Bus-Free Through India: An Eight-Part Travel Series

Reaching the summit of Meesapulimala, the second-highest peak in India’s Western Ghats at 2,640 meters (8,661 feet).

I hate bus tours. I don’t know if it’s because I fall asleep like a newborn baby when I’m in a moving vehicle, or because my urge to use all my senses when traveling becomes muted behind the smudged plexiglass, but I always feel like I’ve just watched a film rather than spent the day experiencing anything. That’s why when Kalypso Adventures invited me to experience their Multi Activity Tour — which focuses on cycling, hiking and kayaking through Kerala — I was elated. I’d always wanted to visit India, and being able to experience the destination in an active, immersive way was something I’d never considered, mainly because I hadn’t know it was possible, but was more than excited to be a part of.

Now that I’m back from the trip, I realize the region as well as this sustainable way of traveling is something worth promoting. I’ll be doing a series called “Bus-Free Through India,” telling the stories of the different legs of the journey. Whether you want to book this exact tour through Kalypso Adventures or replicate some of the sections in a self-guided fashion (although I recommend hiring a guide), I implore you to explore Kerala without a bus tour, but with your own two feet, smelling, tasting, touching, hearing and seeing the culture and landscape. Because while I’ll be showing you the destination through my eyes, I guarantee you’ll be able to make unique interpretations and memories of your own through a visit.

New articles for Bus-Free Through India will post every Tuesday beginning tomorrow, February 11, 2014. Stay tuned!