Kerala Slow: Backwaters, Ayurveda and the Malabar Beaches

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Kerala is India's most relaxed state: its inland waters, its palms, its golden beaches and its age-old Ayurvedic tradition make it the perfect place to unplug. This 10-day itinerary is a slow immersion into India's tropical south. It begins in Kochi with a stroll through the colonial quarter of Fort Kochi and its iconic Chinese fishing nets at sunset. The heart of the trip is two nights on a houseboat (a floating home of wood and bamboo) gliding through Alleppey's backwaters: channels lined with coconut palms, temples hidden among rice paddies, and the sound of water lapping the hull as the only soundtrack. Next comes a stay at an Ayurvedic ashram near Varkala, with daily massages, a sattvic diet and yoga classes facing the Indian Ocean. The final days unfold on Varkala's beaches, suspended over red cliffs, with golden sunsets and the murmur of the waves as constant company. There are no demanding excursions here: only hammocks, herbal treatments and sunset walks.