Highlights of Kerala

Begin your adventure in the spice port of Kochi, where the remnants of colonial rule can still be seen in the historic buildings. If you arrive in time, join an afternoon harbour cruise around Fort Kochi (arrive at the hotel by 1pm to join). Around 6pm, say namaskaram to your tour leader and fellow travellers, when we gather as a group for the first time to get to know each other and learn more about the adventures ahead. Your tour leader then ensures a big Keralan welcome by arranging dinner at a local restaurant. Want to explore Kochi further? Secure pre-tour hotel nights through your sales representative. Stay: The Killians Hotel (or similar) (D).

Join your tour leader for a sightseeing tour of Kochi, taking in the adjacent historic neighbourhoods of Fort Kochi and Mattancherry. In Fort Kochi, we visit St Francis Church, where Portuguese explorer Vasco de Gama died in 1524; see Santa Cruz Cathedral, originally used as a warehouse by the British; and wander past fishing nets lining the harbour entrance, which were introduced by the Chinese in the late-14th century. In Mattancherry, we visit Mattancherry Palace, built by the Portuguese in the mid-1500s in a traditional Keralan style, and Jew Town, once home to a Jewish community and now a great place to peruse antique shops and warehouses. If you're interested, visit Thomas Chettan in the Little Queen Embroidery shop to learn about hand lace work, a dying art using bobbin lace. There is the option in the late afternoon to see a Kathakali dance performance – a similar show is also available in Periyar on Day 4. Stay: The Killians Hotel (or similar) (B).

Leave Kochi in the morning and transfer to the bustling village of Thekkady, gateway to Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary. Breaking up the five to six-hour drive, we stop at a traditional Keralan bungalow in the serene rubber plantations of Kanjirappally. Take a walk through the plantations, watching our guide as they show us how to tap rubber, while also seeing regional trees such as rambutan, mangosteen, nutmeg, pineapple, banana and coffee. After, we enjoy lunch served at the plantation house. Post lunch, we complete our drive to Thekkady. The whole area is a centre for spice growing, and this evening there is a short walk around a spice garden, where we see many different spices growing. Stay: Peppervine Hotel (or similar) (B/L).

Before breakfast, join a nature walk (approximately two to three hours) in Periyar National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary, in which your expert local guide points out tell-tale wildlife signs, including tiger tracks, animal droppings, and trees marked by sloth bears. You're also like to spot monkeys in the trees and bird life.

In the afternoon, you have free time to explore the village and bazaar, with the chance to visit shops selling cardamom, vanilla, peppercorns, turmeric and other spices. Alternatively, join an optional boat cruise on Periyar Lake to look for elephants, otters, wild pigs and buffalos. There is also an abundance of bird life – kingfishers, storks and hornbills are the most spotted. Other optional activities include an Ayurvedic massage, Kathakali dance show, and a martial arts performance. We then join a family in their home for a cooking demonstration followed by dinner. We normally eat in their garden, under cover, among a variety of spices, which we have explained to us during the demonstration. Stay: Peppervine Hotel (or similar) (B/D).

Today, we drive (four to five hours) to Alleppey to board our houseboat at midday and begin our cruise between the backwaters and larger lakes. The cruise is one of the trip highlights – these enchanting boats, built of anjili (wild jack) wood and bamboo, transported goods for hundreds of years. Now, they have been decorated and made into comfortable cruise boats. As you meander through tropical vegetation, we can see prolific bird life and gain a different perspective on village life. The cruise takes us along shallow, palm-fringed canals where coconut fibre, coconut meat and cashews are loaded onto dugout canoes.

In the evening, the boat is anchored by a bank, and we watch the sun set over the paddy fields. Stay: Houseboat (B/L/D).

After breakfast, we leave our houseboat in Alleppey and visit the Coir Museum, learning how coconut husks were historically manufactured and how so many products we use daily are created.

Later, we continue our drive (approximately four to five hours) to Kovalam, along the scenic Malabar Coast. Visit Mannarasala Temple en route, which is decorated with more than 100,000 snake images. Couples seeking fertility come here and your tour leader explains the origin of snake worshiping. Continuing, we pass through Quilon for a tea break before arriving at our destination. Once a relaxing hideaway on the old hippie trail, Kovalam has now been discovered, but the influx of tourism has not diminished this beautiful setting, and we have time to explore the restaurants this afternoon. Stay: Soma Palmshore (or similar) (B).

Today is free to unwind on the soft, sandy beach or visit the shops for last-minute souvenirs. This is a great chance to enjoy fresh seafood from one of the many small beach restaurants. Try tandoori dishes – the clay ovens add an exquisite taste to bread and curries. You can opt for an optional half-day village tour at Mannadikonam (approximately one-hour drive) near Balaramapuram. Alternatively, join an optional full day's sightseeing from Kovalam to Kanyakumari, the end point of India where three seas meet: the Indian Ocean, Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal. If it's open, the trip can also take in the old wooden palace at Padmanabhapuram (extra cost), a marvellous building with fantastic wood carvings, and the Hindu temple at Suchindran, with amazing stone carvings. This trip can be booked and paid for locally. Please note, it is a long day (approximately 8am-6pm) and roads can be prone to traffic delays, but it's always a popular activity. Stay: Soma Palmshore (or similar) (B).

The adventure ends today. Begin your return journey home or, if you'd like a bit more time to relax on the sandy shores of Kovalam, speak to your sales representative about extending your stay. You can combine this trip with India's Golden Triangle, Colours of Rajasthan or Sri Lankan Highlights for a longer adventure (B).