This is a 21 day circular journey exploring the varied culture and cuisine of the Deccan, Konkan, and Malabar regions of South India during the festival season of Divali.
You will learn about the stories and traditions of diverse food cultures, look at the influence of historical trading relationships and explore how the modern context and culture of these places has emerged over time.
The journey includes two overnight train rides, a night spent on a houseboat, and two nights stay in a wildlife reserve.
The journey will begin in Bengaluru, Karnataka, where you will be met by Kiran Sahi, who will guide and lead the journey throughout.
After a day in the city of Bengaluru (when you will witness the annual Divali celebrations in the city) you will travel north to Hampi and explore the ruins of the ancient city of Vijayanagara, once a vast kingdom in the region. The journey then turns toward the west coast and down the Western Ghats by train, to Panjim in Goa. You will learn about the influence of the Portuguese colonial period on the architecture and culture of this locality. Continuing down the west coast and into Kerala, you will learn about the differences between these two regions and the historical influence of Middle Eastern trading routes and the Dutch colonial period on the culture of Kochi.
Whilst in central Kerela we will look at the growth of spices along the forested backwaters with a night spent on a houseboat, and travel up the western ghats to tea estates.
The journey will then travel north to the forests of Nagarhole Tiger Reserve, learning about the biodiversity of the semi-tropical deciduous rainforest biome and exploring the region by safari, aiming to spot a range of endemic and migratory species of bird and animal wildlife.
After two days in this region the journey will return to Bengaluru for the flight home.
Throughout the journey, you will learn about the varied cuisine of each region and the recipes that have developed in each locality through cookery workshops. You will explore markets to buy ingredients and sample a wide range of different cuisines along the way.
Day 1: Thurs 31st October. Arrival in Bengaluru. Arrive in Bengaluru. Visit to ‘The Land’ in Silvepura village for orientation, welcome and introductions. Evening location: Bengaluru.
Day 2: Fri 1st Nov. Divali in Bengaluru City. Morning visit to the flower market, journey to the old and new sections of the city, exploring the wide diversity of food culture in the city and the Divali celebrations. Evening location: Bengaluru.
Day 3: Sat 2nd Nov. Silvepura village and introducing South Indian food culture. Drive through the rural hinterland of Bengaluru city, looking at farms and agriculture, stop at a vegetable market and purchase ingredients. Introduction to South Indian cuisine through an introductory cookery workshop. Take an overnight train to Hampi. Evening location: Train to Hampi.
Day 4: Sun 3rd Nov. Hampi. Arrive in Hampi, lunch in the old market area. Explore Hampi town and walk along the Tungabhadra river. Evening location: Hampi
Day 5: Mon 4th Nov. The temples of the Vijayanagara empire. Guided tour of the temple complex travelling between locations by rickshaw. Evening location: Hampi
Day 6: Tues 5th Nov. The coast in Goa. Day train to Goa. Arrive in Madagon, evening walk along the beach, and introduction to Goan food culture. Evening location: Madagon.
Day 7: Weds 6th Nov. Goa Velha. Drive to ‘Old Goa’ near Panjim. Guided tour of old city and fort. Visit Panjim market. Evening location: Madagon.
Day 8: Thurs 7th Nov. Goan food culture. Morning visit to market to buy ingredients and morning on the beach. A Goan cookery workshop in the afternoon. Take an overnight train to Kerela. Evening location: Train to Kerela.
Day 9: Fri 8th Nov. Kannur. Arrive in Kannur. Morning drive to Bekkal fort, visit bronze casting and weaving communities. Possible experience of Theyamm classical dance/drama art form. Evening location: Kannur.
Day 10: Sat 9th Nov. Thalassery food culture. Visit fish market to purchase fish and ingredients. Afternoon cookery workshop learning Thalassery style cuisine. Evening location: Kannur.
Day 11: Sun 10th Nov. Journey down the coast. Quiet morning in coastal hotel. Travel down the west coast towards Kochi. Arrive in Kochi and walk along the harbour. Evening location: Kochi.
Day 12: Mon 11th Nov. The history of spice trading in Kochi port and fort. Explore Kochi harbour, the chinese fishing nets. Visit the paradesi synagogue and the spice market. Watch a Katakhalli dance performance. Evening location: Kochi.
Day 13: Tues 12th Nov. The backwaters and spice forests via houseboat. A day and nights journey on a houseboat, travelling along the canals and the backwaters that connect the waterways through central Kerala. A visit to a spice farm, learning about the story of spices. A Malabar cookery workshop on the way. Evening location: Houseboat.
Day 14: Weds 13th Nov. Vagamon Tea estates. Drive up the Western Ghats to Vagamon, visit tea plantations and hill walk. Evening location: Vagamon.
Day 15: Thur 14th Nov. The Western Ghats. Morning drive through the hills of the western ghats. Overnight train to Mysore. Evening location: Train to Mysore.
Day 16: Fri 15th Nov. Mysore City. Arrive in Mysore, visit the market and rest at the hotel. Evening location: Mysore.
Day 17: Sat 16th Nov. Mysore City and the Cauvery river. Morning visit to the temple at Somnathpur, learn about the agricultural resources of the region supported by the river cauvery: Silk, sugar cane, and rice. Afternoon to explore the city, the silk factory, the palace. Evening location: Mysore.
Day 18: Sun 17th Nov. Bandipur wildlife sanctuary. Morning drive to Bandipur wildlife sanctuary. Wildlife explore and jeep safari. Evening location: Jungle lodge in Bandipur.
Day 19: Mon 18th Nov. Nagarhole wildlife sanctuary. Morning safari, explore through walks and jeep safaris. Transfer to second forest location, evening safari. Evening location: Jungle lodge in Nagarhole.
Day 20: Tues 19th Nov. Journey back to Bangalore. Return drive back to Bangalore. Stop at Srirangapatnam to visit Tipus summer palace. Evening location: Bengaluru.
Day 21: Weds 20th Nov. Final day. Shopping opportunities and final cookery workshop, deciding on which style to cook, purchasing ingredients, planning a meal and cooking together. (Flight the next day, early morning.) Evening location: Bengaluru.
This proposed itinerary is very packed. If all that is proposed is included, it may be at the top end of our price ranges, and will come between £2900- £3500 per person. The final price will depend on how many of these elements are part of the final itinerary .
This cost will include:
Accommodation: All accommodation for the full two weeks in India in simple but comfortable homestays and hotels.. Please let us know if you would like to have a single room supplement (where possible) at £500 additional cost.
Transport: All in-country transport, in cars, minibuses and trains.
Breakfasts and lunches:. All breakfasts and lunches are included which will usually be vegetarian South Indian meals, and bottled drinking water will be provided throughout. Evening meals are not included, which allows for flexibility and choice during evenings.
Preparation processes and our pack: We provide a detailed preparation process including a pack for supporting your planning and preparations, and meetings before the trip - details of our preparation process are found below.
Resources: We provide a printed resource booklet for guidance, contacts and safety whilst travelling, as detailed below.
Guidance and facilitation: Guidance and support throughout the journey from the point of booking until the end of the journey with us in India.
Financial security: Your money is safe with coverage provided through Travel Vault. Please see the details provided on our financial coverage and liability insurance.
This cost will not include:
The return flight to India: This is usually around £700, but costs can vary depending on your choice of carrier and the time of year.
Travel insurance: You will need to purchase appropriate travel insurance for the flight and the duration of your stay in India. This is mandatory for all participants. It is rarely more than £30 per trip.
Visa for India: This costs about £30. This is quite simple compared to previous years. Available online, and must be done by individuals. We provide detailed guidance on this in our preparation pack.
Evening meals: Please allow a food budget for evening meals which are not included in the cost - we find that participants enjoy relaxing in the evenings and have a range of choices for dinners, so this will be part of your personal expenditure.
Cultural/ wildlife site entrance, and tips for guides: These are very difficult to budget for as sometimes availability and price vary from place to place, and keeping this out of the budget allows for flexibility in the programme and choice of activities.
We hope that this helps with making your plans. Please do be in touch with any questions about these costs.

Food Culture Safari Route Map

FAQ’s and preparation

Please check our preparation information for details that apply to all our travel projects. The questions and answers below are specific to this project:

You will stay in simple but comfortable hotels, guest houses, and homestays, which have shared space for discussions and evening get-togethers. Most of our accommodation will be in twin shared accommodation, and if you wish to have a single room please let us know. The details of the accommodation for each location will be provided in the preparation pack and at our meeting before the trip.
The journey includes four jeep safaris at two tiger reserves. There will be three overnight sleeper train journeys and we will spend a night on a houseboat down the backwaters of Kerela. The remaining travel will be in minibuses and taxis, and we will use autorickshaws for local transport.
Some days will involve very early mornings, and some days will involve a lot of travelling from one location to another. The process of some days will involve the journey at the heart of the activities, as opposed to simply a means to getting somewhere. You will be able to ask questions at each place that we stop, and there will be opportunities for your unanswered questions to be cleared at the end of each journey. Questioning, enquiry, exploring, and observing are all very much part of the process.
Kiran Sahi from the Stepwell Team will lead this trip alongside Richard Culham, who is a retired primary Headteacher and has worked with us on two previous study visits to India. This trip is a guided and supported travel experience and you will be accompanied by our team throughout. They will coordinate with you before the trip to talk through the process of the journey and how to prepare. They will meet you on arrival in India and will guide you throughout the journey to interpret, explain and facilitate the journey.
Our journeys in India require that participants book a return flight to India independently, timed to arrive and depart at the relevant Indian airports according to the programme attached. This allows for flexibility of flight costs and carriers and allows participants to travel before/after the journey in India if they wish. We require that you purchase a flight that includes ATOL protection.
November is between the monsoon and winter seasons in India. It will be warm and mostly dry, but there may be some end of Monsoon showers. The landscape will be lush and green due to the recent Monsoon season. Temperatures will be in the mid to high 20s, but may go down to about 15 at night.