The Tropical South

Most Inspirational Moment

The peace and tranquillity of the Kerela Backwaters and the whole houseboat experience.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Biju was amazing, he was very informative and conscientious, always there and nothing was too much trouble. He virtually ran 2 tours, when one member couldn't cope with the planned programme, but the experience of the main group didn't suffer at all.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Try to be realistic in assessing your ability to cope with itinerary. (The notes were clear enough but, as stated above not everyone was capable of doing everything.)

Most Inspirational Moment

My highlights included an early morning walk around Madurai as it woke up and a morning jungle nature walk around Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our group leader Bijou was outstanding.He went out of his way to look after an elderly member of the group with limited mobility, whilst ensuring the rest of the group received all the attention they required. This included arranging for my wife who had a chest infection to see a doctor. He also was extremely well organised in arranging luggage being delivered to and collected from rooms. He was good at providing insights and perspectives on his coutry and the lives and culture of the locals.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Our tour include an 84 year old with limited mobility (she was assisted in a wheelchair through airports on the journeys to and from India). This is far from ideal on a fairly leisurely tour that is still an adventure tour and requires reasonable mobility. It is a group tour so cooperation and flexibility is often required to fit in. You should be prepared for slow service in restaurants (one member of our tour struggled to accept this at least once)! Also accommodation is ok, but especially at the Homestay and Boat, it is pretty basic.

Suggestions

I am surprised that Exodus accepted an 84 year old who required assistance in a wheelchair through airports on this tour. The tour guide had to make special arrangements for her all the time. This could have impacted on our members of the group.

Most Inspirational Moment

It is very hard to identify one moment of the trip, when the programme was so varied and interesting, I really enjoyed the whole experience. There were several moments that exceeded my expectations which include the early morning walk through Madurai watching the city wake up, I also really enjoyed the walks, one through the tea plantation into the hills, and the other through the Nature Reserve.

Thoughts on Group Leader

The group leader Biju Kumar was amazing, I never saw him switch off for the full fortnight. He was consistently cheerful and helped above and beyond expectations. Biju had an encyclopaedic knowledge of South India, nothing was too much trouble, whenever a question was asked, he would follow the thread of the conversation explaining the intricacies and how the elements of Indian culture, history, faith, and even politics interweaved. At every stop he assisted the group with translation, advice, and guidance. Often he would pop up assisting the vendor or the waiting staff taking orders and helping make sure that all the group members were looked after. One of the members of the group feel over and cracked her shoulder bone, Biju insisted (correctly) that she visited the doctor to check it out, and escorted her to the hospital for an X-Ray, managed to ensure she picked up the medication that was prescribed and managed to get back to the group in time to lead the group through the optional tour of the Tea Museum. He also provided great local knowledge when I asked advice on the use of our spare time. I also think that the model of the Exodus tour of having a core set of events supported by optional excursions was exactly what was required, this allowed a reasonable basic cost without limiting people who wanted to see a bit more. Biju gave very clear descriptions of the optional trips without appearing to apply any pressure to sign up, and I have to say I did go on the majority of the optional trips, and thoroughly enjoyed them too. I would also like to give a mention to the driver Vinod, although not an Exodus employee he was also relentlessly cheerful and drove with great skill, many of the roads would be A and B standard, with very challenging other road users, some roads into the mountains were pretty hairy. He was always a welcoming face when we reached the minibus, which even at 6’3” was perfectly comfortable. I have not been on holiday with Exodus before, but many of the group had, and it appears that Biju was significantly above average, he excelled and significantly exceeded my expectations. I have already started looking through the brochure for another exodus tour.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take cash and change a bit at the airport on arrival, changing money was not as easy in typical European countries, the ATM machines were a bit hit and miss, with many running out of cash and limiting the amount you could withdraw. Treasure low denomination notes, the most frequent note given by exchanges and ATMs is the 500 rupee note, this is equivalent to £5.00, however, this can be like spending a £50 note sometimes as nearly everything we bought was less than 200 rupees. Food and drink is very cheap in India in comparison to the UK. No need to take hiking boots, I decided, based on luggage space, only to take trainers, and there were absolutely fine for the walks on the trip. If you are female, best to take a toilet roll with you, and pop one in your knapsack whilst on the trips. If you fancy the odd beer or glass of wine, be aware that in South India there is less access to alcohol, there are bars but they tend to be quite hidden away without windows. This actually proved to be quite a fun part of the holiday, ferreting out some very dodgy bars. There are off licence’s but be prepared to queue. I took a couple of bottles from the UK which was a good move. Local wine is variable, there were some good bottles but also some not so good. Take some coffee from home, the local coffee has a percentage of chickery, and in the opinion of most of the group, does not taste particularly good. Being plant based I found the food brilliant, although we only found one waiter who had heard of vegan, the majority understood very quickly the concept of no eggs, yoghurt, or milk, and still on many buffet’s we had an adequate choice of dishes. They use a lot of coconut milk in Kerala, you will see why when you arrive. The food becomes less spicy as you travel south, possibly because it becomes more geared to western tourists, I liked it spicy.

Suggestions

The accommodation is definitely three star, but even as one who is used to the highlife it was really fine. The slight tiredness of the rooms was more than compensated by friendly staff and great weather, so we were not really in the rooms that much. I thought it would be a pain moving hotel every two days, but in fact loved it, it meant we got to see so much more of South India and it made a fortnights holiday seem twice as long. Wouldn’t have changed a thing, and I can’t wait for the next one.

Most Inspirational Moment

Gliding along the Backwaters in our houseboat, sipping the ice cold beer we had brought with us.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Absolutely exceptionnel. We have been on many Exodus holidays and always had excellent guides but Bijou was right up there with the best. Always cheerful, kind and considerate, Bijou somehow managed to meet the needs of the party, both as a group and as individuals. No mean feat.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Kochi was hot and humid and after a long flight, rather tiring but the optional cruise in the afternoon was well worth it. The moving boat providing a welcome breeze. At the other end of the holiday, a 1.15am departure from the hotel was less than ideal and we felt our final day should be a relaxing time in Kovalem so reluctantly missing out on the final optional trip to Kanyakumari. I would have liked to see the meeting of the three oceans but .. maybe next time.

Suggestions

Kerala is a beautiful state. Less litter than the North and less obvious poverty. There are also less grand buildings and 5 star hotels. There is a wonderful contrast between the coastal plain and the mountains of the Western Ghats. The people are friendly and generous and the food was superb.

Most Inspirational Moment

All of them! The Munnar tea plantation morning walk was stunning, a slow and steady amble winding into the tea plantations and learning about the workers daily routine and the process of tea making was great, I could have spent all day roaming the area. The early morning city walk in Madurai turned my first impressions of the city around for me, our local Guide Rishi was amazing and as the city woke up we engaged with people starting their day and tried a few local drinks and snacks to keep us going before breakfast. This tour will be different every time you do it as depends on who/what you come across as you walk around but well worth the 5:15am alarm! Lastly, pootling along on the Shikara boats through the Keralan backwaters was a great wind-down from a busy trip, a birdwatchers paradise and fun to watch the locals going about their daily chores on the banks of the river.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Biju is one of the best Leaders I've ever had. He was so informative and gave amazing insight and cultural anecdotes daily. The long journeys never felt long as Biju would fill the time going through a different life event in his culture and how it was celebrated/marked and was ever patient with all our questions. Biju was so conscientious and made it his mission to ensure everyone had a great time and any issues that cropped up he dealt with immediately.

Advice for Potential Travellers

For the two 1-night stops (homestay & houseboat) it's worth just packing a smaller overnight bag to take to your room as the homestay is a typical Indian family home so no porters etc (and most rooms are upstairs with no elevator). The houseboat rooms are small cabins so easier not to have a bulky bag to maneuver around. Munnar and Periyar/Thekkady can be a bit chilly (compared with the Kerala coast) so worth having a lightweight fleece/jumper for evenings and early mornings.

Suggestions

I would definitely say this itinerary is a great introduction to India, certainly less chaotic, busy and polluted in the South compared to the North of India. Not as many big ticket monuments on this itinerary as in Rajasthan but you certainly get a broad range of culture, stunning landscape and wildlife.

Most Inspirational Moment

I'd have to highlight the morning walk in Madurai with guide Rishi - an optional extra excursion which involved getting up painfully early but so well worth it. The tea plantation trek ( not that strenuous at all - more of a longish stroll really with a bit of an optional climb at the end) was also delightful. And I loved the afternoon boat trip on the backwaters - again and optional excursion but very well worth doing. The 'putting Shiva to bed' ceremony and the Madurai Temple and the Kathikali show (again both extras) were a touch puzzling - not through lack of explanation but just because they were so different - but made a tremendous impact. Loved all the temple visits - we actually got prayed for twice, which is not something you can put a price on! And I loved our guide Biju's many talks on the coach - he is such a natural storyteller and has such a sweet way of explaining things. A couple of minor low-lights. The rooms in the homestay were definitely not 'cosy' - more spartan and grim - though our hostess Grace was cosy, and gave us the best breakfast of the whole trip. It was a pity that our final night meal together in Kovalam was the deeply uninspiring and over-priced hotel buffet when there were so many lovely restaurants around offering lots of choice for everyone. And the houseboat trip - see below.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Superb. See above - he was massively informative and entertaining. But he also looked after us like a mother hen. If anybody showed the least sign of concern about anything - the slightest change of expression - he would be at their side sorting things out in an instant. How he managed to eat while makiing sure everyone else had everything they wanted I can't imagine. And he just seemed a naturally sweet-natured guy. A tremendous advert for Kerala, Hinduism and of course Exodus. I'm not sure how to vote him 'Guide of the Yea; or whatever it is, but he totally has my vote!

Advice for Potential Travellers

Pack something warm - a fleece and maybe a scarf or shawl. The air conditioning can be surprisingly fierce, particularly on the coach! We also hit a couple of serious days of rain. I'd packed a plastic mac but an umbrella might have been a better choice - the locals often carry them anyway to use as sunshades so you won't look out of place. Bring lots of cash - at least £200 to cover excursions and tips as well as enough for food each day and for shopping. My group all did nearly all the excursions and they're not expensive but do need to be paid for in cash. ATMs will only let you take out £100 at a time, and you get a much better rate by exchanging sterling . The 'shoulders covered' for women advice wasn't followed as much as I'd expected, though it's probably worth carrying a scarf if you're going to be bare shouldered a lot of the time. Do leave space in your packing for stuff - like tea, spices etc - you'll end up buying. Bring a beach towel if you intend to go on the beach - hotel with swimming pools provide towels for this Hotels provide a coffee-making in the room, usually with powdered milk and often just tea only. Coffee is served weak, and often milk is included flasks of both tea and coffee . Nobody'd heard of decaff so it's worth taking your own if this is an issue.

Suggestions

Cruising in and overnighting in a Kerala houseboat is promoted by Exodus as the climax of the holiday, ‘No trip to Kerala would be complete without the wonderful experience of the backwaters aboard these traditional vessels’. but in the event it proved a profound disappointment. The group was divided into 4 houseboats and I was one of six people – two couples and two singles – in the only 4 bed houseboat – the others all being 3 bedroom. Two of the houseboats, provided by Lakes and Lagoons, were particularly elegant, with spacious decks, beautiful basket-work ceilings, arched windows, elegant teak sofas, and large lounging areas. The third, providing by another company, was a more enclosed, but also featured plenty of relaxation space, elegant sofas and padded seats lining the deck. Our houseboat’s main deck was very small – presumably in order to accommodate the 4th bedroom - and seating was a 1980s-style 3 piece black vinyl lounge suite, held together in places with staples, crammed in front of the dining table and chairs, together with a large (out of use) TV and a large blue rubbish bin. The whole thing was like something out of The Royle Family, or a set for a very cramped, low-budget version of Abigail’s Party. The boat was very obviously of a different standard to the other three, and this also extended to levels of service. We were given an okay lunch and a cup of coffee, then ignored for the rest of the cruise. At one point the captain saw something interesting on land and called to the rest of the crew to come and look, which they did, but we were ignored completely then and throughout the afternoon – I assumed the crew didn’t speak English. It felt more like travelling on a ferry with local people pursuing their own agendas, rather than on our own boat with our own crew. The Royle-family style lounge suite only sat 4 comfortably, so we had nowhere for all six to sit, and some of us ended up lying on the benches (which had no backs and were too thinly padded to be sat on comfortably for long). It was obvious as we travelled that our boat was worse kitted out than any other we passed on the backwaters, and when we finally moored it became equally clear that our whole experience had been very different than those of the other 3 boats. Most of us had already agreed to complain to Exodus on our return to the UK, and I felt it only fair to approach our guide Biju and let him know this – I knew that he had not been involved in the selection or allocation of the boats so would not take this personally, and I didn’t want Exodus to be in a position to say later ‘Well, everyone seemed perfectly happy at the time.’ I hadn’t expected or intended Biju to do anything about this, and there was nothing to be done - the afternoon cruise was virtually over and that was that. However, action was taken. I was invited to change boats with Sarah, the Exodus Product Manager travelling with us, which I eventually agreed to do, though this felt like ‘placating the ring-leader’ and still left the other 5 paying travellers stuck in the sub-standard boat. 3 of them were given bedrooms in a new boat overnight – solving nothing as the bedrooms on our boat (though pretty ugly and basic compared to the other boats) were not the problem and again the damage had been done. Unfortunately, one of the consequences of all these rearrangements was that the guests staying in one of the luxury-end boats felt that our boat was making trouble for everyone else, and an atmosphere of hostility developed which didn’t fully dissipate for the rest of the holiday – the group dynamic had been upset, and I profoundly wish I’d said nothing and left my comments unspoken until now. On reflection, I think I understand what must have happened. A few days earlier, someone who was sharing a room requested a single room instead for the rest of the trip, paying a supplement for this, and this was agreed. I would guess that this meant that one of the 4 3-roomed boats had to be changed to a 4-room at short notice, and it may have been very difficult to find any 4-room boat that had not already been booked. All that was left would be the boats that nobody else would want, like the one we had. The crew, too, were not used to running cruises to Exodus standards of service, and hadn’t understood what was expected on them. Presumably the local office allocated 6 people to this boat on the assumption that a 4-roomed boat it must be roomier, rather than less spacious because a 4th bedroom had to be fitted in, which was the actual case – they cant have seen the boat or wouldn’t have made this mistake. So they ended up allocated only 3 guests to each of the two boats offering spacious decks equipped with luxurious seating for 6 and more plus lounging areas, 4 to the slightly less spacious third boat, and the remaining 6 to our badly cramped and fitted-out boat. As well as allocating only 4 single-room people to the boat with the smallest and least comfortable deck space, rather than including 2 couples, it would have made sense to have pu the two Exodus employees in the substandard boat, so that at least only two paying customers would be stuck there. In the event, with an uncommunicative crew and no Exodus representative on board, we felt very isolated. It would have made even more sense not to have rented this boat at all. Somebody could easily have doubled-up to fit us all into 3-roomed boats – I would have been totall prepared to do so, and the Exodus itinerary makes it clear that single rooms aren’t always available on the houseboats. It’s only fair that when travelling as a group, members of the group should be provided with roughly similar standards of accommodation and facilities. This can’t always be possible of course, but the contrast here was extreme. The company ‘Lakes and Lagoons’ who provided the most luxurious boats and their lovely crews has a total fleet of 20 craft, and it’s a pity that the local Exodus office was only able to book 2 of them. I was just glad that the boat trip happened late in the holiday, as this whole business and its ramifications left me looking forward to the trip being over so that I could put it behind me. As it was, I enjoyed a wonderful holiday full of amazing experiences up until that moment, and I am grateful for these. It’s such a shame that a trip that was at least 90% stunning, beautifully put together and hosted by an amazing guide should be let down by something like this. But the fact is that if you’re going to position an activity as the highlight of a holiday, you very much need not to muck it up. I have travelled with Exodus before so my expectations were pretty high, and as one who is newly retired I was looking forward to working my way through your portfolio in the coming years. However, I now expect to be using Exodus only for short-haul trips, where I feel it’s less likely that something like this could happen again.

Reply from Exodus

We are grateful to Alison for taking the time to leave a review and are thrilled that she enjoyed her time in India overall and particularly the performance of her tour leader, Biju. On the other hand, we were regretful to learn that she was disappointed with elements of the houseboat cruise. Unfortunately, due to the composition of Alison’s group, which featured a disproportionately large number of solo travellers, we had to hire more boats than usual, some of which were supplied by a different company. Whilst we are satisfied with the general quality of these boats, we accept that the service they provided varied somewhat from that of our standard boats, which we recognise is not ideal. We discussed this at length with our local operator and put measures in place to prevent a similar situation affecting future groups. We hugely appreciate Alison’s feedback, as it has allowed us to look to make changes to this tour and ensure that it is as organised, informative, and enjoyable as our customers expect from Exodus, though we remain apologetic that this was not her experience on day 11 of the trip.

Sarah Puttnam, Product Manager

Most Inspirational Moment

For me personally, the most inspirational moments of the trip were the opportunities to talk, in an informal, casual way, with the varied people of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. India certainly has poverty. But the people of the region were fun to engage with. It made the trip not just a set of photo “opportunities” but an emotional, engaged experience that offered real enjoyment and much food for thought. The people I met, despite often having significantly less financially than the people I know in America, were more upbeat and positive about their lives and life’s possibilities.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our group leader, Sam Benjamin really made the trip the wonderful experience it was. He is a font of knowledge. His willingness to take us off the “beaten track” to see unexpected things and meet a whole array of people, made the trip much more than a set of “photo shoots” of this and that. It allowed us to better engage with the people and the region. Sam is a caring, thoughtful individual who made sure people felt comfortable with the host of experiences we encountered. He is a delight to talk to. Honestly, he is the best guide I have ever had. I would give him a grade of A+++.

Advice for Potential Travellers

My advice would be to talk to the people you meet. Do not stay within the small bubble of your comfort zone simply talking to others in the tour group and taking pictures. Be open to new experiences, meet new people. One of the exciting things about India is that many people speak some English. Engage with them. Listen to their stories. Share, in return, your own stories. It will make your trip a much richer experience!

Most Inspirational Moment

So much culture! Impromtu detours courtesy of Sam which was so interesting and which if we were travelling solo we would of missed. For example the Hindu festival at a temple with elephants, magical. The tuktuk rides! The walk around the rural village.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Brilliant could not have wished for better.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Go with the flow!

Most Inspirational Moment

So many unforgettable moments, it is very difficult to select just one. The trek through the tea plantations at Munnar was an early highlight, although the mists and low cloud obscured what should have been stunning views. The whole experience at Madurai was amazing: a constant wall of sound, with crazy drivers (and a rollercoaster of a tuk tuk ride at night), an unmissable early morning heritage walk (with such a diversity of activities unfolding), followed by a visit to the wonderful Meenakshi Temple, and dining out on street food in the evening. The stop off at the spice garden was informative and offered an opportunity to sample and buy the local products. The cookery demonstration at Thekkady got everyone involved and was highly entertaining (with some tasty food as the end result), while the homestay gave us some of the best food of the whole trip. The houseboat experience was possibly the most inspirational moment, so peaceful and relaxing and a splendid way to wind down towards the end of the itinerary.

Thoughts on Group Leader

We could not fault San in any way. He was an exceptional leader with excellent interpersonal skills, and he organised the whole trip in a professional and responsive way. His knowledge of all aspects of local Indian life, culture and society was amazing and he was always ready to offer just the right amount and level of information, whether explaining what we were experiencing or answering questions from the group. His sense of humour engaged with the group and helped to make us a unit. We were aware he was having to deal with a number of issues behind the scenes (the spread of coronavirus was a constant concern) but he managed them calmly and kept us informed about everything we needed to know. We were always confident that he was acting in our best interests and giving us the best possible experience.

Advice for Potential Travellers

You need to take a travel plug for the basins if you want to use them for washing or shaving, as few - if any - of the rooms have them. Make sure you take plenty of hand sanitizer and apply a rigorous hygiene regime at all times, to avoid any unwelcome bugs; if you are careful you should be fine. Take a travel toilet roll or tissues out with you as outside of the hotels few toilets have any toilet paper. There are plenty of opportunities for laundering clothes during the trip and they are very cheap. Using them could reduce the amount of clothes you need to pack.

Suggestions

Don’t expect much from the visit to Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary: it really is a matter of luck if you see any wildlife, let alone elephants (our guide tried valiantly but in vain to locate them), and you won’t see much from the boat cruise on the lake there unless you are seated right on the outside or the front. Day 6 in Madurai was very full-on and some in our group found it too tiring towards the end, after an early morning start for the heritage walk followed by visits to the temple and palace before a long evening out sampling the street food. All of these events offered wonderful experiences, however it might be better to have the street food walk on the previous evening (Day 5) to allow for a more leisurely end to Day 6.

Most Inspirational Moment

- Seeing a wild bull elephant at a local village and the journey by jeep to reach it, the atmosphere was electric. - The trek up hill from the tea plantations, surrounding scenery and the magical dragonflies in their hundreds. - The cycle rickshaw ride weaving its way through the crowded streets towards an imposing and beautiful temple at Madurai. - Enjoying “a time that once was” on the backwaters and relaxing on a comfortable houseboat. - Tantalising the taste buds with delectable vegetarian curries and delicious sea food. My friend noted the early morning cultural excursion at Madurai was excellent and I an sorry to have missed it!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Sam is a friendly guy who is helpful and tries to provide extra when individuals have specialist requests to see something specific i.e. cultural excursion, Although, he doesn’t appear as interested in nature (as I am!). Sam perhaps left plan updates a little late in the day for our group members, however we was knowledgeable and we felt always felt safe with him around.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Leave room in your case if you would like to buy gifts. This part of India is great for material, silk and cotton garments, textiles, wood carvings, metal and wooden ornaments and spices. Loose breathable fabrics as it can be very hot and humid. Pack an brolly/rain coat and a camera to capture the many splendours. A walking pole is useful when hiking if only to prevent slipping on muddy descents. Bring Snacks if you have a high metabolic rate and burn up calories fast as you might get hungry on the longer journeys. We experienced a few bites but nothing significant so cover up to avoid or use a little deet. Mainly bring with you a sense of humour and do all the activities on offer (although, note some suggested optional excursions in our case were not available. Also take sufficient cash or even better a card, Sam was great at ensuring ATM’s we’re regularly visited but if like me you take cash get plenty exchanged before you go on the one night stays as I had to borrow money off Sam our guide which was very kind of him but I did not ask for too much as I quickly realised others in my group had done the same and this meant I did not have my usual independence to spend as much as I wanted too! My friend and I did not get any sickness or diarrhoea but we ate where Sam recommended, I did not really eat meat but loved the fish. I consumed little in the way of diary although milk is said to be pasteurised and the water was filtered at the places we visited so take a water bottle and fill up on the bus. Have a massage when staying up in the hills at Periyar locality, a number of our group enjoyed them, you will get the same gender and it is worth every penny. Cover shoulders, chest and knees at temples. My friend and I would also recommend you do this in Kovalam too when walking to the harbour as to reduce undue male attention as men here can intensively stare! which can feel unnerving / unsafe at times, keep to tourist areas here too particularly if alone female and do not wander off the beaten track. There is a lot of rubbish outside and some unpleasant odours. The tourist bay itself has some great shops and restaurants. Wonderful sunsets can be seen here and the beach is pleasant but the sea can be a little choppy. The shop owners are friendly in the lovely tourist bay and there is access to tailors for those wanting clothes made up.

Suggestions

This trip was fun, enjoyable, interesting and I would recommend it! Hope you enjoy it as much as my friend and I did. We saw amazing things, met great people and took in some of the best scenery the world has to offer.