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Kerala, Southern India

With Rajasthan & South India extensions 5th - 16th March 2011

CONFERENCE PLUS offers you a magical tour to a wondrous part of the world. Tucked away in the south-western tip of India is the magnificent region of KERALA where the soil is deep red, beaches bone white, vegetation deep green and the sea sparkling blue. Kerala is a land brimming full of exotic experiences, each more fascinating than the other. From some of the best beaches in the world in Kovalam to the Backwaters which are a network of some 40 rivers coming together to form canals, streams, estuaries and lagoons forming these famous waterways. One of Kerala’s unique experiences is an overnight cruise along the palm-fringed backwaters on a luxurious houseboat, known as a ‘Kettuvallom’. Traditionally used as grain & spice barges, the Kettuvalloms have been transformed into cosy houseboats. Vibrant Cochin will amaze you with its colourful history of various cultures and people that have influenced its past. Then there is the 5000 year old Ayurveda spa treatments which originate in Kerala and will be available for you to sample in some of our chosen hotels.

• Deluxe hotels and accommodation throughout
• 3 nights at the Le Meridien Hotel Cochin
• 1 night on a typical houseboat in the backwaters
• 2 nights Zuri Hotel Kumarakom
• 4 nights The Leela Kempinski Kovalam (3 nights for Gatwick passengers)
• Pre-conference extension to Rajasthan giving first time visitors to India the opportunity to discover Delhi, Agra, Jaipur and the Taj Mahal
• Post-conference Extension to discover the wonderful cities of Mysore & Bangalore

Please click here to view the complete tour programme itinerary.

Our private tour will take you to the most stunning parts of Kerala where we will take in Cochin, the capital of this region which is home to so many fascinating highlights. Let us show you the Jewish Synagogue in what is locally called ‘Jew Town’, the oldest synagogue in India. St Francis Church, said to be the oldest European church built in India and was the original burial site of Vasco Da Gama in 1524, alongside the Portuguese Basilica, the spice market & the Chinese fishing nets. A true melange of history & culture.

Be entertained with a Kathakali dance, the famous dance of Kerala, with amazingly colourful costumes and make-up and don’t miss the splendid Sunset Cruise.

The tour will include a visit to the Kodanad Elephant camp which has a history of more than 50 years. This elephant rescue centre is listed in the eco tourism destinations of Kerala. Here you can enjoy the baby elephants, watch them take their luxurious bath in the Periyar and have an elephant ride through the walkways of the village.

We shall visit a village dispensary and meet the local doctor on duty in what should be a fascinating exchange of ideas.

From here to one of the many highlights of the tour, our night on the Backwaters. No tour of Kerala would be complete without a night spent relaxing on the water of the backwaters. We will board the boat at Alleppey, each boat is very private, with just 2 bedrooms with en suite bathrooms, so we will have our own ‘fleet’ from where we will cruise these wonderful backwaters, observe the palm fringed scenery along the shores and view the village life as we cruise along the myriad of streams. You will find vegetable sellers and fishermen travelling through in small wooden boats, you can stop at villages and paddy fields on route, just ask the captain. Enjoy the full board meals provided on the houseboat.

Then on to Kovalam, one of the most popular beach destinations in Kerala where our base is the exquisite Leela Kempinski Hotel a deluxe 5* resort hotel offering the most panoramic views of the Kovalam shoreline. This hotel is perfectly set between two sweeping beaches in the most beautiful location you can imagine.

There is so much included in the tour, from delectable daily buffet breakfasts to the stunning final night gala dinner as well as a whole host of tours and other meals which are all part of the tour price. Included in the tour are ALL breakfasts, ALL evening meals and almost all lunches and top this off with the majority of the touring programme too and you will have very little in the way of ‘extras’ apart from your drinks & shopping.

Our academic sessions have all been slotted in to the touring programme so that you won’t miss out on any of the wonderful visits that we are making, enabling you to relax and get the most from the excellent academic programme that will be prepared for you.

Package includes...

• Nine nights at 5* deluxe hotels (Eight nights for Gatwick passengers)
• 1 night on a luxury houseboat
• The complete tour programme as detailed in the itinerary Click here
• Welcome Dinner of the first night in Cochin
• Shopping Tour for the non-delegates in Cochin
• Visit to Kodanad Elephant camp
• Visit a village dispensary
• Optional Tour programme
• Buffet breakfasts throughout Plus 7 Lunches and 10 Dinners
• Superb GALA dinner
• All internal travel within India as shown on the programme
• Scheduled international flights as detailed below
• The personalised and flexible service that makes Conference Plus so special

Rajasthan Extension: 28th February - 6th March

If you have never visited India before we can highly recommend the pre-conference extension in Rajasthan. Your tour will take in visits to some of India’s most splendid sights.

Your 5 night stay will be in luxury hotels, all part of the Oberoi Group of Hotels and your local guides are experts in the region.

Day 1 will show you all the highlights of Delhi both Old & New, including the Qutab Minar (Tower of Victory), India Gate, Parliament House and the hustle & bustle of Indian city life.

On Day 2 we shall drive to Agra for one of the most impressive sites in the world, the Taj Mahal built by the Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal.

Following our night in Agra we will continue by road to Jaipur on route visiting Fatehpur Sikri, the abandoned capital.

In Jaipur there is a visit to the fabulous Amber Fort, the magnificent Palace of Winds and the city of Jaipur and after the final night in Jaipur you will fly on to Cochin via Mumbai to meet the rest of the conference group coming in from the UK.

• 2 nights in Delhi at the Oberoi Delhi
• 1 night in Agra at the Trident Agra (part of the Oberoi group of hotels)
• 2 nights in Jaipur at the Trident Jaipur  (part of the Oberoi group of hotels)

Please click here to view the full itinerary for the Rajasthan extension.

Post-Conference Extensions: Secrets of the South

 

Extension Option 1:  5 nights 16th – 21st March

Kovalam - Bangalore – Chikamagalur/Hassan- Coorg- Bandipur – Mysore - Bangalore

On the drive from Bangalore to Chikamagalur visit Sravanabelagola town, one of the most important Jain pilgrimage centres, dating back to the 3rdC BC with the gigantic statue of Gomateshwara

At Belur visit the intricately carved Hoysala Temples built in 1116AD and took 103 years to complete.

The following day you will explore of coffee and spice plantations dotted with banana and coconut palms before reaching Coorg for your overnight stay

in Mysore, known as the ‘city of palaces’ you will visit the Maharaja’s Palace with its outstanding treasures as well as other local places of interest. In the evening you will be able to walk through the colourful, bustling vegetable and fruit markets.
A sightseeing tour of Bangalore is included for you after stopping to see the spectacular island fortress of Srirangapatnam, once the capital of Haider Ali and Tipu Sultan.

Tour Bangalore, the Garden City, visiting Lal Bagh botanical gardens on a fascinating horticultural odyssey and the Bull Temple.

Please click here to view the full itinerary for post-conference extension option 1.

 

Extension Option 2:  6 nights 16th – 22nd March

Kovalam - Bangalore – Chikamagalur – Nagarhole - Mysore – Bangalore

Follow the same programme as above until Day 3 when this tour visits Nagarhole one of India’s largest and most famous National Parks once a hunting reserve of the royalty. Enjoy a game drive and the chance to spot a wide variety of wildlife including Asian elephants, chital, Asian deer, antelopes & wild pigs. You may even catch a glimpse of the elusive tiger if you’re lucky! There will be the opportunity for you to book an evening elephant ride into the jungle.

After Nagarhole rejoin the itinerary in tour ‘1’ until departure from Bangalore.

Please click here to view the full itinerary for post-conference extension option 2.

 

What's included in these tours:

• 5 or 6 nights accommodation in hotels mentioned on the itinerary page or similar
• Accommodation on bed & breakfast basis at all the hotels except hotel Orange County, Coorg and Orange County, Nagarhole where the accommodation is on full board i.e. buffet breakfast, lunch and dinner. A Lunch is also included on Day 2 while driving from Bangalore to Chikmaglur
• Flight from Trivandrum to Bangalore
• 2 Game Drives on Tour 2
• All transfers, excursions and sightseeing tours will be by air-conditioned vehicle
• Entrances in all the monuments (1visit), road taxes, parking fee, fuel charges, interstate taxes, porterage at all hotels
• English speaking local guide will be provided for sightseeing tour and excursions for the entire trip

 

Academic Faculty to include:

• Dr George Kassianos

  

  GP in Bracknell, Berkshire, Author, Spokesperson on Immunisation for The RCGP & British Travel Health Association

• Dr James Rakshi

  

  Consultant Neurologist, Royal Free Hospital & Barnet Hospital

  How to do a Neurological Examination in a 10 minute General Practice Consultation, Dementia, Stroke, Parkinson's Disease

• Mr Rajiv Bajekal

  

  Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon, Barnet & Chase Farm NHS Trust

• Mrs Nitu Bajekal

  

  Consultant Obstetrician & Gynaecologist, Barnet & Chase Farm NHS Trust

• Dr Nancy Bohannon

  

  Adjunct Assistant Professor of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, San Francisco

  Prediabetes and Insulin Resistant States, Dr. de Fronzo's Ominous Octet with Update on Type 2 Diabetes Therapies, and Thyroid Disease Update

Flights

Basic Tour of Kerala
Option 1	March 5th	London Heathrow 13.45	Cochin (via Dubai) 08.00	Arr 6th March
	March 16th	Trivandrum 11.00	London Heathrow 20.15
OR
Option 2	March 5th	London Gatwick 13.40	Cochin (via Dubai) 08.00	Arr 6th March
	March 16th	Trivandrum 04.30	London Gatwick 11.55
Kerala Tour PLUS Pre-Conference Rajasthan Extension
Option 3	Feb 28th	London Heathrow 16.35	Delhi 09.15	Arr 1st March
	March 16th	Trivandrum 11.00	London Heathrow 20.15
OR
Option 4	Feb 28th	London Gatwick 13.40	Delhi 09.15	Arr 1st March
	March 16th	Trivandrum 04.30	London Gatwick 11.55
Kerala Tour PLUS Post-Conference Extension
Option 5	March 5th	London Heathrow 13.45	Cochin (via Dubai) 08.00	Arr 6th March
	March 21st or 22nd	Bangalore 10.25	London Heathrow 18.15
OR
Option 6	March 5th	London Gatwick 13.40	Cochin (via Dubai) 08.00	Arr 6th March
	March 21st or 22nd	Bangalore 10.25	London Gatwick 18.25

Flight Upgrade If you would like us to reserve you a business class seat on this conference please add to booking form.

Price

£2199

Course Fee: £549

Extras

Heathrow supplement: £35

Single room supplement: £760

Rajasthan extension £1445 Rajasthan extension single supplement £525

Post Conference Secrets of the South Extension 1 £849 single supplement £290

Post Conference Secrets of the South Extension 2 £1048 single supplement £425

Extra nights: on request

Prices correct at time of going to press. May be subject to change

Guidebooks

We have chosen the INSIGHT guide book of South India for this trip which gives a very nice visual introduction to the region of Kerala and also includes Mysore & Bangalore if taking the post-conference extension. We can offer a reduced price of £13.99 (RRP £14.99) including P&P.

Or if participating in the pre-conference extension to Rajasthan, we would recommend that you also get the EYEWITNESS Guide Book to Delhi, Agra & Jaipur which covers all the areas you will be covering. We can offer a reduced price of £13.99 (RRP £14.99) including P&P.

Please order on the booking form.

Booking

To book your place on this conference please complete the form below. If you would like to pay online you will then be directed to our new online booking service.