South India - Tamil Nadu and Colourful Kerala

Upon arrival at Trivandrum International Airport in Kerala you will be greeted and transferred to your hotel for rest and relaxation.

You can choose to spend today beside the hotel pool or maybe stroll 5 minutes to Lighthouse Beach for views of local life and fishing boats, with a beach cafe nearby. 

You can enjoy a delicious supper after a day's travel. 

After breakfast this morning you can experience the real heartland of India, taking a fascinating route through the countryside passing villages, temples, lakes and mountains.

The driving time is less than 4 hours and you can break your journey for light refreshments and to visit a colourful fruit and vegetable market.

You can decide to have an NGO called Social Change and Development, always referred to as “SCAD” there, host you for the next few days and part of your trip cost makes an important contribution to this remarkable Tamil charity, which was founded some 30 years ago; started from nothing by one remarkable Tamil, it now works with over 700,000 villagers, 450 schools and every aspect of rural community life.

You will receive a warm welcome at the guest house and have some time to relax before dinner. The food is excellent at SCAD, and the en-suite rooms are very simple yet comfortable here.

After breakfast you might like to have a morning of orientation and a guided walk around the campus, and visit the adjacent school for special-needs children learning about the work that is done here. You may also visit a local temple if you wish, followed by lunch at the guest house.

After lunch you can visit the nearby town of Tirunelveli. Here you'll have privileged access to the unique treasures of the town’s ancient temple, undocumented in any Western guide books.  

The Temple entrance, almost hidden, belies its vast and astonishing sculptured halls that extend ever deeper across 19 acres. Mingle here with saddhus, pilgrims and locals amid ancient marvels and unique artworks, and unlike other parts of India you will be permitted into the inner sanctum for a special blessing by the Brahmin priest.

You might call into Pothi’s famed sari emporium for shimmering silks, cottons in rich vivid colours, embellished with motifs and zari (thread traditionally made of fine gold or silver).  Sari borders can be traditional and more contemporary designs which may include cut work, appliqué, embroidery, brocade, hand-painting, patchwork and beadwork.  Elegant highly-prized saris in ‘Mysore Silks’ are a product of Indian mulberry silkworms.

It is possible to purchase beautiful fabric inexpensively to have made up into garments by a local tailor, who calls in to take any orders at your guest house.  If you have an item of clothing that is a favourite fit (nothing complex, simple tailoring only) it is possible to replicate it in a fabric of your choice. 

This morning you could visit a couple of special local projects close by, including a gypsy village and SCAD school for children of marginalised groups such as snake-catchers.  You can return to your guest house for lunch.

You may like to take a short stroll to a small temple in the hills.  There are bicycles available to peddle around and explore the green oasis of the campus, or you can take a tuk-tuk to the friendly nearby town of Cheranmahadevi.

After breakfast this morning you might choose to visit a nearby village to meet a group of entrepreneurial women who’ve formed a local self-help group with SCAD’s support.

Call in to meet the sari-weavers who have been helped by SCAD to develop markets for their beautiful handwoven cloth, available for you to purchase at local prices.

Spend some time strolling around the colourful lanes and stopping frequently to take in your surroundings.  

You can return to SCAD for a delicious lunch. In the afternoon you can follow the same leisurely pattern as yesterday, and simply enjoy your lovely comfortable surroundings. 

Just 5m to 8m of cloth make up the elegant sari, worn differently in every part of India. You can enjoy a demonstration this afternoon, and you can also look at the myriad patterns and customs of traditional S Indian kollams which you’ll encounter throughout your trip.

This evening, enjoy a farewell supper with your friends at SCAD.

After breakfast this morning you could set off to the Sacred Temple city of Madurai, one of India’s biggest pilgrimage centres.  The drive is approximately 3 hours on a smooth highway. 

Arrive in time for a delicious lunch. Take the rest of the afternoon to relax, explore the local area, or take a refreshing dip in the pool.

Later in the afternoon, you can visit the great Sri Meenakshi Temple, with its 12 colourful, towering gopurams and pillared halls of 1000 magnificent sculptures.  The labyrinth interior is thronged with pilgrims and shrines, filled with music, singing and devotional processions. 

After a leisurely breakfast, you might spend some time in the grounds of the hotel relaxing.

There are a couple of interesting places that you can visit in the city today. The Gandhi Museum, one of five official memorials in the country, showcases a visual biography of the man himself and his important place in history through photos, paintings, relics and manuscripts.

You can also visit Thirumalai Nayakkar Mahal – a stunning old palace said to be one of the grandest in South India with a richly decorated interior and considered by art historians to be an outstanding example of Vijayanagara architecture.

You can return to your beautiful Hotel to relax before supper this evening.

This morning you might want to make an early start for the approximate 5-hour drive to Thekkady in the spice hills of Kerala. It’s a wonderful drive through rural countryside, and you can pause here and there at places of interest and for refreshments/lunch.  Climb up through the teak forests; the panoramic views are simply breath-taking.  

This is a biodiversity hotspot; the lush greenery supports a huge variety of wildlife.

As you climb high into the Nilgiri Hills, look out for the groups of bonnet macaques, very clever and mischievous monkeys!

You will arrive at Cardamom County, located high up in the pleasant cool of the Nilgiri Hills.  There are cottage rooms on stepped terraces and with private verandas, a perfect place to close your eyes and absorb the sounds of this verdant landscape.

You might like to  drive to a nearby spice garden to enjoy the sights and aromas of pepper, cardamom and scented tropical flowers. On a guided walk you can discover more about the culinary and medical uses of the various spices.  Look out for birds, they are all around you.

A luxurious day of leisure!  You may decide to relax at the hotel and simply enjoy the tranquil surroundings. 

A range of optional activities are offered by the hotel for this day to spend as you choose. You could opt for an early morning forest walk before breakfast in the company of local tribal guides who tread silently as they point out tiger traces, giant squirrels or the entertaining raquet-tailed drongo.  

You can relax by the pool, sink back into a gorgeous Ayurvedic massage or explore the village shops displaying fine jewellery and crafts by the skilful resident Kashmiris.

Early evening there is the option of a performance of traditional Kalari, a virtuoso display of ancient, sacred martial arts enacted at lightning speed. On one of your other evenings here you can hope to also see a Kathakali performance.

Today you could decide to have a ‘Valley Zest’ day excursion; a 17 km cycling/jeep safari involving an exhilarating downhill bike ride to Tamil Nadu lowlands (vehicle option for those who prefer!). 

Freewheeling on your bikes through the dappled forest road down the Ghats Mountains, safely sandwiched between accompanying jeeps and a lead cyclist, you come down to the sunlit open farmlands of Tamil Nadu where life appears timeless and magically peaceful. Bullocks plough the fields, roaming black and tan goats in their hundreds are watched over by herdsmen, women carry impressive loads of bananas from the plantations to the waiting carts. The Tamils are justly proud of their centuries-long husbandry of the land and welcome us throughout the region. 

Passing fields of carefully tended crops, you will reach a pomegranate farm; after a brief guided tour and delicious fresh lunch, return by jeep to the Cardamom County to freshen up and relax by the pool or wander amongst the marvellous local shops.

You could now decide to have an early breakfast and board a houseboat for a 2 day cruise of the Kerala Backwaters.  

Drive on winding roads with stunning views from the spice hills to the lowlands where you reach your next destination -Alleppey. It is here you will board your houseboat.

Each vessel has 2 or 3 ensuite twin/double cabins. The 2 or 3 man crew provide a personal service and freshly cooked meals while you enjoy the unfolding, ever-changing river scenes and watery reflections.

This is a delightful way to become completely immersed in the world as it goes by.

‘Here nature has spent up on the land her richest bounties. Alleppey, the Venice of the East’ – Viceroy Lord Curzon

Fall asleep tonight to the gentle rhythms of the waterways.

Travel on your boat by day but moor up for a shared evening meal and exchanges of the day’s sightings: kingfishers, eagles, egrets riding on water buffalo, rice harvesters, vividly patterned riverside homes, impeccably uniformed schoolchildren on their special ferry, coracle fishermen.  

A day of utmost serenity, with time to enjoy the peace and tranquillity of your surroundings.

You can stop off for a village walk to explore, and also take a special canoe trip through the flowering water hyacinths of the narrowest waterways.

Disembark after a hearty breakfast and you might decide to head northwards to the luxurious Marari Beach Resort in Mararikulam for white sand, waves and coconut palms.    

Mararikulam Beach was rated one of the top five “Hammock Beaches” in the world by National Geographic.  

The lovely pool is surrounded by coconut, mango and cashew trees.  Your villa will have a private garden area and showers are open to the sky and stars!

After a light lunch you can bask in the warm surf of the Arabian Sea. A sandy path through the pines leads down to the secluded beach where a blissful warm dip in the Arabian Sea awaits.  

Local fishermen supply daily catches for the restaurant, this evening you can enjoy a fabulous dinner of organic, locally sourced dishes in the garden restaurant.

Today you could visit the charming old town of Fort Cochin. Begin with a “Village Rubble” morning trip (not what the name suggests!) to watch a lively local fish auction on the beach. 

The fish auction is a chaotic and fabulous scene to try to capture on your camera. Some 30 or 40 brightly coloured boats crowd into the small palm-fringed bay, haul their bursting nets on to the beach while local villagers crowd round. Auctioneers are busy with small groups of buyers, moneylenders are there for everyone from the smallest daily loan, kiosks sell refreshment to weary fishermen after their night’s work, hungry eagles swoop down to snatch a morning’s feast.

After lunch, you can choose to visit the famed Chinese fishing nets, then move on to a warm welcome from Francis and Rosy at their delightful and well-located Homestay – the Francis Residence.

This evening Rosy from the Francis Residence can offer you a short lesson in traditional Keralan cuisine as she prepares your dinner in her beautiful homestay.

You could spend your final morning with a cultural tour of old Cochin by bike (auto-rickshaws for those who prefer), led by a expert local guide who points out the ancient port’s many different and characterful neighbourhoods with their contrasting customs, food specialities and architectural styles. 

‘Kochi was an important spice trading centre on the west coast of India from the 14th century onwards. Occupied by the Portuguese in 1503, Kochi was the first of the European colonies in colonial India. It remained the main seat of Portuguese India until 1530, when Goa was chosen instead. The city was later occupied by the Dutch and the British, with the Kingdom of Cochin becoming a princely state’. 

For your lunch out today, you can eat at an excellent local restaurant.

This afternoon  you might like to visit the fascinating Kerala Folklore Museum, the result of one man’s lifetime collection of the very best Keralan Arts and Crafts.  The Museum was set up by the collector himself and is now run by his family who love to share their extensive knowledge with visitors.

This evening, enjoy a special farewell dinner and reminisce about your time in Southern India.

This morning you will be transferred to the Cochin International airport in time to board your flight back home.