Golden Triangle with Kerala

After breakfast check out and drive to the city of Love - Agra which was the capital of Mughal Empire for a long time. Agra is the quintessential Mughal City, where the world marvels at the epitome of love, beauty and sacrifice. It is located on the western banks of the river Yamuna. Right from the epic Mahabharata to the Mughal Dynasty, Agra has been monumental and has played a significant role in shaping India’s history. This place was the capital of the great Akbar. Thus, there are a lot of architectural marvels to enjoy here that are related to Persian style. The iconic tourism destination is the world wonder, Taj Mahal. Apart from this, you can find tombs of various kinds, religious places, Yamuna River and water related activities in the river. It is a colourful place and still has the colourful medieval look. The narrow lanes, modern era hustle and local amusement would attract the visitors. On arrival check in at HOTEL for 01 night. Afternoon visit the Agra Fort. Overnight in Hotel.

Early morning visit the sunrise view of the famous Mausoleum – The Taj Mahal, a unique epitome of Love built by Mughal Emperor Shahjahan in 1630 for his queen Mumtaz Mahal to enshrine her mortal remains. A drop of tear on the cheek of time has now been crystallized !!!. After exploring the beauty of Taj Mahal transfer to hotel for breakfast and later visit the Agra Fort or Red fort, which is very similar to Delhi Red Fort. After exploring the beauty of Agra drive to the pink city – JAIPUR en route visit the city of Mughal emperor Fatehpur Sikri (40 KMS from Agra) built by Emperor Akbar in 1569 and abandoned it just after 15 years due to the scarcity of water. Visit the graceful buildings – The punch Mahal, Anup Talab,Diwan-e- Khas, Tomb of the holy saint Salim Chisti, Buland Darwaza and other important palaces where one experiences not only the Architectural brilliance but also its perfect fusion. After Fatehpur Sikri drive to Jaipur. On arrival check in at HOTEL for 02 nights. Overnight in hotel. PS: Taj Mahal is closed on every FRIDAY.

After breakfast by around 0730 hours proceed to visit the Amber Fort, located 11 kilometers away from Jaipur and is the ancient capital of the state until 1728. En-route, visit the Hawa Mahal. Amber was the ancient capital of Kachawaha dynasty before Jai Singh founded Jaipur. There you will enjoy Elephant ride up to the hill. The other highlights of the sightseeing tour of the day are Maharaja’s City Palace, Jagmandir or the hall of victory, Shri Govind Deo Temple and the City Palace Museum; the observatory known as Jantar Mantar with masonry astronomical instruments; and Hawa Mahal known as 'Palace of Winds' with its honeycomb façade. Also you can visit the Temple of Goddess Kali, but no leather belt, leather purses and cameras are not allowed inside the temple. In the evening drive through the new city of Jaipur and visit Laxmi Narayan Mandir - a Hindu temple built in white marble. Evening free to relax or go for shopping in the colourful bazaars of Jaipur. Overnight at Hotel.

After breakfast check out from the hotel and transfer to Delhi airport to catch flight to Cochin via Bangalore or Mumbai after an ever memorable holiday in North India. On arrival at Kochi Airport, our representative will meet you and will be transferred to HOTEL for 02 nights. Kochi – the ‘Queen of Arabian Sea’ is one of the most interesting cities of South India and has one of the finest natural harbour in the world. From time immemorial, the Arabs, British, Chinese, Dutch, and Portuguese have left indelible marks on the history and development of Cochin. Over the years, Cochin has emerged as the commercial and industrial capital of Kerala and is perhaps the second most important city on the west coast of India (after Mumbai/Bombay). The ancient Temples, Churches and Synagogues in this district are of special interest to archeologists and historians. The Chinese fishing nets, the Jewish Synagogue, the Dutch palace and the Bolghatty palace in Kochi enrich the heritage of Kerala. Evening visit ‘Kathakali’ centre, where you’ll watch the interesting Kathakali costumes followed by performance. ‘Kathakali’, an important genre in the Indian classical dance form, is associated with storytelling form of this art. It is the dance drama from the south Indian state of Kerala. Similar to other Indian classical dance arts, the story in ‘Kathakali’ is also communicated to audience through excellent footwork and impressive gestures of face and hands complimented with music and vocal performance. Overnight at hotel.

After breakfast proceed for half day guided sightseeing which includes the visit to St. Francis church, Mattancherry palace, Jewish Synagogue and Chinese fishing nets. St Francis Xavier's Church at Fort Kochi was the oldest European church in India, which was built in the year 1503, by the Portuguese traders. Today, it stands as the pride of Fort Cochin. It was here that the great explorer Vasco da Gama was buried first in 1562. His mortal remains were taken back to Portugal by his son 16 years later. Even though it is austere in its appearance, the Mattancherry Palace of Cochin has a quaint charm of its own. The credit for building this landmark monument partly goes to the Dutch, who captured Cochin city of Kerala during the pre-British period. The Jewish Synagogue is the oldest synagogue in the Commonwealth Nations. Thus, it comprises the topmost slot in the itinerary of the tourists visiting the city. The synagogue has now a fascinating mixture of shops, warehouses and spice auction rooms around. The Chinese fishing nets make up a very popular tourist attraction since they are fixed land installations, which are used for a very unique and unusual method of fishing. After sightseeing return back to the hotel. Evening proceed to Kalaripayattu centre when you can see the martial arts of Kerala – Kalaripayattu. Overnight at hotel.

After breakfast check out and drive to Kumarakom, one of the most beautiful backwater site in this state. Kumarakom is a paradise of mangrove forests, emerald green paddy fields and coconut groves interspersed with enchanting waterways and canals adorned with white lilies. Kumarakom is a serenely beautiful and scenic backwater destination, a charming peninsula jutting into the ever-effervescent Vembanad Lake that is dotted with plenty of traditional rice boats and canoes, leaving a scene that is immensely pleasing to the eye. Kumarakom is home to a wide variety of flora and fauna. The Vembanad Lake, the largest backwater in Kerala, is habitat for many marine and freshwater fish species and it teems with Karimeen (Pearl spot), shrimp (Chemmeeen in the local language) and prawns. Rest of the day is free to relax and for your own activities. On arrival check into HOTEL for 01 night. Afternoon by around 03 pm proceed to enjoy the traditional activities in the village which includes Country boat ride (small open country boat / big covered canopy country boat), Coconut tree climbing (Coconut Tree climbers are a rarity these days in Kerala and other coconut growing states of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Maharastra and Goa, with very few preferring on the traditional profession now a days), Toddy tapping (Toddy is an alcoholic beverage created from the sap of coconut palms. The sap is extracted and collected by a tapper. Typically the sap is collected from the cut flower of the Coconut tree. A container is fastened to the flower stump to collect the sap. The white liquid is toddy that initially collects tends to be very sweet and non-alcoholic before it is fermented). Net fishing (The traditional way of fishing is mostly used in backwaters, The fisher man’s uses small canoes for fishing with the help of net/ fish hook. Fishing is the main income earning way of Lake side residents. They normally go for fishing in the morning time and evening time. You can see traditional fishing almost in all areas of backwaters. Freshwater prawns, lobsters, crabs, clams and oysters which find a ready market overseas are cropped from these backwaters. Coconut leaf weaving (Most of the villagers are used to thatch their houses with weaved coconut leaves and is also used for making baskets, handicraft items etc..), Coir making (Coir is a natural fibre extracted from the husk of coconut and used in products such as floor mats, doormats, brushes, mattresses, etc. Coir is the fibrous material which is found between the hard, internal shell and the outer coat of a coconut), Paddy field walk and Homestead vegetable garden visit. In between the village tour we will provide lunch with Kerala meals, fish curry and tender coconut. Evening by around 06 pm back to the resort. Overnight at resort.

After breakfast check out from the hotel and proceed to Alleppey. On arrival you can embark in the HOUSE BOAT to go for cruise through the world famous backwaters of Kerala. Alleppey has a large network of canals and is a center for backwater cruises in our state. The famous Nehru Trophy Boat race - the most colorful of boat races is held here on the second Saturday of August every year. The cruise in a house boat through backwaters is an unforgettable experience and you can enjoy the real Kerala village life. These boats, originally known as Kettuvallam’s were used for carrying goods and there were only limited facilities available in the boats for stay and for food preparations. Now these boats are made very modern and the food prepared in the house boats are very special and is very tasty and fresh. During the cruise you will have opportunities to enjoy typical Kettuvallam meal. Overnight in the boat.

After breakfast check out from the hotel and transfer to Cochin airport for departure after an ever memorable holiday in Kerala.