Kerala Village Homestay Experience

Kathmandu → Kumarakom or Kuttanad

Highlights

• Live with a Syrian Christian family on the Kerala backwaters — learn to cook appam, fish with a Chinese net, and understand why Kerala is India's most livable state.
• Homestay · 5 Days
• Small group, guide-led

Day-by-day itinerary

1. D1

   Arrival & Family Welcome

   Arrive at your homestay on the backwaters. Your host family — typically three generations under one roof — welcomes you with fresh coconut water and a tour of their property: the house, the paddy fields, the fish pond, and the coconut grove.

   Kumarakom or Kuttanad As per plan

2. D2

   Backwater Life & Fishing

   Morning canoe ride through narrow canals to see village life from the water. Learn to operate a Chinese fishing net — the counterweighted system that has remained unchanged since the 15th century. Afternoon cooking class: appam (rice pancakes), meen molee (fish in coconut milk), and payasam (sweet pudding).

   Kumarakom or Kuttanad As per plan

3. D3

   Rice Farming & Coir Making

   Join the family in their paddy field during planting or harvest season (depending on time of year). Learn about Kerala's unique below-sea-level agriculture. Afternoon visit to a coir-making cooperative where women extract fiber from coconut husks.

   Kumarakom or Kuttanad As per plan

4. D4

   Church, Spice & Ayurveda

   Morning visit to the local Syrian Christian church (if Sunday, attend Mass). Afternoon walk through a spice garden: pepper vines, cardamom plants, and clove trees. Evening Ayurvedic massage at a local center.

   Kumarakom or Kuttanad As per plan

5. D5

   Farewell Sadhya & Departure

   The family prepares a sadhya — the elaborate vegetarian feast served on a banana leaf with 20+ dishes. After the meal, receive blessings from the elders and handmade gifts. Departure to Kochi.

   Kumarakom or Kuttanad As per plan

Price includes

• Local storyteller guide
• Stays as per itinerary
• Daily breakfast
• All ground transfers

Make it yours (upsells)

Everything apart from the trip itself is an upsell — tick what you want.