Kovalam Tours and Trips

Wonderful trip through a unique part of India. As usual with Exodus we had a great group of like minded travelers and a variety of things to see and experience. There was a good mix of urban and nature. Cochin would have been a lot better if the hotel was in Fort Cochin. Too much time was spend driving back and forth.

Great trip covering highlights of Kerala. Fabulous tour leader and support team. The rides started easy and flat, and became progressively harder with increasingly longer hills as we headed into the mountains. The slow pace suited my ability. The spinning classes I did as preparation definitely paid off. The heat and humidity were challenging! Road conditions were better than expected. The bikes could have been in better condition- the mechanic was great in sorting out issues on the way. Most of the participants missed their various connecting flights arranged by Explore, including us! Arriving at 5am and having to be prepared to cycle at 8.30am wasn’t fun! Explore really need to consider this as I think it’s a regular occurrence!

This was a busy itinerary with some early starts and long transfers, but it meant we saw so many amazing places every day. Our memory of the first week in the north, was of the noisy mayhem that is India, with quite a lot of sightseeing to monuments. In contrast the week in Kerala was more relaxed either by the sea or in the mountains. Being a 'Premium Adventure' meant we were in good standard hotels, and about half the dinners and some lunches were included in the price, which was appreciated. Also, our leader saw to all the tipping for the whole trip, so we didn't have to have a kitty (a bit of a bugbear on previous Exodus trips).

As a first time visitor to India I was not disappointed. This is a full on trip with lots of time spent travelling between locations but this means you get the full flavour of both Kerala and Tamil Nadu from the stunning tea plantations in the North to the Southern Tip of India where three oceans meet.

This was an absolutely brilliant trip with varied itinerary seeing a mixture of busy cities and daily life within, walking barefoot in beautiful temples, watching traditional Kathakali dance show, trekking in stunning mountainous tea plantations and also in jungle in the Periyar National Park, cruising on a houseboat on the beautiful backwaters, staying in an amazing home stay being looked after by the lovely owner Grace and finishing with relaxing time on beautiful beaches. The scenery as you drive around is simply stunning with some incredible views. We had such a really lovely fun group of people and the locals were so warm, gentle and smiley and hotel staff went out of their way to look after us, in particular Ripon at the Peppervine, best kindest service ever! We had the most incredible knowledgeable guide Biju, who gave us so many interesting insights into his wonderful country and was the warmest, kindest most thoughtful person, looking after us all so incredibly well, he helped make this holiday a best ever . Vinod our driver was excellent, so friendly and smiley and he kept the bus immaculate and drove us so safely . A wonderful trip and no wonder it’s known as Gods own country, it’s simply stunning, with an exceptional guide Biju and such lovely locals who really touched me, I left a piece of my heart there!

My Exodus trip to Kerala and Tamil Nadu was truly amazing in so many ways. The beautiful scenery, lush green and full of fascinating wild life, the range and style of vegetarian food, and the overwhelming gentleness and warmth of the local people were all way beyond my expectations. Our outstanding guide Biju was at the heart of it all with his supreme organizational skills, endless information on every topic imaginable and, above all, his patience and kindness towards everyone in the group. The itinerary was perfect as it exposed us to so many very different aspects of the region: rural and urban settings, magnificent Hindu temples as well as Christian churches, historically important public buildings but also the homes of ordinary people going about their daily lives. A solo trip to India could never have offered such an enlightening and wide ranging experience as we gained from this trip. I would highly recommend it to others especially for a first trip to India and if they are as lucky as we were they may even have Biju as a guide too.