Backwaters
We can point you in the direction of a good company to rent a houseboat in nearby Kollam and spend a day or two exploring the wonderfully tranquil and beautiful inland waterways observing traditional village life, enveloped in the magic of dusk and dawn across the water.
Diving & Surfing in Tamil Nadu
If you're travelling around India this east coast set-up in Pondicherry offer PADI diving aswell as surfing and many other water-based activities. Check their site here.
Ayurveda
Kerala is the home of the ancient Indian well-being system called Ayurveda and a stay in this part of the world wouldn't be complete without sampling a treatment or two. There are numerous local Ayurvedic pharmacies and practices offering everything from a relaxing 1 hour massage to a 1 month 'panchakarma' full-on body cleansing programme. Prices range from £4 for massage to a 10 day detox course for about £125. Speak to us when you arrive and we can make recommendations.
Surf Ashram
To experience the full gamut of surf in India we recommend talking to the guys at the Surf Ashram 12 hours up the coast in Karnataka. The Surfing Swamis inspired us to open our doors and almost single-handedly put surfing India on the map. Visit their website and tell them we sent you! SurfingIndia.net
Shaka Surf Club
Good friends of ours and the Surf Ashram's, The Shaka Surf Club are based in Manipal, Karnataka. The Shaka Surf Club was started mainly to give the students in and around Manipal a chance to experience the awesomeness, that is Surfing!! But, they also welcome people, of all ages, hailing from all places, to come surf with them. More great people to hang out and surf with! The Shaka Surf Club
Sivananda Ashram
Sofie trained as a yoga teacher in the nearby Sivananda ashram set in the hills east of Trivandrum. Join their yoga vacation program and escape from it all in their lush grounds. (minimum stay is 3 days). www.sivananda.org
Tea Plantations and the Western Ghats
Cool down in the mountains near Munnar, a few hours North east of Varkala. Waterfalls, mountain lakes, lush forests, sleepy villages and colonial hill-stations provide an awesome backdrop for this alternative south Indian experience.
Cooking Classes
We've found an amazingly charismatic local lady, the finest south Indian cook we've come across, who will give cooking classes in the afternoon making numerous vegetarian curries, dhals and raitas before devouring them in the evening.
Fort Cochin
This important global trading post ruled in turn by the Arabians, Portuguese, Dutch, British and ultimately India, is a wonderfully atmospheric town full of great restaurants, luxurious hotels, quirky cafes and hundreds of antique shops. This port-town is where India collides with old colonial Europe in a memorable fusion of east and west, modernity and antiquity.
Lands End
The southern most tip of India, Kanya Kumari is home to some of the most important temples in the country. This sacred place sees visitors from all over India on pilgrimages and across the world to see the monument for Swami Vivekananda and the giant statue of Thiruvalluvar on their own islands across the sea. Watch sunrise and sunset from this special place.
Enfield Motorbikes
Rent an Enfield motorbike for a few days and have a quintessential Indian traveller experience exploring southern India with the wind in your hair and the roar of the engine as company.
