How it is to spend seven days chasing the Monsoon throughout India’s greenest region

India’s culture upholds an image of duality, ever-changing cycles, and bold beauty in everything to the world’s audience. When you think of India, you may think bright colors, spices, mysterious religion, and an organic chaos. It’s no wonder India is a global fascination. This is a a jarring contrast to the rest of the temperate world where stability lead daily life and culture. India embraces change. India’s yearly Monsoon is a perfect representation of that regenerative chaos that India inspires and has inspired Indian culture.

Throughout the region of the Western Ghats, the Monsoon is a necessary and transformative experience. It’s celebrated and life flows with the downpour. Between the months of June and September, a green emerges over the Western Ghats that blankets the rolling, mountainous hills. It brings to life an experience of nature and humanity thriving not found quite like this elsewhere in the world.

We took a seven day tour through this region. Our goal? Travel in a way that is culturally, economically, and environmentally sustainable. We support and respect local communities. A region as unique and mysterious as India has to be experienced like this.

Here’s what it’s like to live this cultural and natural experience in seven days:

What is the Western Ghats:

The Western Ghats region is a mountainous area of continental India. The result is a stunning rolling, mountainous region that borders a beautiful coastline. It’s the ideal location to explore the cross sections of culture, livelihood, landscapes, and nature. Here, people thrive and celebrate the torrential downpour of the monsoon. An entire livelihood and culture has grown within it year after year. The Western Ghats’ atmosphere is so unique, this region is a UNESCO world heritage site. Eight days else where is hard to fill. Eight days here is a life-changing experience.

Day one: Start at the crossroads of daily life and nature

Our journey began in the green, hilly village of Sakleshpur, Karantaka. This village, known for its historic coffee plantation that has long sustained the local economy, boasts perfect growing conditions in the fertile mountain hills. We stayed in a homestay that is a traditional style home run by welcoming locals. After arriving, we explored the surrounding plantation and terrain by foot. We trekked down meandering trails to a get to a quiet stream and waterfall that we can wade through as the monsoon rains fell. It was the perfect introduction to this region during monsoon season. This is a great way to acclimate to the constant mist as the locals of this region do so well. Our local hosts cook a traditional “Malenadu” meal. The name “Maneldu” means “region of rains” in the local language. It’s a unique cuisine and culture we get a rare, intimate experience of staying with locals. Traveling in this way helps to respect and support local culture.

Day two: Spend a day immersed in the elements:

The next day we got a little more adventurous. We traveled further into the Western Ghats region, chasing the monsoon and discovering the culture that thrives in its path. We traveled by bike and over bodies of water to Mudigere, a traditional village further into the region. Here we stayed at a coffee plantation homestay where we got to tour the coffee plantation with those who have made this their livelihood. We experienced their way of life living off the land and monsoon in a hands-on way, completely unique. We saw the entire coffee life cycle from growing beans to grinding aromatic coffee. We ventured deep in the hills while exploring the stunning green views the monsoon brings each year. Our local friends here provided an incredible traditional meal, completely homemade. It’s was the perfect way to end quite a long day of exploration in the elements.

Day three: Make the edge of the wild home:

Day three we got a bit little more “wild”. We traveled by bike through a town on the way to the Kudremukh National Park. This park is a preserved wildlife sanctuary where we were very much the guests of the unique wildlife who call this home. All visitor movement through the park is watched closely by preservation organizations hard at work to protect the areas biodiversity. After a lunch out in the wilderness prepared by our guide, we cycled to another one of the villages nestled in the mountains. We spent our night in a heritage home that completely embodies the culture and tradition of this region. Our hosts were kind and happy to introduce us to the Malenadu way of life and their warm hospitality. The property overlooked a monsoon-produced stream and thriving coffee plantations for an unforgettable morning experience.

Day four: Visit Wisdom and Knowledge in her homeland:

After traveling again through the national park taking in the amazing views, we reached the town of Shringeri. Here we visit the temple of the goddess Sharada. She is the goddess of knowledge, learning, and wisdom. It’s customary to bring school age children here to ask for her guidance for their journey towards knowledge. The temple is 1200 years old and an amazing testament to the region’s long-standing harmony between humanity and nature. We stayed in a spice plantation homestay where we learned about the spices that make cuisine here so vibrant from the local farmers.

Day five: Come face-to-face with wildlife:

This day we rode into the region with the second highest rainfall in all of India at the height of monsoon season. We visit the Agumbe Rain Forest Reserve where we were taught about the wildlife they are working to preserve. The infamous King Cobra also calls this region and the monsoon home. The ARRS’ mission is to raise awareness through their programs for the preservation and deeper understanding of India’s native wildlife. The reserve took us on a night trek to face these feared creatures in their natural habitat and develop a new understanding of the king cobra like the locals.

Day six: Experience where culture and nature meet; ancient and new:

We left Agumbe on bike and rode to Kavledurga fort for an amazing look at the past among the green of the mountains. This fort dates back to the 9th century and holds the stories of the massive expansion of the Vijayanagar Dynasty. The stone structure both contrasts and compliments the bright green landscape. We visited one of the biggest mountain peaks, Kodachadri. It rises as a massive green formation in between mountain valleys. We ate during a break in between rides out in the elements before our journey to our next homestay. The Simha Farms homestay is a unique with a mix of culture and nature. The owners are curators and local artists who enjoy displaying and teaching their culture to small groups of travelers. They have created a completely sustainable way of life here and treated us to an accommodating visit.

Day seven: Descend from the high rains to a coastal calm:

From here on, we began our descent from the mountainous region down to India’s Western coastline. We spend a day on a downhill trail to Maravanthe Beach. This is one of the most peaceful and beautiful areas of coastline in India. Hidden from normal tourist destinations, it’s a perfect way to end an adventure like this. It’s incredibly serene. Here, we enjoyed one more traditional meal before concluding our incredible seven day journey.

This journey was more than just a tour with some nice photo ops. This way of culturally, environmentally, economically sustainable travel not only supports local economy, but it gives you a local experience. To get to know India, you have to go off the grid, unventured.

Originally published at unventured.com on May 3, 2018.