Route: GOA(2N)-KOCHI (2N)–THEKKADY(2N)–HOUSEBOAT(1N)–KOCHI
Date: You choose (between September and April)
Note: This itinerary is fully customizable as per your wish.
Immerse yourself in the sights, sounds and flavours of India on a 15-day food adventure. Experience the wonders of Goa to Cochin: indulge in street food and home cooked meals, marvel at the magnificent plant and animal life, visit incredible temples, and indulge in sumptuous cuisine. Take it easy on the beaches of Goa, appreciate the stunning beauty of the backwaters on a houseboat, discover the lively street food of Cochin, and spend time in rural areas to interact with the local community. This unforgettable journey takes you to the cultural and gastronomic heart of India, with a taste of India’s vibrant markets and a chance to cook up a storm.
This tour is dotted with many cooking classes, not by the expert 5 star chefs but by the simple housewives in traditional Indian families. Whether you are a passionate cook yourself or just a foody, you will simply love to try your hand at this unique opportunity to learn some Indian dishes or enhance your skills if you are already fond of cooking.
Code: CACT2
Namaste! Welcome to India. You will be received at the airport by our representative and given a traditional welcome over there, followed by transfer to the Hotel.
People say that time goes by slower in Goa, so it's an excellent chance to experience peace in a generally bustling country. Goa offers stunning beaches, rich customs, buildings that are UNESCO World Heritage sites, and tantalizing cuisine with Portuguese influences. Goa's dense, wooded areas and favourable climate are ideal for cultivating the spices used generously in their cuisine.
If you're feeling brave after dinner, go out and sample feni. It's a popular local spirit made from coconut or cashew apple juice.
Begin your day by visiting Old Goa, a historical city located on the banks of the Mandovi River. Although approximately 2500 locals reside in the city nowadays, between the 16th and 18th centuries, Old Goa was an active spice trading centre with almost 200,000 inhabitants. Take a stroll through the streets adjoined by ancient churches and historical edifices and explore the local market. Conclude your visit in Old Goa by driving to a spice farm. Here you will discover how spices are farmed, gathered, treated and made ready for consumption in food and Ayurvedic medicine. You will witness how these spices blend together during a delectable lunch freshly cooked at the spice farm before heading back to Goa. Tonight, participate in a cookery class to uncover the mysteries of Malvani cuisine, much-loved in the South Konkan area of Maharashtra and Goa. Learn how to prepare some iconic coastal recipes and relish your culinary creations for dinner.
After breakfast, transfer to the airport to connect flight to Kochi.
Kochi has been a place for traders to meet since ancient times. The city is full of lively markets and excellent food experiences. Our food tour begins at Fort Kochi, which is the oldest European settlement in India dating back to 1500. It has a blend of English, Dutch, and Portuguese influences, much of which remains in the surviving architecture. The city is situated on multiple islands and has various waterways, giving it a diverse atmosphere that appeals to artists and craftsmen from the surrounding area. The city also boasts unique Indian flavors in its street food and local restaurants.
After a brief rest in your hotel, you will visit a traditional Indian family to learn cooking from the lady of the house. Learn how to cook Indian dishes in a fully equipped kitchen. The instructor will teach you how to prepare 5-6 dishes from a pre-selected menu. Afterwards, enjoy the food you cooked with the instructor. Its going to be a whole afternoon programme culminating into dinner.
Our destination this morning is the Fort Kochi district. We drive to Mattancherry Palace. Built by the Portuguese in the 16th century, the palace was extensively renovated by the Dutch, earning it the name Dutch Palace. It houses some of the most exquisite murals in India, depicting scenes from the Ramayana and other great legends. From the palace we venture out to further explore bustling Fort Kochi, combining many of the island's most famous sites, including the Jewish Town Synagogue, where Kochi's surviving Jewish community worships, and the famous cantilevered Chinese fishing nets, with an introduction to South Indian cuisine. We then venture into the many lanes and markets of Fort Kochi for our first taste of Indian street food, including Masala Vada, a pancake made from chana dal, fennel seeds and capsicum, and Bonda, a bite-sized fried snack made from spicy potatoes and fried in a flour batter. Continuing the food theme, lunch is taken in the Tea Bungalow. Today's lunch is the perfect introduction to Kerala cuisine and in particular Sadya (literally translated as feast), which consists of a variety of traditional vegetarian dishes, usually served on a banana leaf, and is served by families during the festival of Onam.
After lunch, we head to the Fort Kochi tourist jetty for a cruise around Kochi harbour to take in the sea air and see the vast waterways and islands that have been the beating heart of Kochi's commercial success for hundreds of years.
At the end of the day, we are back on land for a performance of Kathakali, which is considered by some to be the very essence of Kerala culture. Its origins may have come from traditional temple rituals and an art form known as Koodiyattam. It is the facial make-up that makes this dance so unique and the dancers can spend up to three hours painting their faces - the features are heavily emphasised as facial expressions and coordinated eye movements are important in the dance. The dances usually depict events from the Ramayana and Mahabharata, the great Indian epics.
We travel to the teak forests around Thekkady and the Periyar National Park. Today's theme is spices and a tour of a spice garden called “Abraham’s Spice Garden” is on the programme. The owner Mr. Abraham will be more than happy to share his knowledge about spice farming with you. He will explain the importance of spices in Indian cuisine and why so many spices thrive in this part of the world (some of the highest quality cardamom is grown in the Kerala region). As well as cardamom, pepper, vanilla, nutmeg, ginger, cocoa pods and curry plant are also grown. After visiting the spice gardens, we will have a cooking demonstration showing how spices are carefully mixed and used in cooking. Lunch in the spice gardens is included. Our comfortable hotel for the night is in Kumily and offers a mix of jungle cottages and forest rooms with a spa offering Ayurvedic therapies and a swimming pool.
As we leave Thekkady after the breakfast, we head back towards the coast and our homestay for the night. We stay with local families in a village and your guide will introduce you to local customs and traditions. It is a great opportunity to spend time learning about the real life of Keralans and to sample some delicious home cooking - perhaps a spicy coconut curry. The rooms are in the same style as a traditional Keralan home, with mattresses made locally from coir, a material made from coconut husks that allows air to circulate naturally - ideal in this humid region. This afternoon there is an opportunity for gentle walks through the surrounding villages where we will learn about toddy tapping, where fresh sap is collected from palm trees and fermented for five hours to produce 6-7% alcohol toddy. This evening, join our host family as they prepare a delicious home-cooked meal using recipes passed down through the generations. All rooms are twin-share and most have their own en-suite bathroom, although there are some rooms with a private bathroom down the corridor from the room. Bathrooms are basic with a toilet and a simple shower and hot water can be limited at times. All bedding and towels are provided.
This morning drive to Alleppey to board our houseboats and begin our journey into Kerala's backwater network. Traditional houseboats were once used to transport goods from isolated inland settlements to the coast. Designed for stability, many have been painstakingly refurbished. They now offer well-appointed twin en-suite rooms and fine dining experiences. The pace is relaxed - allowing us to see riverine village life in its entirety. The hardworking villagers keep cattle, chickens and vegetable gardens on narrow strips of land. Even the shells of freshwater mussels are burned to make building lime, and the fibre from coconut palms has many uses. During the day, we will stop at a village. Here we will see well-tended gardens, often with brightly coloured flowers, such as hibiscus, which contrast sharply with the tropical green. There will also be a cooking demonstration on board. You will have the opportunity to cook a fish curry or a vegetarian dish served on a banana leaf.
Awake with a view of rural Kerala while enjoying a leisurely breakfast aboard. We disembark mid-morning and head back to Kochi, arriving in time for lunch. Kochi is renowned for its excellent seafood and our restaurant has a prime location on the northern tip of Fort Kochi, an ideal spot to watch the action in the bay as we sample freshly caught fish.
farewell dinner at any local restaurant. No accommodation in Kochi. After dinner, transfer to international airport to board the flight back home
Fly back HOME.
If your flight is on next day, we will book a hotel for you in Kochi and provide departure transfer next day to connect your flight back home.
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