Colors of South India

Check in to your choice of hotel: The superior first class Vivanta by Taj or the deluxe Brunton Boatyard.

After breakfast, your private car, driver and in-the-know guide will be waiting to show you the architectural highlights of historic Cochin, hailed by long-ago seafaring merchants as the Queen of the Arabian Sea! Traveling along the picturesque harbor of the first European settlement in India, you’ll have a chance to see fishermen at work with their traditional Chinese fishing nets. Continue to the area around Fort Kochi, founded nearly 500 years ago, and tour the Dutch Palace and 16h-century Jewish Synagogue. Then visit historic St. Francis Church, where the Portuguese explorer Vasco De Gamma died in 1524, before returning to your hotel. Meals B

Depart your hotel this morning and drive to Alleppey, a charming town of shady streets and canals that captures the magic and romance of South India! Here you’ll board your private houseboat for a delightful cruise along the tranquil waters of Kerala. As you make your way to Kumarakom on the shores of Lake Vembanad, you’ll enjoy lunch onboard and witness timeless scenes of daily life including fishermen in their cockleshell boats, cattle grazing quietly in lush pastures and women neck-deep in the water searching for fish! Disembark your houseboat and check in to your choice of hotel: The lovely Coconut Lagoon Resort or the deluxe Kumarakom Lake Resort.  Meals B,L

After breakfast, join your guide for a private tour of the Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary. Spread across 14 verdant acres on the shores of Lake Vembanad, this bird-watcher’s paradise is an important sanctuary for migratory birds including the Siberian stork, egret, darter, heron and teal. The rest of your day is at leisure to enjoy the lovely setting and fine amenities of your resort.  Meals B

Transfer to the airport in Kochi for your onward journey. Meals B 

Note: Because this tour offers “Go Any Day” flexibility, please be aware of the following:
• The Dutch Palace (Day 2) is closed on Friday.
• The Jewish Synagogue (Day 2) is closed on Friday and Saturday