Full day and half day Backwaters Cruise and Village Activities.
The 5-hour and 7-hour tour options include a backwater cruise in a gondola (shikara boat). Shikhara boats with a bamboo roof will slowly slide down the waters by the punters using long bamboo poles. It is absolute silence around except for the calls of a myna or koel bird. The men who punt the boat will stop for a tender coconut water brought down by the coconut harvester. You can see him climbing the tree. He will also stop at different venues where village women are engaged in weaving and spinning of thatching mats, extracting fiber from coconut husk and spinning coir yarn and rope. Also you will be able to watch village men engaged in clam collection and processing.
After the back water cruise go to a village for watching women engaged in cotton cloth spinning and weaving. ( If it is not a lunch break for the workers).
Sit for lunch to experience the Kerala's Traditional Lunch at a village home or a chosen mess. ( The traditional lunch is " Sadya” a vegetarian meal, which is also considered as the national lunch of Kerala.)
After lunch go for a narrow canal exploration on an open country boat. ( for those who opted for full day program )
Later you will visit if time permits a small cloth weaving centre where women weave cotton Saree on handlooms.
Return to Kochi.
An afternoon half day Backwater Cruise and Village Activities option is available.
This option offers boating through a narrow canal on board an open roof country boat punted using bamboo poles. Stop at different points to watch and learn about village activities such as coir making, screwpine mat (sleeping mat) weaving, copra processing for extracting coconut oil, thatching roof mat weaving, and arrowroot making. Visit an herb and spice garden and enjoy a traditional Kerala lunch.
We will sit for lunch at a home for savouring the Sadya the national food of Kerala.
After these experiences you will come back to Kochi for dropping back at your hotel.