South India - Fair Trade Responsible Holiday - Traidcraft Meet the People Tours

A Taste of Southern India

As we travel through the stunning costal and mountainous landscapes of southern India we leave the well travelled tourist trail and are invited into villages and communities for an amazing insight into rural life in southern India.

Starting with Fair Trade Alliance Kerala we visit small-holder farmers in the Western Ghats. In an area under threat from deforestation and the commercial use of natural forests, the farmers of organic coffee and spices see themselves as guardians of one of the most important areas of biodiversity in India and tell us more about how the benefits of fair trade help them to adapt their farming practices to protect the forests that they are so passionate about preserving.

Our tour continues south along Kerala’s coast to the Chinese fishing nets at Kochi and the backwater lagoons before we head back up into the cooler hills to learn more about Traidcraft’s involvement in tea in the region. Continuing east we stay with craft workers before heading on to Madurai and its iconic temples in the heart of Tamil Nadu. Our tour ends on the eastern coast of India with a visit to Pondicherry and the famous shore temple at Mahabalipuram, a great end to a great tour.

Photos: Sarah Hirom, Lizzie White, Teresa MacDonald, Shailan Parker