Please help with Kochi Itinerary

Hello all,

This is my first thread so please be kind!

I will be travelling to Kochi in August for 3days and was starting to look at a provisional plan. Upon starting this I was all too unaware as to how much this place and the surrounding areas has to offer. There are a few places/things I would definitely like to do.

I will be arriving into Kochi from Mumbai and after 3 days heading to Mysore/Bengaluru. I would like to incorporate a backwater tour and the main sites of Kochi for definite but then upon reading the many posts here also like the sound of Munnar as it sounds truly amazing.

I can be quite flexible on where I go based on suggestions and could even lengthen the stay - basically I have 6 days to spend from arriving in Kochi to then getting another flight from Begaluru so split as you suggest!

Thanks in advance and I hope you dont mind giving up some time to help me out.

Miles

Dear Miles ,

3 Days in Cochin can be planned as below

Day 1- According to your arrival time , you can do the following
Visit Dutch palace, Jew town, Jewish synagogue, Fortcochin beach , Chinese fishing nets, Santa Cruz Basilica. Kathakali show in the evening , most show starts by 6PM

Day 2 - backwater tour.
option 1- full day backwater tour organised around Cochin backwaters. Vehicle comes and pick you up from the hotel where you are staying or sometime you walk to the nearest pick-up point.you are dropped back to Fortcochin in the evening after the tour

Option 2- Backwater tour on houseboat
You can do this at Alleppey or Kumarakom . both places are 2 hours from FortCochin. it is beter to travel there in a cab and do the day cruise form 11 AM to 5 PM with lunch on board the houseboat

If you want to stay overnight then that is also possible , in this case the check-in is at 12 Noon and checkout is next day morning 9 AM . All meals are served on board houseboat

Day 3- if you are not opting for the overnight stay and cruise on board houseboat , you can do the sights that you were unable to cover on day 1 or if all those were covered then you may take a ferry to the new part of the city and visit marine drive , cherai beach etc . return to the hotel and depart to the departure point

now if you want to visit munnar , do keep 4 nights / 5 days for or minimum 3 nights / 4 days for your kerala part


Day 1, 2 - on arrival proceed to Munnar . stay 2 nights there . Munnar have enough to offer for your 2 nights/ 3 days stay

day 3- proceed( from munnar) to Alleppey for houseboat stay

day 4 - you can spend a night at Fortcochin

day 5 - depart to Bangalore

it is good to book a CAB and do this trip as you will save your time and you can spend the time at your leisure

Hey NeenuRaj,

Thanks very much for your help this should give me a much better starting point to what I have/had as I was starting to get a bit flustered and confused by the whole thing!

Appreciate the help

Miles

Hi Molar miles

no need for any frustration with respect to your holiday planning.!!

please do write back if you have any queries

NeenuRaj,
You are a mind of good info. I shall bear some of that in mind when in Cochin. Is that the best place for a Kathakali show- if so, I will wait till I get there at the end of our 3 weeks.

We will not want to do the backwaters trip at Appelleye as we will already have done that by the time we get to Cochin. Anticipate about 4 days in Cochin- what do you think- too long or just about right? maybe you could suggest some other things in Cochin for us. Any cricket going on next February? what about Festivals in Cochin- when is the 'season' for that, any idea?

Thanks for all your help NeenuRaj

regards,

Pete

Dear Pete,

thanks!

yes FortCochin has couple of couple of places that exhibit this show . so you have options here
and 4 days in FortCohin is just about right

There is some international match scheduled in Cochin , but i have no idea about the exact dates/ ,let me see if i can google it and see if it matches with your arrival

February is the beginning of festival time , the festival calendar on the state tourism website is a good resource for that

check this festival calender ( www.keralatourism.org)
http://www.keralatourism.org/festivalcalendar.php

http://www.keralatourism.org/festivalwiki/

Some Festivals you could look at are,
Pariyanampetta Pooram -19 February 2013 ( Make Thrissur as base)
Guruvayoor Aanyottam ( Elephant race)- 23rd February 2013 ( Guruvayoor as base)
Chettikulangara Bharani - 16 February 2013 ( FortCochin as base)
Machattu Mamangam - 19 February 2013 ( Thrissur as Base)
Eetumanoor Utsavam - 21 February 2013 ( Kumarakom as base)
Chottanikkara Makam-19-26 February 2013 ( FortCochin as base)

hope this helps in schedules accodringly if you would like to be part of any of the festivals above

in addition there are Theyyam festivals up north Kerala , but that is little far from your current list of places for stay

Hope this helps

one could also plan and do the trip to legendary port of Muziris and heritage sites linked to it . Check the below link for information
http://www.keralatourism.org/muziris/

That is a very interesting website. I am not sure if they actually do the tours they suggested. No mention was made of it. If they do- I wander what the charges are.

That is the official website of state tourism department, and havent seen them operating any tours .
you can check with the tourist information centre listed in the website for any information on tours

i have seen couple of travel agencies in the streets of FortCochin , doing this tour . so you would be able to find once you are here in FortCochin