Best of two Cultures (Karnataka / Kerala)

Duration: 10 Nights -11 Days
Destination Covered: Bangalore - Mysore - Ooty - Cochin - Alleppey - Kumarakom - Kovalam - Trivandrum

Tour Highlights
Bangalore	Tipu Sultan Palace & Museum, ISKCON Temple & Lal Bagh Garden.
Mysore	Srirangapatnam & Tipu's Summer Palace, Maharaja's Palace & Chamundi Hill
Ooty	Scenic Beauty of Nilgiri Hills, Botanical Garden, St. Stephen Church
Cochin	St. Francis' Church, Dutch Palace (Built by Portuguese), Jew Town, Jewish Synagogue, spice market, Chinese fishing nets & Kathakali Dance Show Optional - Boat Cruise
Alleppey	House Boat & Backwaters
Kumarakom	Backwaters & Bird Sanctuary
Kovalam	Beaches

Detailed Itinerary

Day 01 : Arrive Bangalore

Arrive Bangalore by international flight, after a traditional 'Swagat' (Welcome) our representative would assist you at the airport & transfer to hotel for check-in. Bangalore, the garden city. The spacious city has many imposing structures full of historic & modern architecture. The majestic Vidhana Soudha, a magnificent post-independence structure housing the State legislature & Secretariat, stands in the center of the city with its attractive dome & galleries

Overnight Hotel – Bangalore (B)

Day 02 : Bangalore - Mysore (135 km - 03 hr)

Half Day Tour

Today we take a guided tour of Bangalore, visiting Tipu Sultan Palace; the layout of the palace gives the idea of the ethnic Mughal lifestyle. The fort & its remains present the history of the era in which it was built. The construction of the Tipu palace was started by Haider Ali & completed by Tipu Sultan, it is now a museum. Also visit ISKCON Temple, harmonious blend of the Dravidian & modern architecture. The building has some of the modern facilities along with Vedic preaching library.

Next we visit the Lal Bagh Garden, name Lal Bagh has been given to it for the wonderfully bloomed red roses that remain blooming all through the year. Haider Ali started building this garden in 1760

Later we drive to Mysore, capital city of the Wodeyars kingdom. It has always enchanted its admirers with its quaint charm, rich heritage, magnificent palaces, beautifully laid-out gardens, imposing buildings, broad avenues & sacred temples. There's an old world charm about the city that reaches out to everyone. En-route we visit the Srirangapatnam, the historic capital of Tipu Sultan known for his struggle against British rule. Several monuments relating to his rule are sprinkled across the island. Later we visit Darya Daulat, commonly known as Summer Palace of Tipu Sultan is situated amidst scenic surroundings on an island formed by two branches of the River Cauvery.

Overnight Hotel – Mysore (B)

Day 03 : Mysore

Today we take a tour of Mysore, We also visit Maharaja Palace, designed by British architect Henry Irwin, the Amba Villas Palace as it is also known, was completed in 1912. Chamundi Hill, which is topped with a 12th century temple of Durga with the magnificent 5m tall Nandi, Carved from single piece of granite in 1659, its one of largest in India.

In the evening we visit Brindavan Gardens, dancing musical fountains on the terraces of Krishnarajasagar Dam, is a vast stretch of the most delicately planned symphony in architecture, horticulture, engineering & aesthetics.  

Overnight Hotel – Mysore (B)

Day 04 : Mysore – Ooty(150 km - 03 hr)

Today we drive Ooty (Udagamandalam), Queen of hill stations & the capital of Nilgiri district. It is one of the most popular tourist resorts in India. Nilgiri means Blue Mountains. It is a land of picturesque picnic spots. It was a very popular summer & weekend getaway for the Britishers during the colonial days. An added attraction for the tourists is the mountain train journey on a ratchet & pinion track which commences from Kallar, near Mettupalayam & wends its way through many hair-raising curves & fearful tunnels &chugs along beside deep ravines full of verdant vegetation, gurgling streams & tea gardens.

Half Day tour

Afternoon you will leave for half day sightseeing visiting Botanical Garden, Fernhill Place -a  erstwhile summer palace of Maharaja of Mysore, St. Stephen Church is a small gothic style architecture and first colonial structure founded in 1820. You will also have free time buy Neelgri Teas at Charring Cross – a commercial street of Ooty.

Overnight Hotel – Ooty (B)

Day 05 : Ooty - Cochin (380km - 8hr)

Today be prepared for a long drive for God’s own country called Kerala.Cochin always had a very popular & historical sea trade connection with Middle East, Mediterranean Europe, Dutch & British. It has one of the finest natural harbours on the Arabian coastline. Its cosmopolitan character is reflected in the buildings & structures representing different regions of the world.

Evening see Kerala's most popular classical dance, Kathakali

Overnight Hotel – Cochin (B)

Day 06 :

Cochin - Alleppey (70 km - 1½ hrs)

Alleppey - Kumarakom (Overnight Houseboat)

Half Day Tour

Later we visit Jew Town, synagogue, built in the year 1568, is magnificently decorated by Chinese tiles & Belgian chandeliers. Giant scrolls of the Old Testament can be found here. Also visit the spice market, where the air is filled with the pungent smell of spices & history that brought the world to its doorstep. Chinese fishing nets, (Cheenavala) are distinctly unique to Cochin. It is believed that traders from the court of the Chinese ruler Kublai Khan introduced these nets here.

Later drive to Alleppey, Known as 'Venice of the East', this region is famous for its beautiful backwaters & village life revolving around the banks of these backwaters. On arrival board the houseboat, locally called Kettuvallam, cruise around backwaters of Alleppey to Kumarakom to observe & experience the daily life of the villagers along the backwaters.

Overnight Houseboat (B, L, D)

Day 07 : Arrive Kumarakom

Morning after breakfast disembark the houseboat while cruising, leave for Kumarakom known forbackwaters, huge Vembanad Lake & the famous Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary.

Later we visit Kumarakom Bird sanctuary. There are two seasons for birds: between October & February there are cormorants, teals, & other ducks & from February to July there are darters (snake birds), night herons, egrets, & Siberian storks. It also has golden backed woodpecker, crow pheasant, white-breasted water hen, tree pie etc.

Overnight Hotel – Kumarakom (B)

Day 08 : Kumarakom – Kovalam (160 kms – 4 hr)

Today we will drive to Kovalam,  South of Trivandrum. There are two main beaches at Kovalam, separated by a high cliff. It is finding a new significance in the light of several Ayurvedic salons, & recuperation & regeneration resorts which provide a slew of Ayurvedic.

Overnight Hotel – Kovalam (B)

Day 09 : Kovalam

Day at leisure, Explore water sports / Ayurvedic salons on own

Overnight Hotel – Kovalam (B)

Day 10 : Excursion to Trivandrum

Today we take an excursion Trivandrum (Thiruvananthapuram), an ancient city with trading traditions dating back to 1000 BC. It was a trading post for spices like the rest of ancient Kerala. However the ancient political & cultural history of the city was almost entirely independent from that of the rest of Kerala. The early rulers of the city were the Ays. With their fall in the 10th century, the city was taken over by the rulers of Venad. Thiru-v-anantha-puram is a three syllable name meaning the abode of the sacred snake god "Anantha". Lord Vishnu of the ancient Indian mythology rests on this huge serpent.

Here you will visit the Padmanabha Swami Temple, dedicated to Lord Vishnu is held sacred by the Hindus from antiquity. The temple has a large complex with a huge Gopuram. It has a tank beside it for ritual bathing. Next we visit It is situated north of the city, at Museum road & 400m east of Indian airlines. It displays an eclectic assortment of historical & contemporary ornaments, temple carts, ivory carvings & life-size figures of Kathakali dances in full costume. It has a famous collection of 8th-18th century south Indian bronze. Sri Chittira Art Gallery, an excellent collection of Indian art with examples from early to modern schools. Paintings by Raja Ravi Varma & works from Mughal & Rajput miniature paintings & Tanjore paintings embellished with semi- precious stones are displayed

Overnight Hotel - Kovalam.

Day 11 : Kovalam – Trivandrum Airport (16 Km - 30 mins)

Evening we take a flight to onward destination

Our tour concludes: We thanks you for your patronage and ensures a punctual transfer to the Railway Station / Airport for your onward travel.

Package includes:

• 10 Nights accommodation on twin sharing basis.
• Breakfast as per the itinerary
• All meals in Houseboat.
• A/C transportation as per the itinerary (No transportation on leisure days).
• English speaking Guide for the Tour
• Kathakali dance show in Cochin.
• Boat safari in Periyar.

Package does not include:

• Any airfare or airport tax.
• All presently applicable taxes.
• Monument charges.
• Expenses of personal nature.
• Any other expense not mentioned in the Packages includes.