UK +44 (0)1367 850566

USA 1-855-216-5040

Where are the best family holidays in Asia?

Where are the best family holidays in Asia.jpg

There is no better way for your children to experience other cultures than by travelling. We all know that travelling with children can be extra work - but the rewards are surely more than worth it! Children love seeing new places and doing new things. They love adventure. With its riot of sounds, sights and smells, India can prove overwhelming for first-time visitors, not least children. One of the best places to acclimatise is mellow Kerala, where families can enjoy the country’s richness of nature, history and culture with complete ease.

Flanked by the mountainous western ghats and the Arabian sea, the slender state descends from tea plantation-cloaked slopes to golden beaches that edge into vivid blue seas. In between is Kerala’s tangle of backwaters, 560 miles of emerald waterways that wind languidly past paddy fields and riverside villages. Gliding along in a traditional teak-and-palm-thatch houseboat, watching local life play out and sleeping under the stars, is one of India’s most magical experiences to share with your children.

Kochi or Cochin is connected well by most international airlines and a family holiday to Kerala could begin in Kochi, known as the Queen of the Arabian Sea, where you could stroll the streets of historical Fort Cochin, an ancient trading port and home to age-old churches, colourful palaces and the oldest synagogue in the Commonwealth.

The children can try their hand at helping the fishermen haul in their catch of the day using the enormous, cantilevered cheenavalas (Chinese Fishing nets). And finally enjoy some of India’s tastiest curries at a breezy waterfront restaurant. On one of the days you can even borrow a bicycle and pedal your way around the local fishing villages ending up on fairly quiet beach where a picnic breakfast awaits you.

Drive up to the hill-station of Munnar in the Cardamom Hills, and spend a couple of days exploring tea plantations and shola forest, with a night at a village home-stay. You can even overnight in a tree house! Driving across the western ghats you can trek through the rainforests of the Periyar Tiger Reserve.

Then we have a lovely house on a rubber plantation, where you can watch the rubber being extracted from the trees, spend the day with an elephant, bathing her, travel by ox-drawn cart through the villages, and mountain-bike.

Descending to the famous Keralan ‘backwaters’, you can stay at a lovely hotel beside Vembanadu Lake and also take an overnight cruise on a splendid houseboat. Experience the rural lifestyle of the backwaters as you glide along past villages, temples, churches and buffalos wading.

Children can even help the driver steer the ‘floating hotel’. Bring your binoculars and see if you can spot some of the incredible birdlife that lives in the backwaters including kingfishers, darters and cormorants. You’ll see an amazing variety of butterflies and dragonflies too.

Older children can embark on kayaks, and start paddling, as you move through the palm fringed waterways, unsullied villagers and the countryside into the interiors of Keralan villages where only a kayak can reach. The only company you will have are the peaceful villages, smiling children and the farmers hard at work.

This is also an excellent opportunity to see village life at close quarters - the local people engaged in farming, fishing, duck rearing and toddy tapping or just relaxing. There are also some fabulous cycling trails in Kerala for the more active family.

The perfect way to end your holiday would be to allow a few days for relaxation at a charming and very laid-back beach resort where the children can build sandcastles, splash in the waves and you can simply soak up the sun. Such a special family holiday in Kerala would offer an endless visual feast and will entertain and amaze the whole family.

Ladakh also offers another wonderful family holiday in India. This is a sensational holiday for the family in search of something a little bit different. With the perfect mix of culture and activity, it offers the best of both worlds. The finest time to visit Ladakh is July and August, which suits family holidays perfectly.

Here one can walk, cycle, travel by camel – all through the most extraordinary scenery – as well as white water raft along the Indus river. Stay in palaces or traditional homestays which are completely beautiful and tastefully but simply decorated. There is also fishing and more hard core climbing for those that are interested. Do call us now for a wonderful family holiday to Ladakh!

Where else can one find fabulous family holidays in Asia?

Click here for our family holidays in Sri Lanka

logo