My holidays in Kerala are an experience to cherish for lifetime! After juggling a lot of dates, we decided to visit Kerala on the latter part of May last year. As we entered the god's own country, the lush greenery overwhelmed our senses. We could already feel the excitement penetrate us! Our visit to Periyar Tiger Reserve at Thekkady After a hearty breakfast, we began our Kerala holidays by visiting the Periyar Tiger Reserve at Thekkady. We took the route via Neriamangalam, past the long catchments of the Lower Periyar, via Idukki Arch Dam and witnessed the panoramic view of the plantation areas of Puliyanmala, Kattapana, Vandanmedu, Anakara and Kumily. We spent the night at the Periyar House Hotel situated within the sanctuary. When at Periyar Tiger Reserve, do not miss a short walk within the sanctuary, of course before darkness set in. Here, you can get a close view of the Nilgiri Langurs, wild boar, orange and black frogs, sambars and so on. Next day, we had a great time visiting the Periyar Lake. A whole-day trek with Bamboo Rafting through the Forest Department's Eco Tourism program is the best option any tourist can go for. And we were no exception. After ten minutes of photo session with friends, we went for the bamboo rafting trip accompanied by two local guides and an armed guard. In the beginning I was a little scared as it was my first rafting experience, but after a while I could not but enjoy the view of the lake, tall trees lined along the lake, birds and the beautiful butterflies by the marshy lake shore. During the bamboo raft ride on the Periyar Lake, I had caught glimpse of some unique fauna like the Paris peacocks, blue mormons, bisons, giant malabar squirrel and such others. The Kerala tour operators had arranged a boat ride the next day. During this boat ride we had plenty of opportunities to make good use of our digicams. We took pictures of the several wild boars, sambars, elephants, boars and bisons that appeared on the same bank. It was the most wonderful boat ride of my life! A night stay at Chellarkovil The next day we headed towards Chellarkovil and stopped at Anakara, a quiet plantation area, enroute. The variety of fauna like the red hibiscus, wild lantana and blue ipomeas greeted us there. Finally, we reached Chellarkovil, a small plantation village. Here, we visited the Valley View Gardens and could view the range of mountains beyond Thekkady. We also witnessed the waterfalls irrigating the farmlands below and the organic plantation including cardamom, vanilla, jackfruits, gingers, pepper and other crops. Next day at Munnar My Kerala Holidays took us to Munnar the following day. The cardamom grove, the ghats, rocky scapes, Kollukumalai tea estate, Anaiyerangal Lake and the Chinnakanal are the worth visiting places here. We spent the night at the Siena Village hotel. From our balconies of our room we got a glimpse of many red whiskered bulbuls, Magpie robins, crickets and guinea pea fowl. From Munnar, we visited Maraiyur and Chinnar and Rajamala in the Eravikulam National Park en route. This was the most picturesque route in the Munnar region. We drove past the beautiful tea gardens casing the steep hillsides and deep valleys. A vast expanse of dense shola forest bordering the road was a wonderful sight. On our way we witnessed the Lukkom falls, Maraiyur and the Muniyara Dolmens, the prehistoric burial sites. The retreat After spending a weeklong holiday in Kerala, it was time to go home. We took the same route and went to Thattekadu to visit the Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary on our return journey. After a delicious Appam as our breakfast the next day, we reached Nedumbassery Airport and took a flight to Mumbai, and this marking the end of our Kerala holidays.
Author:
Your Ayurvedic Tour to India offers you the best rejuvenating experience during Kerala holidays. The Ayurvedic resorts and Kerala Hotels and other parts of India offer you the ultimate Ayurveda treatments. Indianholiday.com helps you make the best of this opportunity.
