Kerala homestay tour, India
| country: | India |
| location: | Kerala |
| departures: | This trip can be tailor-made to suit your dates, budget and requirements |
| price: | From £998 (15 days) excluding flights. Prices are per person based on 2 people sharing and include: all accommodation, all transfers (with A/C), current taxes and local assistance. We can arrange flights from the UK |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
the amazing things you'll be doing
Experiencing the highlights of Kerala staying in homestays to give you that authentic taste of how families live in this fascinating south Indian state.
This tour gives you a chance to experience the hospitality of various families throughout Kerala and enjoy wonderful home cooked food. We have not included any excursions on this tour as we feel you will wish to spend time with the host families and participate in any activities they provide. We have included six days in the backwater area, two of those on a houseboat and the rest of the time in two very different homestays.
The best time to visit Kerala is during the European Winter (October to April) with the very best months being December, January, February and March. May, June and July are usually wet and August and September can be pleasant and in many places is festival time.
This tour gives you a chance to experience the hospitality of various families throughout Kerala and enjoy wonderful home cooked food. We have not included any excursions on this tour as we feel you will wish to spend time with the host families and participate in any activities they provide. We have included six days in the backwater area, two of those on a houseboat and the rest of the time in two very different homestays.
best time to go
At approximately 8 degrees from the equator Kerala is located within the tropics - this means that the temperature is warm to hot throughout the year. Kerala has two monsoons a year – the main south westerly (from the Arabian Sea in June/July) and the later north easterly (from the Bay of Bengal in October/November). The best time to visit Kerala is during the European Winter (October to April) with the very best months being December, January, February and March. May, June and July are usually wet and August and September can be pleasant and in many places is festival time.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Arrive in Cochin and transfer to a traditional country home just outside the city in the village of Ezhupunna. Overnight Parayil Homestay. | |
| Day 2: | Parayil is a family home, nestling in acres of fruit trees, coconut groves and ambling pathways. Built more than a century ago, this is an elegant country home that retains the grandeur and history of an aristocratic family. Take a walk, go cycling or visit the 200 year old church, adjacent to the family home. Overnight Parayil Homestay. | |
| Day 3: | Transfer to Vechoor in the backwaters. The rest of the day is free to relax or take part in local activities. Overnight Philipkutty’s Farm. | |
| Day 4: | This is an exclusive homestay set in a 50 acre farm growing coconut, spices, bananas, nutmeg and cocoa. Managed by the owner, Mrs Anu Mathew, the welcome is warm and friendly. Overnight Philipkutty’s Farm. | |
| Day 5: | Board your houseboat which will moor along side the resort around lunchtime. Spend the rest day relaxing, eating and being looked after by the attentive staff. Overnight Deluxe Houseboat. | |
| Day 6: | Full day cruising the backwaters. The boat will stop at places of interest along the way where you can get off and explore. Overnight Deluxe Houseboat. | |
| Day 7: | After breakfast disembark from the houseboat at Nelpura, a peaceful setting in Kuttanad, known as the "Rice Bowl of Kerala". Overnight Nelpura. | |
| Day 8: | Nelpura stands on the bank of a canal leading to the river Pampa. Set amidst ‘village India’ you have the opportunity to go cycling, walking or a visit to nearby school can be arranged by your host. Overnight Nelpura. | |
| Day 9: | Transfer by car to Thekkady (Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary) and stay in a more modern homestay just outside the main town. Overnight Pepper County. | |
| Day 10: | At leisure. Option to visit the wildlife sanctuary or walk in the local area. Overnight Pepper County. | |
| Day 11: | Transfer by car to the hill station of Munnar and stay in a homestay that also operates as a flower nursery. Overnight Rose Garden. | |
| Day 12: | Day free to relax and explore the area. Overnight Rose Garden. | |
| Day 13: | Transfer to Kothamangalam near to the bird sanctuary at Thattekkad. Overnight Mundackal Homestay. | |
| Day 14: | Jose and Daisy Mundackal live here and really enjoy welcoming foreign visitors to their plantation house. Many people take the opportunity to lean how to cook some of the local dishes as Daisy offers cookery lessons in her kitchen. Overnight Mundackal Homestay. | |
| Day 15: | Transfer to Cochin airport for your return flight. |
tailor made holiday
This trip can be tailormade to create a unique holiday for your individual requirements by British travel experts with intimate knowledge of the destination. It is a more luxurious trip that will suit those who enjoy immersing themselves in new cultures and environments before relaxing in comfort in some of the best and most characterful local accommodation! Quality and value are the hallmark of these trips.how this holiday makes a difference
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By using homestays on this tour, you are supporting the host families and (in some cases) their staff. By staying in these small properties the impact on the environment will be reduced, as waste, lighting etc will be minimal.
Parayil is a delightful, heritage family home. They use bio gas, CLF bulbs and other eco friendly products and the staff are from the local community. Philipkuty's Farm is a sustainable organic farm on an island created from land reclaimed from the lake in the 1950’s. The guest accommodation is in comfortable and spacious villas adjacent to the family home so offers visitors a certain amount of independence and privacy. Access is by boat only. The houseboat is locally made using traditional methods and natural materials and owned by a local company. All our houseboats adhere to stringent environmental rules and regulations that are in force on the Kerala backwaters. Nelpura a delightful homestay where plastic is avoided and the kitchen waste is converted to vermin compost. The three guest rooms are in a converted granary adjacent to the family's home. Pepper County - a delightful family will welcome you to their comfortable home set in a beautiful rural setting not far from the Wildlife Sanctuary of Periyar. Guests are encouraged to take walks in the surrounding area where the Periyar Lake can be seen from the top of the nearby hill. Rose Garden – this small homestay also operates as a flower nursery. Guests stay in one of two rooms in the family home and the hosts will be pleased to tell you all about the spices, fruits and flowers they grow in their one acre plot. Cookery lessons are also offered here. Mundackal Homestay is the home of Jose and Daisy who really enjoy welcoming visitors to their home. Their modern house is situated in a plantation (rubber, pepper and coconut) and is just 12km from Thattekkad Bird Sanctuary and 33km from Cochin Airport. Daisy is a wonderful cook and cookery lessons in her kitchen are available on request. The ground handling of this tour is provided by our local agent and we supply him with 90% of his turnover. All of the drivers and staff are local people. Thus we have fifteen local families that are directly financially reliant upon us. Our drivers have a contract and are paid a monthly wage. This is very unusual in South India where most drivers are normally employed on a commission-only basis (not easy for such seasonal work). Tailor-made holidays cater for couples or small groups and this means that our customers have the opportunity to interact with the locals. All of our customers are supplied with detailed information about their holiday. We supply general advice relevant to all customers as well as more specific facts about your particular tour. These documents offer our customers lots of advice and guidance including how to obtain an Indian Visa, which immunisations are recommended, how much to tip people, how to dress appropriately and how to behave in National Parks. We support local charities and invite our customers to do so too (details are supplied with your travel documents). |
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. |