Kerala Ayurveda and Wellness Retreat Tour

You land at Cochin International Airport, the first airport in the world to run fully on solar power, and our representative meets you at the arrivals exit. The drive to Fort Kochi takes around ninety minutes, crossing the bridges of the Kochi harbour area. For a wellness tour, the first day matters: long-haul travel leaves the body stiff and dehydrated, so we keep the day empty. Your hotel is chosen for its quiet garden and good sleep, and the kitchen is happy to prepare light food such as kanji, a soft rice gruel served with green gram, which Ayurvedic doctors often recommend to settle digestion after travel. Our team can also ask the hotel to arrange an early check-in, so that you can rest without waiting in the lobby.

If you arrive in the afternoon, a short walk along the seafront at Fort Kochi is the best way to loosen up. The cantilevered Chinese fishing nets are lowered and lifted by teams of fishermen at sunset, and the breeze off the Arabian Sea is cool and pleasant. Drink plenty of tender coconut water, sold fresh from roadside carts, and try to stay awake until a normal bedtime so that your body clock adjusts quickly. Your chauffeur will meet you in the morning for a short briefing about the days ahead. Many guests find that a short, light dinner and an early night help more than any sleeping pill.

Overnight stay in Kochi.

The morning begins with a gentle yoga session at the hotel or a quiet seafront walk, followed by breakfast. A local guide then leads you on a slow walk around Fort Kochi, where centuries of Portuguese, Dutch and British rule have left their mark. You see St Francis Church, where Vasco da Gama was first buried, the Santa Cruz Basilica with its painted ceilings, and the old Dutch bungalows along Princess Street. The walk ends with a coffee in one of the small cafes around Burgher Street, many housed in restored colonial buildings with shaded courtyards. The pace is slow, with frequent stops in the shade, so the walk suits all ages and fitness levels.

In the afternoon you visit Mattancherry, where the spice trade still goes on in old warehouses smelling of ginger and pepper. The Mattancherry Palace, also called the Dutch Palace, holds remarkable murals from the Ramayana, and nearby is the Paradesi Synagogue, with its blue Chinese floor tiles. The synagogue is closed on Fridays, Saturdays and Jewish holidays, and the palace on Fridays, so the day is arranged accordingly. If you would like a first treatment, an hour of Abhyanga at a certified Ayurveda centre in Fort Kochi can be arranged, a good way to ease travel stiffness.

Overnight stay in Kochi.

Leaving the coast after breakfast, the road climbs gradually into the Western Ghats through rubber plantations, spice farms and small market towns. About halfway, you stop at the Cheeyappara and Valara waterfalls, which are at their fullest after the monsoon months. The air cools noticeably as you go higher, and by the time you reach Munnar, at about 1,600 metres, the slopes are covered in neatly clipped tea bushes. Your resort sits on a hillside away from the town centre, chosen for its fresh air and the silence at night. Your chauffeur keeps the windows down on the upper stretches if you wish, so you can enjoy the cool forest air.

After lunch, the afternoon is left free so that your body can adjust to the altitude. Most of our resorts here offer an in-house Ayurveda centre, and a Padabhyanga foot massage with warm oil is the recommended treatment today, as it is gentle and calming after a long drive. Later you can sit on your balcony with a cup of Kerala tea brewed with cardamom, watching the mist roll into the valleys. Dinner is light, with dishes such as avial, a mild vegetable stew with coconut and yoghurt, and red rice. A short stroll around the resort garden before dinner helps the body settle after the journey.

Overnight stay in Munnar.

Today starts early, with a sunrise yoga session on a hill terrace overlooking the tea gardens. The instructor focuses on gentle stretches and pranayama breathing, which feels especially clear in the cool mountain air. After breakfast, you set out on a guided walk through the tea estates with a local naturalist, who explains how tea is picked by hand every ten to fourteen days and how the plantations were established by Scottish planters in the late nineteenth century. You may see pickers at work with their baskets, a scene unchanged for over a century. The naturalist also names the birds you hear along the way, including the Malabar whistling thrush.

Later you visit the Tata Tea Museum, which shows the old rolling machines and explains the stages from leaf to cup, followed by a tasting of different grades. The afternoon is reserved for rest, or an optional drive to Eravikulam National Park, home to the rare Nilgiri tahr, a mountain goat found only in the Western Ghats. The park is usually closed for a few weeks in February and March during the calving season. Back at the resort, an evening Abhyanga session with herbal oils helps relax tired legs after the walking. Most guests sleep soundly here, helped by the cool air and the deep quiet of the hills.

Overnight stay in Munnar.

The drive to Thekkady follows a winding route through cardamom hills and small villages, with tea gardens slowly giving way to spice plantations. The road is narrow in places, so your chauffeur takes it calmly, with tea stops at viewpoints along the way. Thekkady sits on the edge of the Periyar Tiger Reserve, and the air here is warm, scented with cardamom and pepper. Your hotel is set in a forest garden, where birds and Malabar giant squirrels are often seen from the balcony in the late afternoon. Along the way, the car passes small markets selling cardamom by the kilo and roadside stalls offering fresh pineapple slices.

In the afternoon you visit a spice garden with an Ayurvedic herb specialist rather than a regular guide. Along with cardamom, pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg, he points out medicinal plants such as brahmi, used for memory, and tulsi, the holy basil used for colds and fevers, and explains how they are used in the oils and powders of Ayurvedic treatment. It is an informative visit that helps you understand the treatments you will receive later. In the evening, the hotel's Ayurveda centre offers a Kizhi treatment with warm herbal poultices to soothe the muscles. It is also possible to buy small bottles of herbal oils at the garden shop, though there is no pressure to do so.

Overnight stay in Thekkady.

The morning nature walk in Periyar Tiger Reserve begins at seven, led by tribal guides trained by the forest department. Walking in small groups through the evergreen forest, you may see Malabar hornbills, langur monkeys, wild boar, and sometimes elephants near the lake. Tigers are rarely seen, but fresh pug marks are not unusual. The walk takes about two and a half hours on mostly level paths, and leech socks are supplied in the wet months. It is a calm, unhurried activity that fits well with the mood of a wellness tour. Wear long trousers and closed shoes, and bring a light raincoat if you visit during or just after the monsoon.

The rest of the day is deliberately left free. Many guests use this time to read, nap or simply sit in the garden, which is exactly what an Ayurvedic doctor would recommend in the middle of a treatment course. If you would like to be more active, an optional bamboo rafting trip or a boat ride on Periyar Lake can be arranged, though both need booking in advance through the forest department. For dinner, try puttu, a steamed rice cake with coconut, served with kadala curry made from black chickpeas. A gentle stroll around Kumily market in the late afternoon is another quiet option, with stalls selling tea and spices.

Overnight stay in Thekkady.

Leaving the hills behind, the road descends through rubber estates and small towns to the backwater country around Kottayam. You reach Kumarakom, on the eastern shore of Vembanad Lake, Kerala's largest lake, by early afternoon. Your lakeside resort sits among coconut palms and narrow canals, and the change in the air from the cool forest to the warm, humid lake shore is clear. Light cotton clothing is best from here onward. After check-in, take time to rest, perhaps with a fresh lime soda in the shade by the water. Kumarakom is a quieter base than Alleppey, with fewer houseboats and almost no road noise at night.

Late in the afternoon a meditation session is held on a jetty facing the lake, guided by the resort's yoga teacher. As the sun sets over the water, kingfishers and egrets settle into the trees, and the only sound is the occasional passing of a country boat. Afterwards you have a Shirodhara session at the resort's Ayurveda centre, with warm medicated oil poured in a steady stream across your forehead. Many guests find it the most deeply relaxing treatment of all and sleep particularly well afterwards. The resort keeps dinner light tonight, as the therapist recommends resting the stomach after Shirodhara.

Overnight stay in Kumarakom.