Tea Tasting Tour of Kerala

Day 01 – Cochin
On arrival our representative will greet you at the Cochin airport and then transfer to the hotel. Check-in and relax for a while amidst the comforts of your room. Explore the rest of the day at your own leisure. Overnight at the hotel.

Day 02 – Cochin – Munnar
Morning after breakfast drive to Munnar (approx. 135kms / 04hours), the beautiful hill station of Kerala and the place where the unfolded green carpet is waiting for you. Munnar is breathtakingly beautiful, a haven of peace and tranquility – the idyllic tourist destination in God’s own country.  Upon arrival check-in at the hotel and relax for a while amidst the comforts of your room.

Afternoon, we will have a walk along with its tea gardens, which are spread like a green carpet over hundreds of kilometres. Overnight at the hotel.

Day 03 – Munnar
Today after breakfast, we will go on a full day tour to Tea plantation of Munnar visiting the green pastures of its massif tea gardens. We will also visit the century-old tea factories where one can taste and pick up the finest tea in the country.

Here, we will have a visit to the Tata Tea Museum where we will witness the tea-processing. Later return to the hotel and explore the evening along with the nature at your own. Overnight at the hotel.

Day 04 – Munnar
After enjoy the sumptuous breakfast proceed for a morning sightseeing trip of Munnar, visiting the Eravikulam National Park where you can see the very rare mountain goats locally called the Nilgiri Tahr, visit Mattupetty Dam which offers many fascinating sights to relish. En-route also visit Kundala Lake, Echo Point and View Point & Green carpet of Tea Gardens. Explore the evening along with the nature at your own. Overnight at the hotel.

Day 05 – Munnar – Thekkady
Today after breakfast, drive to Thekkady (approx. 90kms / 03hours), a beautiful area of tea gardens, rubber estates and coffee and pepper plantations, located high in the Cardamom hills.

Upon arrival check-in at the hotel and relax for a while amidst the comforts of your room. In the afternoon, visit a spice garden where you will be introduced to different spices and shown how some of the spices are grown. Explore the evening along with the nature at your own. Overnight at the hotel.

Day 06 – Thekkady – Kumarakom
In the morning after breakfast drive to Kumarakom (approx. 115kms / 03hours), en-route you will visit a working tea estate, where you will have the opportunity to learn how tea is grown, graded, the various processes involved in the production of tea and an introduction to tea tasting. Continue drive to Kumarakom and check-in at the hotel.

This is an enchanting backwater destination of Kerala. Spread over a cluster of islands on Vembanad Lake, Kumarakom is pictured as a mesh of lush tropical waterways and low-lying paddy fields. Rest of the day is free for individual activities. Overnight at the hotel.

Day 07 – Kumarakom – Cochin
In the morning visit Kumarakom Bird sanctuary famous among eco tourist as the home of migratory birds. Later drive to Cochin (approx. 55kms / 01hour). Cochin has been a gathering place of merchants since antiquity and is full of bustling traders. Upon arrival check-in at the hotel and relax for a while amidst the comforts of your room.

In the early evening we see a performance of Kathakali, which is thought by some to be the very essence of the culture of Kerala. Its origins may have come from traditional temple rituals and from an art form known as Koodiyattam. It is the face make up which makes this dancing so unique. The dancers can take up to three hours painting their faces – the features are heavily emphasised as it is the facial expressions and coordinated eye movements which are important in the dance. The dances usually portray events from the Ramayana and Mahabharata, great Indian epics. Overnight at the hotel.

Day 08 – Cochin (Departure)
Morning after breakfast a half day tour is planned for you which includes Fort Kochi which is the oldest European settlement in India (1500), and has a mixture of English, Dutch and Portuguese influence. The Mattancherry Palace was built by the Portuguese in the 16th century, but extensive renovations by the Dutch some hundred years later earned it the name the Dutch Palace. It has some of the best murals in India, depicting scenes from the Ramayana and other great legends.

On our tour we visit the Jew town synagogue where Kochi’s surviving Jewish community come to worship. Nearby are the interesting cantilevered Chinese Fishing nets. Afternoon is free to explore the local market or individual activities.

In night transfer to the Cochin airport to connect flight for onward destination.