Tel. +44 (0)1273 600030 (UK)

Walking and cycling holiday in Kerala, India

COUNTRY:
India
LOCATION:
Kerala, Western Ghats
HOLIDAY TYPE:
Moderate & cycling walking holidays
DEPARTURES:
This trip can also be tailor-made to suit your interests, time schedules and budget requirements.
PRICE:
From £633 (7 days) excluding flights
Convert prices to approx. UK Sterling Convert prices to approx. US Dollars Convert prices to approx. Euros
VOUCHERS:
Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday
Make enquiry
Walking and cycling holiday in Kerala, India

Walking and cycling holiday in Kerala, India

Travelling with a local operator
This holiday is operated by a company based in the holiday destination and they will be able to provide expert local knowledge. They will be able to tailor make your holiday to suit your requirements not only concerning the dates of travel but also typically the standard of accommodation, and thus price. It is rare for local operators to be able to help with the booking of your flights.

How this holiday makes a difference

Environment

The areas that the guests pass through are parts of the bio-diversity areas, enabling them to sight wildlife, birds and flora seen nowhere else in the world. All this is done without stressing the areas environmentally. The fact that we do not have more than 6 persons on these tours minimizes any detrimental impact. When you walk and cycle through these areas, there is minimum impact on the environment and culture.

The accommodation is also of low impact throughout this journey. The tented camps have all the comforts of living with minimum wastage in terms of energy and water consumption.

Community

This trip is arranged by local operator and hence the money generated remains local. Moreover, the guides, drivers, cooks and porters are all from the local communities notably the indigenous tribal populations that have been stressed due to loss of traditional means of livelihood. Tours like this ploughs back money into their hands and is eagerly awaited by them to enhance their resources for livelihood. The local guides are knowledgeable of their terrain, flora & fauna and make great educators in the wilderness way of life.

A prime factors in this holiday is the location where even today traditional ways of life & agriculture thrives. The guests would also learn more about indigenous people, their way of life and traditions. Moreover, part of the money is ploughed back into these areas where you travel and stay.

The food items are sourced locally making survival of this programme a priority for villagers who live near the camps. The eco lodges we use are also well versed in reducing resource consumption and utilizing local expertise in the day to day operations.

Make enquiry

Walking and cycling holiday in Kerala, India

Reviewed 06 Dec 2009 by Des Jarrett4 star rating

1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?


Trekking through tea estates and then climbing to mountain tops to see the vast landscape revived our spirits. Well cared for and enjoyed the company of the guides and travel companions. Kerala never ran short of smiles and cheery hellos.

2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?


Check the weather carefully as can be much wetter than the historic averages suggest. Rain never spoilt our days but does mean wildlife is harder to see. Kovalam, lighthouse beach, was a real treat with nice waves and clean seas.

3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?


Definitely benefited local people with camps staffed by local villagers often and tried to buy from small tea shops and stores. The environment impact is harder to assess but one big problem is having to work through 2-3 plastic water bottles each day. Maybe more filtered water in the camps and homestays would cut down on the plastic water bottle trail.

4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?


Exceeded our expectations in terms of experience, scenery and relaxation. The tour operator were very helpful and when circumstances made changes to itinerary necessary, we were consulted and given a good choice of alternatives.

Read the operator's response here:

We would like to point out that majority of our guests specifically ask for packaged drinking water. They do not drink filtered water. We have tried this method of providing filtered water for the guests and many have refused to use it. Also, even though we use package drinking water, we ascertain that they are disposed off in the proper manner and that they are recycled.
Make enquiry

Holiday Reviews

We invite every traveller who books a holiday via us to send in a review. Because we don't run the holidays they're completely independent and unedited... remember to read between the lines though, as two people on the same holiday can have different views!

Read our review policy

Convert currencies