A Homestay Experience in Madikeri, India

Madikeri, is a beautiful hill station in India’s Karnataka State. It was here, in Southern India, we decided to do a homestay. As travelers, we really enjoy talking and learning from the locals. So, when the opportunity to spend two days and a night with a local Indian family arose, we were thrilled.

The area surrounding Madikeri is a trekker’s paradise. We spend two days with our host, trekking through these beautiful landscapes. Along the way, our host shared insightful information about the various plants and species inhabiting the lands. This was some of the best trekking we had ever done. Aside from the views, what made the trekking very special and memorable was the connection we had built with our host.

Living and spending time with the locals was a lot of fun. We ate all our meals together with the family and shared stories. We even had some time to hang out and play with the kids. They showed us their schools and village. It was interesting to observe how the locals lived. It gave us a better sense of what life was really like in a village. When I needed to take a shower, for example, I was given a huge pot of hot water. This was way people bathed in this village, there were no showers.

Our host family was extremely kind and welcoming to us. This experience left us with great memories and the desire for wanting to do more homestays in our future travels.

Video: Just having some fun while trekking!