15-25 JANUARY 2024

JOURNEY FROM MUMBAI TO KERALA IN SEARCH OF INDIA’S JEWISH STORY

Discover the kaleidoscope of culture, colour and flavours that make up modern India, while learning about the country’s Jewish sites of interest with expert guides. Along the way, we’ll stay in luxury hotels, navigate in comfortable transport and enjoy delicious food. Starting in the bustling city of Mumbai (formerly Bombay), we will then travel south to the Keralan towns of Kochi, Thekkady and Munnar, visiting tea and spice plantations, museums and synagogues en route, with panoramic views and a chance to relax in ornate gardens and soothing spas.

Cost*: From £3,380pp sharing a double/twin room; £900 single supplement
Flights: All internal flights are included in the package. Our recommended flight to India from the UK is £1,190pp Virgin premium return from Heathrow, but you are welcome to book your own flights and meet us in Mumbai
Deposit required: £850pp by 21 July 2023 (refundable in the case that the tour does not go ahead; final payment by 14 September 2023)

*For full details of what is included, see the itinerary and information below.

This tour is arranged in association with Travel Counsellors and is for Jewish Renaissance subscribers only. Not currently a subscriber? Click here to subscribe.

ITINERARY

Day 1 – Monday 15 January

Depart from London Heathrow Airport at 17:50*.

*If you are not flying with us, please meet the group on Tuesday 16 January either at 9:00 at Mumbai Airport, Terminal 2, in time for the hotel transfer, or at the Taj Mahal Tower Hotel from 12:00.

Day 2 – Tuesday 16 January

Land at Mumbai Airport. After passing through customs and collecting baggage, make your way to the exit to meet the group and travel by air-conditioned coach (approx. 1.5h) to the historic, five-star Taj Mahal Tower Hotel, where a welcome lunch awaits.

The rest of the day can be spent at leisure. Should you wish to book a treatment at the spa for this time, we will secure the booking and you can pay locally on arrival.

In the evening, we will meet in the hotel lobby before walking as a group to dinner at a local restaurant.

Day 3 – Wednesday 17 January

Following breakfast, we will explore the historic sites of Mumbai city, including those of Jewish interest: the David Sassoon Library, one of the oldest in the country and named for the Iraqi Jewish businessman, and Keneseth Eliyahoo Synagogue, which was built by Sassoon’s grandson Jacob. We will eat lunch as a group at a local restaurant during the tour.

After the tour, attendees will have free time for the rest of the day, including dinner, which will be at a place of your choosing and at your own cost. There are multiple dining options within and surrounding the hotel.

*Chinese fishing nets of Fort Kochi, Kerala ©* *Paul Arps*

Day 4 – Thursday 18 January

After breakfast at the hotel, we will take the coach to Mumbai Airport to board a flight to Kochi. Lunch will be served on the plane.

Upon arrival at Kochi Airport, we will drive to Fort Kochi – one of the oldest cosmopolitan port cities in the world – where we will stay in a luxury boutique hotel within walking distance of the synagogue. En route, we will stop at Jew Town (which dates back to 1492) to see Paradesi Synagogue, which was built in 1568 and is the oldest in India.

Dinner will be enjoyed as a group at Fort Kochi.

Day 5 – Friday 19 January

After breakfast, we will visit Kadavumbagam Ernakulam Synagogue, the oldest, restored synagogue of the Malabar Jews, established in 1200.

Later, enjoy the Muziris Trail with lunch, which provides an introduction to the many faiths and cultures of the Malabar Coast. Following a short stint at the local market, we will take a boat cruise through the channel that once opened trade with the Western world, disembarking and visiting the synagogue at Chendamangalam, built around the 17th century. We’ll also visit the Paliam Palace Museum. After lunch, we’ll drive to visit the Paravur Synagogue before returning to the hotel.

In the evening we’ll have the opportunity to observe Kabbalat Shabbat with the local community and return to the hotel for a group Shabbat dinner.

Day 6 – Saturday 20 January

In the morning, attendees can either attend Shabbat morning services at the synagogue or spend their time at leisure. Lunch will be provided at the hotel. In the afternoon, you can enjoy free time or participate in an optional guided walking tour of the local area, which includes the fort itself.

There will be a group Havdalah service on the hotel terrace using spices from the local plantations. Afterwards, guests are free to get dinner at a place of their choosing and at their own cost.

Day 7 – Sunday 21 January

After breakfast, we’ll leave for Thekkady via a scenic drive through the mountain roads, passing tea and spice plantations, which we’ll visit en route for lunch.

After checking into the Periyar Spice Village – a resort with lush gardens and individual cabins that practises ecological methods – you will have the rest of the day at your leisure and expense. You may wish to have an Ayurvedic treatment, using herbs grown here in the plantation, which we can book in advance for you to pay on arrival.

*Top Station, the highest tea plantation in Munnar*

Day 8 – Monday 22 January

Following breakfast at the hotel and a leisurely morning and lunch, we will take a tour of the Spice Plantation. A number of spices, including ginger, garlic, cardamom, vanilla, pepper, cinnamon, coffee, tea, clove and nutmeg, are cultivated in Thekkady and its neighbouring villages, as are specialist Ayurvedic herbs. Afterwards, we’ll enjoy a group dinner at the hotel, seasoned with local spices we’ll have seen up close earlier in the day.

Day 9 – Tuesday 23 January

After breakfast we will depart for Munnar via a scenic drive through the countryside and have lunch en route. Upon arrival at Fragrant Nature Munnar, a luxury five-star hotel with majestic views of the mountains, we’ll visit the Tata Tea Museum, which showcases the history of tea plantations in this region. Dinner will be enjoyed as a group in the hotel.

Day 10 – Wednesday 24 January

After breakfast we will leave Munnar for Kochi Airport and board a flight to Mumbai. Lunch will be served on the plane. After checking into The Leela Mumbai, a five-star hotel within the city’s commercial district that is surrounded by 11 acres of ornate gardens and cascading waterfalls. Once there, you will have the rest of the afternoon at leisure, before a final group dinner at the hotel.

Day 11 – Thursday 25 January

Following breakfast, we will transfer to Mumbai Airport to board our flights home.

TOUR INFORMATION

Destination: Mumbai and Kerala
Dates: 15-25 January 2024
Cost*: From £3,380pp sharing a double/twin room; £900 single supplement
Flights**: £1,190pp Virgin premium return from Heathrow
Deposit required: £850pp by 21 July 2023 (refundable in the case that the tour does not go ahead; final payment by 14 September 2023)

*Prices include bed and breakfast, plus lunch and/or dinner where stated (not including alcohol); all ticketed entry to attractions; English-speaking guides; air-conditioned coach travel and flights within India, plus bottled water; and all applicable taxes. All food provided will be vegetarian or pescatarian (no seafood/non-kosher fish). Note that it is customary to tip serving staff at meals, we will recommend the local customary amounts, but it’s at your discretion. Visa entry requirements must be arranged by the attendee(s) at your own cost.

**JR’s partners, Travel Counsellors, will be happy to book UK to India travel on your behalf – these will be Virgin premium flights from Heathrow. The baggage allowance for each flight is one 23kg bag for check-in and one piece of in-flight hand luggage (max 7kg) per person. You will be liable for any extra costs due to weight penalties.

Please note, Travel Counsellors provide package protection. If you choose to book your own travel, you will not be protected by Travel Counsellors’ ATOL and ABTA licences for the London/Mumbai flights, only for the tour itself. The recommended flight is Virgin VS354 – London Heathrow to Mumbai – Dep 17:15 (Arr 07:50); returning on the Virgin VS355 – Mumbai to London Heathrow – Dep 10:05 (Arr 14:50). It is also highly recommended that you purchase your own travel insurance, which Travel Counsellors can advise on if required.

Accommodation will be at:

Please note, rates quoted are based on the hotels above and rooms will be subject to availability at the time of booking.

This is a high-end tour, in both comfort and quality, however Jewish Renaissance has set the price as low as possible, so that cost isn’t a barrier for those with personal connections to the region. If you would like to support this tour or JR’s work with a voluntary contribution, please donate here.

Please note, this tour involves light walking. If you have mobility or accessibility issues, please contact us via tours@jewishrenaissance.org.uk before booking.

ARE YOU A SUBSCRIBER?

JR Tours are open to subscribers only. Subscriptions start at £28/a and can be purchased at subscribe.jewishrenaissance.org.uk.

RESERVE YOUR PLACE

Please complete the form below to reserve a place on this tour. If you require assistance completing the form, please contact the JR office on 020 7794 5254 or tours@jewishrenaissance.org.uk. Once your form is received and your JR subscription confirmed, you will be contacted regarding payment for your deposit.

BOOKING FORM

EXPLORE JEWISH INDIA: MUMBAI TO KERALA