Private tour in Kochi Biju M
4.8
(12) reviews
4 hours
1
4 hours
1
Biju M.
4.9
Guide rating
39
Reviews
Tours delivered
14 hrs
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Namaste ! Let me introduce myself, I am Biju, born here in Kochi, India. I am working as a Local tour guide, Tour Advisor/ Tour expert for more than 7 years in the same city. I speak English , Hindi, Tamil and also the local language Malayalam fluently. As a local expert from the city, I am well versed with all the local streets, local people, Cultures and life styles of all the different communities in the old city, and also about the historical monuments, local shopping areas, spice warehouses etc. I am ready to organize and customize all type of tours like Local guided tour, Village tours, Tuk tuk tour, Kerala Special houseboat backwater tour etc. . . . we can work together to create your ideal tour. I look forward to meeting you, and sharing the best of Kochi. Kochi is also known as the "Queen of Arabian sea" and also a small port with a radius of 4. 5 Sq. km. There are many interesting places to see :- Dutch palace- Nearly 450 years old museum under Archeological survey of India, Jewish synagogue, (Mattancherry)only Jewish church where prayers is been performed, St Francis Church, (Fort Kochi) (Portuguese Made) also known as Vasco De Gama Church, the European church made in 1503. The famous Chinese Fishing nets still in use which has a history of 650 years. Traditional Bazar Market, where all the ancient trading of spices has been done These are just some of the interesting sites to see, and there are many others. Kochi is rich enough with her existing remains of the ancient European colonial era to attract travellers from different parts of the world. You can also experience different types of cultures and religions, and there are also more than 30 communities and people living together in the same city. -Local guide license from Kerala government, Department of Tourism. -Certified Tour Advisor license from DTPC (District Tourism Promotion Council) - Resource person (Responsible Tourism Mission, Kerala Government) - Graduated in Commerce at Mahatma Gandhi University and have a valid driving license from government of India. Some temples are restricted for Hindus Only. Photography is prohibited in some places which I will let you know...
Have a question or want to customize this tour? Message Biju M.
Kochi was a fishing village in the Kingdom of Kochi in the pre-colonial Kerala. Kochi is also known as the "Queen of Arabian Sea", and was the centre of Indian spice trade for many centuries. Because of her rich spice history, many foreign traders were attracted to Kochi. Kochi was the first european colony for the Portuguese in colonial India from the year 1500-1663, followed by the Dutch and later by the British. It is the old buildings which most clearly reveal this deep-rooted colonial influence. In 1947, when India gained independence from the British colonial rule, Cochin was the first princely state to join the Indian Union willingly. During the tour in Fort Kochi, we will discover the traditional landmarks of historical Kochi, which includes ancient Chinese fishing nets, the historical European settlements like Vasco de gama church and dutch cemetary, and towards the Dutch palace, a museum under ASI, and spend time walking through the historical Jewish street towards the Jewish synagogue.
We were delighted with our tour! Biju arrived early with a driver and a very comfortable car. The entire tour we enjoyed Biju’s commentary and he readily answered our questions about Indian culture and history. We’ve done many tours with TBL and I can state emphatically that this tour was one of the best. We were able to see all of the sites in Cochin and came away with a better understanding of India.
Our tour of Cochin was wonderful. Bijou gave us a nice mix of the current local customs, the interesting history of the area, sites and the people. A few highlights for us was the community laundry, the Jewish woman who adopted a Muslim son and the crafts they created, seeing Vasco DeGama's tomb, the fishing nets, and Bijou's description of everything we saw. Highly recommend this tour for first timers.
Biju was the perfect host for his home town. He freely shared his deep knowledge about and love for Kochi. He took us to the places that gave us the best taste of the people and their daily lives. And his choice of a lunch spot was spot on! What an entirely fun and educational day, enhanced even more by Biju’s fun personality. We cannot thank him enough.
Biju gave us an excellent tour. He has great knowledge of Kochi and has a fun personality. His driver, Aneesh was a great driver and also very informative. Having grown up in Kochi, Biju knew just where to take us while avoiding the crowds. His van is very spacious and comfortable. We highly recommend Biju and Aneesh! Thanks for a fantastic experience in Kochi!
Biju did a great job showing us Cochin. We customized our tour for our interests and he and our driver were very helpful in showing us things that weren't on the big bus tours. We love having control of our time.
We had very little previous knowledge of Cochin. Biju, our guide, showed us a number of the sights of his city in a tour that was fairly short due to the late docking of our ship. He was able to get a lot into a small amount of time and we enjoyed every minute of it. Biju was very personable and truly seemed to worry about our well being. The pace was relaxed and all four of us had a fantastic time in Cochin. Our trip up to that point was very busy and we truly enjoyed our pleasant evening with Biju!
1. Meet the travellers at the Cruise ship Terminal / Hotel. 2. Travelling towards Fort Kochi by Air conditioned cab / Van. 3. Watching the ancient Chinese fishing nets and local people fishing. 4. Walking towards St. Francis Church through the historical landmarks of Kochi. 5. Visit Santa Cruz Basilica Church. 6. Drive towards Dhobhi Khana - the local washing area. 7. Towards the Dutch Palace, museum under the Archeological Survey of India. 8. Walking towards Jewish Synagogue through the famous Jewish street at Mattancherry. 9. Drive towards the traditional Bazar market. 10. Visiting Local traditional Spice /Tea/Perfume/ Ginger Warehouses. 11. Enjoying Gift hunting at local/tourist shopping markets. 12. Back to the cruise terminal.
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Modern, clean and good airconditioned traveller van suitable for 12 people.
Kochi, Kerala, India
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