Day 1 : Trivandrum arrival
A warm welcome awaits as you arrive in Trivandrum and our Plan Journeys tour representative escorts you to your hotel and makes you comfortable. The evening is yours to explore the charms of this quintessentially Malayalam city and its culinary delights.
Day 2 : Thotapally & Alleppey Houseboat cruise
Break fast on appams and other malayali delights and set out for the ride to Thottapally from where you embark on a houseboat for the cruise to Alleppey. Kerala’s waterways are a world apart as you will discover during your cruise in its beautiful backwaters and mingle with locals though it may be difficult for you to understand the language. Stay overnight in the houseboat that rocks you gently to sleep. The holistic environment and atmosphere serve to act as restoratives.
Day 3 : Alleppey to Kumarakom
Breakfast is followed by a drive to Kumarakom on the banks of Vembanad Lake in the heart of the backwaters of Kerala. You can go skiing here if you like or visit a local spa for some rejuvenating head oil massage and herbal treatments that leave you feeling refreshed. After that go walking about alongside the serene lake and explore the surroundings. You could schedule another ayurveda treatment, possibly a steam bath to relax you before you fall asleep like a baby.
Day 4 : Kumarakom to Periyar National Park
Rise early, breakfast and then set out on a relaxed boat cruise to the Periyar National Park. From the boat itself you can watch elephants on the banks of the river and other animals in this lush tropical paradise. Thekkady has quite a few famous ayurveda spas and treatment centres you might want to visit and try out some of their offerings. Just getting oil massage and skin treatment will make you feel a lot better.
Day 5: Periyar to Munnar
Day 5 of Plan Journeys Kerala ayurveda tour takes you from Periyar to Munnar, thepearl of a hill station, possibly Kerala’s pride. Munnar resort is green allaround with rolling tea gardens on the slopes and from here you can also viewthe highest peak in South India, the Anamudi. We visit the tea gardens, the heritage British bungalows in the city of Munnar and the picturesque Mattupettydam alongside the river on which you enjoy a delightful boat ride. You would be surprised but ayurvedic treatments here not only take care of relieving you of stress and anxiety but also common as well as stubborn illnesses. Try some before the actual week long ayurvedic treatments reserved for you at Kovalam. You could just as well visit some clinics as an observer to see what the ayurveda treatments comprise of.
Day 6 : Munnar to Kochi
You will not want to leave Munnar but we must and do so after a hearty breakfast.The drive takes you across the breathtakingly green and lush countryside of Kerala to Kochi the port city, which is also the commercial and cultural capital. Kochi is famous for its collection of churches, the Jewish Synagogue and the Dutch Palace. Today you also get to admire the unique legacy of Chinese fishing nets that local fishermen still use. The evening is reserved for a Kathakali dance program. Dine on banana leaves and a spread of typical Kerala dishes. Rest for the night in your hotel room.
Day 7 : Kochi to Kovalam
It is a short but beautiful drive to Kovalam after breakfast. The beach is the most popular in Kerala and a paradise for people looking for ayurveda treatments and massages. You will find individual practitioners on the beach offering massages and you will find spas offering something more upmarket yet based on the 3000 year old heritage of this region. Relax on the beach afterwards or engage in activity. Ayurveda treatments do tend to energize you as you will find.
Day 8 : Kovalam Ayurvedic Treatments up to Day 14
Day 8 is the heart of the Plan Journeys Kerala Ayurveda tour because, from today,you start seriously on your ayurveda treatments arranged for you in one of the most relaxing and well equipped spas in Kovalam. The week long treatment includes everything from oil massages to hot water baths, herbal infusions to drink, treatments that address your skin and bones as well as internal organs and detoxification too. Specialists at the clinic recommend a suitable line of treatment after examining you. The treatments take a couple of hours and you have plenty of time to laze about on the beach of take short trips to surrounding villages. Ayurveda, you will find, not only improves physical health but also your mental health.
Day 9 : Kovalam to Trivandrum
Today it is time to breakfast and leave for Trivandrum where your tour guide bids you a fond adieu and hopes you will return to experience the charms of Kerala in a different way. You will find that after the week long treatment you have emerged a new, more vital and healthier person.