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

Late afternoon kayaking on the beautiful Periyar River at the Hornbill Camp, watching the birds and enjoying the stunning environment.

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

Be prepared for all weather! Take into account some long driving times between places. Be clear about what activities you want to do and what sort of accommodation you want to stay in. Read up about places and wildlife so you get more out of the experience when you are there as the people who are your hosts and guides may only have limited English.

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

It's clear from our conversations with Keralan people that tourism is a major economic boon to Kerala and our guides, driver etc. were clearly happy to have alternative employment to farming and fishing. We had some concern about the impact of the large number of houseboats now plying the backwaters and wondered whether the reliance on bottled mineral water was responsible for the increase in plastic debris we saw. We were pleased that the places we stayed seemed conscious about minimising environmental damage. It would have been good to have guides that were more knowledgeable about local wildlife.

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

We had a good time though our holiday was marred by 4 days of torrential rain which made many of our planned activities impossible and a couple of days of stomach upsets on the houseboat. All the guides and hosts were very nice people who did their best to ensure we had an enjoyable time.