Lush and Leisurely India: Discovering Kerala

We will begin our trip in Cherai. We will be staying in two different hotels, each one is beautiful and relaxing. There are no activities planned for this day. This is a day for recovering from jet lag and getting ready for exploring this gorgeous area.

This evening, we’ll enjoy dinner together with time to get acquainted and oriented to the rest of the trip.

Today we’ll take a day trip to the village of Chendamangalam, a weaving village deeply rooted in cultural heritage. At the weaving workshops we visit you will get to see the process up close, from dyeing and weaving on the handloom to the showroom floor. After the weaving experience, you will get a hands on experience in doll making and you’ll have the chance to create your own baggage tag.

After a traditional lunch at a family home, we visit Paliam Palace. The palace is steeped in the rich history of the Paliath Achans, a lineage the upheld thematrilineal system which was traditionally practiced among Kerala’s Nair community and certain aristocratic families. In this system, inheritance and family titles passed through the female line, with property and titles transferred to the daughters rather than sons.

Today we’ll travel 5 hours by bus to Munnar, in the Western Ghat Mountains and the center of tea growing in the region. Munnar is magically ethereal in every facet. Undulating hills cloaked in emerald greenery, mist-kissed valleys, sprawling tea plantations, cascading waterfalls and the crisp mountain air together weave a tapestry of beauty like no other.

For a little adventure, we’ll be picked up and transported in jeeps to our hotel.

Our hotel, Windemere Estate, is a former plantation and is perched on the edge of a mountain, which means there are incredible views. The air here is crisp and clean, the temperature pleasant and the views spectacular. The breeze carries the aroma of coffee, cardamom and tea.

After a leisurely breakfast at the hotel, we’ll head to a non-profit organization that creates opportunities for differently abled people. There we’ll have the chance to participate in a textile art workshop.

The afternoon is for exploring on your own. We suggest rambling walks around the plantation and the surrounding tea gardens, a dip in the pool with the best view in the world, or cozying up with a book in the quiet library.

Later in the day, there is an option for a tour of a cardamom plantation.

Today, we’ll immerse ourselves in the tea plantations of Munnar. That means getting right in the middle of the sprawling velvety green hills that we see all around us.

Depending on the availability of the female tea pickers, we will join them in tea plucking and spend some time getting to know their children, witnessing the routine in an effort to undersatnd the day to day life of the women on the plantations. After a stroll through the residential quarters we will enjoy a cup of tea from the village shop.

This afternoon is spent at a tea factory where we’ll be educated about the complete processing of tea. Once back at our hotel, we will blend and enjoy our own tea in a fitting ceremony that will bring together all that we’ve learned over the day.

This evening, there is an option to do a herpetology tour with an expert guide. You will learn about frogs, snakes, lizards, and other reptiles. It is an interesting tour for guests who love photography. The tour takes about 3 to 4 hours and is done late in the evening, after dinner.

Today we travel 5 hours by bus from Munnar to Thekkady, a small town in the Western Ghats. This area is known for its abundance of wildlife, which we will certainly be exploring.

You will have free time in the afternoon for exploring the shops and streets of Thekkady on your own.

This morning you’ll have time for yourselves, to explore the property or to the spa or do some yoga.

In the afternoon, we’ll visit a pepper plantation, picking peppercorns and learning about this centuries-old plant that started the spice trade. At the plantation, the scent of pepper mingles with the fresh mountain air. 

Afterward, we will head to a cardamom grading factory and enjoy tea and snacks with the planter’s family.

After breakfast, we’ll head to the forest reserve for some adventure in the well-known Periyar National Park. One of the finest wildlife reserves in India, the sanctuary is spread across 925 square kilometers. Believed to be among the oldest tiger reserves in the country, it has an incredible diversity of flora and fauna.

After hiking to Periyar Lake, we’ll board a bamboo raft and get a panoramic view of the surrounding forested hills. Out on the lake, we’ll look for elephants, guar and sambar deer near the shore. On our last trip here, we got a good view of an elephant family.

On the way back to the hotel, we’ll meet some elephants. Depending on availability, we’ll have a chance to bathe an elephant.

Today, we’ll drive 5 hours to the town of Alleppey, where we’ll board our own houseboat for two days of exploring. Kerala is famous for its serene backwaters, a network of canals, rivers, and lakes that stretch over 900 kilometers. Think of these houseboats as floating luxury hotels of a design that dates back to their origins as a cargo vessel used to take rice from the interior to the port of Kochi.

We’ll be heading through Kuttanad, often referred to as the “Rice Bowl of Kerala.” This region is known for its vast expanses of paddy fields, which are situated below sea level. The unique geography of Kuttanad creates a mesmerizing landscape, where you can witness farmers cultivating rice in waterlogged fields.

The first night, we’ll tie up in the town of Kavalam, where you can see many temples, paddy fields. A village walk will show you what life is like in a small Indian community. 

During our time on the boat, we will be joined by a local professor who has studied the bestselling book Covenant of Water, which is placed exactly in these backwaters. She will talk about how life was portrayed in the book, and how these rhythms have changed–or not–in modern times.

After lunch, the cruise proceeds to the Kainakary, where 5 rivers drain into idyllic Vembanad Lake. Kainakary is a pastoral setting that allows us a glimpse of rural India at its finest. After a stop over at the ancestral home of a local saint, we’ll continue cruising towards Nedumudy, where we’ll dock. Then, we’ll have free time for a village walk or some relaxing on the boat.

After disembarking from our houseboat, we’ll travel by bus and ferry to a launching point of a different type of vessel–a small country boat, pushed through the canals by a Mathai, or boatman. He’ll describe the plants, trees, and people along the way.

We will then take tuk-tuks to the home of Krishna Kumari, who will cook local vegetarian dishes and serve the food like locals eat on banana leaves. The most interesting part of the visit is learning about the old house and seeing traditional utensils.

Krishna Kumari will make special arrangements for the food to be served in her garden. It will be similar to many celebrations in the village.

That evening we will check into the lovely Marari Beach Hotel.

Today, relax on the beach or around the pool. Each guest will receive a 60-minute spa treatment at the hotel (included).

If you’re up for it, you can take part in a 2-hour tuk-tuck tour of the nearby village tour of Mararikulam today. The tour covers Mararikulam Mahadeva Temple, Kanichukulangara Devi Temple, visits to a Khadi weaving unit, a coconut oil extracting center run by a local family, as well as a small-scale coir mat weaving center.

More prime beach/spa time. We’ll take a break at midday for an excursion to Philipkutty’s Farm, which is acclaimed for its organic, sustainable food production. The farm is run by a mother and daughter-in-law pair who kept their business going after the untimely passing of their son/husband.

We’ll get to participate in a cooking class and enjoy a homemade lunch.

We’ll end our tour with a farewell dinner at the Marari Beach Hotel.

Today, we’ll say goodbye to sumptuous Kerala. One transfer will take the group on the 1 1/2 hour ride to the Kochi International Airport, for flights home or to other parts of India.