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Kerala Cultural & Wildlife |
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| Catagory : Students |
Days : 14 Nights / 15 Days |
| Places Covered : Calicut - Kannur - Trichur - Cochin - Alleppey - Kumarakom - Thekkady |
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| Arrive Cochin Apt and transfer to Munnar by road (175 kms /4 hrs). Munnar is 1800 mts above sea level and next day transer to Thekkady. |
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View Gallery |
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| Day 01 |
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| ival transfer from Calicut apt to Kannur (125 kms 2 ½ hrs). Kannur has been since olden days, the cradle of ageless folk art and music. Even today, the myriads of Kavus (small shrines) which dot the district are centers of the Theyyam, a ritual dance in which men impersonate supernatural beings and indeed elevate Kannur to a land of fabulous fantasies. Witness the Theyyam dance performance. Theyyam is the old ritual dance North Kerala and Kannur can be named as the birth place of Theyyam. It's a religion based ritual dance. Men get into colorful exotic dresses, paint themselves as Gods, Goddesses, devils, evil sprits and even diseases, and dance to drums and music throughout the night. Interaction with the artists and local folks.Dinnner and overnight at the hotel. |
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| Day 02 |
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| After Breakfast proceed to visit a local Kalari school. Kalaripayattu is the ancient martial art of the State. Thalassery is the threshold of the Kalaripayattu. It is considered as the forerunner of Karate & Kung-fu. The Kalari is treated as the temple of learning. Age old traditions and customs are still practiced inside the Kalari religiously till today. The Gurukkal system consists of rigorous physical training besides training in self discipline. The weapons used were the sword, Dagger, Shield, short sticks, spears etc. The co-ordination of the body and mind is given maximum importance in this art. A brief discussion with the master and demonstrations. Evening at leisure to explore the local markets. Dinner & overnight at the hotel. |
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| Day 03 |
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| After Breakfast check out & proceed to the next destination. Famous maritime center. For the last one thousand five hundred years Baypore is known for its ship building Industry. Construction yard here is famous for the Arabian trading vessel known as Uru. Visit the ship building yard in Baypore.Afternoon Lunch at Calicut and proceed to the pottery village located at Aruvacode. Aruvacode is on off Ooty-Kozhikode road. This hilly village was in news some time back. The village population mostly is of Kumbaran community whose profession is of making pottery items. Lack of buyers for pottery pots and vessels the population faced starvation and malnutrition problems which forced some to resort to prostitution. The tendency short-lived, thanks to a social worker. The intervention and counselling by a social activist changed the course and the artisans returned to their learned profession. The area is now thriving with activities related to pottery making. Later drive to Trichur.Late evening check into the Trichur hotel.Dinner & Overnight at the hotel. |
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| Day 04 |
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| After Break fast proceed for the Kerala Kalamandalam visit. Kerala Kalamandalam is the premier Center of excellence in Indian Performing Arts emphasizing especially on the traditions that developed in the State of Kerala, in the south west coast of India. Established in 1930, this unique institution, devoted to classical performing arts, is situated near the majestic river Bharathapuzha, celebrated in literature as Nila, in the village of Cheruthuruthy in Trissur district in the State of Kerala in the south west part of India. 'A Day with the Masters' is a pilgrimage to the most sacred temple of arts, giving a world class experience to the visitors, with an unique menu of presentations that bring out the grandeur of the institution. Evening visit the town and the Vadakkumnatha temple area. Dinner and overnight at the hotel. |
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| Day 05 |
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| After breakfast Check out and proceed to the village of Mala in Trichur district. Check into the traditional house "Tharavadu". Its time for a sumptuous Sadhya or traditional vegetarian Lunch. Afternoon proceed to the paddy fields to prepare the field. Experience the core village activity along with the local farmers. Evening Mohiniyattom Dance performance Kerala's own trademark female dance form emerged in the seventeenth century in the period of Sri Swathi thirunal, Travancore dynasty king. Delicious dinner will be served after the performance. Over night stay at the Local houses with the family. |
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| Day 06 |
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| After an early morning wake-up call with bed tea, attired in traditional dress, proceed to the paddy fields along with local workers.Work here begins with the building of rectangular dykes of even sizes which is locally named as Varanmbu .Take a welcome break for delicious breakfast at the Tharavadu around 1000 hrs and then get back to work on the dyke. Enjoy a drink of tender coconut to quench your thirst in between and you should be done with the share of your work around 1230 hrs after which you can enjoy a refreshingly cool dip in the fresh water pond or Kulam before heading for lunch to the Tharavadu. After a brief rest/nap followed by tea, visits to local shops, and visits to the local coconut oil mill are arranged and this is followed by yet another cultural evening of Parayan thullal - a typical folk dance form of a tribal community of Kerala. Dinner & overnight at the Tharavadu. |
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| Day 07 |
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| Work in the paddy field today is Uzhukal - or ploughing of the fields using ploughs harnessed on to oxen, which is a truly fascinating experience. Filling the field with water follows Uzhukal by paddling in water using giant wooden paddle wheels or Chakkram. The refreshment served today between breakfast and lunch is Toddy - the exceptionally sweet and mildly heady fresh extract of coconut palms,which is the local favourite. Toddy if kept for a few hours quickly ferments and becomes very sour to taste and quite a potent drink. Sightseeing in the afternoon includes visits to ancient Jewish tombs located just 5 kilometres away. The evening cultural show is Singarimelam - the most lively percussion art form conducted during the temple festivals by group of Chenda artists.Dinner & overnight at the Tharavadu. |
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| Day 08 |
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| This day you are leaving the village after the three days paddy cultivating experience to another village with backwaters.Vaikom is a historically important town and rich with its heritage and village activities. On arrival at the village you will be welcomed by the village family for the delicious Kerala Lunch with Karimeen fish curry, specialty of this area. After the lunch proceed for the village backwater cruise in a hand roven country boat through the canals of the village where you can see plenty of village activities like toddy tapping, coir making, coconut processing for oil and other activities. After the cruise drive back to Cochin city which is 45 mts from the village. Enroute Visit a Sea food processing factory. Dinner and overnight at the hotel. |
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| Day 09 |
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| Morning after break fast proceed for a half day sight seeing tour of Old Cochin known as Fort cochin. Visit the Dutch Palace- built by the Portuguese in 1557 and subsequently renovated by the Dutch after 1663. The murals are perhaps the best in India. Jewish Synagogue - built in 1568 and the oldest Synagogue in the Commonwealth is at Mattancherry. St. Francis Church - built in 1510 and the oldest European church in India, Chinese Fishing Nets- introduced by the court of Kublai Khan can be seen in Fort Cochin. Later proceed to Alleppey Know n as the Venice of east.Alleppey is also famous for its coir products. Visit a Coir factory to learn the processing and making of coir products. After lunch drive to Alleppey finishing point jetty for the traditional houseboat cruise. You will be staying at the houseboat overnight and cruising through the canals witnessing the village life on the banks. Dinner & overnight at the houseboat. |
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| Day 10 |
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| Morning after break fast disembark at the Kumarakom Jetty and drive to Thekkady 135 kms / 3 ½ hrs). On arrival check in at the resort. Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary, one of the largest wildlife reserves in India, it occupies 777 sqkms of the Cardamom Hills region of the Western Ghatts. Periyar is one of the richest places for spice plantations. Plantation visit to know the cultivation and processing of the spices. You can buy the best and fresh spices from here. Evening boat ride at the Periyar lake. Dinner and overnight at the resort. |
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| Day 11 |
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| After breakfast proceed for a full day Jungle trek along with the forest guards and guides. This is an amazing experience for adventure lovers. Bamboo rafting through the river is an unique feel. Evening return back to the resort before it gets dark. Dinner and overnight at the resort. |
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| Day 12 |
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| After breakfast check out of the resort and drive to Munnar (150 kms / 3 hrs). Munnar is 1800 mts above sea level and also the place of South India's highest peak (Anamudi - 2695 mts). On arrival check in at the resort. Afternoon proceed to Maduppatty dam & the Indo Swiss cattle breeding farm. Where you can learn about cattle farming and different cattle breeds available. Evening at leisure. Dinner and over night at the resort. |
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| Day 13 |
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| After breakfast proceed for the Tea factory visit. Visit the tea factory and tea gardens and know more about tea cultivation and processing.Munnar grows the most & top quality tea in South India. The highest altitude grown tea known as Kulukkumalai tea is grown here. This is best for preparing black tea. Later visit the Eravikulam national park where the rare species Nilgiri Tahr goat is preserved and seen in numbers. Evening visit of the local market area and return back to the resort. Dinner and overnight at the resort. |
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| Day 14 |
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| After breakfast check out and proceed to Thattekkadu bird sanctuary which is Enroute to Cochin (90 kms / 2 ½ hrs)Boating at the thattekkadu lake.Afternoon visit the the plantation homestay.The welcoming hostess will demonstrate a cookery class and later lunch at the home with the family.Later drive to Cochin.Evening free at the hotel to pack up your bags for the departure.Dinner and overnight at the hotel. |
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| Day 15 |
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| Though its painful its time to depart.After the breakfast proceed to Cochin Airport for departure transfer with unique memories of Kerala and its Village culture with new experiences. |
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