After our 35th year reunion at IIT Kanpur on Feb 13, 14, 15, 2026, about 26 of us from the reunion proceeded to visit Kerala backwaters and mountains.
We had the following attendees:
- Praveen and Ami Dua, Makrand and Bhagyashree Dekhane, Amit and Abha Agrawal
- Samir and Anu Palnitkar, Deepak and Rashmi Jain, Vinay and Kavita Gulati
- Anurag and Sunita Goel, Sachin and Tanu Johri, Ashutosh and Meenal Goel
- Arun Kumar and Priti Gairola, Vishwa Prakash and Sharavati, Mukesh and Manju Paswan
- Sitanshu Seth, Anand Balmiki
Here is a map of how we went from Kochi (1) -> Alleppey (2) -> Kumarakom (3) -> Munnar (4).
Here is a day by day description of our trip.
Sun, Feb 15, 2026: Kanpur -> Kochi
We took the 1.20 pm flight from Kanpur via Hyderabad reaching Kochi at about 7.20 pm. It took us about 1 hour to reach our hotel Crowne Plaza in Kochi. We checked in at the hotel and went to bed as we were all tired from our full journey that day.
Mon, Feb 16: Kochi, Alleppey
In the morning, we got a look at the beautiful Periyar river from our hotel.
We left for Kochi tour around 9.15 am. A bus arranged by Travelcart picked us up and took us to Fort Kochi, the historic area of Kochi.
The Dutch cemetery in Kochi is historic cemetery in Fort Kochi, established in 1724, showcasing Dutch and British legacy through 104 epitaphs and tombs in traditional Dutch architectural style.
As we walked along the Fort Kochi walkway, we saw a beautiful colonial bungalow converted into a restaurant.
We also saw the Chinese fishing nets, a tourist attraction. The Chinese Fishing Nets (Cheena Vala) in Fort Kochi, Kerala, are historic, 500-year-old fixed land installations used for shore-operated fishing. Believed to have been introduced by Chinese explorer Zheng He between 1350 and 1450 AD, these 10-meter-high bamboo and teak structures operate using a delicate balance system with heavy counterweights, best viewed at sunset along the Vasco da Gama Square. They were a huge innovation in fishing at that time.
We also saw the beautiful cannonball tree, because it fruit resembles a cannonball. It has very good looking and mildly fragrant flowers.
We continued strolling through Fort Kochi and noticed another colonial building converted into a hotel.
We also saw the home where Vasco da Gama from Portugal stayed in Kochi.
Saint Francis Church in Fort Kochi, originally built in 1503, is one of the oldest European churches in India and has historical significance as a witness to the European colonial ambitions in the subcontinent. The Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama died in Kochi in 1524 when he was on his third visit to India. His body was originally buried in this church.
The Mattancherry Palace is a palace popularly known as the Dutch Palace in Kochi, features Kerala murals depicting portraits and exhibits of the Rajas of Kochi. It is a small but nice museum. We spent only about 20 mins in the museum. I could have easily spent an hour.
Next, we walked the Jew Street in Fort Kochi. It is a walking street and a popular tourist destination. Lots of shopping and restaurants.
Our final stop of the morning tour was the Paradesi Synagogue in Fort Kochi. The Paradesi Synagogue or the Mattancherry Synagogue is a synagogue located in Mattancherry Jew Town of Kochi. It was built in 1568 A.D. by Samuel Castiel, David Belila, and Joseph Levi for the flourishing Paradesi Jewish community in Kochi. It is indeed a testament to the liberal and accepting nature of India where people of all religions and communities lived and flourished.
This was our final stop of the morning tour to Fort Kochi. Our bus then took us to Alleppey, for our evening boat tour on the Kerala Backwaters. The backwaters in Kerala are a unique, 900-km network of brackish lagoons, interconnected canals, rivers, and lakes running parallel to the Arabian Sea. Formed by waves and shore currents, this tranquil ecosystem features lush, palm-fringed landscapes, popular for houseboat cruises, kayaking, and experiencing local life in locations like Alleppey and Kumarakom.
We arrived at the houseboat at 3.30 pm. We got welcome drinks.
The backwaters were really beautiful.
We saw a beautiful church along the way. Lots of people, including students, did the crossing the water in a boat.
We got a nice photo of a boatman on the river.
We took a stroll along the banks of the river and saw lots of mango trees. The inhabitants who lived along the river were very welcoming and happy to talk to us.
The dining area on the boat was very nice. We enjoyed ourselves till into the late evening.
Tue, Feb 17: Houseboat tour, Kumarakom
We took another backwaters canal cruise in the morning on Feb 17.
We passed a really beautiful church along the way.
The views of the backwaters continued to enchant us.
After the morning boat cruise, our bus took us to Rhythm resort at Kumarakom, once again situated on the Vembanad lake in the Kerala backwaters. The drive was very scenic.
Rhythm resort was a really nice resort with a 125 m swimming pool. We arrived there at 1.30 pm.
The 125 m swimming pool added to the beauty of the resort, next to Lake Vembanad.
In the evening, we went on a sunset cruise on Lake Vembanad.
The cruise was really pleasant with a nice cool breeze along the lake.
Wed, Feb 18: Kumarakom -> Munnar
Today, we were going from the backwaters at sea level to the mountains in Munnar. We started at 9 am from Rhythm Resorts, Kumarakom.
On the way to Munnar, we stopped at a Sadya thali place. Sadya thali is a traditional Kerala thali served on banana leaf. The meal was delicious with nearly 21 items being served.
Instead of using a spoon, I decided to eat with my hand, in the traditional manner. The food was delicious.
We continued on to Munnar to reach our hotel by about 4 pm. Munnar is located at 5,200 ft above sea level. It feels like Mahabaleshwar near Pune.
In the evening, we celebrated Priti Gairola’s birthday at the resort.
Thu, Feb 19: Chokramudi Trek, Munnar Sightseeing, Cultural Program
We started the day early at 4.30 am by leaving for the Chokramudi trek. Earlier, we had planned to go to the Annamudi peak (the tallest peak in Kerala), but that peak was closed due to the mating season of the deer found in that region. Hence, we decided on the Chokramudi trek.
We were taken to the starting point of the trek, where we had to register at the guard gate. There was a small conservation fee for the trek. Then the forest guard accompanied us all the way along the trek. The trek path was relatively straightforward. It took us about 1.30 hrs to climb to the peak. The views were spectacular, reminiscent of the Sahyadris near Pune.
The views at the top were spectacular. We had reached an altitude of 7,200 ft, a nearly 2,000 ft climb.
The clouds looked like burning embers in the morning light.
As the day broke, we could got a 360 degree view of the scenery.
The way back was fairly straightforward, but we got a better feel for the terrain. We could see coffee gardens below.
We got down to the guard gate at around 9 am.
We also stopped to eat some Tadgola, a unique tropical fruit.
It took us 1 hour to get back to our resort in Munnar. We took a bath and immediately left at around 11.00 am for a guided tour.
Our first stop was the Matupetty dam about 20 km from Munnar.
We continued on to Echo point, located on the reservoir of the Matupetty dam. It is a beautiful location with green water. Lots of tourists and vendors at Echo point.
As we headed back to Munnar, we stopped at a tea plantation to take pictures.
We got back around 1.30 pm. Then around 4 pm, we left for the cultural program, where they were going to present Kerala dance forms including Kathakalli, Mohiniyattam, Bharat Natyam, Kuchipudi, followed by a performance demonstration of the martial art, Kalaripayattu. I learned for the first time that the garishly decorated person on the left is a representation of Krishna.
The dance performance lasted 1 hour and it was followed by a performance of the martial art Kalaripayattu. While, the martial art is very interesting, the demonstration seemed made up and a little boring. So we left early.
We got back to our hotel around 8 pm and went to sleep early.
Fri, Feb 20: Drive to Kochi, Ernakulam visit, Flight to Pune
We had our breakfast early, assembled at 8.45 am at our hotel lobby in Munnar and left for Kochi around 9.30 am.
On our way to Kochi, we stopped at a Salkara restaurant near Kochi Airport. This is a very popular chain of restaurants. Food was authentic and good.
We dropped of most of the travellers at the airport at around 2 pm. Anu and I kept our bags at Amit Agarwal’s room and proceeded to the city of Ernakulam. First stop was the “Chipo” brand factory which manufactured Kerala snacks. We saw that Chipo snacks were very popular in Kerala. So we requested Lander Verghese, our travel coordinator with Travelcart India, who arranged for our factory visit. Chipo team welcomed us and showed us around the factory. We bought a lot of fresh Kerala snacks straight from the factory.
We then proceeded to the the Lulu Mall, a large mall in Kochi. It is owned by the Lulu chain that is very big in the Middle East. Amit and Abha Agarwal joined us at Lulu Mall. We then took the Kochi metro to Broadway market in Kochi. This street market is similar to what you see in many larger cities.
We also took a walk around the Marine Drive in Kochi. It is a walk around the marina, but not a spectacular place. We then took the Kochi metro back to the airport.
We reached the airport around 8.30 pm. Kochi airport is really nice and spacious. It has multiple terminals, including a separate international terminal.
Our flight was at 11.00 pm from Kochi. We landed in Pune at 1 am and reached home at 2 am on Feb 21.
We had wanted to visit the Kerala backwaters and Munnar for a long time. Doing this trip with friends from IIT Kanpur was a special treat. A truly memorable experience!
