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MIDLIFE Programme
India Itinerary
Community Development + WOMEN’S EMpowerment + challenge
Your journey begins in the coastal streets of Fort Kochi, where you’ll ease into life in southern India through meaningful time with local communities, supporting confidence-building English sessions and creative workshops with children.
From there, the adventure unfolds gently - walking in the misty Western Ghats, drifting through Kerala’s tranquil backwaters, and finishing with time to slow right down on the beach. A beautifully balanced journey of purpose, culture and gentle challenge, designed to leave you grounded, refreshed and quietly changed.
Fort Kochi
Arrive + Settle in
You’ll be met on arrival at the airport and transferred to your boutique hotel in Fort Kochi, which will be your base for the first five nights. Time permitting, there’s the option of a gentle post-flight yoga session before the group comes together for a relaxed welcome dinner at the Old Harbour — the perfect way to unwind and settle into the adventure ahead.
Fort Kochi
Explore & Feast
Today begins with a heritage walking tour, a relaxed introduction to Fort Kochi’s layered history and everyday rhythms. Later, you’ll head to a local home for a hands-on Kerala cooking class with Nimmy, learning traditional recipes before sitting down together to enjoy the feast you’ve created.
Fort Kochi
Purpose & Connection
Over these three days, you’ll split your time between a women’s empowerment centre and a local school, supporting confidence-building English sessions and creative workshops.
These are warm, welcoming environments, often described as very Marigold Hotel in spirit, offering a meaningful and human way to connect with local life in Kochi.
True to the Leap style, these purposeful days are balanced with time to slow down and restore. Options include sunrise yoga, restorative Ayurvedic treatments, café hopping and boutique browsing in Jew Town, or relaxed swims at the iconic Cochin Club.
Evenings are social and unhurried, with dinners at some of Kochi’s best-loved spots - Paragon, Mai House and Brunton Boatyard — each adding its own flavour to the week.
Western Ghats (Munnar Region)
Hills, Hikes & High Views
After Kochi, the journey turns inland to the Western Ghats, where cooler air, rolling green hills and tea-covered slopes offer a refreshing contrast to the coast. We’ll be based for two nights at a peaceful tented camp tucked into the hills, with big views and home-cooked food - calm, restorative, and perfectly placed for gentle walking.
Once settled into camp, there will be time to stretch your legs with a gentle afternoon walk to a nearby tribal village. This easy, scenic route winds through spice gardens and forest paths, offering a quiet introduction to life in the hills and a community that has lived in harmony with this landscape for generations.
Papathyshola Hike
The next morning you'll set out on the Papathyshola hike — around 4–5 hours and roughly 8km, on easy-to-moderate trails at 1,600–1,800m. The route takes in cardamom and pepper plantations, tea-lined ridges, forest pockets and misty viewpoints. Back at camp, hot showers, home-cooked curries and soft hilltop sunsets await.
Tea Walk & Factory Visit
On your final morning in the hills, you'll enjoy a shorter, tea-scented walk along the slopes before visiting the historic Harrison Malayalam Tea Factory. Here, you'll follow the full leaf-to-cup journey, from withering and rolling to drying - finishing with a tasting of their finest brews.
From here, you'll meander back toward Kochi ahead of your backwaters journey, the following day.
Kerala Backwaters
Night Afloat in Complete Peace
After time in the hills, your journey continues down to the Kerala backwaters for one of the most memorable moments of the adventure, a night aboard a traditional Kettuvallam houseboat.
Wide, palm-fringed canals, mirror-still water and the gentle putter of the engine set the tone for a beautifully slow afternoon. Boarding in the early afternoon, you’ll settle into the wooden, thatched boat, with comfortable cabins, an open deck for lounging and a small crew who prepare delicious home-cooked curries on board. As the boat glides past village life — children waving from the banks, fishermen paddling by, women washing clothes in jewel-green water — the everyday rhythm of this part of India unfolds quietly around you.
As evening falls, the backwaters take on a special stillness. The sky softens to apricot, palms are silhouetted against the lagoons, and there’s time to read, chat or simply watch the world drift past. Dinner is served under the stars, unhurried and peaceful. By morning, there’s time to cruise a little further and enjoy breakfast on deck before stepping ashore feeling rested, restored and ready for the final beach chapter of the journey.
Marari Beach
Two Blissful Nights to Unwind and Exhale
The journey finishes with two relaxed nights at Marari Beach, one of Kerala’s most peaceful stretches of sand. This is time to slow right down — books by the pool, long swims, Ayurvedic treatments and gentle yoga sessions designed to leave everyone feeling rested and refreshed.
Marari is all about simple, barefoot luxury: palm trees swaying overhead, fishing boats pulling in at sunrise, and wide golden beaches that invite unhurried walks and quiet moments of reflection.
It’s a calm, gentle finale — a chance to rest, reflect and soak up the warmth of South India before an early transfer to the airport on Wednesday morning.
Invest in you with a life-changing Midlife Leap
High five your inner self, fuel your mojo and return home enriched with a guaranteed sense of achievement. And that’s a promise.
