Kerala adventure trail by Green Earth Trails
Tour Overview
Kerala is a beautiful south Indian state on the shores of the Arabian sea, often referred to as the Malabar Coast. This tiny strip of land has the Western Ghats, that has some of the highest mountain ranges in South India, the vast pristine backwaters and a lot of rivers. These are avenues for some adventure and we at Green Earth Trails have worked our a beautiful itinerary that includes elements of adventure, discovery and some learning. The tour will start at Cochin and end in Cochin, it includes camping in the Western Ghats, Hikes through tiger reserved & National parks, kayaking through the backwaters, and coastal bicycle rides. In total it is going to be a thrilling tropical holiday with a niche of adventure. The itinerary is designed for a group and it can be operated only with a minimum of 6 adults. However, we can arrange it for an exclusive group if you are just more than 6 adults. Enjoy the adventure trails in Kerala with all the pleasure. Green earth trails, one of the best tour operator in Kerala will guide you to explore your adventure journey.
Program Highlights
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Sunset cruise in the backwaters of Cochin extending to an hour.
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Multiple cycling session throughout the tour that ranges from 10 to 25 Kilometers.
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Half day village tour followed by Lunch at the village.
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Visit an Elephant orphanage.
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Nature-oriented tours and Kayaking in river Periyar.
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2 nights Trek and Camping in the Western Ghats
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Full day Bamboo rafting at the Tiger Reserve and National Park.
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A modern tea factory visit.
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Witness the Martial art form of Kalaripayattu at a local theatre.
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Kayaking sessions and Houseboat cruise with an overnight stay. ​
Itinerary
Day 1 - Arrive at Cochin International Airport (COK), transfer to Fort Cochin.
Here your adventure trails in Kerala starts. On your arrival at Cochin Airport, we would receive you at the airport and transfer to the old town, otherwise known as Fort Cochin. Kindly ensure that you arrive by a morning flight or at least a flight that arrives Kochi by noon. By evening everyone would be boarding a motorboat to cruise around the backwaters of Kochi. Kochi is surrounded by the Vembanad lake that is spread across 4 districts of Kerala, backwaters are an extension of the sea into the mainland and would be murky in nature. The cruise will extend to just more than an hours taking you up to the estuary where you can see the sunset. This would be more of an orientation tour to Kerala and Kochi. Return back to the hotel followed by dinner. Overnight stay at the hotel.
Day 2 - Cycle to a backwater village, tour of the village followed by lunch
After breakfast at the hotel, we will have a few cycles ready for a cycling tour to a backwater village through the coastal road. The road is going to be a narrow one and there would be a lot to see on the route.
You will board a rowing boat to the reach the island where you see a crab and fish farm, get to know a few tropical trees and fruits, operate and Chinese fishing net followed by a lunch. On return, you will come back to the road on a tuk-tuk, from where we will be transferred back to the hotel. Evening, we will go for a walk followed by a show of Kathakali at a local theatre - A Classical Keralan Drama. After the show we walk back to the hotel for dinner and over night stay.
Day 3 - Visit an Elephant orphanage [1.5 hours], cycle to the forest ranges.
Early morning get a packed breakfast from the hotel and drive towards river Periyar. On the banks of the river is where an Elephant orphanage is located. This is the place where orphaned or lost Elephants are rehabilitated. Every morning, the Elephants are taken to the banks of the river for a bath. This is a fascinating thing to watch and you can take part in the bathing process.
We will have the packed lunch there, by the time, the bicycles would be ready. We are going on for a two-hour ride to the evergreen forests on the banks of the same river, Periyar. The countryside ride would be very interesting watching the local life. Lunch at the property near to the Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary where we
Day 4 - Early morning river kayaking, cycling along the river banks, transfer to Munnar [3 hours]
Early morning you have an option to Kayak on river Periyar and enjoy the beauty of the river and the woods close by. After breakfast, we check out and cycle through the banks of the river to the gateway of the Western Ghats. We stop cycling here and drive.
We would drive up the hills and have lunch on the route, on arrival we check in at the hotel. Rest of the day at leisure and you can see around the small town center of Munnar. There would be a briefing session by evening, where you would be given a complete idea about the coming day's trek and camping in the mountain ranges remote to Munnar, in the Western Ghats of Kerala. Dinner and overnight stay at the hotel.
Day 5 - Drive to Top station [1 hour], start hiking up the mountain ranges and camp at night.
After the breakfast, we pack out luggage and board the bus to drive up to the starting point. The day would be mostly about hiking up the mountains through the farmlands of Kottakamboor. We would be carrying packed lunch and would be having it during the course of the hike, while we stop for a break and lunch.
Apart from the farmlands, we will hike by small villages where you get to see the people and their lifestyle in close proximity. By evening the weather gets cooler and we would reach the camp for our overnight stay before sunset. Hot tea & coffee with snacks would be served on arrival. Water would be available plenty to quench your thirst. Dinner at the camp followed by dinner and camp fire.
Day 6 - Early morning river kayaking, cycling along the river banks, transfer to Munnar [3 hours]
Wake up to the beautiful sunrise of the Western Ghats, the weather would be still cold. Move out form the tents, you will have common toilets and bathrooms for the morning routine. Followed by breakfast we drive to another point where we get start the trek from a different area mostly through Tea Plantations and evergreen forests that are rich in magnificent flora.
If certain patches of the trek are not mist filled, you would be witnessing some of the most beautiful areas in the whole of the Western Ghats in Kerala. There would be packed lunch followed by treks and finally, you reach the campsite by evening. Just like the previous night, everyone will sleep in tents after dinner and a bonfire.
Day 7 - Board the bus and transfer to the Cardamom hills via Munnar [3 hours]
Wake up early to witness the beautiful sunrise. After breakfast, we bid farewell to the camp and walk down to a point where our coach would be waiting for us. We board the bus and drive towards Munnar and further drive to the cardamom hills of Thekkady. The cardamom hills of Kerala, Part of the Western Ghats, produce some of the top quality Cardamom in the world. Cardamom is referred to as the Queen of spices
Today would be more of a rest day relieving yourself from all of the adventures of the past days. We would check in at a plantation Retreat amidst cardamom plantations. Check in at the resort and rest of the day would be at leisure and rest. A short walk and a plantation tour could be organized in the evening followed by dinner at the restaurant.
Day 8 - Early morning bamboo rafting at Periyar National Park [1 hour]
Early in the morning we check out from the resort and drive to Periyar National Park where we would be doing a walk through the reserved forest and cruise through a large reservoir in a Bamboo Raft. It would be more of a hiking through the evergreen forest where we get to sight small beings of the wild and if lucky enough, Elephants, Guars and possibly some pugmarks
We would be carrying a packed lunch, some sandwiches, fruits, and water. Our guide into the forests would be local tribal men part of the forest department who are poachers turned protectors of the forest who knows the in and out of the forest. We would be returning back by evening and staying at a hotel overnight close to the Periyar National Park. The rest of the day is at leisure and relax after a whole day of walk and rafting.
Day 9 - Transfer to the backwaters of Alleppey [4.5 hours]
Today would be more of a relaxed day where you travel from Thekkady to Alleppey, often referred to as the Venice of the East. This backwater town has a lot of canals, lagoon and a vast expanse of backwaters. En route to Alleppey, you get down at Connemara tea factory.
The Connemara tea factory would be a great place to see tea production. The process from the moment the tea leaves are plucked until they are packed as tea dust and leaves would be something fascinating. We drive down the ghats and enter the backwater county of Kerala. You can see a lot of river, waterfall, plantations, and backwaters en route. On arrival, we would be checking in at the hotel for our overnight stay. The dinner would be served at the in-house restaurant.
Day 10 - Backwater Kayaking sessions followed by a cruise in a Houseboat
The backwater life is something unique and exciting. We could see a lot of bridges, moss islands, people commuting on country canoes, women washing on the banks and children enjoying their water world. Early morning we get into a few kayaks and explore the remote backwater countryside. after a four hours backwater kayaking program, we would be excited as well as looking forward to boarding on something to enjoy the best f the backwater experiences.
Next, we would be boarding a typical Keralan houseboat. All meals until next day breakfast would be on board. It would be mostly local backwater style curries, pearl spot delicacies, rice, Indian bread - chapati and a lot more for us. Overnight on board the houseboat.
Day 10 - 12 - Drive to Mararikulam Beach for a three night stay [45 minutes]
After breakfast, we check out from the houseboat and drive to a nearby Beach hamlet called Mararikulam, the next three days is about staying at a beach resort at Mararikulam. Relax & Enjoy the tropical beach. The place has options to visit the nearby beach where fishermen folks bring their catch from the sea. Cycles are available to explore the local villages and other beaches close by. Ayurveda programs are available at the in-house, Ayurveda center, get to know more about Ayurveda and undergo a full body general massage with medicated oils after consulting a doctor.
In brief, the last days of the adventurous Kerala tour is about relaxing and enjoying the tropical beauty of Kerala and the Malabar coast, enjoying some of the lip smackings local Keralan delicacies.
Day 13 - Departure Transfer to Cochin International Airport [2 hours]
​A relaxed journey, cherishing memories of your adventure trails in Kerala, back to the airport. You are going with a bunch of most memorable experiences from the top adventure places in Kerala and best trekking destinations in Kerala. We ensure that the experience of Adventure tours to Kerala will be always in your mind.
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We make sure that your entire journey will end up with total comfort and relax mood.
The program includes
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Accommodation in the below mentioned hotels / resorts in standard rooms.
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The respective meals including breakfast, lunch and dinner are part of the program. Except the ones that are not part of the itinerary.
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The transporation would be in a Van or a Mini Coach based on the number of participants of the tour.
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There would be an English speaking accompanying guide who will be traveling along with the group.
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Entry tickets and mandatory permits are included in the cost. however certain points of interest will have a camera / video camera ticket, which is not included in the price.
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There would be one 500 ml bottle of water in coach per day.
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Tips, Table drinks, shopping or expenses of personal nature are not included in the tour and has to be paid directly at the point of purchase.​
Notes
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This tour is organized can be organised as a private tour as well as a small group tour based on the group strength.
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Once you have decided to go ahead with the tour, you will require to take an Indian Visa on your own contacting an Indian embassy or Indian missions abroad.
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To confirm your participation we would require 50% of the tour as advance deposit. You can make this deposit with either by bank transfer or by credit card.
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Kindly update us if there are any special requirements including meal preferences.
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The tour does not come along with a travel insurance.
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In case of any emergency, the required would be done by us as a tour operator within our limits.