Deluxe Vegetarian Culinary Tour

You will be welcomed by a Globe Travel Centre representative at the airport and transferred to your hotel. An ancient port town, Cochin, also known as the Queen of the Arabian Sea, has attracted traders and invaders from the world over. Needless to say, Cochin offers you some fascinating snippets of history and culture. Relax and unwind at the hotel. In the evening, go for a relaxing sunset cruise. Overnight at Brunton Boatyard with a vehicle at your disposal.

This morning, you can visit the Mattancherry spice godowns (warehouses) where the open spaces between the godowns are used to dry and pack various spices including coriander, pepper and ginger. Later visit the famous Lijjat Pappad project, a cooperative managed solely by women, which manufacturers Poppadums. You will get the opportunity of interacting with the 'poppadum makers' and learn how poppadums are made using simple technology. For lunch, taste the sumptuous Thali meal at Sri Krishan's Restaurant. In the evening, visit the Pai Thattukada, named after the Pai brothers who popularised the concept of Thattus, or small shops, that offer cheaper and quicker alternative to restaurant food. Some of the Thattus serve over 70 varieties of Dosas or rice pancakes. Overnight at the Brunton Boatyard with a vehicle at your disposal.

This morning, you can spend a day at the home of Nimmy and Paul who belong to the traditional Syrian Christian community in Kerala. Nimmy has been a professional cooking instructor for more than 20 years and, in keeping with family traditions, is very passionate about serving great Kerala food to guests. There will be two cooking sessions today, which will offer you an opportunity to participate and learn the intricacies of typical Travancore vegetarian food. Overnight at the Brunton Boatyard with a vehicle at your disposal.

Drive to Kothamangalam, a beautiful and tranquil tropical Eden surrounded by misty mountains with the river Periyar flowing through it. The landscape is dotted with lush green vegetation and palm-fringed paddy fields. Spend the afternoon relaxing in a century-old estate bungalow set in over 100 acres of multi-crop plantation. Apart from exploring the estate, you could also visit the local Dr Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary. In the sanctuary, you can spot the rare Mottled Wood Owl, Spot-bellied Eagle Owl, Malayan Night Heron, Sri Lanka Frogmouth, Rusty-tailed Flycatcher, Grey-headed Bulbul and the Nilgiri Wood Pigeon. Overnight at the Mundackal Estate Bungalow with full board and a vehicle at your disposal.

Participate in cooking demonstrations involving authentic Kerala cuisine. Daisy Jose, a specialist in Kerala style cooking and your instructor for the day, will teach you to prepare Kerala cuisine through an interactive session. All the recipes Daisy uses have been passed down from her parents who hailed from an aristocratic Christian family. Spend the rest of the day relaxing. Overnight at the Mundackal Estate Bungalow with full board and a vehicle at your disposal.

This morning after breakfast, drive to Periyar, an area known for its undulating hills, spice plantations, and elephant sightings. One of the 27 tiger reserves in India, the Periyar valley in Thekkady is the oldest. Check into your hotel. Go on a spice plantation tour today, where you will be enticed by the aroma of spices like cinnamon, cardamom, pepper and nutmeg and will learn how they are grown, harvested and processed before they reach the supermarkets. The pepper grown in Kerala is considered to be amongst the finest in the world. Overnight at the Spice Village with a vehicle at your disposal.

This morning you could go for an escorted three-hour jungle trek offering excellent opportunities to watch birds, butterflies and other wildlife. The trails often pass through evergreen forests interspersed with marshy grasslands. In the evening, you will participate in another cooking demonstration at your resort. You could also try your hand at making your own variations of Kerala dishes. Overnight at the Spice Village with a vehicle at your disposal.

This morning after an early breakfast, drive to Kumarakom, an area full of canals, lakes and coves where you will board your houseboat. Your houseboats, or Kettuvalloms, are luxurious boats with well-appointed bedrooms and ensuite bathrooms. You can sunbathe on the deck or observe the palm-fringed landscape from your cabins. Apart from the mesmerizing surroundings, it's the life along the coast that adds a touch of exotica to this experience. The locals travel in canoes, and you will find vegetable sellers, fishermen and other traders bringing household goods door-to-door in small, wooden boats. As you cruise along the backwaters you can ask your captain to stop at villages, paddy fields and other places, en route. Overnight on board with full board and a vehicle for your transfer.

Disembark from your houseboat at Alleppey and drive to the picturesque fishermen's village of Mararikulam to check into your resort. Tucked away inside quiet and lush coconut groves, the resort is set on a pristine white sand beach and offers you an astoundingly beautiful setting. Spend the day relaxing on the beach. For lunch, you will relish the delicious vegetarian Thali meal at the resort. In the evening, relax with a full-body Ayurveda massage. Overnight at the Marari Beach Resort with a vehicle for your transfer.

Visit the small, organic farm at the Marari resort. Most of the greens, fruits and vegetables for the restaurants come from this vegetable patch. The farm practices water harvesting and is a chemical-free zone where only natural oils and local remedies are used for pest control. Vermiculture and composting keep the soil fertile, both in the vegetable patch and on the grounds of the resort.

You can spend the entire day at leisure on the beach. Overnight at the Marari Beach Resort.

Spend the entire day at leisure on the beach. Overnight stay at the Marari Beach Resort.

Departure transfer to the Cochin International airport for your return flight with a vehicle provided to take you to the airport.