit Greenix Village.
  • Day-2 In and around Fort Cochin
  • Day-3 Proceed to Thekkady. Elephant ride in the evening.
  • Day-4 Half Day or Full day programme in Periyar Reserve Forest
  • Day-5 Departure
Sightseeing Summary

Cochin (Fort Cochin) - Greenix Village (0.50 kms), Jewish Synagogue Fort Cochin (1.00 kms), Kumbhalangi Backwaters (10.00 kms)

Thekkady - Bird Watching in Periyar (1.00 kms), Walking in Periyar (1.00 kms), Bamboo Rafting in Periyar (1.00 kms), Elephant Junction (2.00 kms), Spice farm visit (3.00 kms), Periyar Boat Ride (5.00 kms), Gavi Ecotourism (40.00 kms)

Preferred Arrival /Departure Destination
Arrival - Cochin (Ernakulam) Departure - Cochin (Ernakulam)
Best Season to Travel
  • Jan
  • Feb
  • Mar
  • Apr
  • May
  • Jun
  • Jul
  • Aug
  • Sep
  • Oct
  • Nov
  • Dec
Popular Extensions to the Itinerary

Alleppey Houseboat is another definitive experience and therefore a popular extension option.

Distances
  • Cochin (Ernakulam) to Cochin (Fort Cochin) -13 kms (0.5 hrs)
  • Cochin (Fort Cochin) to Thekkady -175 kms (4.5 hrs)
  • Thekkady to Cochin (Ernakulam) -180 kms (4.5 hrs)
Route

Cochin (Ernakulam) - Cochin (Fort Cochin)(2) - Thekkady(2) - Cochin (Ernakulam)

Detailed Itinerary

Day-1 Arrive at Cochin. Proceed to Fort Cochin. Evening Walk around the Heritage Bylanes. Visit Greenix Village. Arrive at Cochin and Proceed to Fort Cochin (45 kms - 1 hr). Fort Cochin is a charming heritage corner of Cochin visited for its heritage character, Arabian Sea views, Chinese Fishing nets, charming heritage bylanes and heritage hotels. Evening Walk in heritage bylanes of Fort Cochin visiting Church and Jewish Synagogue. Visit Greenix village for evening performances of traditional dance forms of Kerala.

Day-2 In and around Fort Cochin Visit Kumbhalangi area to experirnce rural lifestyle with backwater character. In the afternoon take a boat trip to neighboring Islands (Vypeen and Bolgatty) In the evening explore Fishermen at work using Chinese fishing nets. Evening Dinner at one of the charming restaurants in a heritage hotel in Fort Cochin.

Day-3 Proceed to Thekkady. Elephant ride in the evening. Proceed to Thekkady (175 kms - 4.5 hrs). The route takes one through one of the most spectacular drives around the Rubber plantation area of Kottayam, Churches and luxury planter homes built on ethnic lines. Thekkady is a spice plantation area surrounded by Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary and visited for its salibrious climate, plantation backdrop and activities around Periyar reserve forest. Late afternoon visit to Spice garden (Cardamom, Pepper, Cinnamon, Vanilla) alongwith visit to Elephant Junction for the elephant experience (elephant ride).

Day-4 Half Day or Full day programme in Periyar Reserve Forest Opt for one of the many programmes offered by the Forest dept that involves half -day walking / trekking in the forest (upto 3 hours) OR a full day programme involving walking / trekking / bamboo rafting. Guests may even opt for the Eco Tourism programme offered by Forest Dept at Gavi (42 kms from Thekkady).

Day-5 Departure Proceed to Cochin (175 kms - 4.5 hours) and Depart for onward journey.

Detailed Sightseeing

Cochin (Fort Cochin) :

  • Greenix Village - A craft village at Fort cochin that offers a wide ranging live performances. A visit here is very popular with guests to Fort cochin.

  • Jewish Synagogue Fort Cochin - Jewish Synagogue at Fort Cochin was built in 1568 and is the oldest synagogue in the Commonwealth of Nations.

  • Kumbhalangi Backwaters - 10 kms from Fort Cochin are a set of backwaters overlooking Kumbhalangi village, a fishermen village having 100+ chinese fishing nets.

Thekkady :

  • Bird Watching in Periyar - 320 different kinds have been counted in Periyar. The bird life includes darters, cormorants, kingfishers, the great Malabar Pied Hornbill and racket-tailed Drongos. Bird watching is possible via taking up a forest walk from Periyar forest entry gate at Kumily.

  • Walking in Periyar - Periyar sanctuary gate in Kumily, the forest department offers guided walks inside Periyar wildlife sanctuary. This is perhaps the best way to explore the forest and to be able to spot wildlife. Indian Bison (Gaur) and elephants have been known to have been spotted on these walks. Forest rangers that accompany the walks ensure complete safety of the guests.

  • Bamboo Rafting in Periyar - One of the full day long forest programmes has a combination of walking, hiking and bamboo rafting across periyar lake. Its one of the definitive experiences of Periyar.

  • Elephant Junction - Elephant Junction is where guests enjoy interaction with elephant that includes bathing elephant, elephant ride and being around playful elephants. Elephant junction is a huge hit with inbound guests and familiies with kids.

  • Spice farm visit - Spice farm visit is a popular excursion for guests in Kerala. The spices grown around the area include cardamom, cinnamon etc. alongwith vanilla, tea and coffee.

  • Periyar Boat Ride - A highly touristy boat ride is the main attraction for average tourist to Periyar. The boats are filled with 30-40 tourists with the aim of spotting wildlife on the edge of the lake. Binoculars are a must to have any chance of spotting a wildlife.

  • Gavi Ecotourism - Gavi is a quiet and pristine forest located at a distance of 40 km from Periyar Tiger Reserve. Gavi often serves as a base camp for deep jungle trekkers, birdwatchers, nature lovers and research student. There are number of eco-tourism related activities that are conducted by the forest authorities around Gavi area and are popular with tourists. Guests typically opt for a full day Gavi eco tourism programme.

Destination Overview

Cochin (Ernakulam) - Ernakulam, part of Cochin area is business hub of Cochin and also commercial capital of Kerala.

Cochin (Fort Cochin) - A heritage area a few kilometers from Willingdon Island. With many charming heritage hotels in the area, its perhaps the best area of accommodation for leisure and experience oriented travelers.

Thekkady - Thekkady (2500 ft asl) is a stopover on the South India Itinerary on Madurai - Kottayam route known for nature centric experiences connected with Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary.

Access
Prefered Arrival : No ImageCochin (Ernakulam)No ImageCochin (Ernakulam)
Prefered Departure : No ImageCochin (Ernakulam)No ImageCochin (Ernakulam)
Distances
  • Cochin (Ernakulam) to Cochin (Fort Cochin) -13 kms (0.5 hrs)
  • Cochin (Fort Cochin) to Thekkady -175 kms (4.5 hrs)
  • Thekkady to Cochin (Ernakulam) -180 kms (4.5 hrs)

Ready Cost estimate for this itinerary is not available.

However Nivalink would be able to readily offer a cost estimate or customise the itinerary as per specific requirements.

All Nivalink packages offer a Quality Assurance for superior recommendations and hassle free travel experience.

Call 022-6150 6363 to speak to our travel planner or email ke-13@nivalink.co.in to connect with our travel planner for details on the itinerary: Fort Cochin - Thekkady Experiential Break.

Email to expert@nivalink.co.in to connect with sector expert for specific ideas and recommendations.

Travel Ideas incorporated in the itinerary

Lines indicate the best available driving routes.
Arrows indicate connectivity other than Road (e.g. Waterways or Air).
Please click on the markers for more detailed Information.

Distances
  • Cochin (Ernakulam) to Cochin (Fort Cochin) -13 kms (0.5 hrs)
  • Cochin (Fort Cochin) to Thekkady -175 kms (4.5 hrs)
  • Thekkady to Cochin (Ernakulam) -180 kms (4.5 hrs)

Expert Speak

While Kerala is turning touristy and becoming a mainstream destination, this short break focuses on essense of Kerala and experiences around two of its most popular destinations of experiential travellers (Fort Cochin and Thekkady).

Expert Connect

Nivalink has taken over 300 trips across India and select destinations overseas over last 10 years to verify hotels, evaluate destinations and understand its suitability with different profiles of customers across different seasons.

At Nivalink you are able to connect directly with experts who have travelled to these destinations and are able to offer novel ideas, honest perspectives and help you narrow down choices.

Email to expert@nivalink.co.in to connect with sector expert for specific ideas and recommendations.

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