Older than the Himalayas, a UNESCO World Heritage site and also, sadly one of 36 biodiversity hotspots in the world, the Western Ghats are home to a large percentage of India’s flora and fauna, as well as a good proportion of adivasi or forest dwelling tribal peoples, each with a unique culture and cuisine stretching back many hundreds of years. Traditionally a region with very difficult access, in recent times many threats both to nature and lifestyles have been created.
Enriched by plentiful monsoon rains, the area has become synonymous with tea, coffee, cacao and spice plantations. It is this agriculture that produces both wealth and iconic vistas but also environmental degradation and encroachment in what is one of the most beautiful parts of the world. However, proximity to burgeoning cities like Kochi, Bengalaru and Mysuru has also introduced a generation of concerned, creative and articulate activists in these magical hills, and with them wonderful initiatives to help the land and its inhabitants towards a more sustainable future.
Our road trip through the Western Ghats, starting in lush Kerala - God’s Own Country - and ending in the palace kitchens of ancient Kingdom of Sawantwadi north of Goa looks fearlessly at the commercial agricultural models, the region’s still extraordinary nature and aboriginal ways of life, and interacts with some of the remarkable people who have taken upon themselves to celebrate, preserve and nurture these unique ecosystems.
Nights 1-2 Kochi - Art Central
Our journey starts in Kochi (Cochin previously), The Queen of the Arabian Sea, for centuries an almost mythic port and cultural hub and the gateway to Kerala. That reputation remains intact today, with its spectacular architecture, old world charm and the biggest contemporary art festival in Asia, the Kochi-Muziris Biennale.
Our time here is about getting a feel for the place, the quiet multicultural bustle of the port, introducing our tastebuds to the palette of spices and flavours that define Keralan cuisines, getting our eye in - and our wallets out - for the fabulous art oozing from every gallery, and our bodies aligned to the rhythms of traditional dance forms.
Meals, as you'd expect, are curated by forward looking chefs in chic galleries and focus around healthy Ayurvedic principles and the promotion of biodiversity in gastronomy.
Stay - Malabar House Art Hotel
Nights 3-4 - Tea Time in Munnar!
Today we wind our way up to the cool of the hills to Munnar, our delightful first Hill Station. The area is sometimes known as the Kashmir of the South, sitting as it does at over 5,000 feet, and - without giving you any ideas - is a popular honeymoon destination! This is largely tea country and the landscape, a mixture of dense jungle and immaculate tea gardens, is exquisite. Our time here revolves - obviously! - around the world’s favourite drink but we also look at how this vast agro-industry has affected indigenous culture and cuisine and whether two wildly different socio-economic systems can evolve into a different cup of tea.
Stay - Windermere Estate
Night 5 - Chocoholic Day
Our road trip continues to wend its way north, through tea, coffee, sandalwood, high altitude jaggery and coconut farming, this time to Anamalai, where we swap out tea for something rather more indulgent - the world of cacao. Not an indigenous crop, India is now seeing a huge interest in sustainable and vertically integrated “bean to bar” craft businesses. We visit the nascent Soklet (how chocolate is pronounced in Tamil) operation,
Stay - Coco Lagoon Resort
Nights 6-7 - Lyrical Coonoor
The next destination on our journey is Coonoor, the quieter more tranquil sister of bustling brash nearby Ooty. Although not totally putting our feet up, in Coonoor and nearby Kotagiri we meet with a group of conservationists and activists bringing creative solutions to the region. Here we look at their and similar NGO work, from bringing economic viability to the bee hunters of Semmanarai to the preservation and contemporary valorisation of ancient textile techniques. And we, of course, also take a deep dive into the cuisines of the predominant tribes of the Nilgiris - the Badaga and the Irula. In keeping with the old fashioned colonial vibe of the place, we stay at the newly renovated Taj Gateway.
Stay - Taj Gateway.
Nights 8-9 - Going Bush on the Kabini River
We take a break from plantations and art and crafts to get into the jungle around the wilderness of the Kabini River, known to be one of the most spectacular wildlife and bird sanctuaries in South Asia. Think safaris in coracles, story telling around camp fires in tribal villages and guided night walks. Think also elephants, tigers, leopards, sloth bears and skies darkened by flocks of birds. And think even more about your private plunge pool and the spectacularly good Karuba tribal BBQ.
Stay - Evolve Back Kabini
Nights 10-11 - Coorg Coffee Spice Break
Well, we have done tea and chocolate, now it’s time for coffee. And spices. And Coorg Cuisine. The area around Coorg, its culture and its cuisines are some of the most unique in India. It's a place that draws me like a magnet. The Kodava are a martial people, still exempt from requiring licences for firearms, and with an inordinate passion for pork and an equal disregard for temperance. It’s a great mix!
Not only that, the area is exceptionally beautiful, with landscapes reminiscent of the film Avatar. Our time here is spent equally between getting down with the locals and retiring to the unsurpassed luxury of the Chikkana Halli Evolve Back Hotel for lavish banquets by lakes, Ayurvedic spas or floating around your private pool.
Stay - Evolve Back Coorg
Night 12 - Bengaluru via Mysore - Sandalwood City
Mysore, aside from its fame as a centre of sandalwood and incense production and for its noble Wadiyar dynasty, is very swept up - literally, it's one of the cleanest cities in India. It is also a place of legendary dosas. We stop here for a dosa and a visit to Jaganmohan Palace Gallery to see a number of originals of iconic artist Raja Ravi Varma, before moving on to Bangalore, India's tech capital with a South Indian tasting menu and a night at the equally swept up Oberoi Hotel.
Stay - Oberoi
Nights 13-15 - Konkani Magic at Sawantwadi
This morning we fly down to Goa, our time in the hills over, but not our journey, and transfer to the wonderful Sawantwadi Palace. The owners, the Yuvraj and Yuvrani of Sawantwadi both just happen to be trained chefs with extensive experience across the globe. Combining some of the country’s more unusual art forms, bucolic bliss and a heavenly mix up of hands-on Konkani and modernist cuisines, our penultimate days are a fitting way to start winding up our culinary voyage.
Stay - Sawantwadi Palace Art Heritage Hotel
Night 16 - Eccentric Goa
This morning, after a leisurely breakfast, we take the short drive down to Goa, stopping in at legendary old hippy hangout (and now extremely chic... mostly) Anjuna for a lunch of Mindful Gastronomy from ex lawyer, chef and activist, Sai Sabnis' restaurant Posa. We then head down to quiet(er) South Goa, stopping in to have a snoop at some of the great boutiques in the capital, Panjim, before showing up at my second home in India, We have taken over the whole of the fabulously eccentric Vivenda Dos Palhacos, one of India's most celebrated travellers' nodes, and bohemian HQ run by very dear friends for a final night of feasting, revelry and fun.
Stay - Vivenda Dos Palhacos
16 Nights + 16 days of all inclusive immersive luxury travel
17th October - 1st November 2024
1st March - 17th March 2025
Cost - £10,750 per person in double or twin room
Single supplement £1,760
Tours include virtually everything - food, transport, alcoholic drinks (in group contexts), entrance fees, entertainment, guides, and the finest accommodation available in each destination.
Not included are flights to and from starting/finishing destination, raids on the mini-bar, pressies for those back home, personal items and gratuities.
All you have to do is get to the start rendez-vous and let your journey begin. We do the rest.
The itinerary overviews on this website are for general reference. The tourist scene, especially at some of the more out of the way places we visit, is evolving fast.
Dave's Tours reserves the right to modify its itineraries at any time, but this will only be done to improve guests' experiences and comfort. A certain unpredictability is also part of the fun!
Tours are subject to government guidelines and restrictions.
A reasonable level of fitness is required. Regrettably this tour is not suitable for wheelchair users.
Comprehensive travel and medical insurance is not included but is required for booking.
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