Place :- Trivandrum
Hotel Booked:- Kovalamnear Light House (Near to Beach)
(Sunday 12.00 to Monday 11.00)
How to Reach: Thiruvananthapuram/ Trivandrum is the capital city of the Kerala. Thiruvananthapuram means "City of Lord Anantha" (the serpent on which Lord Padmanabha/Vishnu reclines). The city is well connected with the major cities in India by Indian Rail. A long distance bus station is located next door to the railway station. Buses ply to all major towns and villages in the state
Place to Visit:
Sunday Morning after reaching to Kovalam
Roughly 17 km from Trivandrum, Take local bus to reach from Trivandrum.
Kovalam means a grove of coconut trees and true to its name the village offers an endless sight of coconut trees.Kovalam has 3 major beaches in its 17 km coastline. Lighthouse Beach, Hawa Beach and Ashoka Beach – the three together form the famous crescent of the Kovalam beach. The southernmost, known as the Lighthouse Beach is the most popular of the three. Many hotels, restaurants, lodges and shops are located here. It is frequented by outsiders who stay and enjoy Kovalam. The Northern most crescent, (with the different names Main Beach/Leela Beach/Samudra Beach) - is crowded on weekends, is very popular with the locals, day-travelers, and passing-by tourist buses. During the week it's quiet. Hawa Beach in between is among one of the beaches in India where topless sunbathing is tolerated and well appreciated by the locals. The tourism department provides a vigilant life guard service on both Lighthouse and Hawa beach. The Kovalam beach sand is partially black in colour due to the presence of Ilmenite and Monazite and this colouration is off-putting for some visitors and also causes the dry sand to heat up particularly fiercely, so you might want to consider bringing some footwear if you don't want to walk in the sea.
In evening, visit Lighthouse of Kovalam Beach to see a panoramic view of Kovalam. After that go for Local Sight Seen in Kovalam .
Monday Morning
Morning have a look in and around beach. Start around 2.00 after taking food to Trivandrum. Go
Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple and be in queue for darshan which will start at 5.00pm
Dress code for men is just Kerala Mundu (White Dhothi) with the body uncovered waist-up and for Ladies Saree/Salwar Kammej with chunri
Try to see inside the main arena of the temple, the diety in 3 stages - Hand, Navel (with the Lotus carrying Brahma) and Feet
You can check the timing of temple at http://spst.in/ (3.30am to 12.00 noon) (5.00pm to 7.30pm)
Famous:-
Place to Stay: -
Best Time to Visit: - Throughout the year but try not to visit during summer season ( because of too much hot)
Eat: -
Purchase:-
Do: - Try to do Ayruvedic Massage at Kovalam
Next:
- Try
to catch by 6.45 or else catch a bus(super fast express) for Alappuzha.
Place: - Alappuzha
Hotel Booked: - Alappuzha near Boat Jetty Road
(Monday 12.00 to Wednesday 11.00)
How to Reach: Cochin/Trivandrum is nearest airport. Alappuzha Railway Station is connected with all major cities. There are frequent bus services from Trivandrum and Cochin.
Place to Visit:
Tuesday Morning
The name Alappuzha means "the land between the sea and network of rivers flowing into it". It is a fitting name: there are a significant number of canals, backwaters, beaches and lagoons in and around the city. Get up in the morning and go for Back Water House Boating.
One can go for a few hours back water house boating to full day back water house boating.
A houseboat cruise along the backwaters can be a great way to see and do all that is available in Alappuzha. Houseboats can be rented for 12 Hrs to few days. There is a new hop-on, hop-off service through remote backwaters in a shared-houseboat. These boats come equipped with a furnished bedroom, sit-outs, kitchen, modern bath and toilet facilities. Some of the house boats even sport an air-conditioner. The houseboats are manned by drivers and a cook. It's advisable to book a houseboat through houseboat operators rather than depending on touts. Touts take commissions between ₹500 to ₹2000. Book on the internet if the option is available; it is far better to not wait until the last minute during the high season. Booking on the internet can sometimes earn you a lower price and most, reputable operators have good online service and support.
You can also visit for local sight seen which include
Alleppey Beach: Alleppey Beach is one of the must visit beaches of Kerala. The intrinsic natural beauty of Alleppey Beach is what makes it so attractive to thousands of people visiting it. When you visit the beach, you can see the 137 year old ancient pier that stretches out into the beach. As you lounge in the beach, you can enjoy the mesmerizing beauty of the dense palm groves and the imposing, but ancient light
Light House: Time 3pm to 4.30pm
If time permits, one can ferry between Alleppey to Kotayam which used to use by local persons. A cheapest way of enjoying backwater in Alleppey, it will cost only Rs20.
Place to Stay: - Hotel Sisir Palace
Best Time to Visit:-
Eat:-
Purchase:-
Do: - House Boat Cruise -12 hrs or 24 hrs
Next:- Morning take bus for Thekady/Kumily from Alleppey/Kottayam,
Site:-
Place: - Thekkady
Hotel Booked: - Thekkady @ Main Munnar
(Wednesday 12.00 to Friday 11.00)
How to Reach: Cochin/Madurai is nearest airport. The nearest railway station is Ernakulam is 130 km. You can get direct buses from Kottayam (Alleppey) and Munnar.
Place to Visit:
Thekkady is also called Periyar and sometimes known as Kumily too. Kumily is the place where we normally stay and Thekkady is where Wildlife Sanctuary is located; both are just 4 km apart.
Wednesday Evening
Tribal Museum
Kathkali Dance: Behind Periyar Medows
Kalaripayattu (Marshal Art) @ Kadathanadam Kalari Centre/Navarasa Kathakali centre/Mudra Culture Centre: ‘Kalary’ means school or gym and ‘payattu’ means the art of combat. This age-old form of martial arts is performed inside the kalary under the guidance of a master. You’ll surely get amazed by the agility and gravity defying stunts of the performers
Thursday Morning
Take snacks/water bottle along with you as there is no sufficient shop near lake for food.
Periyar Lake - Periyar Tiger Reserve / Periyar National Park:
One has to go inside the National Park for 20 minutes to reach the place from where you will get boat to see the Tiger Reseve. Take Binocular for ease of viewing.
There is three way of visiting this place:-
Frankly speaking, there is least chance of having view of tiger or any other animal but going on early morning or evening rides around sunset would be idle time for wildlife sighting which may increase the chance as most of the animal used to come to drink water. But I will request you to visit the place to feel nature.
Boat Trips on Periyar Lake: Try to book online or pre book it. We were told that tickets had to be bought the day prior, but it turned out that if you go to the KDTC office inside the park, you can buy tickets on the day itself (turn up 1.5 hours early to buy).Boat cruises on the Periyar Lake. Typical boat ride will be for 2 hour & cost ₹150 per person. . If you get upper deck, the view would definitely be good.
Bamboo Rafting on Periyar Lake: This is a dawn to dusk range hiking and rafting programme through some of the richest forest tracts of Periyar Tiger Reserve. Starting at 8AM from the boat landing, a mosaic of habitats will be traversed before the party gets into rafts made of bamboos. The forests are rich in bird life and arboreal animals like giant squirrel and Nilgiri langur. The rafting is for about three hours and one gets a panoramic view of forest-clad hills reflected on the lake. Animals like elephant, gaur and sambar are sighted keeping close to the edges of the lake. The team hitchhikes back to the boat landing by about 5PM. An armed guard and 4 guides will accompany a maximum of 10 tourists. Tea, snacks and packed lunch will be served enroute.
Private Jeeps for Forest Safari
I will prefer Bamboo Rafting on Periyar Lake
Elephant Junction Inside Periyar Sanctuary: Keep a set of cloth, if you have decided for Elephant Bath. Relish the one-hour long elephant ride and enjoy the elephant bath, photo sessions and elephant feeding
Thrusday Evening/Friday during taxi ride to Munnar
Periyar Spice and Ayurvedic Garden or any other Spice Plantation Spice Plantation: Take a guide to understand the spices. , and you’ll learn about different medicinal and ayurvedic benefits of various spices like cardamom, pepper, cinnamon, clove, etc. You can also purchase fresh spices to take back with you, once the tour is over. (There is a lot of Spice Plantation on the way to Munnar and you can also visit the same if you are going by taxi)
One can also do Night Scout, Nature Walk, Border Hiking inside the Tiger Reserve.
Famous:-
Place to Stay: - Try to stay at Tree House
Best Time to Visit:- September to March
Eat:- Kappa
Purchase:- Roll on gels and quick relief mediines, Massage Oils , Tea Cofee
Do: - Do a Ayurvedic Massage
Next: - Morning take bus from Thekkady to reach Munnar preferable Taxi. Prebook it.
Site: -
Place: - Munnar
Hotel Booked: - Munnar @ Main Munnar
(Friday 12.00 to Sunday 11.00)
How to Reach: Cochin/Madurai is nearest airport. The nearest railway station is Aluva, 110 km. Ernakulam is 130 km and Madurai is 135 km. From all these railway stations, you can get direct regular buses to Munnar. Apart from buses, you can easily get private taxis or cabs from all the railway stations. They charge around ₹250 per person if you opt for shared taxis from Aluva.
Place to Visit:
Saturday Morning
Munnar is famous for its tea plantations, many of them started by the British.
The "Kannan Devan" brand of Tea from the Tata is cultivated and processed here.
The strobilanthus kunthiana ("neelakurinji" in Malayalam, the local language), a blue flower which blooms only every 12 years, is found in this region. Strobilanthus kunthiana is also called neelakuranji. It flowers in every 12 years. It flowered the last time in October 2018.
There are many autorickshaw/taxis available for local sightseeing and cover below mentioned four option. Each of the directions above takes almost the whole day unless you will just check out everything fastly. You can also rent an bike to cover the place. Though it will be hectic but yes thrilling and adventurous.
- Mattupetti direction: Rose Garden, Forest Honey Bee Hive, Photo Point, Elephant Park, Mattupetti Dam, Elephant arrival spot, shooting point, echo-point, Kundala Lake, Top Station.
- Marayoor direction (in some local booklets Coimbatore direction): Tea museum, Nyamakad waterfalls, Eravikulam National Park, Anamudi Peak View, Luckom waterfalls, Sandalwood forest, Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary.
- Cochin direction: Blossom Park, Pothamedu View Point, Spice plantation visit, Attukad waterfalls, Dream Land Fun Park.
- Thekkady direction: Lockhart Gap & Rock Cave, tea plantation view, Chinnakal Waterfalls, Anayirangal Dam view, Spice plantation view
Take a taxi for local sight see but must visit the below mentioned places:-
- Tata Tea Museum, also known as the KDHP Tea Museum, (Around 2 km from Munnar). Tourists can visit to see the tea garden and then taken around the factory to understand how tea is processed. This museum remains open from 10AM-4PM every day, closed on Mon. There is a Rs. 75 ticket fee for adults; lower for children.
- Lokhart Tea Factory
- Floriculture Centre, run by the Kerala Forest Development Corporation. The centre is having a large variety of flowers and some herbal/ foliage plants, all against the backdrop of the tea plantations.
- Photo Point, (2 km from Munnar). As name suggest having view and a place to take photos
- Mattupetti Dam, (10 km from Munnar), A picnic along with spot activities like boating and horse riding
- Echo Point, (15 km from Munnar), As name suggest, every loud call made from a spot on the lake embankment is returned manifold by the echo from the surrounding hills.
- Elephant Lake, (18 km from Munnar), Here you can board an elephant for a ride. (can be skipped)
- Kundala Lake, (23 km from Munnar). This lake is very beautiful amidst lush jungles. Hiring a pedal boat and exploring the lake and its surroundings is an awesome experience. Except at the place you hired the boat, don't expect to find humans around the lake as it is surrounded by scenic jungles and hills. Unless you know how to row a boat, prefer a pedal boat, each trip lasts around 30 min and will be closed at 4:30PM
- Top Station, (37 km from Munnar on the Kerala and Tamil Nadu border). Great views of the Western Ghats. Top station is the "top"-tourist attraction. This place gives a real 'above the clouds' experience. Regular buses go to Top Station (1 hr) from Munnar. A jeep costs Rs 400. The area is known for the Neelakurunji plant, which flowers only once every 12 years. The flower is violet.
- Atukkad Waterfalls, A scenic waterfalls amidst hills and jungles. You can find a road leading to Atukkad Waterfalls on Kochi road (just about 5 km from Munnar). This road is very narrow and needs a lot of experience to drive on.
- Honey Bee Tree
One can visit below mentioned place, if time permits
- Marayoor - (Around 40 km from Munnar). It is the only place in Kerala with natural growth of sandalwood trees, natural caves with murals, and relics from late Stone Age civilization. There is a sandalwood factory of the Forestry department of Kerala and a children's park extending across one hectare of land under the canopy of a single Banyan tree, all of which attract tourists in large numbers.
- Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary,Chinnar wildlife sanctuary is in the Wester Ghats of Kerala. This wildlife sanctuary has a large number of plants and animals. This sanctuary is one of the protected areas in the western ghats because of the significance of its flora, geomorphologic features, ecology and local cultural.
· Donot go Eravikulam (Rajamalai) National Park
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Famous:-
Place to Stay: -
Best Time to Visit:- The season between October and March (post-monsoon) is considered the best to visit Munnar. Take some warm clothes and rain coats along with you. The temperature ranges from 14 to 25 degrees during summer, and 7 to 17degrees in winter. The atmosphere remains cool and pleasant throughout the year.
Eat:- Puttu with Kadla Curry, Kappa and Fish Curry, Idayapan and Kadla Curry
Purchase:- The best things to buy are tea, coffee, spices like cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and pepper and definitely homemade chocolates.
Do: - Jeep Safari in Tea Plantation
Next: - Take Bus and reach to Cochin(5to6hr journey). As per your schedule of bus/train/flight for your destination, you can also visit Cochin (Chinese Fishing Net & Fort Kochi)
Site: -
