Cultural Holidays

This was my first time to India and I decided I wanted to start in the south because I heard it was a bit more beginner friendly and I was traveling with my daughter in her late teens for our first time just the two of us. I was blown away by the warm hospitality, the scenery, the food and how well organized this trip was. The itinerary is varied and really includes a bit of everything you need to see in Kerala and Tamil Nadu: verdant tea plantations, historical architecture and incredible access to temples, welcoming and warm connection with local people and guides, spice gardens, wildlife preserves, drifting down the backwaters in a houseboat with your own cook and captain, I still can’t believe we did and saw so much. We ate a huge meal one night with a local family and then toured a village and learned about traditional crafts with another family, we got beach and pool time and watched thunderstorms out over the Arabian Sea as we enjoyed dinner as a group. Just truly an unforgettable experience every step of the way.

Laura Rendon-Morgan Kerala & the Tropical South

First and foremost the success of this cycling holiday was down to the Leader LAM NGUYEN and his support , the back marker doubling up as mechanic and the bus support driver . We were without doubt in safe hands .
We were kept fully informed as to what was happening during the day and the following day . Lam gave us written details each day in the format “Daily Ride Plans”
This was so useful as there was a lot to take in , could refer to these when saving our ride on Strava and even now , a month after , I use when describing our holiday to friends.
The hotels were all of a good and high standard
The trip notes were very thorough giving lots of information
The daily rides were planned well visiting many interesting places , giving us a good appreciation of the areas we were cycling and the distances cycled were good and achievable
The bike that I had was good , just right for the roads we were travelling on ( I normally use a road bike but the mountain bike worked well)
The stops during the ride were well thought out and worked well
The snacks that were provided during the ride were excellent and plentiful
During the rides Lam , the tour leader , stopped where necessary to give us more information at the right locations
Also , importantly , many happy bushes were found !!!
All in all a fantastic holiday in a fantastic Country

Terence Parker Cycling Vietnam

This was my first trip to India, and Kerala was the ideal place to start – relatively compact, affluent, clean, and accessible, with incredibly friendly, helpful locals, and a wide variety of sights to see.
The pace of the trip was perfect, moving on to a new destination every other day, normally on the road for 3-4 hours, with plenty of comfort breaks and additional sights along the way. I feel like we saw as much as was comfortably possible in 12 days.
The one area for improvement would be a little more free time to explore independently. In Cochin, in particular, we had a very busy morning visiting several churches, a palace and a synagogue, only stopping for a late lunch, and it seemed a missed opportunity to spend some time wandering through the narrow streets of the old quarter for tea, chats with locals, and a bit of shopping. This would have helped with orientation too, as it was our first full day after the long journey from the UK.

Alison Payton Kerala & the Tropical South