Back to the Roots: Rural Experiences in India Worth Savouring

Travel to the deepest interiors of the Indian subcontinent to experience rural India in its most authentic form. Experience the traditions, culture and the lifestyle of its inhabitants, and partake in their everyday life. While you could make your journeys independently, you could chalk out an itinerary in association with any of the NGOs in these areas to help you through the stay. Either way, you are bound to take back with you experiences that will remain with you for the rest of your life.

1. The Spiti Valley, Himachal Pradesh

A lesser known alternative to Leh and Ladakh, the Spiti Valley in Himachal Pradesh is all about visits to Buddhist temples, yak safaris, cultural performances, moderate to strenuous treks to villages, and village homestays, all against the dramatic backgrounds of the white-clad Himalayan Mountains.

And while you pass by the highest inhabitable villages, explore the rural lifestyle of the Spiti Bhotias, the inhabitants who follow the Tibetan Buddhism of the Gelugpa order. Try your hand at local crafts, learn to cook a traditional dish, or take back with you lessons on farming at altitudes of about 4,400 m. Some solo time spent by the Chandra or the Spiti Rivers will offer you the spiritual solace you’ve been looking for.

NGOs like India Untravelled and Ecosphere Spiti are highly involved in the community here and can help create volunteer travel plans for you.

The best time to travel is in the month of April, also because it is when Losar Festival, a regional annual festival, is celebrated.

Book Your Flight to Kullu (nearest airport)

Read more: Explore the Best of Himachal by Road

2. Purushwadi, Maharashtra

Catch the sight of a million fireflies lighting up the June night skies. Then experience the rigours of rice cultivation beginning from ploughing of the fields, as the Sahyadris loom in the background. Or choose to walk about the village, relishing mangoes plucked right off the trees. Purushwadi, a tiny village 71 km from Igatpuri near Mumbai, is your getaway to experience simple stays in unexplored countryside regions of the state of Maharashtra.

The NGO Grassroutes, which is set up in the village in association with the local community, may be a good place to start if you want to draw an itinerary for your trip here. You could partake in curated experiences of Warli art workshops here, or simply sit on the banks of the nearby river and lose yourself in the rhythms of its burbles.

You may visit here all through the year, although it is advisable to avoid the hot and humid months of March and May.

Book Your Flight to Pune (nearest airport)

3. The Great Rann of Kutch, Gujarat

Visit artisan villages to watch artisans at work, live in mud huts, and sleep under the stars on a charpoy. The Great Rann of Kutch is world in itself. And the only “cliché” you might partake in while you are here may be to visit the great salt desert.

Kutch Adventures India is an NGO that works closely in the conversation of the traditions and cultures of the region and would be happy to set up an itinerary for you. So you could hit them up if you want to spend time in a homestay and connect with artisans, all so that you get to experience the rural lifestyle of inhabitants of the land.

And while you are here, interact with various communities like the Rabari community, made up of the Dhebars, who are nomads wandering with their cattle of sheep and camel; the Kachhis; and Vagadiyas. You could also get a glimpse into what goes into the famous Rabari embroidery. The other communities living in the area include the Jat, Ahir, Marwada Harijan, Mutwa, Halepotra, Pathan and Raysipotra.

Book Your Flight to Bhuj (nearest airport)

4. Wayanad, Kerala

Ditch the popular tourist destinations in the central and south of Kerala and take off to explore the unchartered pathways of the rural regions in Wayanad, a 3-hour drive from Kozhikode in North Kerala. And what you’d find here is a magical combination of solitude in the middle of postcard villages. NGOs like India Untravelled can arrange for homestays, a wonderful way to interact with the locals and experience their lifestyle.

Give in to the embrace of the warm hospitality of the people in the land, indulge in the unique North-Kerala cuisines they prepare, and go for walks in the dense tropical forests filled with rubber, coconut, and tea and coffee plantations.

When you are here, you could make a trip to the pre-historical Edakkal Caves, and visit one of the last tribal communities in a place called Chekadi. The forest officials also have safaris planned for visitors inclined to get a feel of the wildlife in the area.

While you may visit here all through the year, winters are particularly beautiful in Wayanad, with misty mornings and pleasantly cool nights. But do be prepared for intensely beautiful yet very wet monsoons in the months between July and August.

Book Your Flight to Calicut (nearest airport)

Read more: Boutique Hotels in Kerala for a One-of-a-Kind Experience