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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Bespoke India is really where our heart lies. I mean, here is this incredibly vast and varied country, with so much choice of highly individual accommodation, so many options of activity in the same destinations as to be able to cater to virtually every individual taste. How can you package that? Why would you want to? A bespoke holiday allows you the luxury of choosing the most appropriate accommodation for each area. In Agra we unequivocally recommend the sumptuous Oberoi Amar Vilas. It is almost extravagantly indulgent but in an utterly appropriate manner, for Agra was the capital of the Great Mughals and every single room of this magnificent hotel enjoys uninterrupted views of the Taj Mahal – the central attraction that draws people to Agra from every corner of the globe. The Amar Vilas is built in sandstone and in a style that is a modern iteration of the grace and grandeur of Mughal architecture replete with filigreed stone work, screens, courtyards full of fountains and flowers. Perfect base from which to explore the marvels of Mughal architecture that grace Agra. On a package ‘luxury’ tour you would then willy-nilly be locked into similar opulence everywhere your itinerary takes you. And you will have a safe and predictably fantastic time – but it just could be that when you get to Jaipur for instance, rather than automatically stay at the Oberoi Raj Vilas you would take our recommendation and stay instead in the Samode Haveli – a nobleman’s converted town house which affords you the luxury of stepping out of a historic building bang into the middle of the crowds, colour and bustle of Old Jaipur – which is what you have actually come to Jaipur to see and experience. Samode Haveli is an authentic part of old Jaipur in a way that the Raj Vilas for all its extraordinary beauty and luxury, simply is not. A bespoke holiday allows you the choice.

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But it isn’t just about accommodations, its about people. The most extraordinary experiences for a traveller are when you connect with someone local on a human level and go away with insights about a culture and society that is impossible in large commercial establishments. One of the least ‘stylish’ small hotels that we use for example also is a highlight in terms of experience for people we have sent there. Simply because the experience here is so extraordinary, so remote, so authentically exotic – looking for leopards and wildlife that live amongst a stark rocky landscape at the edge of the desert and inhabited by a hardy, extraordinarily colourful shepherd tribe. The family you stay with are descendants of the feudal barons of the area who can trace their lineage to the mid-13^th century.  And they are the warmest, most gracious and hospitable people you can hope to be hosted by anywhere. It isn’t for everyone – but that’s what bespoke means. Understanding what you want and then designing the holiday to your tastes.

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