Journey by houseboat between coconut forests and lotus-filled lagoons on Kerala’s peaceful rivers and canals should be on the top of your list whilst on a luxury Kerala holiday.

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A  recent addition to taking in your wider surroundings is MV Apsara that offer an exotic experience that couples the comfort of a boutique hotel stay with luxurious cruising. Witness Kerala’s rich heritage in style. Providing unparalled standard perfect for a luxury Kerala holiday, the cruiser is built on two levels. The Apsara consists of eight rooms, a galley, dining area, a sundeck and a picturesque forward seating area.  It offers contemporary and modern amenities offering inspiring design, innovative dining and sensuous entertainment.  The tented spa offers Ayurvedic and international treatments. The dining area and salon, situated on level 1, with their grand décor create an ambience of luxury. The corner sofas with cushions and tables on level 2 provide ample space for guests to sit back and enjoy the panoramic view of the backwaters. The impeccable services extended to the guests combined with the enhanced display of sophistication makes your luxury Kerala voyage memorable.

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The itinerary is superb and extremely interesting. On day one, the Apsara sets sail and heads to the north of Vembanad Lake, sailing through Taneermukkam, famous for the salt water barrier dam and its ancient temple. The next day you set sail through Punnamada Lake which hosts the Annual Nehru Trophy Boat Race. Past the finishing point, you dock at Kanjipadam village with its rice fields, little houses and constant gaggle of geese and ducks. And there’s the 100 year old temple of Shree Bhagavathy Kshetram which hosts a 5 day annual cultural Ulsavam (festival).  During this luxury Kerala holiday you will be transfered to rice boats and weave your way through the picturesque, narrow canals in Chambakulam, known for its annual snake boat races and the oldest market. You will also get a chance to walk through the paths and lanes of this craft and coir village and also visit the St. Mary Florence Church built in 1870.  The cruiser then proceedes to the Pamba River, also known as Dakshina Ganga – the Ganges of the South. A traditional Kerala astrologer on board reveals your planets and the influence on your life. Allow him to chart your past and your future based on the traditional science; or just watch the play of the sky, the water, the birds as you sail back. There are, of course, the relaxing on-board activities arranged just for you.  Day three and four includes sailing via Punnamada jetty and Chithira Kayal to arrive at the uninhabited Padiramnal Island, home to over 90 local species and 50 migratory boards. You will return to the Vembanad Lake where your nostalgic luxury Kerala journey comes to and end.

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Enjoy your luxury Kerala holiday in a perfect eco-setting – a pleasant escape to the lap of nature.

Luxury Holidays in Kerala . The common perception of a luxury Kerala holiday is balmy backwaters, boutique resorts, palm-fringed beaches. Of course Kerala has these – and in superlative abundance.

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So much so that several blogs can and probably will be devoted to Kerala backwaters and beaches! What a lot of people don’t know is that Kerala is an absolute paradise for nature lovers, walkers, birders, cyclists and kayakers. The birding and wildlife is absolutely outstanding. In the lowlands a famous bird sanctuary is the Salim Ali Sanctuary,Thattekkadu. This is one the last extensive patch of lowland rain forest left in Kerala and is a haven for over 300 species of birds including such rarities as the Ceylon Frogmouth, Peninsular race of the Jungle Owlet, Mountain hawk-eagle, Jerdon’s Baza and much more. A charming and comfortable tented camp called Hornbill is situated just opposite the sanctuary across the Periyar River. They keep kayaks at camp and that is a thoroughly enjoyable way of exploring this lush landscape of rain forest and emerald paddy fields with the high ranges of the Western Ghats in the background. As you venture into these you are offered a wonderful choice of converted homes, plantation bungalows and purpose built resorts many tucked away in quiet, remote valleys or ridge commanding magnificent views.

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One of our favourites is a place called Paradisa Resort owned by Simon Paulose. From the cottages – restored heritage wooden Kerala homes – and the dining room you look out over a superb mountain landscape of forest, tea and coffee plantations and spice gardens. Even the cardamom and coffee estates which require the shade of rainforest giants, are a haven for birders and the local walking trails where you may be guided by a tribal guide can reveal a colourful wealth of birds, butterflies, dragonflies and plants. Back at Paradisa you can cool off from the mid-day heat in the charming swimming pool designed in the shape of Simon’s wife’s foot (or so the story goes!) or work off cricks and stiffness with an Ayurvedic massage. Paradisa also serves superb food – traditional Kerala specialities and they also organise classes for this interested in learning about the unique flavours of Kerala cooking, that distinguish it from other south Indian cuisines.

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Not far from Paradisa is one of India’s great tiger reserves – Periyar – with its herds of wild elephants and immense habitat diversity that supports the greatest variety of birds, insects, reptiles and probably mammals of any park in south India. For the intrepid walker and wildlife enthusiast the real joy of Periyar is in the buffer forests where you can experience an absolutely amazing rain-forest trek – but that is for another blog!

Kerala luxury safari holidays are a fantastic option to get away from the crowds and really explore this magical slice of coastal India which encompasses such a variety of landscapes. Start off in the balmy backwaters at sea level and head inland rising to the middle hills and then up into the magical high country of the Western Ghats, the range of mountains that run parallel to the west coast of India for 1500 kms north to south. The coastal strip is narrow and the mountains that back it rise sharply catching the full weight of the monsoon with some parts receiving up to 200 inches of rain.

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Dense rain forest clothed these slopes once housing an incredible diversity of life. And even today – despite the surge of humanity up these mountains – they are counted amongst the worlds 24 biodiversity hotspots. Elephants roam these forests and I’ve seen tracks of tiger at over 600 feet high in the Munnar hills. Endemic species like Nilgiri Tahr (wild goat) and lion-tailed macaques make their home here. Coffee and cardamom with their dense cover are favourite haunts. At the edge of Periyar Tiger Reserve, in the buffer zone forests many of which now have an understorey of cardamom, it is possible to walk and camp in the wilderness. A single fruiting fig can hold one mesmerized as it attracts insects and birds to fruits and more birds hunting the insects and more birds hunting birds.

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As evening falls the canopy comes alive with palm civets, eyes gleaming emerald in the torchlight and the distant trumpeting of elephants is suddenly drowned by the explosive alarm calls of sambar deer that sets the hair on the nape of your neck erect. In the morning you emerge from the tents and head out for another adventure packed day along trails that plunge across streams and then climb out to high clearings with the most exhilarating views you can imagine. And one of the joys of Kerala is that a luxury pad is never far from reach. I’ve always felt a little bit guilty ‘adventuring’ from such a luxury base – but the feeling passes quickly.

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