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SOUTH
INDIA FOOD TOUR
South Indian cooking (Keralan Islamic, Syrian Christian,
Hindu and Coorg), feasting, fruit and spice markets, forest gardens,
train journey, organic farming, temples, homestays, the sea, rice-barge
houseboat, cycling, ayurvedic massage, river islands; coffee plantation
and more…
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Sample South India Food Tour: 15 days/14 nights. Kerala, with
optional stay in Coorg (near Bangalore)
Cost: £2,326 for a couple (not per person) and £2,925
for a small family tour (2 adults and 2 children) for this South
India food tour, excluding international flights. All our
tours are private - you won't be part of a group.
The price quoted is for full board, except at Old Courtyard Hotel,
an English speaking Indian driver, local hosts/guides, other travel
costs.
This is a sample South India food tour. We can mix and match according
to the dates and places you would like to visit. Note that we
don’t arrange air flights.
Day one and two
Your arrival in the City of Kochi. Set on a cluster of islands
and narrow peninsulas, Kochi is a city of cultural diversity -
winding streets, shady trees, Kathakali dance, modern Indian art,
500-year old Portuguese houses, mosques, a tiny Jewish community
with ancient roots - and ferry boats scuttling backwards and forwards.
Once you are settled into your hotel, we can take you on our backstreet
tour of the city by foot and three-wheelers, visiting the spice
market, the fishing habour and, in the evening, the city's Kathakali
dance show.
On our second day, we can join have lunch - real seafood delicacies,
at the home of Thomas' friends, Sam & Anu Samuel.
Overnight: (2 nights), The Old Courtyard Hotel, Fort Cochin -
200 year old Portuguese building, centered on a cobblestone courtyard,
fine food, and live classical Indian music in the evenings.
Day three to five
We'll make our journey by train to Ayesha Manzil homestay, arriving
by afternoon. The journey gives a truly 'insider's' view of the
country as we travel past the backyards of homes - a mother feeding
her children, clothes hung out on lines, goats grazing, boys playing
cricket.
Ayesha Manzil homestay was bought by the Moosas in 1900. The colonial
bungalow combines elegance with luxury. The rooms are vast and
filled with antique furniture, including large wooden beds, hand
carved writing desks and reclining divans. You can take breakfast
on the garden terrace overlooking the ocean and there's a cool,
emerald-tiled pool for bathing.
Faiza Mooza is internationally renowned for her Mopla cuisine
- Keralan Islamic cooking. The food can be very hot and spicy
and is completely different to other types of Indian food. You
can begin your day here with an early morning trip to the fish
market and spice merchant and end it with a wonderful feast. The
surrounding area is beautiful with a long, almost deserted beach
nearby where you can walk off the meals.
In addition to eating and swimming, we can visit the huge cinnamon
plantation (Asia's largest) founded nearly 150 years ago by the
original owner of the house, Murdoch Brown; hire a bike and cycle
along the coast; and watch the evening Theyyam dance rituals at
Parasinikkadavu Muthappan Temple. (cooking demonstrations are
available for an additional price).
Overnight: (3 nights), Ayesha Manzil homestay.
Day six to eight
We will be met by the 100 year-old wooden canoe owned by Vinod
and taken to his family homestay on Emerald Isle, an island of
400 homes on the Kerala backwaters. The life of the people who
live here is centered on the backwaters - women pound their washing,
families brush teeth, men linger at the local 'chai' shop, and
canoes and ferry boats scurry by. Vinod's family is Syrian Christian.
A quarter of the Christians in India come from Kerala - the majority
(5 million) of whom are Syrian Christians. Their conversions took
place around AD 46, and their church is Syrian Orthodox, though
they have maintained many Hindu customs. Their culture and food
is distinct.
You can take it easy over the next few days - reading in the hammock,
dangling your toes in the water, taking massages, trying out the
local tea shop and - of course - eating. Or if you're feeling
more active - you can take a motorboat to visit the fruit and
vegetable market; go cycling through the necklace of villages
of Kuttanad; take evening walks or go bird watching through the
paddy fields and homesteads; and help with cooking in the family
kitchens.
Overnight: (3 nights) Emerald Isle homestay - warm family hospitality,
courtyard gardens, hammock and nearby chai shop. The rice, pepper,
coconut are all from Vinod's family farm. A quick count on our
fingers, and we estimate that a stay at Emerald Isle directly
supports the livelihood of over 15 families.
Day nine
You'll be picked up and taken for a night on a luxury houseboat
on Kerala's backwaters. The houseboat is a converted rice-barge.
Reclining on cushions, you'll travel through the rivers and a
labyrinth of man-made canals that flow through island paddy fields.
Overnight: (1 night) on-board the house boat. Lunch and dinner
on board.
Day ten to twelve
We'll make our way to Arakkal homestay - just 300 meters from
the sea. This is the home of Abi and Mini. Mini is a beautician
and a wonderful cook - you can join her cooking.
You can stroll along the beach (it's a public beach used by the
local fishermen), go swimming, take an elephant ride (this is
usually possible), going cycling, and have your hands and feet
henna-ed. If you'd like to have traditional clothes made up for
you, Abi can take you to Allepey to buy the materials and then
get it measured and sewn up by the local tailor.
Overnight: (3 nights) Arakkal home stay.
Day thirteen to fourteen
We'll make our way to Mundakkal Spice Plantation homestay, hidden
amongst the trees on the farm of the Zacharias. The farm and forest
gardens are managed using traditional organic farming methods.
Plants and spices grown on the farm supply the vegetarian cuisine
prepared for the homestay - coconut, pineapple, bananas, different
types of yam, tapioca, spices such as pepper, ginger, nutmeg,
cinnamon, turmeric, vanilla and other tropical fruit trees and
medicinal herbs.
As guests, we'll stay with the family. Here, in this predominantly
farming village, you can also wander into the kitchen to learn
a few recipes of Syrian Christian cooking. go birding (there are
80 species of birds nearby), take long walks in the countryside
or go cycling. We can also take a quick tour of the local rubber
processing facility that helps provide a living to small-scale
rubber producers in the area.
Overnight: (2 nights) Mundakkal Spice Plantation homestay.
Day fifteen
After a farewell meal, we'll take you to the airport for your
journey home (a one and half -hour trip from the Farm).
Coorg extension (taken after visit to Ayesha Manzil)
We'll make our way north to Coorg (or Kodagu) - a forested expanse
in South West Karnataka. Coorg is often called the Kashmir of
Karnataka for its cool weather and natural beauty. This small
district is home to 260,000 people and is known for its coffee
and tea estates, and the distinct culture of the people - their
language, temperament and lifestyles.
Kodavas, the natives of Coorg, are of unknown origin, and are
ethnically distinct from other Indian communities. Coorg has its
own language known as "Kodava Tak" - a combination of
Kannada, Tamil and Malayalam. Traditional festivals are associated
with either the agricultural or the military nature of its people.
The Coorg wedding is perhaps the only Hindu wedding ceremony where
alcohol, dancing and meat eating, especially pork, are a must.
Coffee is found throughout Coorg, literally. Major towns appear
as small pockets of life between the mountainous forests and coffee
estates, connected by winding roads lined with hedgerows, flowering
trees, and spices.
The School Estate is the former home of Reverend Rictor, one of
the early missionaries to Coorg during the Raj. The estate is
now owned by the Aiyapas family, eminent coffee estate owners
and golf aficionados. As you enter the premises you will be greeted
by manicured hedges, poinsettias, coffee and pepper vines. While
at School Estate you can try your hand at golf, go walking through
the mountain trails, and learn the intricacies of Coorg cooking
from Rani Aiyapa (the most popular Coorg dish is 'Pandi curry'
made from pork, roasted spices and herb paste. A quick trip to
Dubare elephant interaction camp (1 hour drive) is also possible.
Overnight: (3 nights) at the stately mansion School Estate.
Contact
us about the South India food tour
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