Classic Family Tour Of Kerala

Family Friendly Tour With Elephant
Rides, Wildlife Safaris And Rice Boats.

Kerala is a great location for a Family Holiday. The travelling distances are relatively short as it is a small, compact state. Kerala has also consistently enjoyed the highest quality of life in India. This fact combined with an idyllic climate and lush tropical landscapes makes it a very easy introduction to India for kids of all ages.

All hotels featured are family friendly and most have either Family Rooms or Interconnecting Rooms with lots of facilities to keep active kids busy.

Highlights include an amazing demonstration of Kalari Martial Arts at Cochin to the sound of musical instruments. At Elephant Junction in Thekkady there are Elephant Rides, and even a chance to bathe with Elephants. At The Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary, Safari Boats take you to watch wild Elephants, Indian Bison and even a Tiger. A journey on a Private Family Rice Boat on the backwaters will be the highlight of any family holiday in Kerala.

The shallow beaches of Kovalam are ideal for safe sea bathing during the Winter Season. A combination of this tour and a beach stay in Kerala will make an ideal two week family holiday.

Recommended For: Families who wish to tour Kerala in child-friendly hotels with activities that are of interest to children.

 

Day 01

Depart UK

Depart UK – Overnight flight.

 

Day 02

Cochin

Taj Malabar  

Relax On Arrival At Cochin
Cochin is only about 40 minutes away from the Airport.

Evening Kalari Martial Arts Performance
Kalari is reputed to be the most ancient martial art form in the world.

E N S Kalari has a fascinating daily demonstration in the evening for 1 hour with 6 or 7 warriors participating in the demonstration. Kalari items are performed accompanied to the sound of traditional musical instruments.

 

Day 03

Cochin

Taj Malabar

Tour Of Fort Cochin With A Local Guide
All of the attractions of Fort Cochin are just a short walk away from each other. Start off at the famous Chinese Fishing Nets by the narrow harbour channel. Walk past the pretty Church of St Francis: the oldest church in India (1503) built by the Portuguese, to the Parade Ground with interesting and historic buildings all waiting to be explored.

Evening Cruise Through Cochin Harbour
Cochin has one of the finest natural harbours in the world. A sunset cruise takes you past the anchorage of the Indian Navy at Willingdon, the Bolghatty Island and views through the harbour mouth out towards the open sea.

 

Day 04

Thekkady

The Elephant Court

Elephant Junction
High in the hills of Thekkady is an Elephant Camp called Elephant Junction where you can go on Elephant Rides or Bathe With Elephants and even challenge an elephant for a Tug-Of-War Competition – the elephant always wins of course!

 

Day 05

Thekkady

The Elephant Court

Guided Tour Of Abraham Spice Garden
A family tour of the most famous Spice Garden in Kerala. A walk around the garden takes 1 hour and you can see interesting spices like pepper, vanilla, cardamom and fruits including many varieties of banana.

Boat Trip At Periyar National Park
Periyar is probably the best place in India to watch wild elephants. Herds of playful wild elephants have made Periyar Lake their favourite haunt for frolicking in the water. Scores of them can be witnessed bathing and swimming here. Other inhabitants of Periyar include the Leopard, Wild Dog, Barking Deer, Mouse Deer, Nilgiri Langur, Bonnet Macaque, Sambar, Gaur (Indian Bison), Wild Boar, and Sloth Bear. If you are very lucky you may even catch a glimpse of one of the reserve’s 40 Tigers!

A Boat Safari is the best way to observe animals by the water’s edge. Top deck seats are booked for a better view.

 

Day 06

Backwaters

Luxury Or Deluxe Private A/C Rice Boat

The Backwaters
A boat journey through Kerala’s Kuttanad Country, a 75km stretch of shimmering waterways incorporating rivers, lagoons and lakes is one of the World’s Great Travel Experiences and will be the highlight of your holiday to Kerala.

The waterways are lined by swaying palm trees and Chinese Fishing Nets, cooled by a gentle breeze, and studded with water hyacinths. All kinds of craft ply these waters ferrying cargoes of spice, rice, nuts, coir (coconut fibre), copra (dried coconut) and people.

Your Luxury Or Deluxe Private Rice Boat
All Rice Boats have A/C Cabins and each boat has a fully equipped kitchen and an experienced cook to prepare authentic Kerala cuisine including sea food specialties and fresh vegetables. Families are provided with large 2-Cabin Rice Boats.

RICE BOAT JOURNEY – Alleppey’s Southern Backwaters
One of Kerala’s secrets is that by far the most beautiful backwaters lie to the south of Alleppey.

This route takes in idyllic villages such as Thottappally, Thrikkunnapuzha and the Kayamkulam Lake, where one can see a lovely fleet of Chinese Fishing Nets. Night anchoring takes place at Vallikkavu or Alumkadavu where the world famous ‘Hugging Guru’’ or Amma’s Ashram is situated. If interested you can go to visit to the Ashram in the evening.

 

Day 07

To Kerala’s Beaches

The Coconut Lagoon

The cruise continues in the morning until you reach Alleppey Jetty where it ends at 10:00 am.

Kovalam Beach
The best option for families is a stay at the famous Kovalam Beach in Southern Kerala. The 3 crescent shaped bays at Kovalam contain some of India’s finest sea-bathing beaches, with particularly shallow water during the Winter Season from October – April. It is possible to go in to the sea for up to 100m at waist height in certain places.

There are a lot of restaurants that provide western style food as well as delicious Indian cuisine. Grilled seafood items such as lobster, king prawns and kalamari are sourced fresh from the sea at Kovalam.

Marari Beach
Marari has the great advantage of being located just 20 minutes from the Boat Landing Point at Alleppey. If you prefer a quiet end of tour family beach stay, there are some rather exclusive beach resorts at Marari.

NOTE: You can choose as many beach nights as you require.

 

Depart Kerala

Depart Kerala – Daytime flights arrive back in UK the same day.

NOTE: If you do not require a beach stay, you may need to add a stopover night at Cochin prior to your departure.

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