31 Aug 2019
Business bought me to Cochin giving me 1.5 days free for sight seeing. I used Muziris Heritage Tours to book a half day walking tour in Cochin and a full day backwater tour of the canals down at Allephey. Lijo organised everything in a professional manner, and I actually had a one to one tour by him on the half day walking tour. He picked me up and expertly weaved his way through the mad Indian traffic.
We took the ferry over to Fort Cochin (an interesting local experience) and then comprehensively covered all of the Fort Cochin area including the Synagogue, the Dutch Palace, the Chinese fishing nets and the various churches etc. He was knowledgeable, professional and also very flexible in terms of timings, etc.
The scenery down at the backwater tour was also great. I had a small boat all to myself and enjoyed the tour a great deal. The one comment I would make is that we didn't actually get any time for a quick look in the souvenir shops - frankly I have enough tat in my life anyway so it was actually quite refreshing not to be dragged into a shop and be subjected to Indian sales talk! We did pop in the Post Office to get a stamp for my postcard of the synagogue - and only because I asked to. So your tour will be 100% tour!
Both Lijo and the driver who took me to the canals on the second day were safe, competent local drivers which is very important on India's roads. I recommend his tours to anyone with just a little time to see the area - he will make the most of that time for you.