{"id":189,"date":"2024-05-21T18:52:47","date_gmt":"2024-05-21T17:52:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/suntravelsandtours.com.au\/?page_id=189"},"modified":"2024-05-22T17:52:43","modified_gmt":"2024-05-22T16:52:43","slug":"kerala-gods-own-country","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/suntravelsandtours.com.au\/index.php\/kerala-gods-own-country\/","title":{"rendered":"KERALA \u2013 GOD\u2019S OWN COUNTRY"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-page\" data-elementor-id=\"189\" class=\"elementor elementor-189\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2cfc4e65 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"2cfc4e65\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-60fc06f elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"60fc06f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<style>\/*! elementor - v3.21.0 - 20-05-2024 *\/\n.elementor-widget-image{text-align:center}.elementor-widget-image a{display:inline-block}.elementor-widget-image a img[src$=\".svg\"]{width:48px}.elementor-widget-image img{vertical-align:middle;display:inline-block}<\/style>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"960\" height=\"713\" src=\"https:\/\/suntravelsandtours.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/tour-3.png\" class=\"attachment-2048x2048 size-2048x2048 wp-image-192\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/suntravelsandtours.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/tour-3.png 960w, https:\/\/suntravelsandtours.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/tour-3-300x223.png 300w, https:\/\/suntravelsandtours.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/tour-3-768x570.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-17bca377 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"17bca377\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1b5691c3 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"1b5691c3\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<style>\/*! elementor - v3.21.0 - 20-05-2024 *\/\n.elementor-widget-text-editor.elementor-drop-cap-view-stacked .elementor-drop-cap{background-color:#69727d;color:#fff}.elementor-widget-text-editor.elementor-drop-cap-view-framed .elementor-drop-cap{color:#69727d;border:3px solid;background-color:transparent}.elementor-widget-text-editor:not(.elementor-drop-cap-view-default) .elementor-drop-cap{margin-top:8px}.elementor-widget-text-editor:not(.elementor-drop-cap-view-default) .elementor-drop-cap-letter{width:1em;height:1em}.elementor-widget-text-editor .elementor-drop-cap{float:left;text-align:center;line-height:1;font-size:50px}.elementor-widget-text-editor .elementor-drop-cap-letter{display:inline-block}<\/style>\t\t\t\t<p><strong>Tour Route: Kochi (2) &#8211; Munnar (2) &#8211; Periyar (1) &#8211; Kumarakom (1) \u2013 Kovalam (2)<\/strong><br \/><strong>Tour Duration: 08 nights \/ 09 days<\/strong><\/p><p><b>Day 1: Arrive Kochi<br \/><\/b>Arrive Kochi, the most cosmopolitan city of Kerala. Upon arrival, transfer to your hotel for 2 nights stay.<br \/>Kochi, also known as the Queen of the Arabian Sea, is one of the finest natural harbours in the world. Starting from the Dutch, Portuguese and the British,<br \/>Kochi was the site of the first European colonial settlements in India.<\/p><p><b>Day 2: Day in Kochi<br \/><\/b>After breakfast, take a guided walk through the historic Fort Kochi area. This morning we will visit the Dutch Palace, Jewish Synagogue, St. Francis Church<br \/>and see the authentic Chinese fishing nets still in active use by the fishermen in Kerala.<br \/>This evening, watch a spectacular Kathakali performance. Kathakali is one of the oldest theatre forms in India. One of the most complex and highly<br \/>stylized Indian art forms, this performance is a spectacular combination of drama, dance, music and ritual. Characters with vividly painted faces and<br \/>elaborate costumes re-enact stories from the Hindu epics of Mahabharata and Ramayana. Reach early for the unique opportunity to see the performers<br \/>dressing up in their very elaborate and colorful costumes and painting their faces with make up to create the special persona for the performance. Also<br \/>visit the onsite cultural museum to see sculptures of Kerala&amp;#39;s unique dance forms, a large replica of an authentic Keralan wooden canoe and see how<br \/>Keralan handicrafts and saris are woven.<\/p><p><b>Culture Connection:<br \/><\/b>Option for home hosted dinner: This evening you have an option to visit a contemporary yet traditional Keralan home for home hosted dinner. This is a<br \/>unique opportunity to see a local Kochi house, interact and dine with the local family. The hosts would be happy to share a few of their family recipes of<br \/>traditional home cooked Keralan coastal cuisine. (at extra charge)<\/p><p>After breakfast embark on a scenic drive to Munnar, one of the most popular hill resorts of south India. Under the British Raj, Munnar was popularly called<br \/>\u2018Switzerland of India&amp;#39; for its natural surroundings and cool climate. The entire area is occupied by thick forests and tea estates. The specialty of Munnar is<br \/>its jungle honey, tea and a rare flower \u2018Neela Kurunji\u2019 which blooms once in 12 years. Upon arrival check-in at your hotel for 2 nights stay.<\/p><p><b>Day 4: Day in Munnar<br \/><\/b>After breakfast, visit a local tea plantation and the Tata Tea Museum to learn about the cultivation and processing of a variety of Indian teas. Then we<br \/>visit a unique welfare initiative in Munnar, which focuses on enhancing the hidden talents of differently abled children, most of whom are from families of<br \/>local tea pluckers of Munnar. Here we see three projects that aim to equip disabled children to secure a better future: a centre for special education; a<br \/>natural dye fabric printing project; and a unit that manufactures handmade paper and paper products. The products made by these children are sold at a<br \/>small outlet near the workshops and are exported to Japan and Europe. A visit to this unique initiative reiterates how enthusiasm is a sign of spiritual<br \/>health and imperfections are what make you beautiful!<br \/>Enjoy the evening at leisure.<\/p><p><b>Day 5: DRIVE Munnar &#8211; Periyar (100 Kms \/ 4 Hrs)<br \/><\/b>After breakfast, embark on a scenic drive to Periyar, the spice plantation hub of Kerala. Upon arrival in Periyar, check in to your hotel and freshen up.<br \/>This afternoon, take a spice plantation tour and learn about the mystery and history of Indian spices. The spice plantations in Periyar are captivating farms<br \/>growing different spices in different sections of the plantations. You will be intrigued to see the vast variety of spices ranging from cloves, cardamom,<br \/>ginger, pepper, chilli, turmeric etc.<\/p><p><b>Culture Connection:<br \/><\/b>Optional Martial Art Performance at Village Arena: This evening watch Kalaripayattu performance, one of the oldest form of martial arts and known as the<br \/>mother of all martial arts. Kalarippayattu consists of punches, leg moves, stretches, twists, and jumps performed in a particular sequence. In Periyar, you<br \/>get a unique opportunity to witness a performance of this ancient art along with the locals at the village arena (at extra charge).<\/p><p><b>Day 6: DRIVE Periyar to Kumarakom (130 Kms \/ 4 Hrs)<br \/><\/b>Early this morning, we take a guided walk with a naturalist in Periyar Wildlife Reserve. Observe some rare species of flora and fauna, along with a variety<br \/>of birds and if you are lucky you may even spot a few elephants and wildlife across the lake.<br \/>This afternoon, drive to Kumarakom, a coastal town in the backwaters of Kerala. Upon arrival, check-in at your hotel for 1 night stay.<\/p><p>Kumarakom is based around Vembanad Lake, Asia&amp;#39;s largest freshwater lake. Vembanad Kayal, as it is called in the regional language, acts as a giant<br \/>reservoir, and a major ecological resource, which has conditioned the flora, fauna and lifestyle of the people of the region. The peaceful surrounds of the<br \/>lake and backwaters here are peppered with wooded banks, chirping birds, fishermen with large palm-leaf hats, women immersed upto their necks in<br \/>water searching for Karimeen fish.<br \/>Enjoy a relaxing day at your backwaters resort, observing the local life around the backwaters and embracing the serenity of Kumarakom.<\/p><p><br \/><b>Culture Connection:<br \/><\/b>Optional Sunset Backwater Cruise: This evening you may opt to take a sunset motorboat cruise along the backwaters of Kumarakom. Kerala backwaters<br \/>consist of a complex network of lagoons, lakes, &amp;amp; canals and are best experienced while slowly rowing down the labyrinth of canals, appreciating life on<br \/>the banks, lush green rice fields, and coconut groves. (at extra charge).<br \/>Optional Overnight Backwater Cruise: Tonight, you have the option of spending the night under the stars aboard a traditional thatched roof houseboat on<br \/>the backwaters of Kumarakom. The houseboat experiences comes inclusive with all meals served on board (at extra charge)<\/p><p><br \/><b>Day 7: DRIVE Kumarakom to Kovalam (200 Kms \/ 5.5 Hrs)<br \/><\/b>After breakfast, drive to Kovalam, a serene south Indian beach destination that is renowned for offering authentic Indian Ayurveda therapies. Upon arrival<br \/>in Kovalam, check in to your hotel for 2 nights stay.<br \/>Enjoy the evening at leisure. You may wish to explore the spa at your resort and experience an Indian Ayurveda massage (at extra charge).<\/p><p><br \/><b>Day 8: Day in Kovalam<br \/><\/b>Enjoy the day at leisure to relax and unwind or enjoy the various facilities offered by your resort (at extra charge)<br \/>* If you are keen to experience a full Ayurveda retreat, you will need to extend your stay. Minimum 7 nights stay is recommended for rejuvenation<br \/>therapy. For best results and focused treatments, 14 \u2013 21 nights stay is advisable. Enquire for more details *<\/p><p><br \/><b>Day 9: DRIVE Kovalam &#8211; Trivandrum (20 Kms \/ 30 Mins)<br \/><\/b>After breakfast, transfer to Trivandrum airport to board your flight back home.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Tour Route: Kochi (2) &#8211; Munnar (2) &#8211; Periyar (1) &#8211; Kumarakom (1) \u2013 Kovalam (2) Tour Duration: 08 nights \/ [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"elementor_header_footer","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-189","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/suntravelsandtours.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/189"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/suntravelsandtours.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/suntravelsandtours.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/suntravelsandtours.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/suntravelsandtours.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=189"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/suntravelsandtours.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/189\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":196,"href":"https:\/\/suntravelsandtours.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/189\/revisions\/196"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/suntravelsandtours.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=189"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}