Visit India! | Sonya Sankaran

Eco-Cultural
Women's Retreat

Kerala, India
January 4 - 12, 2027
9 days, 8 nights

Reserve today!

Hi, I'm Sonya!
I am a second generation Indian American living in Madison, Wisconsin. I am an artist, ecologist, and educator.

Join me on a trip to Kerala, India, to learn about artisan fishing and forest communities and the ecosystems they are a part of.

We will be staying in the southern state of Kerala. You'll land at the Cochin International Airport (COK), about 1 hour drive from the city of Kochi. Cochin is the old name for Kochi, the city where we will begin our trip.

Our first two nights we will stay at the historic Fort House in Fort Kochi, the perfect launching point for cultural and historic exploration!

The next two nights we will be at the lovely Vedic Village on the backwaters of Kochi. Incredible, local breakfast is served each day at the hotel restaurant, with continental options available.

The following two magical nights will be at the remote and luxurious Rainforest hotel in Athirapally, about 1.5 hrs by car from Kochi. Gourmet meals are included, while ayurvedic treatments can be added on by guests as desired.

Our last two nights are at Clay Fingers Art Cottages, a working studio where we will take part in a pottery workshop.

Transportation by private minibus was provided to and from the airport as well as all other tour destinations.

Women of Kochi Tour

A Women's Eco-Cultural Retreat
Click on the images and buttons to learn more.*

January 2027 Retreat Itinerary

(tentative!)

Day 1

Arrival at Kochi International Airport. 1 hr private mini-bus transport to Fort House Hotel
Group dinner at the hotel

Day 2

Breakfast at Fort House
Women of Kochi tour with culinary experience
Free /rest time
Chai and Mendhi (henna body art) session
Kathakali dance performance
Group dinner (Fort Kochi)

Day 3

Breakfast at Fort House
Check out and move to Vedic Village in Muziris Heritage region
Activity: Pokkali - Story of Rice tour with lunch
Weave with the artists: visit to a Screwpine weaving community

Day 4

Breakfast at Vedic Village
Weave with artists: visit to Chendamangalam textile center and the Chekutty doll trail
Nilavala (Dinner on a Chinese fishing net)

Day 5

Breakfast at Vedic Village
Leave for remote Rainforest hotel (1.5 hrs drive in group van) in Athirapally
Hike up to majestic Athirapally Falls
Ayurvedic treatments (optional; for separate, individual purchase)

Day 6

Breakfast by Rainforest
An afternoon with Forest Post
- film screening and storytelling
- meal prepared by indigenous community members
- bamboo weaving lesson
- merchandise showcase
Ayurvedic treatments (optional; for separate, individual purchase)

Day 7

Leave for Clay Fingers (30 min drive)
Pottery workshop by Clay Fingers
Lunch by Clay Fingers
Pottery lesson at Little Goldfish
Dinner in Thrissur

Day 8

Breakfast by Clay Fingers
Traditional Kerala Mural Art Workshop with a master artist at Clayfingers.
Heritage exploration of Thrissur, including visits to historic temples and cultural landmarks of Kerala’s cultural capital.

Day 9

Breakfast by Clay Fingers
Drop off at Kochi Airport (~1 hr drive)
(Option to stay on at Clay Fingers on your own!)

* Final itinerary subject to change.

Pennoruthee is a walking tour that explores Fort Kochi through the lives of women connected to its past — queens who ruled in moments of uncertainty, educators who introduced new forms of learning, reformers who challenged social boundaries, and the many women whose everyday labour sustained the social life of the town.

We will follow this up with a culinary experience offered by the Kochi Heritage Project (TBD!)

Step onto Chinese fishing net platform for a sunset view and an early dinner featuring locally sourced rice, Kerala porotta, patthiri, steamed tapioca with fish curry, fish fry, prawns, and sulaimani tea. The initiative, known as #Nilavala, not only provides a dining experience but also repairs fishing nets, repurposing their platforms for sunset viewing. Ezhikkara, a small island village, faces the challenges of climate change which affects the livelihoods of local fishers who depend on traditional practices.

In a stunning backwater setting, this tour gives an opportunity to understand one of the oldest known crops cultivated through a symbiotic farming tradition. It is known for its tolerance to salinity and hence positioned as a climate change-resistant food. This trip involves interactions with farmers and gives an insight into sustainable prawn culture with an organic farm visit and lunch with locals.

Visit the village of Chendamangalam where climate change has hit weaving communities with increasing floods. Devastated weaving units have been forced to destroy severely damaged stock. People have also created initiatives as a beacon of resilience. Thus, a little doll called Chekutty, was born.

Join local weavers who will show you how to make these dolls. The trail involves visiting various weaving units and interactions with the weavers.

Skin care products by Forest Post

Manju will meet us when we arrive in Athirapally at Rainforest Hotel. There she will talk more about her work and introduce us to a group of indigenous women who she works with. We will have the privilege of learning about their village in the forest and the livelihoods that sustain them and their heritage. After a meal, we will be able to purchase their unique products - straight from the source!

A woman-owned business, Clay Fingers Pottery is situated in the heart of Thrissur, Kerala. Housed in a refurbished 1950s brick and tile factory, this passionate team of skilled artists is committed to reviving the ancient craft. We will visit Clay Fingers on our last day before heading back to Kochi (tentative, depends on guest departure times).

Nilavala

Chekutty

Rainforest Hotel

Story of Rice

Chinese fishing net, Kerala

Explore Kerala with our guides: Indian social entrepreneurs who are committed to showing you the real India - culture, nature, wellness and food!

This trip is crafted with women at the heart of all experiences.

Within the communities we visit, tours spotlight women's unique livelihoods, art and resilience.

An overview of our adventure!

Wander through historic Kochi and learn how women have shaped past and present cultural heritage and cuisine

Learn about coastal livelihoods and the impacts of climate change

Weave with artisans at a traditional cooperative textile center

Gather with indigenous women and listen to stories of community life in the forest

Travel deep to the heart of the rainforest for Ayurvedic immersion

Make pottery in a workshop reviving an ancient Indian tradition

Create a work of art with a master muralist

Rainforest, Athirapally

Lila Art Cafe, Fort Kochi

Sonya Sankaran

As a child growing up in the United States, I loved visiting our family in India and longed to spend more time there... At 24 years old, I fulfilled that dream and moved to India to work in community-based conservation. Indian communities who are connected to their environments via livelihoods taught me how to see our connection to nature as intrinsic, rather than external or optional as it is often taught. That experience has informed my work as a culturally responsive environmental educator and artist.
Click here to learn more about me...

As an Indian American woman, I realize traveling alone as a woman can be daunting. My role is to do the work of facilitating a safe, immersive experience for our group.
My deeper goal is to provide you the opportunity to develop your own relationship with India. The daily lives of many Indian people revolve around their natural environment. Their homes and livelihoods are closely intertwined with plant and animal life, tides and rivers, coasts and valleys. I invite you open your heart to cultures that connect people to the landscapes they cultivate and co-exist with. I hope you leave seeing how nature-based artisanal life ways are a manifestation of the intrinsic connection between all living beings.

Manju Vasudevan

Manju is a Kerala native and exudes love for the nature, people, food and architecture of the communities she has lived in. Manju spent the first years of her career researching canopy pollinators and advocating bee habitat conservation before getting a PhD in Pollination Ecology from Imperial College, London. Her present work has focused on helping assert Community Forest Rights of indigenous groups in Kerala. Using the cooperative model of enterprise building, women’s groups have been trained in value addition of non-timber forest products (NTFP), and local economies strengthened.

Manju is an ecologist and social entrepreneur who elevates the wisdom and ecological knowledge of forest-dwelling communities. She will explain what it means to find viable economic pathways in collaboration with forest communities and connect us with Forest Post's indigenous partners who will share stories about life in the forest. Manju is a dear friend and I look forward to hiking with her, and soaking up her knowledge of native plant species (and her infectious laugh)!

Together, we offer you a fully curated itinerary with guides and communities who are deeply committed to sharing authentic, educational experiences of Indian culture and ecosystems.

Founded by Dr Manju Vasudevan, Forest Post gives tribal communities better livelihood opportunities by using Minor Forest Produce to make skincare, home décor, and food products.

Their partners are indigenous women’s enterprises scattered in eight villages in central Kerala’s Western Ghats.

In addition, skill development can enhance forest produce-based livelihoods to support the local economy. Alongside, it addresses deeper issues of gender and equality through creating confidence building and decision-making spaces.

Forest Post is committed to creating better places for people to live. And when it comes to forest-dwelling people, it is about safeguarding their enduring relationship with the environment.

The Blue Yonder is organizing several of our experiences, hotel stays and transportation throughout the trip.

The Blue Yonder (TBY) was created in 2004 to provide meaningful travel experiences for discerning travelers. Their goal is to bring together authentic and unique experiences that are intimately connected to the local communities they engage and work together with.

The Blue Yonder puts a strong focus on building resilience in communities with high climate vulnerability. Besides being excellent tour guides, TBY staff are Wilderness First Responders, serving as community providers in disaster preparedness and response. You can feel safe in TBY hands on our journey!

The Kochi Heritage Project is a storytelling initiative to inculcate awareness about heritage, and to create dialogue around the preservation and conservation of heritage in Kochi amongst locals and visitors through storytelling tours, heritage research, and curating events that promote the city's heritage.

Founded in 2018, KHP actively researches and curates sensory immersive heritage experiences to deepen and broaden the understanding of the history, art, architecture, culture, cuisine and the people of Kochi.

FAQs

What's included!*

2 Zoom gatherings with Sonya and the other retreat participants before the retreat
Guides (Sonya, Manju and tour operators)
Private transport in a mini-bus for all planned activities
Round-trip transfers from/to Cochin International Airport (COK)**
8 nights of accommodations
All meals
Tours on all days
Filtered, bottled water (1 per day)

* changes to itinerary may occur based on availability

** some restrictions apply

Some items not included...

Airfare
Travel insurance
Tips for staff
Extra costs guests might incur on their own

Other helpful tips

Click here to apply for an Indian tourist visa
Your passport must be valid for at least 6 months after the date of travel.
Research travel insurance early! (We'll talk more about this during our zoom meetings)
Talk to your health care provider about vaccinations needed for travel

Members of our group will need...

An excellent attitude toward different cultural norms
An openness to be in a place with different levels of noise, traffic, and standards of personal space (while in more populated destinations)
A commitment to travel with a group and follow a common itinerary

All-inclusive trip
cost: $3,600

Reserve your spot!

Cost is for double occupancy

Options for single occupancy (or triple at Rainforest) available upon request and will affect your final cost

$300 non-refundable deposit required to reserve your place that will be applied to the total cost*

Eco-Cultural Women's Retreat

Kerala, India January 4 - 12, 2027 9 days, 8 nights

Hi, I'm Sonya! I am a second generation Indian American living in Madison, Wisconsin. I am an artist, ecologist, and educator.