I was reading about cruises in India and came across this boat tour on the Kerala Backwaters in Kochi. It's a day tour billed as a small group cultural tour. You cruise on the boat and have dinner and tea with a local family. You can talk to them about their lives in Kochi and interact with family members. You will also have a walking tour of the area, including rice paddies, learn about the village and foods they grow. Sounds wonderful!
I saw some of the most beautiful photos of this ever on instagram. You describe it perfectly. The person took his family of four and they did a full tour surrounded by some of the most beautiful coconut trees I've ever seen. There's also terrific street food served on large banana leaves in lieu of plates. There were hammocks, badminton and tennis nets, and other awesome outdoor activities. Not to mention to traditional boat rides themselves. The only downside is that I personally have sinus issues and I wonder what it's like to be that close to the waters all the time, but otherwise it seems so refreshing. And it's as authentic as it gets - the person also noted that there are no washing machines, so you also have to wash ALL of your clothes in the backwater. Sounds fine for a vacation, though!
I love things like this, where you really do get a better understanding of what local life is like. I love that it incorporates actually sitting down and having a meal with a family! I love experiencing new foods whenever I visit a new place, and what better way to do it with a family - I think that would be such a wonderful experience! Do you have any details of the company that runs this tour? I'd really love to find out more about it!
Isn't that what travel should be? To immerse yourself in the culture and life so that you get an understanding of the people. This is something I will definitely look into. It would be great for a family to experience, especially children because it gives them an idea of life outside of their environment.
This sounds amazing! What a great way to immerse yourself in local culture and cuisine; what a great way to make some new friends! I didn't realize day tours like this were available in India -- thank you for posting about it. I'll be including this in my vacation research now.
I've never thought about going on a boat tour in India but this does sound amazing and gives another different perspective of traveling India.
I would go for a boat tour, but not sure if I would want to be stuck on a cruise ship. Spending a day on a tour boat on the river would be fantastic. I'd want to chose one where I had plenty of opportunity to see the waterfalls and the wildlife.
If anyone wants a recommendation regarding places to visit and things to do in India, I will recommend Kerala and Kerala backwater. Boating on Kerala's intricate rivers that pass accords rife farms and villages is an experience of life time.
Kerala is called God's own country. It is a very beautiful place. A boat tour through Kerala backwaters is an amazing experience. I have never been to Kerala but it tops my wishlist. A close friend and colleague for ten years is from Kerala and he keeps telling me about all the awesome places in Kerala. He has a farmhouse in a village near Kochi. He has even told me to plan a trip during Summers and he will show me all the places worth visiting in Kerala. Let's see when I am able to go!
This experience sounds like a wonderful find. Imagine spending time with a family and seeing their day to day activities. You could swap information so that they would know what you're life is like in your country. I have a feeling this would be quite the eye opener for a lot of people.
Sounds like something I've missed out! One reason I always travel is so I can meet new people, get to learn more about their culture. I love, love Kerala but never did know that there was more fun to be had. Next time I'm in Kerala I'll have to find out what this "cultural boat tour" costs.
It is truly lovely! When I went on the backwaters, we had a wooden canoe that was propelled by a local man with a pole. It was very relaxing, and while we may not have had the amenities of some of the nice boats that we would see from our room overlooking the river, it was very nice, and our boatman was more than happy to talk about the village and the temples that we saw. That was over a decade ago, but I am sure there are still people who would be happy to take foreigners on a boat ride for a fee.
