Depart Heathrow this afternoon, flying with Emirates Airline via Dubai to Cochin. (Meals inflight)

On arrival this morning, transfer to the Brunton Boatyard Hotel where your room has a sea-view. The rest of the day is free and your hotel is ideally situated for exploring the streets of Old Cochin.

Known as the 'Queen of the Arabian Sea', Kochi, formerly called Cochin, is a city founded on trade and its streets are a rich mixture of cultural influences and styles. A morning sightseeing tour today takes in Fort Cochin, the oldest European settlement in India, as well as the Church of St. Francis, where Vasco de Gama was buried for a short while. In the Portuguese-built Mattancherry Palace you will find some of the finest murals in India, and returning to the hotel via the cantilevered Chinese Fishing Nets, the rest of the afternoon is free to enjoy at your leisure with an optional visit to the Kerala Kaleidoscope in the evening. (B)

Travel by road towards the Cardamom Hills today for 2 nights stay in a villa at the Spice Village, Thekkady, the town bordering the Periyar National Park in an area of outstanding natural beauty. It is famous for its spice and tea plantations. This afternoon take a bullock cart excursion to a local village followed by a visit to a spice plantation, affording you the opportunity to see cardamon, nutmeg, pepper, coffee and tamarind growing in their native environment and to learn about their varied uses. (B)

This morning take a jungle walk through the Periyar National Park. The reserve is home to wild elephants, bison, sambar and a variety of birdlife. Whilst officially a tiger reseve, these magnificent creatures are rarely spotted. Enjoy the botanical delights of Periyar. This afternoon is at leisure with the option to visit the Elephant Junction and to see these magnificent animals at close quarters.

Continuing by road, head for Kumarakom today for a 2 night stay in a Heritage Bungalow at the Coconut Lagoon Resort in the beautiful and tranquil Kerala backwaters. (B)

A free day to soak up the captivating ambience of this most serene of settings. Occupying the alluvial plains that separate the Western Ghats from the Indian Ocean, the backwaters are made up of a vast expanse of lagoons and canals which criss-cross the landscape for nearly 2000 kilometres. (B)

After a leisurely morning board your houseboat for an exclusive Spice Coast Cruise and an unforgettable journey through the palm-fringed landscapes of the backwaters, where the locals and the river enjoy an almost symbiotic existence and life continues much as it has for generations. Stay overnight on the houseboat in comfortable cabins with private ensuite facilities.(B,L,D)

Arrive in Alleppey after breakfast and transfer to the Marari Beach Resort in Mararikulam, staying in a Garden Villa for three nights. (B)

At leisure on the shores of the Indian Ocean. (B)

Transfer to Cochin for the morning Emirates flight to Heathrow via Dubai, arriving in the UK later this evening. (B)