Hike, Kayak and Cycle in Kerala

I will start by saying that Kerala is a beautiful part of India to visit and the itinerary gives you a good introduction. I loved that there were multiple different activities and the accommodation for the most part was excellent - especially the houseboat which was a unique experience and just a stunning setting.

I would say however that I did come away from this trip feeling a little disappointed.

The final hotel/resort we stayed in really needs reconsidering. It is a huge property with a 'nice' area and a more budget area for families/groups. It easily takes 10 mins plus to get from some of the further rooms to reception. The beach is also quite impractical as it is a long way from the hotel rooms and to be honest isn't very nice, not really what you expect when you read the itinerary.

Activities wise - at times it felt like we were covering the distance just to ensure that we'd hit the correct mileage. I felt these could have had more care taken in actually planning a route and distance that reflects what's described in the itinerary.

Our guide, Maddy, made sure everything was always in place so that we didn't have to worry. However he did always appear to be staying somewhere else which seemed a bit bizarre.

Although I really enjoyed the trip and would certainly recommend to friends to visit this part of India, I'm not sure I would recommend this MBA trip in its current state. I think it is a little oversold in the itinerary and not good value for money. I do think it has the potential to be an excellent trip but needs a few adjustments and bit more care taken to ensure the experience reflects the usual high standard of other MBA trips I've been on.

I was incredibly pleased with the overall experience of this trip. It covers Kerala in a manner that covers a wide diversity of locations and locations within Kerala as well as providing a good range of types of activities.

The areas around Kerala are stunning and this trip really takes advantage of that. In addition, the selection of food choices were marvelous. Over the entire course of the trip we were never burdened with a bad meal and had ample opportunity to experience local Keralan dishes and drinks.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, our tour guide (Thilip Vijay) was phenomenal. He consistently took the time to elevate our trip by adding on additional stops or catering the meal choices to give us variety and new dishes to try. He never missed a beat in being helpful in making sure we were well taken care of and that we had everything we needed. Also, on every bus journey we had, he took the time to give us background around the local area, the culture and wider Indian history and culture which was incredibly insightful and interesting. His attitude and energy elevated the experience and kept us all upbeat and positive. It is abundantly clear that we were very fortunate to have Thilip as a tour guide and that the trip was better off for it.

My husband and I had an incredible time on our Kerala trip. Our guide, Thilip, made travelling from place to place incredibly smooth and stress-free. The activities were loads of fun and our guide was incredibly well informed about the local area and added a lot of valuable context to the things we were seeing and experiencing.

I am not the fittest person, but found the activities to be very accessible. I asked to sit out of one of the activities last minute, and Thilip was incredible at accommodating this change, making a number of last minute arrangements to ensure I could check in early to our next destination and take advantage of some of the amenities at the hotel.

The food on the trip was wonderful throughout as well. It was a real highlight to be able to try so many different dishes and to experience some local delicacies. It also takes a huge amount of stress out, having MBA ensure that there is always plenty of drinking water available.

I would not hesitate to do another MBA trip and, as someone who has visited India many times, I cannot think of a better way to get the most out of a visit to the country.

I am very grateful to Thilip for taking such good care of us throughout the trip and for organising such a fun and varied itinerary.

Brilliant trip, which exposes the traveller to many aspects of Keralan culture, whilst also taking in the varied landscapes of the region, from the cool, lofty mountains to the languid backwaters and the beautiful palm-fringed coastline. The guides were fantastic, as was the accommodation. Highlights for me were watching the sunrise at the summit of Mount Meesapulimala and cycling through the small villages dotted along the coast road. Great fun!