OVERSEAS HOLIDAYS
Special Interest Tours
with supported photography 2024/25
Ladakh: On the trail of pashmina in the Himalayas 14-27th September 2024 (Booking open, email Ali)
Woven Air Textile Tour, North India 11th - 29th November 2024 (Booking open)
South India Culinary Tour: Monday 27th to 9th February 2025 (Booking open)
The Brahmaputra River Trip, Assam. 2025 (Register email)
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Ladakh: On the trail of pashmina in the Himalayas 14-27th September 2024. 14 days. £3750* (Booking open, email Ali)
In the Western Himalayas where men and mountains meet, we explore the geography and culture of Ladakh on the trail of the pashmina nomads. In a startlingly beautiful mountain landscape, there are monasteries that punctuate the views, oasis of wealth and patronage, silos of information and culture. These are definitely on our itinerary. Based in and around Leh for a few days, we explore this old city at the intersection of ancient trading routes, where the handmade element of these precious cashmere textiles is increasingly being appreciated. Wool has been a critical element of Himalayan trading and these old routes in and out of the mountains are based on these natural resources. Pashmina wool is combed from goats grazing on high altitude pasture, and we will set out to visit these families, staying in a traditional village homestay for a couple of nights, and exploring the use of the natural resources of the region through textile dying and weaving. This is a high altitude, full-on trip, with stargazing, goat watching and mind-blowing mountain roads. We have the option to add a mini safari into the Nubra Valley after our 14 day adventure, to explore the beautiful high altitude desert and relax in a boutique glampsite. Numbers are limited and this tour is now almost at capacity. Email Ali for more info and the booking form.
Woven Air Textiles Tour, North India to Gujurat, with supported photography 11th - 29th November 2024. 19 days. £4900* (Booking open, please email Ali)
The Woven Air Textile Tour focuses on the extraordinarily rich textiles of North-west India. Starting in Delhi, we find our way to Ahmedabad and the Calico Museum, and then onto the Little Rann of Katchch to spend a day in the wildlife heartland of this desert region. From here we go to Bhuj, and with the help of the artisans themselves, textile cooperatives and local educational organisations, we learn how to block print fabric and experience the indigo dyebath process. We reach into the remote villages of the Banni grasslands, staying overnight in local homestays, and experiencing village life. The tour includes a jeep safari into the salt pans, meetings with weaving artisans of Bhujrodhi, an Ajrakh block printing workshop and the batik workshops of Mandvi. We explore the textile traditions of bhandhari tie-dye, embroidery and ajrakh on their home turf, talking to the artisans and having a go for ourselves. In Kutch we reach from the Little Rann to the Gulf of Kutch, taking eighteen days to explore the region slowly and responsibly, staying in a range of hotels and homestay and eating delicious local food. Email Ali for more info and the booking form.
South India Culinary Tour: Monday 27th to 9th February 2025. 14 days. £3750* (Booking open, please email Ali)
This is a culinary tour with supported photography.
Deep in South India is a heartland of cooks and chefs. Widely unknown outside India, the region of Chettinad in Tamil Nadu is home to a culinary heartbeat, a pulse that has fed India’s homes and restaurants with secret spice mixes and well-guarded recipes. The Stoneflower is an ingredient in the spicebox of our regional cuisine.
This culinary tour runs through beautiful South India to explore the regional cuisine of Kerala, and Chettinad, within Tamil Nadu. This is an insider’s tour, built on my 30 years experience of working, researching and travelling in the subcontinent.
The culinary tours offer cooking demonstrations and the opportunity to roll up our sleeves and don aprons. in 2025 we’ll be visiting markets to buy spices, bazaars for cooking hardware, village farmers in Chettinad to follow the passage of food from farm to plate. Well spent time learning how to temper spices and make signature Chettinad dishes. If you enjoy photography, there are great opportunities to take amazing photographs with my support if you need it. Please email me for details. (*Itineraries are subject to change and costs depend on numbers. Flights not included).
This tour starts in Kochi, with an opportunity to sample freshly caught prawns at the Chinese fishing nets of Kochi. Kochi is full of amazing shops, the old town is stunning, and we stay in a delightful boutique hotel. With cooking demonstrations of famous Keralan recipes in Kochi, we then move on to our houseboat on the backwaters for a couple of nights, with the opportunity to explore the less-travelled waterways on a small local boat called a Vallam. Our houseboat chef will serve signature dishes and we will soak up the amazing birdlife on the waters and the lotus blooms as they open and close with the sunset. Up in Periyar we’ll enjoy a bamboo rafting tour on the reservoir, and engage with local tribal guides who will explain their culinary heritage to us in the context of the Nilgiri Biosphere Forests. The tour continues over to Chettinad, home to wonderful regional cuisine and a quirky vernacular architecture. We spend a couple of days in a cooking school at a lovely heritage hotel, and really get to grips with Chettinad dishes specific to the region. The tour ends in Madurai, home to temple elephants and one of the most significant temples of South India, and a street food safari on our last night.
These tours are small, with no more than eight in the group, and we focus on the culinary traditions of the region with supported photography. Photography is supported rather than the main dish! . (*Itineraries are subject to change and costs depend on numbers. Flights not included).
*Prices subject to guest numbers per trip.
2025 The Brahmaputra River Trip, Assam
This is another international tour pencilled in the diary. This is the Brahmaputra River Trip through Assam, staying on the river boat and travelling the river. I’ve nicknamed it ‘The Passage to India’ trip. We make day trips away from the ship into rhino country, spend time immersed with local villages and villagers en route, and anchor off Majuli Island to visit the Hindu temple complex and the dancing monks. This is a 14 day trip, with great cabins, wonderful company, delicious food. For photographers there are specific activities, including wildlife photography and the vistas of the mighty Bhramaputra River. Non-photographers - you’re welcome to drift through beautiful Assam and enjoy the day trips. Everybody is welcome. You can dip in and out as you please. At the moment the dates are hovering around the last two weeks in January 2025.
Places are limited to 11 cabins, single or shared, and cost between £4500 - £6500 not including flights, tips, or alcoholic drinks. The price is to be confirmed, and I’m waiting on numbers to confirm overall costs. This is an adventure of a lifetime. Please email me if you are interested.
UK WORKSHOPS (Calendar with details at the bottom of the page).
These are held approximately two times a month on location locally (Chichester Harbour, the South Downs). The subjects vary, and numbers are being kept to the individual or two only. Costs are £195/head and include a light home-made lunch.
Workshops are in the diary under Alternative Photography and Digital, (there is crossover), and if there is something specifically you would like to try I am flexible. I have put specific names and dates in for the moment but these can be altered according to the group’s needs. The best thing is to email me and we can take the planning from there.
I have been running very successful teaching photoshoots in the harbour which start examining settings and modes, allow you to practice on location, followed by lunch and editing. These workshops give the opportunity to put into practice what you have explored theoretically. You can work on an iPhone, a compact or a DSLR, growing your artistic skill and confidence with the images you create.
The Stoneflower Culinary Tour I, South India
Gorgeous backwaters, whopping prawns, coconut steamed pancakes, locally grown Nilgiri tea, Cochin’s spice market, local boats, coffee, tiny bananas that explode with flavour. Chettinad dishes, cookery demonstrations and cookery classes.
