"A truly unforgettable experience". Marius Kleiner, Switzerland. Jan 2008:

"We booked a two day stay in the River Nila region of North Kerala through Blue Yonder. Thinking back, it actually seems incredible that the whole trip lasted just two days, so rich was the experience.

It included a concert with a unique one-stringed guitar, a potter who made beautiful vessels and vases in just a few minutes on a manual potter's wheel, a musical dance performance and fire dance in the moonlight, a relaxing river cruise, a visit to a coconut plantation, and a performance of an expert young drummer group.

During the whole trip we haven't encountered any tourists, other than another couple who had also booked through Blue Yonder. This allowed us to get a good impression of village life in this part of India, without any feeling of intrusion or of people adapting their traditional lifestyles to the tourist industry.

Everything was perfectly organized, from the pick up at the train station by our very friendly guide Arun to the hospitable stay at the beautiful estate of the Namboodiri family.In addition, Blue Yonder facilitated for us the rental of a traditional houseboat in the Backwaters around Allepey, which was a truly unforgettable experience as well."
 

"Opportunity to be more "responsible" tourists"
 Kremena Diatchka, Switzerland Jan 2008:

"If we had gone to Kerala as "regular" tourists we would never had had the opportunity to meet the people we did and learn as much from them as we did. So you provided us with an opportunity to be more "responsible" tourists, and we are grateful :-)"
 

"Truly unique" : Jenni Laird, Australia Jan 2008:

Each activity was a puzzle piece to the big puzzle of River Nila. So that each activity provided information that helped you understand other things that you saw and participated in.

Allowed the individual to feel that they were discovering this information for
themselves – instead of just being told. This makes you feel like an ‘explorer’
something you do want to feel.

Both music programs were excellent. The uniqueness of the two groups was their endearing feature. For example, the more ‘professional’ performance qualities of the drumming group was a beautiful contrast to the folk group.

Having local knowledge – with the guide meant you felt more connected to the experience.

The cruise on the river was the connecting feature of the program. Cruising down the river, seeing, feeling, smelling allowed you to rasp how this environment has influenced its people & villages.

Visiting the artisans was great. It would have been nice to actually see them at work, as well as seeing the different steps they take. Even for just 15 minutes, so that the visitor can truly appreciate the time, effort and skill required for these crafts.

The small visits along the river were fantastic. If there was a possibility for more of these I think it would be beneficial.

The entire program was well put together relaxing & energising. The only small tiring part was the large amount of car travelling. I understand this was probably due to my extremely short visit though!

Accommodation is excellent. In a longer program you could allow the visitors some free time to explore the house, surrounding land & villages – it’s a great location (so peaceful & so quiet) with delightful hosts.

Although the landscape, people and the couture are what people come to see, it is the guide that makes it possible for you to feel.

Having such outstanding and friendly personalities coupled with the local knowledge is what makes the experience truly unique.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I have had such a fabulous time – I will be back very soon
 

"Great experience with excellent guidance", Steve and Liz Robert UK

Thoni cruise: Very interesting to hear about the river and to see the way of life. We were obviously a strange sight, but people were very friendly. We particularly enjoyed the chai shop.

Potter’s unit: Enjoyed this visit. Would be very interested in more visits to see crafts in action.

Folk art: One of the highlights of the trip so far. Great to see the snake painting, music+ dance but the village people were the best the element especially the wonderful children. It was a privilege to visit.

Martial arts – Good to see genuine students of;. Kalari and to meet the boys. Very impressive display.

Only real criticism: The time spent driving to some of the activities – but that is the fault of the rain + the roads!! Driver was excellent!

Kochi: Malabar House was a fantastic hotel/restaurant/experience. Good idea to ask guests (as Babu and Susan did) what kind of shops interested them. Would be useful right at the start of the holiday to explain briefly the basics of money; where to shop; how much to tip and when; whether bargaining is expected or not. My guess would be that most guests would want to be generous but would also want to be sensitise to issues of fairness, custom etc and not want to offend people, for instance by appearing to be flash and undermining parents.

Chimmini: A great experience with excellent guidance. The real highlight was interacting with the tribal people, though they seemed to be kept behind the scents for most of the time. Their genuine enthusiasm to share their time, knowledge and skills was a delight.

Overall guidance from Blue Yonder:

Pre-holiday: Good website and great to have personal itinerary.
During holiday: Arun very knowledgeable and considerate, both to guests and to hosts.
Overall: Fantastic. Long may you prosper.