Tailor Made Holidays in Kerala, India: Highlights

Experience rural life on a homestay

A night or two in a traditional Keralan home offers a unique experience and the chance to learn a great deal about life in rural areas. The hosts are charming and gracious and the food served is always fantastic!

 
Take a ricebarge cruise along Kerala Backwaters

A cruise aboard a 'kettuvallam', or traditional rice barge is a wonderfully relaxing way to explore the watery paradise of the Backwaters. These giant 80ft long crafts are converted into simple, furnished houseboats with one or two en-suite bedrooms, dining area and deck, crewed by a captain and cook who cater to your needs while you cruise along watching life along the riverbanks.

Read more about: The Backwaters
 
Explore the fruit and vegetable markets of Madurai

Strolling through the bustling fruit , vegetable and flower markets in the temple city of Madurai can be a mucky but fantastic experience . The people are friendly and genuine, and beneath the towering backdrop of the stunning Sri Meenakshi temple life goes on much as it has done for many hundreds of years.

 
Revel at one of Kerala's festivals

Thrissur Pooram, held in April or May, is one of Kerala’s largest and best known festivals that attracts huge crowds. This is a spectacular event with very colourful elephant processions. The difficultly with this highly attended occasion is that it often attracts rowdy crowds that potentially make it difficult for visitors to have an enjoyable cultural experience. To avoid such difficulties, there are smaller more intimate festivals such as ‘Irinjalakuda Koodalmanikkam’. Lasting for seven days and beginning on the third day of Thrissur Pooram, this festival attracts a smaller gathering. Therefore, allowing visitors to experience the elephant processions, percussions and classical dance performances, in a more intimate environment.

 
See turtle hatchlings

Every year between August and the following March, female Olive Ridley turtles visit the beach at full moon to lay their eggs, burying them up to a metre deep in the sand. Six to eight weeks later, again at night, the eggs hatch. The newborn hatchlings struggle to make their way to the sea and swim out into the moonlit water. Only about 1 out of 1000 hatchlings that make it to the ocean survive. Birds, large fish, diminishing breeding habitat and food stocks are not their only enemies; humans have traditionally harvested eggs, fresh hatchlings and adult turtles.A local volunteer NGO group at Neeleshwar collects the eggs (totalling 7000 in 2006), takes them to a protected hatchery 2km south along the beach, and supervises the safe return of the hatchlings to the sea. If you are not lucky enough to see the turtles in the wild, you may be able to see them at this conservation centre.

Read more about: Neeleshwar
 
Spend the day with an elephant

Spending a day with an elephant is a truly memorable experience. Once able to roam freely across Kerala wild Elephant numbers are now sadly dwindling. Lakshmi, a 30 year old female Elephant, calls Serenity her home and guests have the opportunity to feed her, ride her and learn more about her in this beautiful natural setting.

 
Stroll along the promenade in Pondicherry

With its fascinating and still very strong French influence, Pondicherry offers many wonderful dining opportunities. A real highlight has to be taking a sunset stroll along the promenade followed by a meal at the hugely popular rooftop restaurant at The Promenade Hotel. Cooling sea breezes, an intimate atmosphere and delicious food make this a must!

 
Sunset over the backwaters

The sunsets on the Keralan backwaters are possibly some of the most spectacular in the world. An afternoon spent cruising leisurely through the narrow waterways before watching the setting sun turn the sky from pink to red and finally to a magnificent deep purple is wonderful.

 
The spices of Kerala

Keralan food is absolutely magnificent owing mainly to the wonderful combinations of fresh produce and spices found in each dish. Visiting a plantation to see these spices growing naturally is both educational and very interesting, and also offers the chance to glimpse some of the highly coloured bird species endemic to the area.

 
Amble through the tea plantations, Munnar

Situated at between 1600-1800 metres above see level, Munnar is located in the eastern part of central Kerala, near to adjoining Tamil Nadu. This was once the summer capital of the British Government in south India, and this historical influence is still apparent in some of the town’s colonial architecture. The most appealing reason to visit Munnar is to walk through the vast tea plantations. The undulating landscape is beautiful and creates the perfect environment for some light trekking. These peaceful hills are rich in bird life and you may well come across hardworking tea pickers on your walk. Don’t forget your sunscreen and go on a week day if you want to see the tea pickers.

Read more about: Munnar
 
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