WalkingWomen with Sheetal
a wonderful local Indian guide who was recommended to us by one of our walking women in the UK. This is how our community grows – word of mouth. We seek out local women guides who can guide our trips and show us their special places.
In 2022 we started hikes in India and now this is one of our key further afield destinations which we are delighted to be offering.We have had trips to the Lower Himalayas , Ladakh and this year for the first time Kerala. We will continue to offer India as a destination in 2026 and beyond with our unique and very special guide, Sheetal.
This is Lindsay’s story who joined Kerala this winter
When I arrived at our hotel in Fort Kochi and found it was called The Old Court House I was worried that this expedition on the “trails of Kerala” might turn into the “trials of Kerala”, as I had joined the group at the last minute and had done no preparation except walking my dog on the flat at sea level where I live in East Anglia!
My fears dissipated quickly as I realised this was a very well planned and thought out expedition, combining hikes through the rain forest, through bird sanctuaries, along paths through tea plantations, and up into the Western Ghats where we were above the clouds looking across magnificent vistas as we fought our way through head high elephant grass.
We began in Kochi
With a walk around the old Fort Kochi which put Kerala into its historical context. This part of India – the western edge of the south tip – faces towards Arabia and has been a major trading centre for thousands of years. The Chinese-fishing nets, the church where Vasco da Gama was buried, the Portuguese Fort, the old Jews Town and Synagogue, the Pepper warehouse, the customs house … all remain to tell the story, brought up to date by the fish, crabs and shrimps being sold on the quay.
Moving on to explore in depth this colourful region
We visited and walked through many tea plantations and a tea factory, a chocolate factory, a community run by one of the tea plantations for workers with disabilities, we saw the very smart new houses built by people who had gone to work in Saudi or Dubai and met students studying in Australia and nurses home from Dubai. The impression is of an enterprising and outward looking state, where the roads were maintained better than in the Uk, where the government is pledged to provide clean water to every house, and where tourism – from within India and from foreign travellers is encouraged thoughtfully.
Wonderful wildlife
Once we got going on our trails in the Ghats we began to enjoy the plethora of wonderful wildlife. We came across a party of “serious birders” – none of us fell into that category but so quickly we became hooked at spotting the birds, trying to photograph them and listening to recognise their calls – was that a hornbill? Is that another racquet tailed drongo? Look at that owlet … did you see those kingfishers? The list of birds seen or heard grew and by the final day we calculated we had 64 different species plus a late entry as an eagle watched us from a tree on our last day!
Our encounters with mammals was less dramatic – we loved seeing the Nilgiri Giant Squirrel, the Nilgiri Langurs and the macaques. We became exited to find fresh elephant dung and elephant teeth, civet dung – including coffee beans!- and fresh tiger paw prints but we had no sightings of the animals themselves. The Samber deer and Gaur or Indian bison seemed to be un-phased as we walked by. Tiny creatures caught our attention too – bright yellow spiny spiders and lizards.
The trees were magnificent- huge Banyan trees with roots creating a maze suitable for climbing, wild coffee, tree ferns, as well as Rosewood, teak, sandlewood and incense trees.
One of the joys of walking through the forests was the opportunity to encounter tribal people going about their daily business – all wanted to talk and be photographed. The great festival of Pongal was taking place so we saw the decorated mandalas on the village Hindu temple forecourt and on doorsteps and watched children dancing to incredibly loud music as their mothers looked on. We ate some of the special Pongal food – made to celebrate the harvest and give thanks for the sun and nature.
Fabulous Food
Two very special meals were cooked for us – one in Kochi by Daisy who invited us into her home and showed us ways to steam rice, how to grate coconuts and how to mix and cook the spices, before treating us to supper. A contrasting meal was in the forest where two women showed us the traditional way of cooking by stuffing bamboo canes with rice, meat, and spices and then putting the bamboo on the fire. When the bamboo was cut open delicious food poured out.
There were five of us in the group – two from US and three from UK, aged between 62 and 72.
( WalkingWomen specialises in small group trips and our further afield trips are usually 4-8 women depending on the destination and level of hiking)
None of this would have worked without Sheetal, our amazing guide. She lives in the Himalayas and is an extremely experienced trekking guide – sensitive to our abilities, adaptable, energetic, leaping into the kitchen to show the chef how to make an omelette! We followed her without question – including across the middle of a paddy field, and through people’s yards where they were washing as the sun was setting. We all laughed, supported each other and had interesting discussions about the meaning of life.
It was a wonderful way to begin a New Year.
Any concerns about the number of “Goats” who were attached to the trails disappeared as we walked at our own pace, picnicked on the top of ridges or by streams and were helped by Sheetal’s army of young men who encouraged us up or down the steeper inclines. There is so much more to tell – the houseboat, the bamboo rafts, the punting down narrow streams, Ayurvedic massages … it was a splendid holiday and well done to Ginny and Walking Women for organising it.
