Two places – Cochin & Marari

Arrive Cochin

Arrive Cochin. You will be transferred to your hotel in the heritage town of Fort Cochin (01 hour)

The spice trade first bought Chinese and Arabian traders to Kerala’ shores and later the Portuguese  , Dutch and British thus making Fort Cochin a cultural melting point. Wander through its old streets, the synagogue, the ancient churches, colonial houses and the picturesque Chinese fishing nets. 

At 1700 hrs , proceed to a local theatre  to witness live performance Kathakaly dance and other performing Arts of Kerala. 

Overnight at Cochin.

At Cochin – Being local

Today is a different day , this morning you will explore Cochin with your guide by being a localite. There is no car today. You will walk , take the TUK TUK through the narrow streets of Fort Cochin and Mattancherry , climb on a local bus in the busy hours to the city  , walk along thousands of people exploring the local market , know the spices , visit the railway station when thousands of people return to their nearby village after the day’s work , take the local ferry from the mainland to return to the island of Fort Cochin. By evening you will experience everything what is happening in a day at Cochin. 

During the course, you will also visit the monuments at Fort Cochin and Mattancherry  - The St  Francis  Church,  the oldest European Church in India ,where Vasco de Gama the first European traveller to India was originally buried here.  Dutch Palace at Mattancherry (Friday closed) is renowned  for its wall murals depicting scenes from the Ramayana.  The Jewish Synagogue ( Saturday closed) at the heart of what is locally called the Jew Town.  

Overnight at Fort Cochin

At Cochin – Explore Muziris

This morning you will travel to the ancient city of Muziris (01 hr) to witness the ruins and the  monuments dating back to centuries 

Around 2,000 years ago, Muziris was one of India’s most important trading ports , on the Periyar river close to the Arabian Sea. From the time of King Solomon of the Bible, traders from Rome, Greece, Egypt and Persia made their way to this one time bustling port city Cochin on the south-west coast of present day India, seeking the exquisite spices that the region was famous for.  As the quality of the spices from Muziris spread far and beyond the Indian Ocean, a stream of merchants kept flowing into Kerala and the port gradually became an unavoidable juncture in the ‘Spice Route.’ 

Now tourists will have the opportunity to explore the ruins and remnants of a bygone period that was amazingly opulent according to several historical accounts. Muziris welcomes you to the cape of trade culture, left behind by its ancestors from around the world, to the waves of Azhikode where Christianity first entered India, to the Cheraman mosque, which gave out the first Muslim call for prayers, to the Bharani festival at the Kodungallur Bhagavathy temple, to the original culture of the Jewish synagogue, to the village where handlooms spin thinks of heritage, to the Palium palace and to the old waterways that led one to Muziris. 

Late afternoon return back to Fort Cochin

This evening you will have Sea food dining experience with Mr Francis and his wife Mrs Rosy at their residence and experience the traditional flavours and preparations of Kerala Cuisine.  They serve closely guarded secret recipes sourced from the old families of Cochin flavourful dishes generously spiced with fresh cinnamon, pepper, red chilli, coriander, green chilly, curry leaves, vanilla, ginger. Freshly caught fish and crustaceans grilled or cooked the way you fancy with a fusion of Indian condiments. Mrs Rosy will also teach you a favourite sea food dish of Fort Cochin. 

Overnight at Cochin

From Cochin to Marari Beach

Visit to a fishermen village to witness the auction of fresh catch of fishes. 

You will rise up early morning and after a cup of tea from the hotel, your guide will drive you to the  nearby village of Chellanam , where you witness the live action of boatmen bringing in their fresh catch of fishes for auction.  You will mix with hundreds of people gathered in the beach to auction the fresh catch. You will come across local fishermen folks, traders , auctioneers , mobile shopkeepers selling tea and snacks , kids picking up the spill over , Canoes , boats  , nets. Everything work on a system of distribution.

Later you will visit a family at their home. You will have breakfast together. Interact with the family and exchange experiences with brief introduction to some of the heritage relics available in the house. You will further continue for a village walk through the paddy fields, fish farms, you will cross the river in the panchayat ferry to visit the local market.

Later by 1230 hrs , you will drive to Marari beach (45 mts)

The Marari beach is among one of the 5 Hammock beaches in the world rated by National Geographic survey. Mararikulam is a fishing hamlet where small wooden boats rest on the sea shore. The beach is relatively undiscovered, hence not too many resorts. The beach is quiet, only the local fishermen, their traditional colourful wooden boats and the abundant wildlife share the beach, so you are virtually alone to enjoy the endless crisp white sand under your bare feet, the vibrant green coconut palms, the cool sea breeze and the azure ocean. 

Overnight at Marari

Marari – backwater experience - Marari

After breakfast, you will drive to the public jetty at Alleppey (30 mts). You will climb on a public transport boat that will cruise through the vembanad lake  passing through the villages and en-route picking up villagers. The ferry will finish its cruise at Nedumudy after a journey of 1.5 hours. Your host will wait at the jetty to welcome you and you will walk a short distance to reach his 100 year old heritage home. A brief interaction with the host will give you an insight into the century old family history, the village cultivation, its people, culture and way of living. 

You will now proceed for a walk with the host through the farm land. The
entire landscape is sandwiched between the Pamba river and emerald carpeted paddy fields. The two acres of this property has mainly coconut and banana plantations. As you stride along the compound you can see the jack fruit tree top to bottom heavy with fruits, lemon plant, cocoa, coffee plants saporta tree, mulberry plant, pomegranate, pepper wine and a whole lot of local herbs and medicinal plants.  Later you will join the hostess for a sumptuous Lunch. After rest & relax , you will say good bye to your host and hostess and will drive back to Marari (45 mts).

Overnight at Marari

At Marari

Full day relax at Marari beach.

Overnight at Marari

Departure from Marari to Cochin airport

In time  transfer to Cochin airport (90 km , 02 hrs) to connect flight back home