Kerala homestay tour, India

Planet and people

By using homestays and small guesthouses on this tour, you are supporting the host families, their staff and the local community. With small numbers of individuals staying in small properties the impact on the environment is reduced, as waste, lighting etc will be minimal. This tour includes a visit to Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary. Periyar is a protected area, is committed to conserving the numbers of tigers and elephants within the reserve and practices community based ecotourism.

Francis Residence is the delightful home of Mr and Mrs Francis. They have six guest rooms. Lessons on cooking traditional Kerala meals are available for those interested. Francis Residence is centrally located and guest can walk (or take a rickshaw) to places of interest, restaurants, shops etc.
Nelpura - delightful riverside home more than 150 years old. The guest rooms are in the adjacent granary.

The houseboat is locally made using traditional methods and natural materials and owned by a local company. All our houseboats adhere to stringent environmental rules and regulations that are in force on the Kerala backwaters.

Periyar Villa - delightful homestay in central location and very spacious guest rooms.

Royal Mist this friendly and popular guesthouse is situated just outside the town of Munnar and walking in the area is a popular activity. There are three guest rooms with great views on the top floor of this family home.

Dewalokam is a working farm in the foothills of the Western Ghats of Kerala. It is set on the banks of a river and the host family ared delightful. This retreat has eleven guest bedrooms. The ten acre farm includes spices and fruits as well as an Ayurvedic herbal garden. On the opposite side of the scenic river is pristine tropical forest that provides ideal terrain for forest treks and nature walks. Other activities include rafting and river swimming. Food is a highlight (cookery demonstrations may be offered) and Ayurveda and yoga are available.

The ground handling of this tour is provided by our local agent and we supply him with more than 90% of his turnover. All of the drivers and staff are local people. Thus we have fifteen local families that are directly financially reliant upon us. Our drivers have a contract and are paid a monthly wage. This is very unusual in South India where most drivers are normally employed on a commission-only basis (not easy for such seasonal work). Tailor-made vacations cater for couples or small groups and this means that our customers have the opportunity to interact with the locals.

All of our customers are supplied with detailed information about their vacation. We supply general advice relevant to all customers as well as more specific facts about your particular tour. These documents offer our customers lots of advice and guidance including how to obtain an Indian Visa, which immunisations are recommended, how much to tip people, how to dress appropriately and how to behave in National Parks. We support local charities and invite our customers to do so too (details are supplied with your travel documents).