Kerala backwaters tailormade holiday
| country: | India |
| location: | Kerala |
| departures: | This trip can be tailormade at a time to suit you and adapted to suit your budget and requirements |
| price: | From £920 (15 days) per person excluding flights. Note: Add peak season surcharge of £100 from 20 Dec-10 Jan only |
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the amazing things you'll be doing
This homestay can only be reached by boat - call in advance and the hand-paddled boat will cross the lagoons to meet us. Go fishing with the family, and they'll will show you how to cook your catch into Karimeen Pollichathu, Avoli Fry and Neimeen Curry – accompanied with dosa and appam-egg roast.
It's these personal experiences - pure and un-spoilt by commercial pressures – that make Kerala so special. Here, tourism is embedded in the local culture and reflects the peacefulness of that culture. Forest ecolodges, food, wildlife reserves, houseboat cruises, and spectacular festivals - they do things beautifully and enjoy sharing it with you.
Best time to go
October until the following April are the best months for visiting. July, August and September is monsoon season. You can still travel during monsoon season if you can put up with the rain. On the second Saturday of August each year is the famous regatta on Vembanad Lake. Scores of long ‘snake boats’ fill the lake, each boat crewed by up to 100 rowers. The annual event celebrates the seafaring and martial traditions of ancient Kerala.
It's these personal experiences - pure and un-spoilt by commercial pressures – that make Kerala so special. Here, tourism is embedded in the local culture and reflects the peacefulness of that culture. Forest ecolodges, food, wildlife reserves, houseboat cruises, and spectacular festivals - they do things beautifully and enjoy sharing it with you.
Best time to go
October until the following April are the best months for visiting. July, August and September is monsoon season. You can still travel during monsoon season if you can put up with the rain. On the second Saturday of August each year is the famous regatta on Vembanad Lake. Scores of long ‘snake boats’ fill the lake, each boat crewed by up to 100 rowers. The annual event celebrates the seafaring and martial traditions of ancient Kerala.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1-2: | Arrival in the City of Kochi. Set on a cluster of islands and narrow peninsulas, Kochi is a city of cultural diversity - winding streets, shady trees, Kathakali dance, modern Indian art, 500-year old Portuguese houses, mosques, a tiny Jewish community with ancient roots - and ferry boats scuttling backwards and forwards. Overnight at Fort Cochin, a 200 year old Portuguese building, centered around a cobblestone courtyard. Once you are settled into your hotel, we can take an evening stroll around the city. City visit and Kathakali dance show is included in the cost. Overnight at The Old Courtyard Hotel, Fort Cochin (200 year old Portuguese building, centered around a cobblestone courtyard). Transport: car with driver. B&B. | |
| Day 3-4: | Dewalokam homestay. We'll make our way to Dewalokam towards the foothills near Thodupuzha (2 hours drive from Kochi). The home stay is located on the banks of Kannadipuzha in the lower and middle ranges of the Sahyadri Mountains of the Western Ghats. A large variety of spices are grown here, including pepper, nutmeg, cardamom, cloves, ginger, turmeric, vanilla, and tamarind. Here you can go for village walk, forest walk and have traditional ayurveda massage. If time permits we can also take a quick tour of the local rubber processing facility that helps provide a living to small-scale rubber producers in the area. Transport: car with driver. FB. | |
| Day 5-7: | Wildernest. We'll take the 4 hour drive to Periyar Nature Reserve and the adjacent - and wonderfully manic – spice trading town of Kumily. Periyar is a 777 sq km forested wildlife reserve - home to bison, antelopes, sambar, wild boar, langur, elephants and tigers. It is home also to the indigenous Mannan tribe, who help conserve the reserve in exchange for income from eco-tourism. Living in the outskirts of the reserve, they run many of the activities - trekking, bamboo rafting, night treks, elephant rides and plantation visits. Over the next few days, we'll participate in these activities, and spend time with the Mannan people, visiting their homes and village. The bullock cart ride is one example of the potential benefits of eco-tourism. Few years ago, the riders of the bullock carts were part of a 24-strong gang who logged the reserve for sandal-wood. Just one sandal-wood tree can bring rich earnings for these people. With the security of income offered by the bullock cart rides, they have now become protectors. The ride starts in Tamil Nadu, over the border from Kerala. You'll travel by bullock cart through immaculately kept agricultural plantations - vanilla, mango, cotton, chilli, beans, tomatoes, pumpkins, guavas, papayas - past women harvesting grapes, herons and kingfishers, a herd of mountain sheep, and men on motorbikes. A quick picnic - before returning along the banks of the river, fringed by palms, and the sun-setting behind the mountains. Overnight at Wildernest. Transport: car with driver. B&B. Extras: Boating, tribal village visit included in the cost. Entry fees for one visit to Periyar Reserve. Any additional entry into the park would be approximately GBP 4.00 per person per entry. There are extra charges for other programmes such as: Bullock cart ride, bamboo rafting, border hiking - approximately GBP 18.00 each - check with the forest department published rates at the time of purchasing the tickets.(For those who wish to stay in more luxurious accommodation, we can use Spice Village or the former Maharaja's hunting lodge - Lake Palace. | |
| Day 8-10: | Emerald Isle homestay. We'll make our way to the backwaters and will be met at Allepey by the 100 year-old wooden canoe (called a 'country boat') owned by Vinod and taken to his family homestay on Emerald Isle, an island of 400 homes You can take it easy over the next few days - reading in the hammock, dangling your toes in the water, taking massages, and trying out the local tea shop. Or - if you're feeling more active - you can take a motorboat to visit the fruit and vegetable market, the ancient Bhagawati temple or the local pottery factory; go cycling through the necklace of villages of Kuttanad; take evening walks or go bird watching through the paddy fields and homesteads; take fishing lessons; and learn to cook in the family kitchens. Overnight at Emerald Isle homestay, a warm family hospitality, courtyard gardens, hammock and nearby chai shop. The rice, pepper, coconut are all from Vinod's family farm. A quick count on our fingers, and we estimate that a stay at Emerald Isle directly supports the livelihood of over 15 families. Transport: After drop-off at Emerald Isle we'll use local transport to the house boat, Arakkal & drop off back to the airport.(you won't need a car and driver when staying at Emerald Isle and Arakkal as a car can be hired locally). FB. | |
| Day 11: | House boat. From Emerald Isle we'll make our way to the house boat, one of Kerala's most luxurious forms of accommodation. Reclining on cushions and drifting through quiet canals, you'll pass through paddy fields grazed by ducks, floating markets, local toddy shops, temples and churches. Lunch, dinner and overnight stay is possible on board. | |
| Day 12-14: | Arakkal homestay. We'll make our way to Arakkal homestay - just 300 meters from the sea. Here you can stroll along the beach (it's a public beach used by the local fishermen), go swimming, and take cycle rides. It may also be possible to arrange elephant rides. Overnight at Arakkal homestay (For those who wish to stay in more luxurious accommodation, we can use the Marari Beach Resort). FB. | |
| Day 15: | Departure. After a farewell meal, we'll take the two-hour drive to the airport for your departure back home |
travellers' tales
We had a simply wonderful time. It satisfied all our senses, lovely friendly people, sensational scenery and fabulous food. It was our first visit to India and will not be our last. (more)
how this holiday makes a difference
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Our aim is to provide tours that gives you the opportunity to spend time with local people, absorb yourself in their cultures, and visit their homes.
When you take a tour with us, around 60% of your money stays in India – supporting the social/environmental work of our partners and the projects they support. Hotels and homestays are owned by local people. We only use local guides and drivers, with local hosts providing personal insight into a specific area (for example, when trekking in forest we aim to use indigenous trekkers). Our tours are listed in the Ethical Travel Guide, published by Tourism Concern. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |