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A Journey to the Soul - Walking, Cooking, Tasting, Meditation and Yoga in Kerala

Kerala the "land of coconuts" is situated on India's west coast and has over 500km of tropical beaches facing the warm Arabian Sea. For centuries, South India's Malabar Coast has been the heart of the spice trade in the Indian Ocean. In its thriving port cities, the confluence of Greek, Roman, Phoenician, Arab, Chinese, and European cultures remain visible in the architecture, religion, and daily life of the people.

We discover its incredible cultural heritage and lovely landscapes, from palm-tree lined white-sandy beaches and pastoral waterways where ornate "kettuvallam" houseboats lazily float, to rice paddies lined in coconut groves and rubber plantations where tigers once roamed.

In Cochin, with its stunning location along the Arabian Sea, our walks reveal the legacies of its European past, from British mansions and Dutch cottages to a 16th century synagogue.

In the cool mountain region of Munnar our walks are amongst the cool tea, coffee and lush spice plantations.

The very sound of the word Thekkady conjures up images of elephants, unending chains of hills and spice-scented plantations. In the Periyar forest of Thekkady is one of the finest wildlife reserves in India and spread across the entire district are picturesque plantations and hill towns with great mountain walks.

As we glide on our deluxe private houseboat, Kerala's picturesque rural scenes are all around us. Our journey on waterways through this quiet region reveals the life of people working their fields with water buffaloes and fishing with nets from traditional longboats.

With such a rich and ancient culture influenced by so many different customs, Kerala has thrived. Many cuisines were developed over time but always without compromising the freshness of the local ingredients used. It is this Philosophy that has kept the people so healthy. Their strong cultural ways are still practiced and much respected. We learn how to prepare native dishes using spices from Kerala's Western Ghats.

Ancient crafts like handloom weaving, carvings and basket weaving are mostly done by hand.

Soothe the body and soul with a meditation course or yoga class. Finding harmony with the Divine!

The 4 and 5* hotels are chosen from the best in the area for your comfort, and charm. The food will be the biggest surprise - delicious, freshly cooked and healthy. Kerala cuisine is not hot, instead beautifully spiced. And yes you can bring spices back provided you declare them and they are dried and sealed.

Featured Hotels

		Vivanta by Taj » Cochin, Kerala ★★★★★ Overlooking Cochin harbour, 7km from Mahatma Gandhi Road
		The Fog Munnar Resort » Munnar, Kerala ★★★★★ Set on a lush forested hill, laid-back hotel with mountain views
		Spice Village » Thekkady, Kerala ★★★★ Set in landscaped gardens edging the Periyar Tiger Reserve
		Xandari Riverscapes » Alappuzha, Kerala ★★★★ A journey through tranquil passages of backwaters in Alleppey

Featured Restaurants

		The Rice Boat [Taj Malabar Hotel] » Cochin, Kerala Sea view dining in the style of a rice boat plating scintillating seafood
		Old Harbour Hotel » Fort Cochin, Kerala 300 year old Portuguese restored mansion located in Fort Kochi
		Ginger House » Mattancherry, Cochin, Kerala Overlooking the backwaters with a collection of antique artefacts

Tour departure dates

2024
Tour	Flavours of South India [12 days]
Begins	17 November 2024 | Cochin, Kerala, India
Ends	28 November 2024 | Cochin, Kerala, India
Price	AUD $7,375

Trip Notes Booking

Dates and Price to be confirmed

2025
Tour	Flavours of South India [12 days]
Begins	17 November 2025 | Cochin, Kerala, India
Ends	28 November 2025 | Cochin, Kerala, India
Price	AUD TBC

Trip Notes Booking

My cousin and I had an absolutely wonderful time touring South India. We loved the adventure walks and really enjoyed the cooking classes - they were a highlight. Accommodation was first class and the Aleppy houseboat trip was fantastic. Such a brilliant way to see life in Kerala up close and personal. We were so lucky to enjoy the company of the other tour guests - such a great bunch of people and so much fun. The gentle and genuine warmth of the people we met all over Kerala was a sheer delight. Thank you for a wonderful trip! Victoria from Sydney, NSW, Australia [2019]

Many thanks for such an amazing tour, "Flavours of South India". Walkabout covered all bases fabulously. The hotels were so comfortable and a retreat each day from the heat and business of downtown. I particularly enjoyed "The Spice Village", with all its ecofriendly systems in place without any compromise to comfort and luxury. Our 3 drivers who transported us safely with such skill on roads where road rules appeared to be non-existent, was indeed a blessing. It was great to see how over the 2 weeks on tour the Spice Walkabout girls all appeared to become relaxed on the road trusting our drivers to weave in and out with expert precision, avoiding head ons. Nissar saw to our every need, especially keeping us well hydrated with the welcomed bottle of ice water, and the great effort he made for us girls to be able to purchase our other drinks of choice, namely alcohol, quite a challenge in Kerala, as we found out. The food, WOW, that was amazing. And to be invited into the home kitchens of Nimi and Nazeema was a real honour. I've already attempted a few of their recipes, not quite up to standard yet, I just need to keep practising. I loved the Tiger Reserve, to watch the animals in the wild, and to see the tribal people just going about their daily activities, was great. The guides were fabulous, taking awesome photos with Trish's camera, and so knowledgeable about the reserve's fauna and flora. I always love to visit the local markets, and these did not disappoint. What a hype of activity, and abundance of amazing produce. And visiting the school and the walk in the Tea plantations, just wonderful, and, most important, the people. Oh my goodness, huge brown eyes and what beautiful smiles. These lovely faces will remain in my memory for a long time. The beautiful Sarees, the colours, a feast for our eyes. To finish off the last couple of days on the Backwater was so relaxing. Watching the locals attending to their laundry, bathing, swimming, fishing etc in the river joined along with the cows coming down to cool off was fascinating. Again, there was no compromise to the dedicated attention and food quality on board. Fabulous. Walkabout Spice Girls, what fun we all had, such a great tour. And to spend this quality time with Trish and to share her birthday, has been such a blessing for me. Marina from Scotts Head, NSW, Australia [2019]

Really enjoyed the trip. Great places visited and excellent accommodation. Good introduction to India if someone hasn't been to India before. Great traveling companions. Good fun with cooking classes and great food everywhere. Very interesting history. Gillian from Hawthorn, Victoria, Australia [2017]

When I told my wife that our tour was going to be 2 men and 3 ladies, she became very suspicious! However, once I explained that we were to be the Guinea Pigs on WGA's first trip to India all was forgiven. We had an incredible time and were taken well care of by Gabriela, Christiana and Nastassja as we ate our way through "gods own country", Kerala, the land of coconuts. The area we visited was very different than I had imagined, the water ways were captivating and the tea country was spectacular. The "jungle" area was lush with rowing hills of cardamom, rubber trees and coconut palms. All this made for very fresh ingredient for the food we ate along the way. We spent possibly a little too long in the city of Cochin learning about its history and rich culture but at the same time the Raj Hotel as our best accommodation. We were also treated to a very special degustation meal in the old town. Munnar was our next stop and was highlighted by our cooking class at Nimi's Culinary Adventure and a great walk through tea plantations. We were also given a cooking demo at our hotel which was very interesting well explained. A very memorable experience awaited us at Thekkady when we embarked on a walk in the Periyar Tiger Reserve, no not tigers but two small herds of elephant in very close proximity along with a troop of Black face monkeys. Here we visited the spice farms and markets and could only dream of where we could buy such fresh produce when we returned home. As we neared the end of our tour we were treated to a night of a traditional houseboat on the backwaters of Alleppy. Our fish for the evening meal was caught the same day and prepared by the crew... what a treat but it was over too quickly and hopefully the next tour group will spend 2 nights unwinding to take in the view and the fascination of life on the backwater. While there many great experiences and places that we visited, I will always remember our shared lunches. Always a wonderful array of curries, rices and freshly baked breads. Very memorable experience and one I will never forget. Duncan, Sydney, NSW, Australia [2016]