Kochi Shore Excursion- Private Day Tour of Heritage and Backwaters

Our boat tour of the backwater was wonderful. The crew was attentive and the cook provided a truly excellent lunch. Our guide and driver knew the traffic and got us back safely with time to spare. The stops we made gave us a true sense of Kochi. The guide was perfect to represent the people of Kochi.

Met at dockside by smart, friendly English speaking driver/guide and immaculate, air conditioned, roomy and comfortable vehicle. Ninety minutes of fairly hair-raising driving - mainly by others, although there were some interesting overtaking moves - but this is India and is the way everybody drives. Arrival and transfer to houseboat went smoothly and, as booked, we had the entire craft to ourselves and our guide, plus a local crew of three who were charming and attentive. The cruise itself is quite long but after the first hour there is little else of interest to see and it is a much the same. Very relaxing though. Lunch was a revelation. Grilled fish, fried chicken and a host of accompanying dishes. All delicious, but far too much for us, although we tried, and enjoyed, everything. Return road trip was by a different route and included some unanticipated and interesting sightseeing under the guidance of our driver, who got us back to the ship safely and in good time. It was an expensive excursion but we acknowledge that we were paying for the exclusivity. None of the other houseboats we encountered had many passengers and unless you really wish to be alone, a shared journey would probably offer better value for money. Nevertheless we much enjoyed the experience and it gave us a good look at Cochin in the time available.