You will be received by the representative of Optima India Tourism at the time of arrival at Cochin airport and taken to the pre-booked hotel, ensuring quick and hassle-free check in. Relax a bit and meet Cochin tour guide at the hotel lobby. Our representative will introduce you with the guide, explain the finer aspects of Incredible India Tour and instruct the chauffeur accordingly. Proceed on for sightseeing tour of Cochin. Cochin port has a rich legacy of heritage and cultural linkages with rest of the world. Hence Cochin was aptly termed as "Queen of Arabian Sea. Your sightseeing will include St. Francis Church, Kochi Fort, Santa Cruz Cathedral, Jewish Synagogue, Dutch Palace and Chinese fishing nets. After sightseeing of Cochin, return to your hotel for overnight stay

Have delicious breakfast and check out from Cochin hotel to proceed for Munnar. The only hill station of Kerala, Munnar is about 1600 feet above sea level. Devoid of pollution, enriched with fragrance of tea plants and soothing with lush greenery all around, Munnar, a highly cherished tourist destination, offers to view panoramic view, sprawling tea plantations, Tea Museum, lakes, wildlife sanctuary, small brooks and streams, picture-book towns, small brooks and streams, thickly-wooded forests etc. On the way to your hotel, visit Cheyyappara waterfalls, a perfect feast for your eyes. On arrival at Munnar, you will be transferred to Munnar hotel. Enjoy the rest of the day at leisure and return back to the hotel for a comfortable overnight stay.

Having enjoyed relaxed wake-up and breakfast, proceed to see and experience natural beauty and blissful climate of Munnar. Leisurely sightseeing comprises visit of Eravikulam National Park (spread over an area of 97 sq. km. and home to Nilgiri Tahr, several species of rare butterflies, animals and birds), Mattupetty Dam, Kundale Lake, Echo point and Tata Tea Museum. Sightseeing tour of Munnar is a mesmerizing experience. Late afternoon return to your hotel and spend evening in leisure. Overnight stay will be in Munnar hotel.

Having delicious breakfast in Munnar hotel, depart for Thekkady, the gateway to Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary which is renowned for wild elephants, wild boar, leopards and, of course, tigers. Thekkady holds prominence on Kerala’s tourism map due to three reasons: jungle safari on elephants/ jeep; observing wildlife from a distance while having a boat ride in Periyar Lake; spice plantation tour; Ayurvedic rejuvenation therapy and cultural activities. On arrival at Thekkady, check in at designated hotel, refresh, relax a bit and proceed for a memorable spice plantation tour. You will happen to see the exotic crops of cinnamon, pepper, coffee and cardamom and tea estate. In the afternoon, you shall be taken for boating in the Periyar Lake. Evening can be utilized by indulging in either cultural programs or Ayurvedic massage etc. Overnight stay will be in Thekkady hotel.

Having fresh & succulent breakfast in Thekkady hotel, embark on your journey to Kumarakom which is known for its canals, lakes, coves, coconut palms, lush green rice fields, backwaters, luxury houseboat cruises and Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary. On arrival at Kumarakom, check in at lake-side hotel .

The whole day has free for leisure. Kumarakom, a tourist hamlet on the bank of Vembanad Lake of Kerala, is endowed with incredibly amazing scenic beauty and all modern amenities to indulge in leisure. Authentic Ayurvedic rejuvenation therapy spas have sprouted in the region in significant numbers. Take rest and relax on your own by watching exotically panoramic view of backwaters, day-to-day lifestyle of local people, migratory birds making diverse formations in the sky etc. Canoes with huge sails still transport people and you will find vegetable sellers, fishermen and other household materials being brought door to door by small wooden boats. One can go in for a sunset cruise (optional) to enjoy splendid scene of the sun-set or the charming beauty of the backwater and the natural view that are simply outstanding. Overnight stay will be in Kumarakom lake resort/hotel.

The first half of the day is for your relaxed and languid stay/ stroll in Kumarakom. Have breakfast in the Kumarakom hotel and relish soul rejuvenating views of Kumarakom. There are two options of enjoying houseboat cruise and stay. Either reach Alleppey by road and board houseboat to cruise in the backwaters and canals of Alleppey only or board houseboat near Kumarakom that sails through to Alleppey. Here, we are opting for second option i.e. traversing the distance between Kumarakom and Alleppey on the houseboat. Then, early afternoon you will check in at the luxury houseboat; leisurely enjoy the pleasantly scenic pathways, green lagoons, villages, emerald green paddy fields and exotic natural surrounding while houseboat cruises through the backwaters. While you are relaxing in the houseboat, it is cruising along the backwaters of Vembanad lake and heading towards Alleppey. Your lunch, dinner, breakfast, supper, tea- coffee-snacks, as well as cozy overnight stay will be on the houseboat.

Have delightful and delicious breakfast in the houseboat. By that time, you shall have arrived at Alleppey. Check out from the houseboat and proceed for Kovalam (190 kms/4.5 hrs). Kovalam is famous worldwide for its exquisite beaches, ethnic surroundings and Ayurvedic rejuvenation therapy and massage. On arrival at Kovalam, check in at the pre-booked Kovalam hotel. Kovalam has three adjacent crescent beaches, where tourist can enjoy fun-filled time with dear ones surfing the cool breeze as well as playing with the warm waves of the sea water. Have lunch, rest and relax on the alluring beaches of Kovalam. Overnight stay will be in Kovalam hotel.

Trivendrum is the new name of Thiruananthapuram. Trivendrum used to be capital and centre of Travancore princely state. Recently it has been in news related to treasure of Padmanabhswamy temple. Enjoy breakfast in the hotel and sunbath at Kovalam beaches. Early in the afternoon, proceed for Trivendrum for half-day sightseeing which comprises Kavadiar Palace, Padmanabhaswamy Temple, Museum and Art Gallery. Later in the evening, return to Kovalam hotel for overnight stay.

Day free to indulge in leisure activities like sun bath at Kovalam beach & Ayurvedic massage.

Have your delicious breakfast in the Kovalam hotel and relax on the beaches of Kovalam. Early noon, depart for Trivendrum to board flight for your onward destination. In this way happy journey of Kerala tour comes to an end giving you lots of remarkable memories and experience to relish in forever.

Cochin is also termed as Kochi. Cochin is a fabulous city, culturally rich and commercially vibrant. It is divided into two parts – Ernakulum and Kochi. Come into Cochin to visit Kochi. Kochi is aptly termed as Queen of the Arabian Sea, being the finest natural harbor in the world. Enjoy Kochi with ferry rides commanding its breathtaking view as you cruise around man-made islands with lush green lawns sloping down to the water's edge. These ferries offer luxurious environment on board. Aboard, you can relax with a drink watching the Arab dhows in the foreground, and behind, the tree shaded buildings of the families who sold gold, ivory, timber and peacock to King Solomon, 19 centuries ago. Kerala, the God's own country, beckons you with the best of natural beauty. Cochin is gateway to Kerala. Pleasant ambience, simple people, delicious cuisines, rich past, giant Chinese fishing nets that billow from massive teak and bamboo poles dot the entrance to the harbor. Silhouetted against the setting sun, they present a magnificent sight of the waterfront. Cochin is the oldest European settlement in India. Recording a history of visitors who came, saw and stayed for hundreds of years. Layered impressions of Chinese, Arab, French, Jewish, British and Portuguese are contained within its environment.

Enjoy Cochin during Cochin Carnival. Ring in the New Year with great festivity and cheer at the Cochin Carnival. This week long extravaganza presents to you colourful parades, variety programmes and events to enjoy. And, of course, cherish December 25th to 31st every year.

Munnar is a tiny green paradise teetering on Anamudi – the highest mountain peak of South India, 1549 mteres above sea level. Munnar meaning 'three rivers' is situated at the confluence of three mountain hill streams and a delightful hill station of Kerala and South India. Sprawling tea plantations with trekking paths running through and further leading up to breath-taking waterfalls make it a place worth visiting while on Kerala tour. Far from the maddening crowd, Munnar offers an ideal retreat. Munnar is easily accessible from Cochin. Munnar, a hill station in Idukki district of Kerala, is nestled in soothing environ of Western Ghats. In context of 'nature-tourism', Munnar with its lush-green landscape turns out to be essence of eco-tourism of Kerala. There are many worth watching tourist attractions in and around Munnar. Mattupetty Dam (13 kms from Munnar), Mattupedi Dairy Farm ( an Indo-Swiss scientific farm), Kundala Lake (20 kms from Munnar, a man-made lake), Echo Point (about 15 km from Munnar), Rajamalai ( a part of Eravikulam National Park that is known for Nilgiri Tahr, an endangered species), Tea Museum (intended to educate people about laborious tea production process), Marayoor Sandalwood Forests (home to natural sandalwood and heritage site depicting the ancient stone age civilization dated back to 10,000 B.C. stone age paintings, rock edicts and dolmens), Attukad Waterfalls, Blossom International Park and Munnar tea plantations are main tourist attractions of Munnar.

Thekkady in Idukki district of Kerala is famous for Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary, spread across 777 sq kms. Monsoon first reaches Kerala and heavy water shower results great variety of bio-diversity. This biodiversity can be easily seen and experienced in Thekkady. In addition to a great pool of flora and fauna, Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary in Thekkady offers opportunity to spot elephants, sambar, tigers, gaur, lion-tailed Macaques and Nilgiri Langurs. The main attraction of the Wild Life Sanctuary, declared a Tiger Reserve in 1978, is viewing the herds of wild elephants in the lake while having a boat ride in Periyar Lake. Thekkady is considered a heaven for natural spices such as black pepper, cardamom, cinnamon and clove.

Kumarakom is at a distance of merely 10 kms from Kottayam district of Kerala. The serene hamlet turned town is home to large variety of birds and migratory birds can be spotted here. The nearby islands also provide a haven for these birds. Kumarakom, a typical Kerala village, has sprouted on the eastern bank of the Vembanad Lake. Kumarakom is just 85 kms away from Cochin. Kumarakom is bound by the Vembanad Lake on two sides, the swaying paddy fields on one side and a bird sanctuary on another. Kumarakom is a perfect two day stopover on the way between Cochin and Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary or vice versa. Kumarakom has gained tremendous prominence on the map of Kerala tourism. All kinds of hotel accommodations- budget to luxury- are available here.

Kerala is worldwide known for its backwaters and backwater tourism. Alleppey is locally called as Alappuzha. An intricate maze of canals and backwaters lined on both sides by lush greenery makes Alappuzha an interestingly beautiful place. Much sought after by the tourist, the boat rides served by ferries to Kollam and Kottayam offer you an experience of a life time. Famous as the "Venice of East", Alappuzha is also the host to the spectacular Nehru Trophy Snake Boat races. Alleppey is the most popular and beautiful place to enjoy backwaters of Kerala while enjoying an overnight houseboat cruise. During your houseboat stay in Alleppey, see 400 year old Champakkulam church (one of the 7 churches established by St. Thomas) and the Chavara Bhavan. Passing through various canals and waterways and passing by sporadic islands will be an unforgettable experience of Alleppey backwaters tour. Alleppey deserves to be called as the Venice of the East, with its intricate network of canals, backwaters and bridges. Alleppey, sandwiched between the Arabian Sea and the Punnamada backwaters on Kerala's southern coast, can be characterized as "life in slow motion".

Kovalam, about five decades ago, used to be an unknown beach hamlet of fishermen. Since unprecedented influx of 'hippies' in the seventies, transformed the small and unknown village of Kovalam into a hotspot tourist destination of Kerala. Owing to clean shallow waters and low tidal waves, the beaches of Kovalam are highly popular among the western tourists. Kovalam, 16 kms from Trivendrum, is a serene emerald green sea-beach of Kerala, South India. Discover one of India's internationally renowned beaches. Popular since 1930, Kovalam consists of three successive crescent shaped beaches. A sheltered natural bay, Kovalam beach is juxtaposed between serene blue waters of Arabian Sea and an expansive spread of luxuriant palm groves. Kovalam offers a range of good hotels including heritage properties. The Kovalam beach is appreciated worldwide for diverse and plenty leisure options like sunbathing (the tropical sun tans skin here in few minutes only), swimming, specialized Ayurvedic massage for healing and toning body, exotic cultural programmes and catamaran cruising. The cultural programme and festival of Kovalam is Kerala Gramam, a village festival. This local festival takes you in the memory lanes of traditionally ancient Kerala. A small village is recreated for 10 days during January 14th to 23rd every year. This endeavour imparts an insight into traditional house, attire, food, crafts and much more.

Thiruananthapuram is also known as Trivendrum. The sprawling capital city of Kerala State, 219 kms from Cochin (Kochi) with several of its building overlooking peaceful valleys, Thiruanantapuram is situated at the south-western tip of India. The city, built across seven hills, still retains its regal ambience with a number of colonial and traditional buildings. Ancient Padmanabhaswami Temple, built in a Dravidian architectural style is an important city landmark. Thiruvananthapuram, capital of Kerala, is a beautiful sea-side city built on 7 hills, which had past trade links with many countries outside India. The name is derived from Tiru Anantha Puram, meaning the city of Anantha, referring to Vishnu as Padmanabhswamy. It is also known as the Holy City of Anantha. Marthand Varma, the most famous king of Travancore, dedicated the entire state to the deity and became the Padmanabha Das or the Servant of Lord Padmanabha. The city once formed a part of the erstwhile Travancore state which had its capital at Padmanabhapuram. The present capital city is well located with spacious avenues with several parks. The city forms the entry into the state from the southern side and serves as a base for the tourists who want to visit Kerala and its interesting places.

• Accommodation in the mentioned hotels on double sharing.

• Daily breakfast basis on all places.

• Total Meals: 11 (Breakfast-09; Lunch-01 & Dinner-01).

• Total night stays: 09 (Cochin-01; Munnar-02; Thekkady-01; Kumarakom-01; Alleppey-01; Kovalam-03).

• Well-appointed upgraded air-conditioned rooms at all places.

• Along with breakfast at all places, 01 lunch & 01 dinner in houseboat.

• Monument entrance charges.

• Boat ride on Lake Periyar.

• Kalaripayattu (Martial Arts) show in Thekkady.

• Kathakali dance show in Cochin.

• English speaking & destination-specific guides for sightseeing of historical monuments, if in itinerary.

• Meet & assist at the airport on arrival & departure.

• Sightseeing tours as mentioned in the itinerary.

• Air-conditioned private car for the whole sightseeing tour.

• Driver for the whole tour.

• All prevailing taxes like luxury tax, service tax etc.

• All transfers, city tours, excursions & drives by air-conditioned transport.

• Interstate road tax, toll tax, parking charges, driver’s wages, fuel charges etc.

• Boat ride on Lake Periyar.

• Kalaripayattu (Martial Arts) show in Thekkady.

• Backwaters river/lake boat cruise in Alleppey with traditional houseboat called ‘kettuvalam’.

• Kathakali dance show in Cochin.

• Do taste a variety of sea foods in Kumarakom.

• Do explore world-famous spice-market in Cochin.

• Have a night of home stay to enjoy traditional family life of Kerala people with home-made food.

• Houseboat stay and cruise in Kerala backwaters.

• Enjoy incredibly serene beach holidays on Kovalam beach.

• Ayurvedic massage for physical rejuvenation is a must.

• Experience a session or two of Yoga.

Cochin: Explore curio shops, small and quaint, for ethnic articles like colorful bead jewelry, mat and bangles made of coir, wood, bamboo, shells, brass, ivory and sandalwood.

Kumarakom: Appam (prepared of fermented rice and coconut dough) & Karimeen (prepared of freshwater
Cochin:Meen Mollagitta curry (prepared of freshwater fish) & Kurukku Kalan ( a vegetarian specialty prepared of yoghurt, curry, toasted banana & rice).

• Price is per person twin/ double sharing basis.

• Airfare not included.

• Additional conditions may apply, please enquire for further details.

• Prices shown are fully inclusive of taxes.

• Additional levies, government charges & other applicable fees, including additional taxes and surcharges on flight routing, may apply and are beyond our control.

• Seasonal surcharges and blackout dates may apply depending on date of travel.

• Payments made by credit card will incur a surcharge.

• Prices shown are for payments made by cash in store or through normal bank transfer into our accounts.

• These prices are a guide to the best price and are subject to change without notice.

• Prices are subject to change without notice, due to matters outside our control, such as adverse currency fluctuations, fuel surcharges, taxes and airfare increases, please enquire for further details.

• Please provide your passport details to Intrepid at least one month before travelling. Please note that if you do not provide your passport details you may be denied entry to any National Parks that are visited along this itinerary, or you may be charged a fee by the local government as passport details are now a requirement for entry into all national parks in India.

• Throughout the trip we request that our hotels prepare rooms in time for our arrival, especially if we're arriving prior to normal check-in time. However this isn't always possible which means we won't be able to check-in immediately on arrival at some hotels. Instead, we can store our luggage and explore our new destination.

• In India normally the check in time is 02:00 PM and check out time is 10:00 AM.

• Meals other than breakfast and as specified above.

• Video camera/ still camera fee applicable at various monuments. The same will be paid by you direct on spot on actual basis.

• Items of personal nature like telephone calls, laundry, tips, hard/soft drink etc.

• Any expenses arising out of unforeseen circumstances like flight delay/cancellation/hike in fare, strike or any other natural calamities.

• Indian visa fees.

• Any compulsory meal supplements during festive season is not included.

• Early check in & late check out at the hotels.

• Any other Items is not included in " Inclusions" heading.