Kerala Trip - March 30 to April April 6, 2024:

The aim is to wake up early so you can enjoy everything !

Note 1: Please call your hotel in advance to check for the room and veg food option.
Note 2: Most of the places in Kerala open by 8 am and are closed by 5 pm / 6 pm.

March 30, 2024:

Land at Kochi Airport then travel to Ans Mariya Holidays at Munnar.

The special thing about Ans Mariya Holidays is that the resort is small but spread over 20 acres of
land. It has a cow farm and a hen farm. It is advisable to explore this place for morning walks and
amazing scenic beauty.

March 31, 2024:

Checkout early from Ans Mariya Holidays and drive towards Ripple Adventures Zipline. It is about
20 - 25 mins from the hotel. The chance to do a zipline over the Ripple Waterfall is amazing. It is a
nice place with some fun activities. You can spend about 1-2 hours here.

Then head towards Macofa Chocolate Factory, you should reach about 35-40 mins. You would be
amazed to know that Munnar is world famous for its amazing hand made chocolates. You should
explore different kinds of handmade chocolates and buy some for your family and friends. It is good
for an hour-long tour.

The next stop is at Dreamland Fun and Adventures. It is about 20 mins from the Macofa Factory and
an amazing park to try different activities. Relax here and have your lunch. Then enjoy the activities,
which should not take more than 1-2 hours.

You should then drive for an hour towards the Mattupetty Dam and enjoy the boat riding. Note that
the place closes at 5 pm, so plan accordingly. Then drive back for about 25 mins towards the Rose
Garden and explore the garden before the day ends. You will need an hour here. Please have
refreshments and explore. [Avoid the Carmelagiri Elephant Park.]

Then you can drive to the hotel at Tea Valley Resort. You can spend the night here and then plan your
swim in the swimming pool in the morning.

April 1, 2024:

You checkout early from Tea Valley Resort but don't forget to enjoy the breakfast buffet. You will then
drive towards the Thekkady Elephant Park. It is a long drive of about 3 hours to the Thekkady
Elephant Park.

Please take a mid trip break at the Ponmudi Dam. It is famous for the scene from the movie - Chennai
Express, when SRK dumped the red jeep in the river. Take a pit stop here to click some nice photos.
Then you travel for another half of the way to reach the Thekkady Elephant Park. Please don't let
them rip off the money. The base fair is INR 500 for two people (it will be around this). Then you
travel into the Periyar National Park after having your lunch. The park closes at 5 pm. This park is
famous for its nice lake, elephants in the wild and most famous for tigers. If possible then explore the
option of Tiger Safari.

The next stop is at the Brindhavan HomeStay at Vagamon. You will reach here in about 1 hour 30
mins from the Periyar National Park. You can have the dinner at the home stay or in the Vagamon
town. It is a small town and most of the places are closed by 8 pm. Therefore, my suggestion is to call
the home stay in advance and request for dinner.

April 2, 2024:

You should check out early in the morning as the best time to visit the Vagamon Glass Bridge and
Vagamon Adventure park is in the morning. You should drive through the route on which you have
the Palozhukum Para Waterfalls. You can have light breakfast at the Adventure Park. Note that the
park is a bit costly. After leaving Vagamon, you will be driving towards your houseboat at Alleppey.
The check in at the houseboat is at 1 pm. You have the full meal here, so please enjoy your lunch on
time.

Please call the houseboat in advance and check on the pick up location and the time when they will be
available. It is highly recommended that you check in as early as possible to enjoy the full trip in the
houseboat. You have a full one day to enjoy the trip in the backwaters of Kerala. You checkout the
next day at 9 am after your breakfast.

April 3, 2024:

You checkout at 9 am and then you have to drive towards Kollam. It is a 3 hours drive to All Season's
D'Fort Ayurvedic Resort at Kollam. The check in is at 2 pm. The suggestion is that you take a break at
Krishnapuram Palace at Kayamkulam and then at Kollam at the Sambranikodi Island. This is an
interesting backwater lagoon with Mangrove Forest. You can walk in water here. Therefore, please
leave your shoes in the car and explore the places.

At this route, you can have a quick lunch about an hour after you leave the houseboat at Hotel Greens
Family Restaurant, National Highway 66., North, behind B.P Petrol Pump, Karuvatta, Kerala 690517
or then closer to Kollam at Sree Suprabhatham Restaurant, Mini Capithans Junction, near Neendakara
Fishing Harbour, Sakthikulangara, Kollam, Kerala 691581. These two are well known hotels with
good ratings and good veg options. You can stop at both places to take a break and use the washroom.

This resort is located at a peaceful area of Kollam and closer to the beach. You should relax and go for
dinner at the rooftop restaurant at this hotel. It is popular and is known to have a nice sea view. Please
call the restaurant in advance and request vegetarian food. They don't have many options for veg food.
You should also book a slot for your ayurveda treatment for the next morning.

April 4, 2024:
Your checkout is at 12 pm. I recommend that you checkout early and have breakfast outside the hotel
at Svada Restaurant at Kollam Beach Rd, Kochupilammood, Mundakkal Village, Kollam, Kerala
691001. It has a cheap authentic Kerala buffet breakfast starting around INR 300 per person. It is
about 25 mins from the Resort and starts at early morning 7:30 am.

Then you can drive to Varkala and explore the beaches on the side of the road while you drive. It is a
short trip to your Dahlia Beach Resort, your check in time is 12 pm. You should first check in here
and then go out to Janardhana Swamy Temple at Varkala. You should spend the afternoon at the hotel
and relax. Then in the evening, you can walk to the beach which is close to your hotel and relax on the
beach. Explore the local food as the food option is limited in Varkala. You should explore the Varkala
Cliff and the Varkala Beach. It is a short beach. You can try any of the following restaurants for your
veg food options: Avanthi Pure Vegetarian Restaurant; Holy Rabbit Cafe; and ABBA Restaurant &
Everest German Bakery. I highly recommend that you book the seats at Namaste Varkala for your
dinner. It is a sea view restaurant so please call in advance and book a nice seat with good sea view.

April 5, 2024:

The check out from Dahlia Resort is at 11 am but I recommend that you leave very early after having
your breakfast at any of these cafes: Avanthi Pure Vegetarian Restaurant; Holy Rabbit Cafe; and
ABBA Restaurant & Everest German Bakery.

Then you are returning to Kochi with a 4 hour drive. The check in at Trident Kochi is at 2 pm and I
suggest that you leave Varkala after enjoying the breakfast with a Sunrise view.

On this return drive, you can either have lunch on the way or just have your lunch at Kochi. If you
haven’t tried the Sarvana Bhavan meal then definitely try to eat it. Please do try their veg thali, it is a
luxurious experience.

Note that Trident Kochi is located on a separate Island called Wellington Island. I suggest that you
reach Trident on time and maybe even do an early check in at the hotel. It is a luxurious property and
worth spending time to get ayurveda treatment.

It also has a nice pool, so you can focus on enjoying the hotel on April 5, 2024. You also have
bathtubs at your hotel so please enjoy and relax.

At dinner time, please have your dinner at Trident. It may be expensive but it is worth the money.
They are known for their amazing food and you can request the Chef for something different if you
want to try but don't eat everything as you have your amazing breakfast booked at the Hotel next
Morning.

April 6, 2024:

This is your last day of the Kerala Trip. Start your morning with an amazing breakfast at Trident. Do
ask for their freshly made dosa and specially their Set Dosa, Uttapam and Parotta. Once you have the
food then checkout by 12 pm. You must reach the Kochi airport by 7:30 pm for your 8:45 pm flight.
Note that the lounge at Kochi airport is not big and is very limited.

You should spend the first half exploring Kochi Town. Most of the beaches, old churches, Vasco De
Gama’s original grave in India and the Naval Museum are located close by. It will take about an hour
to reach Kochi Town and explore the area and the Temples.
Once you are tired and done then drive to the local market to buy Kasavu Silk Saree and Cotton
Sarees (these silk and cotton saree are very famous from Kerala and also called Kerala saree). Please
also buy the spices. Kerala has been the exporter of all spices since ancient times. You will find
amazing spices in Kochi, Kerala. Please explore their chai masala mix, different kinds of pepper and a
variety of original cinnamon sticks and cardamom. You will not find these spices anywhere in the
world at such a cheap price. But please bargain and be alert while buying.

Once you are done then drive to the Lulu Mall, one of the largest malls in India. Spend a couple of
hours then drive to the airport. The airport is about an hour plus from the Lulu Mall. You should have
the final meal in the Lulu Mall and then come to the airport as the lounges are not that big and fancy.

Then catch your flight at 8:45 pm. You will land in Delhi at 12.

Welcome Back !