Trip Includes
- Accommodation for (8) nights on a twin or double shared room superior class (4*) hotels.
- Daily breakfast at your hotel and full board on the houseboat trip.
- English speaking local guides.
- Sightseeing admission fees.
- A private minivan for all transfers and tours.
- Boat ticket in Lake Periyar.
- Currently applicable taxes.
Trip Does Not Include
- Airfares.
- Lunch and dinner in the cities.
- Drinks, tipping, laundry, phone, internet usage, and other expenses of personal nature.
- Extra expenses due to nature and unforeseen events.
- Travel insurance.
- Camera fee.
- Early check-in and late checkout fees.
Note on itinerary
We do our best to adhere to the plan, but it is subject to change for many reasons beyond our control, such as weather, travel conditions, government holidays, etc. The sightseeing or the travel order may change to adjust the local conditions.
Hotels
The hotels on this trip are superior class properties, classified as 4 stars by local standards. You will have a private bathroom with running hot and cold water. During the backwater cruise, you have one night in a traditional houseboat. Usually, the houseboats have one or two bedrooms with an en suite bathroom. If the listed hotels are not available when we initiate your booking, we will book you in similar hotels.
Meals
Your trip includes daily breakfast at your hotel. During the houseboat trip, your boat crews will prepare meals for you. You will have the opportunity to try local cuisines, and also western style dishes are available in most tourist class restaurants. Please, budget $10-15 per meal.
Tour Guide
You will have a private tour guide to accompany you throughout the tour. Your guide will be a local individual, well versed in English and knowledgeable about local history, geography, culture, and religion. You will meet your guide upon arrival in Cochin. Tour Guide and driver are the different persons.
Transportation
Depending on the group size, we provide good conditioned minivan or minibus for all transfers and sightseeing. Your vehicle will be well kept, air-conditioned, and driven by an experienced driver.
Getting in and away
The trip starts in Cochin, now called Kochi and concludes in Kovalam. Cochi has an international airport served by major Asian and Middle-eastern airlines. Flights to Kochi arrive from major cities of India, Middle-east and South-east Asia. If you are already traveling in South India, you can also get to Kochi by train or public transports. The trip concludes in Kovalam and the nearest airport -Trivandrum is 45 minutes' drive away.
Best Time to Travel to Kerala
Kerala is blessed with a very mild and enjoyable climate throughout the year. The period between October and March receive the most significant tourist traffic in Kerala. The weather is comfortably warm and not as hot as the rest of South India. April and May are hot months, but due to its proximity with the tropics, it's not so humid. Monsoon season begins from June and lasts in early September, and this is the right time if you are into Ayurveda treatment.
Booking Deposit and Payment Schedule
We request an initial deposit of US$ 300 along with the completed trip registration and your passport scan. We will ask for your credit card info when the internal airfares are due. The balance of the payment is due 90 days before arrival in India. The balance payment by credit card attracts an additional fee of 3.5% fee to cover the merchant fee.
Cancellation and refund
We need to receive the cancellation notice in writing if you want to withdraw from the trip. The following cancellation penalty will apply:
Cancellation charges
- One hundred eighty days before departure: No penalty unless stated as non-refundable.
- Ninety days prior departure: Administrative fee US$ 150 per person.
- 60-89 day's prior departure: US$ 300 or 25% of the land cost whichever is higher.
- Forty-five days to 59 days prior departure: US$ 450 or 50% of the land cost whichever is higher.
- Thirty days to 44 days before departure: US$ 600 or 75% of the land cost whichever is higher.
- Less than 30 days: 100%.
Cancellation and refund of air tickets cost will be as per the airline's policy plus a service charge of US$ 25 per segment by the consolidator. Cancellation terms and conditions of some services may vary, which we will inform you on a case-to-case basis.
No refund or adjustment to other services will be made for any unused land or air services for any reason whatsoever, once the tour begins. We highly recommend that all travelers purchase trip cancellation insurance.
It's less likely to happen, but we reserve the right to cancel any trip before departure for any reason whatsoever, including insufficient signup or logistical problems that may impede trip operations. We also reserve the right to refuse your participation on tour with or without any reason. So, please do not purchase your international airfare until we confirm you on the trip.
Final trip dossier
We will send you a comprehensive trip dossier about two months before the trip date. The trip dossier includes the final itinerary, list of confirmed hotels and flights and service details. The document will also cover travel notes, including weather, packing suggestions, currency information, etc.
Travel Insurance
While we plan and do our best to make your trip smooth and seamless, there may be chances of unforeseen events such as illness, accident, inclement weather conditions, and flight cancellation or missed-connection or loss of baggage, etc. that may cause interruption or delay or total cancellation of your trip putting your hard earned travel investment in jeopardy. It's also possible that you may need medical assistance, emergency evacuation, or medical transportation when you get ill or involve in an accident when you are traveling in remote areas. The trip cost does not cover any of these expenses or losses, and so we strongly recommend that you should protect yourself and your travel investment against those unfavorable conditions.