Visit India! Old | Sonya Sankaran

November 17-23, 2025
Kerala, India
7 days, 6 nights

India: an Eco-Cultural
Women's Retreat

Hi, I'm Sonya!
I am a second generation Indian American. I have been in love with my culture and nature since I was a child growing up in Madison, Wisconsin. As an ecologist, I've had the privilege of traveling the world, studying diverse habitats and the people who inhabit them.
While working in India with coastal communities, I saw unique and sustainable livelihoods carefully woven within ecosystems upon which they depend. I learned how they are both under-valued and threatened.

Join me in learning about the artisanal life-ways of Kerala 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). Cochin is the old name for Kochi, the city where we will begin our trip.

The first three nights we'll stay at Chiramel Residency in Fort Kochi. Breakfast is provided each day at the hotel.

The next two nights we will stay 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.

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

Our Eco-Cultural Exploration!
Click on the images and buttons to learn more.*

Day 1

Arrival at Kochi. Settle in at Chiramel Residency
Group dinner (location TBD)

Day 2

Breakfast at Chiramel Residency
Fort Cochin Tour with lunch at Lila Art Cafe
Nilavala (Dinner on a Chinese fishing net)

Day 3

Breakfast at Chiramel Residency
Activity: Pokkali - Story of Rice tour with lunch
Activity: Chekkutty tour
Group dinner (location TBD)

Fort Cochin Tour

From being called the 'Emporium of the World', Cochin received the rare distinction as the 'Queen of the Arabian Sea' and in modern times the city transformed itself to become one of India's major tourist hubs and a contemporary art capital still bringing travelers from far and wide. The Fort Cochin Tour will take you walking along the remnants of the old European fort town, some of its streets rich with fables of yore and the iconic people who left a mark and changed the course of history as we know it.

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.

Nilavala

Story of Rice

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. The half-day excursion highlight involves interaction with farmers and community leaders who sustain the tradition against many constraints. This trip also gives an insight into sustainable prawn culture and involves activities like organic farm visit, lunch with locals, and a short country boat cruise along the island.

Chekutty

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. Guests are welcome to buy those dolls they make as a part of a pay as you wish program, contributions of which will go into the women run co-operative. The trail involves visiting various weaving units and interactions with the weavers.

Day 4

Breakfast at Chiramel Residency
Leave for remote Rainforest hotel (1.5 hrs drive in group van) in Athirapally
An afternoon with Forest Post
- film screening and storytelling
- meal prepared by indigenous community members
- bamboo weaving lesson
- merchandise showcase
Dinner provided by Rainforest

Day 5

Meals by Rainforest
Athirapally Rainforest Trek led by the Forest Department
Ayurvedic treatments (for separate, individual purchase)

Day 6

Breakfast by Rainforest
Tentative: Leave for Clay Fingers for a pottery workshop (with option to stay at their Art Cottages ~$95 USD/night)
Drop off at Kochi Airport (~1 hr drive)

* Final itinerary subject to change.

Rainforest Hotel

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).

Explore Kerala with our guides: Indian social entrepreneurs who are committed to showing you the real India - people, 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. Interpreters will accompany us overcome language barriers during our visits to local communities.

Lila Art Cafe, Fort Kochi

Chinese fishing net, Kerala

An overview of our adventure!

Wander through historic Kochi to sample past and present cultural heritage and cuisine

Learn about coastal livelihoods and the impacts of climate change

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

Visit a pottery workshop reviving an ancient Indian tradition

Sonya Sankaran

As a child I traveled to India, studied Indian dance and taught myself Hindi. At 24 years old, I moved to India to work for an ecological research organization. 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. Many Indian communities' daily lives still 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 see 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 as well as our first hotel stay and transportation throughout the trip.

The Blue Yonder (TBY) was created in 2004 to provide meaningful travel experiences for discerning travelers.

The Blue Yonder brings together authentic and unique experiences that are intimately connected to the local communities they engage and work together with.

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 promotes 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.

Chiramel Residency
Accommodation options

The first three nights we'll stay at the charming Chiramel Residency situated at the heart of the Heritage Zone, Fort Cochin, Kochi, Kerala, the house was built during the Dutch rule, and later renovated by the British into a mansion. Its teak wood ambience reflects colonial rule and our chequered history.

Complimentary breakfast is provided each day at the hotel.

There are single and double occupancy options at Chiramel. Pricing difference TBD soon!

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

Rainforest Hotel
Accommodation options

The tree house is an exceptional example of the fusion of nature with modern architecture. This design marvel, created by a Swiss architect, has been engineered to allow for the needs of the growing tree. Standing in your treehouse and looking out at the tops of the trees in the rainforest and the thundering waterfall is an exhilarating sight indeed.

Max occupancy: 2
Trip cost with this option
Single occupancy:
$
Tri

Also available are six luxury rooms with chic interiors and available room service. The stylish furniture has a touch of minimalism about it, while being high on the comfort factor. You may just end up spending more time in the relaxing shower than in the room. And did we mention sipping a piping hot cup of coffee while enjoying the misty falls, right from the balcony?

Max occupancy: 3
Trip cost with this option:
Tri

The tree house is an exceptional example of the fusion of nature with modern architecture. This design marvel, created by a Swiss architect, has been engineered to allow for the needs of the growing tree. Standing in your treehouse and looking out at the tops of the trees in the rainforest and the thundering waterfall is an exhilarating sight indeed.

Max occupancy: 2
Trip cost with this option:
Tri

What's included!

2 Zoom gatherings with Sonya and the other retreat participants before the retreat
Guides (Sonya, Manju and tour operators)
Round-trip transfers from/to Cochin International Airport (COK)
5 nights of accommodations (3 at Chiramel Residency, 2 at Rainforest)
Meals: 5 breakfasts & 5 lunches (days 2-6), 5 dinners (days 1-5)
Tours on all days
Private transportation for all planned activities
Filtered, bottled water (1 per day)

FAQs

What's 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/ desired for travel

Cost $
-Options for single, double or triple occupancy
-Travel insurance and airfare NOT included
-$250 deposit required to reserve your place that will be applied to the total cost*
-Trip depends on minimum group size of 5 by June 1st - a full refund will be issued if this is not met.

Reserve your spot early! Limited space available on this exclusive journey

RESERVE!

November 17-23, 2025 Kerala, India 7 days, 6 nights

India: an Eco-Cultural Women's Retreat