A bunch of incredible women have created a special niche for themselves in the world of travel. When talk comes round to beautifully curated holiday programmes, the names of these women are sure to crop up. And that’s simply because they have that caring, compulsive need to provide travellers fun-filled, deeply stirring, and people-to-people connectedness in the amazing places they visit. The fabulous experiences shared by Alphonso Stories bear the hallmark of their expertise, their passion and their knowledgeable all-embracing vision to quicken and satisfy the curiosity of the traveller in countless ways.
Mallyka Baisa of Dundlod in Rajasthan’s Shekhawati region, has cleverly brought together her two favourite passions to share with guests: the thrill of horse riding and exploring Shekhavati’s fresco towns through her personally led Bonding with Horses Experience and the Village Tour. What makes Mallyka programmes so intensely satisfying is that she is inspired by her strong desire to return to one’s roots and give back to the local community in every which way. An expert horsewoman in her own right Mallyka introduces even novice riders to the joy of riding these fabulous Marwari horses, an indigenous breed, which has been saved from extinction by her father, himself passionate rider You will also learn to bond with the beautiful Marwari while experiencing life at a living farm with Mallyka.
Travelling with Jonty in the historic city of Hyderabad helps to pare down the challenge of trying to cram in everything about its history, heritage and culture at one go. Passionate about this city of the Nizam’s, her personal experiences have given her the full measure of what to retain and create those articulate programmes that presents the city’s most alluring facets to the visitor. Little wonder that Detours continues to consciously design its inter-personal, deep-dive tours in such an inventive mould that visitors are assured of fresh discoveries, which sometimes even locals may not be aware of.
Her love for food and immense sense of community spirit has been inspirational in Jeanette Dale sharing her incredible cultural heritage with people from all over the world through her culinary expressions. Jeanette Dale is a teacher-cum-cooking instructor and finds immense joy in her roots in Kerala’s Anglo-Indian community. Her enterprising spirit and passion for food led her to bring travellers to her home to sample the richness of her community’s culture. Her ambition was lent wings by the rising popularity of her cookery classes where shares the finer details of traditional Kerala and Anglo-Indian fusion cooking with her guests. So successful has been her venture now husband Oscar, a professional in the hospitality industry (C G H Earth) with over 25 years of experience is a co-host in these programmes in their home. Jeanette's family has successfully hosted Dinners/Lunches, 'a guest at home for dinner/lunch' concept for the Americans and other nationalities since 2014.
Anchal’s love for travel, storytelling and the off-beat has been pivotal in driving Roobaroo Walks, which she runs with her husband Ayush. Travelling with Roobaroo is all about having fun while enjoying an excellent learning, insightful experience of the places you go to with them. An important component factored in the programmes, which she is deeply involved in creating is the aspect of sustainable travel. This means there is a special focus on benefits to the local community and genuine cultural exchange. Roobaroo has conducted 1,600+ Heritage Walks and has made memories of over 5,000 travellers from 45+ nationalities.
Her deeply immersive experiences with India’s handloom textiles and crafts traditions inspired Sabita Radhakrishna to share this incredible cultural richness with travellers with her personally led tours. The personalised tours add that very special touch to the traveller’s engagement with this aspect of India’s legendary heritage. What’s exciting is that Sabita brings her over-30 years of hands-on experience with textiles and of being an active member of the Crafts Council of India, and her role as a Senior Consultant CERC (Craft Educational Research Centre) Kalakshetra Foundation from 2009-2013.
Fleur Soumer of Sita Cultural Center, having travelled all around Asia, after she was done with her medical studies in France, arrived in India with her specialisation in Oriental healing practices. Drawn to Pondicherry’s amazing Indo-French cultural and heritage landscape, Fleur has created a niche for herself offering Ayurvedic treatments. She also embraced a passion for Bharatanatyam and even started giving lessons. Her deep connection with cookery created another focal point for her energies. Fleur has teamed up with Martine to promote this art of cooking, which brings together travellers from different parts of the world to enjoy these deeply stirring cross-cultural foodie experiences.
Poornima Dashrathi at Unhurried continues to kindle the adventurer in guests looking for unique cultural experiences in India. Helping them to unwrap the deep layers of myth, mystery and magic in historic settings is her way of inculcating a sense of discovery and passion in travellers who are hungry for inventive and exciting ways to experience an unknown place. The city of Bangalore, or even nearby Talakkad, with its sand hidden temples, continue to rock for these discoveries through walks underpinned by thrilling storytelling.
Anchal Bhalla at Taste Sutra uncorks her passion for good food by unleashing the wonderments of local cuisines with travellers. Taste Sutra is a hands-on cooking studio offering cooking classes for travellers. It’s one of the most exciting ways to unlock the mysteries and magic of India’s incredibly diverse food ways. Her signature Cooking Sessions and Recreational Cooking Classes offer a unique experience for travellers to learn more about India’s culinary heritage. What is even more fun about her sessions is that she has created a great platform to mingle with other travellers who are passionate about food as well.
Devika Rathore and Chandrika Rathore have been past masters at cooking up the most delicious meals for family and friends. The duo now shares this expertise with travellers from around the world. Another amazing initiative has been their community-based cultural experience with “Ikaki Bagh” or “one-of-a-kind orchard”. This splendid setting on the outskirts of Jaipur in Rajasthan serves up soul-stirring tourist experiences of rural India and customized explorations of this organic farm and its neighbourhood local communities. What you will also love is how the duo was inspired to get small and marginal farmers to adopt organic farm practices, sustainability initiatives and environment conservation. The passion they have brought to this project will gladden your heart as you get a first-hand experience of it as a lively working programme which defines the components of collaborative and mindful tourism.
Poonam Ribo along with her husband Pasco has created some dream journeys for a host of travellers from around the world with mindful, eco-friendly experiences through their decade-old venture, Konkan Explorers.These unique, conservationist initiatives in the backwaters of Goa allowed visitors to share their delight in villages, coastlines and unexplored aspects of the region to reconnect people with nature. Konkan Explorers’ clear agenda also revolves around providing responsible and eco-friendly nautical sports.
Alleppey, the jump-off point for those thrilling backwatercruises. An amazing initiative has, however been taken by the ladies of the Lion Ladies Club of Alleppey who have taken upon themselves to launch a project to conserve the history and heritage of this little town, the heart of the Kerala backwaters. The Preserve Alleppey Project, started in 2000 conducts this walking tour of this historic town. The Society is dedicated to the preservation of Kerala’s natural, idyllic backwaters. On this program you will learn about the importance of this canal system and cover the ecology of the area and how its preservation has impacted the local environment. You even visit a family home and enjoy an authentic Kerala meal featuring local tropical produce.
This mother-in-law-daughter-in-law duo has been shaking up Kerala’s backwater experiences with a unique offering at their family home, the Philkutty Farm, located on a small island on Vembanad Lake near Kumarakom. Philipkutty’s Farm offers a beautiful opportunity to experience real Kerala in a captivating location, with a caring family to look after you. A canoe ride and walk on terra firma around the back waters area is a fun-filled time with the ladies. Back on the island farm they offer you a lesson in wearing traditional Kerala attire and then take you through a personal cooking class of local delights.