Join us on an 18-day interactive journey from Chennai on India's east coast to Goa on the west coast. We’ll explore sustainable textiles and ethical craft sourcing while engaging with local craft communities. Learn about weaving, metalwork, woodwork, and garland-making. We will travel mostly in a comfortable minibus but also spend a night on a houseboat, catch an overnight train, and ride local rickshaws. This trip is a unique opportunity to travel responsibly and gain hands-on experience in the craft traditions of South India.
You will be met at the Chennai airport by Kiran Sahi and Baiju Natarajan, who will guide and lead you throughout this journey. The first section is down the Coromandel Coast, which is famous for its temple town's weaving and bronze casting. We will have to drive over the Western Ghats to reach Kerala on the west coast and spend an evening at a tea estate in Munnar.
In Kerala, we will explore Fort Kochi visiting a palace, a synagogue and the spic market. We will explore the extensive backwaters over 24 hours on a houseboat. We will visit mosques and temples and see local art forms like Kathakali and Theyyam. We will continue to locate exciting crafts in the area as we travel up the Malabar coast, including making jewellery boxes and visiting a family that makes the drums used for Theyyam and a community that makes the elaborate headgear used for Kathakali. There will be more weaving and a family of bronze workers who make temple lamps and bells.
Throughout the journey, we will reflect on questions of sustainable and ethical product production, meeting craft communities and learning from them.
Along the way you will learn about the varied cuisine of each region and will have an opportunity to visit local markets, farms and fishing ports. The last leg of the journey from Kasagod to Madgoan will be on an overnight sleeper train. We will have two days in Goa before you catch your flight home.
Day 1: Saturday, January 11th. Begin at Chennai airport (6 am) with a coach transfer to Mahabalipuram After breakfast, explore the shore temple, Pancha Rathas, and Arjuna’s penance within walking distance. Continue by coach down the coast, arriving at Pondicherry, a French colonial port town. Check into the hotel for an afternoon rest, followed by an evening walk on Auro Beach. Evening location: Pondicherry.
Day 2: Sunday January 12th. Explore the Auroville community in the morning, visiting the Matri Mandir, followed by lunch. Return to Pondicherry for an evening walk along the promenade and dinner at a restaurant. Evening location: Pondicherry.
Day 3: Monday, January 13th. Journey down the coast, stopping at Chidambaram to see the Nataraja temple. Enjoy lunch in Chidambaram and visit a community of weavers at Mayiladuthurai. Arrive at Tharangambadi, a former Danish colony. Take a beach walk and visit Danesborg Fort. Evening location: Tharangambadi.
Day 4: Tuesday, January 14th. Drive towards Kumbakonam for lunch and a visit to Swaminmalai, where religious icons are cast in bronze. Continue to Thanjavur to see the Brihadisvara temple lit up at night. Evening location: Thanjavur.
Day 5: Wednesday, January 15th. Revisit Brihadeswar Temple in daylight, then spend time with a community specializing in making etched metal plates. Afternoon drive to Madurai. Evening location: Madurai.
Day 6: Thursday, January 16th. Visit the Meenakshi temple in the morning and a flower market for garland making. Late afternoon drive to Devikulam in the tea estates of Munnar. Evening location: Devikulam.
Day 7: Friday, January 17th. Enjoy a tea estate walk and visit the Lockhart Tea Factory. After lunch in Munnar, drive towards Kochi. Evening location: Kochi.
Day 8: Saturday, January 18th. Explore Kochi's waterfront, Chinese fishing nets, Saint Francis Church, and the Paradesi Synagogue. After lunch, visit the Mattancherry palace. Evening location: Kochi.
Day 9: Sunday, January 19th. Drive through Koottanad's paddy fields, stopping at a coir cooperative. Board a houseboat in Alappuzha for a 24-hour backwaters exploration. Evening location: Houseboat.
Day 10: Monday, January 20th. After the houseboat drops off at Kumarakom, visit Syrian Christian churches. Enjoy lunch in Kottayam, stopping at a jewelry box workshop in Maradu before returning to Kochi for a Kathakali performance. Evening location: Kochi.
Day 11: Tuesday January 21st Drive up the coast, stopping at weaving communities, Cheraman Juma Mosque, and workshops in Kottapuram. Visit Vadakkumnathan Temple in the evening. Evening location: Trissur.
Day 12: Wednesday, January 22nd. Explore drum making in Peruvamba and visit a community making Kathakali dance props. Stop at the Kuthampully weaving co-operative before returning to Thrissur. Evening location: Trissur.
Day 13: Thursday, January 23rd. Catch the morning train to Kannur, enjoy lunch, and relax at the hotel pool. Evening location: Kannur.
Day 14: Friday, January 24th. Visit temples, a stepwell, and enjoy Thalassery Biriyani for lunch. Explore a fort and museum before returning to the hotel. Evening location: Kannur.
Day 15: Saturday, January 25th. Visit a family making bronze lamps, gold rings, and enjoy a beach walk. Evening location: Nileswar.
Day 16: Sunday, January 26th. Explore Bekal Fort and watch a Theyyam performance. Overnight train to Goa. Evening location: Train.
Day 17: Monday, January 27th. Rest and enjoy the beach in Madgaon, followed by a traditional Goan dinner. Evening location: Betalbatim.
Day 18: Tuesday, January 28th. Visit Vehla Goa cathedrals in the morning, then spend the evening on the beach in Panjim. Farewell dinner in a Panjim restaurant. Evening location: Betalbatim.
This proposed itinerary is very packed. If all that is proposed is included, it will come within £3200 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 £350 additional cost.
Transport: All in-country transport, in cars, minibuses and overnight 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.

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 majority of travel will be by mini-bus and taxi and there will be one train journey. 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. 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.
January is a post monsoon seasons in India. It will be warm and dry. 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.