Our next post comes from Sarah King, our Adventure Sales Supervisor who went on our South India Images tour in April this year. She has some images of her own that she would like to share with us to show her impressions of this amazing area…
“Wow! My first visit to India and my first Explore tour – Simply unforgettable, for all the right reasons!
Using varied forms of transport South Indian Images allows you to get a true sense of the “Real India”. From chatting to locals on the trains to whizzing through the traffic in a tuk-tuk, what better way to see the culturally diverse and beautiful South of India?
You get to explore a wealth of temples, churches and historical buildings which are archeologically fascinating as well as beautiful. The most enjoyable for me were The Meenakshi Temple in Madurai, a Hindu Temple that has 14 colourful temples and a Golden Lotus Flower and the Maharajahs Palace in Mysore which still has ornate furnishings and décor, the guided tour is informative and interesting.
Enjoy the relaxing boat journey through Periyar National Park, I can’t describe how I felt the time I saw a family of wild elephants for the first time.
Another relaxing boat ride through the Kerala Backwaters is just as amazing as it allows you to see the goings on of people who live right on the waters edge as well as seeing some colourful birds!
I particularly enjoyed visiting the spice plantation, where we were shown different spices and how they are cultivated as well as some of our stops to see tea pickers in the fields, workers collecting rubber from the trees and the colourful flower markets.
Our visit to Kochi allowed for some shopping opportunities, a visit to see the Chinese fishing nets which are still used today and take some skill to operate. We had the opportunity to use the fishing nets and our successful catch of 2 fish was well deserved. We also saw wild dolphins frolicking in the bay on our way to see traditional Kathakali dancing.
There are hundreds of different dialects used in India that even native people find it hard to converse. Hindi and English are widely used to communicate.”
If you feel inspired by Sarah’s experiences in Southern India, you can get the details of the South India Images tour here, We have two other trips which visit the laid back area of Kerala, Kerala Backwaters and for an alternative view, a cycling trip along the Keralan Backwaters. Explore have a great selection of tours all over India, click here to see all our adventure holidays in India.
About to do this trip in a few weeks; sounds great!!
We live in a crazy beautiful world.