Southwest India

There is no other place on earth like India, and possibly nowhere else as fascinating as this country defined by its myriad of religions (and gods!), languages and ethnic groups, as well as a long and complex history. India is far too big and far too rich of a country to be covered in just one trip, or even several trips for the matter, which is why for this particular trip we have chosen to explore just part of the southwestern corner of the country.

Over the course of 16 days we venture through 3 different states: Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, each with its own history, culture, language(s) and diversity of landscapes. The trip features some magnificent National Parks, nature reserves, wildlife sanctuaries, one of the world’s eight only biodiversity hotspots and a great variety of ecosystems. We walk (or travel by some other means such as boat, jeep, van etc.) through a variety of natural landscapes such as, lagoons, rivers, backwaters, wetlands, rainforests, cloud forests, deciduous forests, montane grasslands, hills, mountains, semi-tropical savanna and plains, as well as series of manmade landscapes such as rice paddies, coffee, tea and spice plantations. In terms of wildlife there is a good possibility of seeing some of the following on of our boat or jeep safaris in the Nagarhole National Park or as we walk through the Periyar National: elephants, gaur (Indian bison), dhole (Indian wild dog), crocodiles, giant squirrels, sloth bears, monkeys, various deer, tigers, leopards and vast number of birds.

This trip is not only a wonderful introduction into rural India and some of its natural treasures, it also provides great insight into some its bygone eras, the sense of which is especially felt in the hill stations of Ooty and Coonor (founded by British colonialists as refuges from the summer heat) and the cities of Cochin and Calicut, which, historically, were very prosperous global trading centres and the landing site of the first Europeans to arrive by sea in the Indian subcontinent in 1498, after sailing around the tip of Africa (the Cape of Good Hope).

The walking on this trip is generally along good forest paths or tea and/or coffee plantation tracks. There is a relatively steep descent on Day 7 down to the tea estate where we have lunch and do the tea tasting, but there is the possibility to opt out of this section. The ridge walk we do a Day 10 is slightly exposed in places, but there are no sheer drops, and it is possible to easily keep one’s distance from the steep southern slope.

For a detailed itinerary and/or further information, please contact us at [email protected]

KEY INFORMATION

The fitness level for all trips is classified according to the average distance and elevation gain of the walks offered, with fitness levels ranging from 1-5, see here for more details.