Premium: Hiking and Yoga in South India

Touch down at Cochin International Airport where you'll meet your local guide and transfer to the charming heritage quarter of Fort Kochi. Settle into your beautiful boutique hotel on the waterfront and either relax here, or head out to explore the relaxed vibe here in this part of India, depending on your arrival time. The cobblestone streets, quaint shops and markets, and the iconic Chinese fishing nets, introduced in the 15th century and still used today, are well worth exploring. Enjoy a welcome dinner with your guide and fellow adventurers this evening, and chat through the adventures lying ahead.

Soak up the sounds of Fort Kochi coming to life and maybe grab a swim in the rooftop pool to shake off the previous day's journey. After breakfast, you'll hit the road inland through a landscape of spice gardens, rice paddies, and forested hills, climbing steadily into the Western Ghats – a 1,000-mile mountain range along India's western coast. The journey is beautiful as you get closer to your destination: Munnar, a cool and misty tea town nestled in the southern highlands. This area is a hub of endemic wildlife and one of the 36 biodiversity hotspots of the world, while the indigenous Muduvan and Malapulaya people inhabit the higher reaches of the range and are the original inhabitants of these highlands. The wildlife includes the endangered and endemic Nilgiri Tahrs, Asiatic elephants, gaurs, and even big cats, with 17% of the world's tiger population in the Western Ghats. Head out for a short acclimatization walk in the afternoon through the tea estates and grasslands to get you in the mood for the bigger hikes ahead. Afterwards, settle in to the Windermere Estate – your Standout Stay of the trip. This peaceful plantation hideaway is surrounded by cardamom and coffee plantations and will be your sumptuous base for the next four nights. Enjoy your first yoga session in these wonderful surroundings before tucking into a tasty dinner and kicking back for a relaxing evening.

Wake to the call of the Malabar whistling thrush in the trees, and ease into the day with a grounding yoga session at the estate. After breakfast, hop in a jeep to the trailhead and begin your first full hike of the trip, meandering through the Western Ghats' spectacular shola grassland ecosystem. You're heading for Meesapulimala – South India's second-highest point at 8,661ft above sea level. The route climbs through tea plantations and cloud forests, with rhododendrons, moss-draped trees and endemic wildlife around, attracted by the myriad streams that flow through the cloud forests. Gradually gaining elevation as the hike progresses, the views build up to a crescendo as you reach the summit. Once at the top of this remote peak, your guide will lead a quiet meditation session for a moment of reflection and appreciation before descending back to the trailhead, where you'll stop for a picnic lunch en route. Later, enjoy another group dinner and a relaxing evening back at Windermere Estate.

Settling into the rhythm of the trip by now, you'll begin your day again with a morning session of Hatha yoga before tucking into breakfast. Then, hop in the vehicle with your guide and set off on a winding drive through the Lockhart Gap to reach Chinnakanal. Begin today’s hike with a climb to ‘Phantom’s Head’ for sweeping views over Anaerangal Lake. From here, enter the Papathy Shola – the 'Butterfly Forest' – named for the mass butterfly migrations in late fall. Trek through these cool forest trails shaded by cardamom groves, spotting native birdlife, including the Malabar gray hornbill, and maybe a glimpse of the Malabar giant squirrel. After the hike you'll visit a Muduvan tribal village, located near Anaerangal Lake, where for millennia elephants have come down for grazing and water. The Muduvan practice of carrying their children on their backs have earned them the name the ‘back people’. After spending time in the village and a picnic lunch, you'll return to Windermere for another relaxing evening, perhaps soaking in the pool, waiting for the stars to come out or simply listening to the surrounding forest.

After yoga and breakfast to kickstart the day once more, you'll set off on another drive through the Western Ghats' ever-changing scenery to reach the lush rainforests of Mathikettan Shola National Park. Mathikettan, meaning ‘the forest where one can get lost,’ is a dense, high-altitude rainforest and a globally significant biodiversity hotspot. Environmental activists in Kerala have long fought for the area's protection, saving it from loggers and settlers – eventually leading to its designation as a National Park. You'll hike through these ancient cloud forests thick with ferns, lichen, and giant trees, soaking up the wild beauty that surrounds you. The park is home to Asiatic Elephants, rare orchids, and more than 100 bird species, plus it's an important wildlife corridor connecting the Periyar Tiger Reserve and the Eravikulam National Park, maintaining the lush ecology of the Western Ghats. Enjoy a picnic lunch on the trail and soak up the sounds and scents of the jungle as you make your way through this pristine landscape, before eventually bidding the forest farewell and returning for your final night at Windermere.

Your final morning yoga session in the hills sets you up for a change of scene today. Bid farewell to the Windermere Estate which you've called home for the past four nights and drive down from the highlands, feeling the air temperature change as you head for Kerala's unmissable and iconic Kumarakom backwaters – a patchwork of lagoons, canals and paddy fields. Step on board a traditional kettuvallam (houseboat) and cruise gently through this waterworld, watching village life unfold along the banks, spotting herons, duck herders and schoolchildren crossing narrow bridges. After lunch on board, you'll disembark at Coconut Lagoon: your peaceful base on the shores of Lake Vembanad, it's a heritage retreat accessible only by boat. This is a beautiful and tranquil spot – enjoy some downtime here after your exploits in the Western Ghats and your journey to get here today. Tuck into a dinner of South Indian specialties at the Coconut Lagoon restaurant, before settling in for a quiet night's sleep.

Begin your day with lakeside yoga in an open-air thatched pavilion at your base. The backwaters of Kerala offer an ideal setting for yoga as it brings together serenity, natural beauty, and a wholesome way of life in the region, all blending together to encourage deep relaxation. After breakfast, you'll spend the day experiencing the deep connection the local people have with the land and water, and their sustainable livelihoods. Meet with locals as they expertly twine coir made from coconut fibers or weave bamboo mats. Walk along the banks of the lagoon as more backwater scenes unfold, with local fishermen casting their nets for the day's catch. Reaching a nearby waterside village, you'll settle in for a memorable lunch of Keralan dishes prepared by the local residents and served traditional-style on banana leaves. Back at Coconut Lagoon later in the day, enjoy some downtime – we've even included a massage in the on-site Ayurvedic spa, to finish your trip in truly relaxing style, ahead of settling in for your farewell dinner to reminisce on the past week of exploring this gorgeous part of the world.

(Please note, the massage at the spa involves a short consultation with an Ayurvedic doctor, to check for asthma, heart conditions, etc. in your medical history. This is a formality required to receive the doctor's clearance ahead of the Ayurvedic massage.)

Sadly your time in Kerala is coming to an end this morning, as your host transfers you back to Cochin International Airport in time for your onward flight. See the 'Getting There' section for details of the two transfers arranged today, and the relevant timings.