There are a few places to stay in the Reserve itself, but are difficult to book at short notice. Also were not sure about the facilities. There are a few good places to stay in and around Kumily, the nearest habitation on the outskirts of the Reserve. We chose Cardamom County Resort at Kumily, because the package came with a one day stay in a house boat in Alleppey (Alapuzha). How can a visit to the God's Own Country be complete without spending some time in the backwaters!
The airport nearest to Kumily is Madurai, but flight timings were unsuitable. The next best choice was Kochi. The drive from Kochi airport to Kumily took close to five hours due to winding ghat road and rains. But the scenery was breathtaking, with a small waterfall thrown in as a bonus.
Cardamom County is a comfortable resort, with the most outstanding staff we have ever experienced! Rooms are basic, not plush, but very comfortable. The meal spread was good. We wished the Chefs would stick to local cuisine. Experimenting with Chinese, north Indian, Italian etc. may be aimed at the foreign tourists, but we were looking for more of authentic Kerala cuisine, which obviously was the Chef's strength. They have their own spice garden and butterfly farm. The ayurvedic spa was divine! Not to be missed.
There are lots of outdoor activities to do in Kumily and in the Reserve. Trip to a spice garden and a ride on an elephant back were interesting. The elephant clearly was protesting, which made the ride more adventurous than our elephant ride in Thailand! The Jeep safari which took us to the Kerala Tamilnadu border, Chellarkovil waterfalls and some good viewing points is a must-do. Could not manage bullock-cart ride through the village due to the rains.
One of the highlights of the trip was a one hour demonstration of Kalaripayattu, a traditional martial art form of Kerala, at a centre near the resort in the evening. It is an extremely graceful and energetic art form, demanding a lot of focus and practice. Unfortunately, we could not follow the commentary though it was delivered in English. We wished the centre would use a professionally pre-recorded narration, to make it intelligible to the visitors, especially the bus-loads of foreign tourists.
But nothing can beat the experience of trekking through 12 Kms in the Periyar Wildlife Reserve. It is an extremely well organised program of the Forest Department. It starts at 7 am and ends at 5 pm and is aptly called the "Dawn to Dusk'' trek. While the trekking is through the dense forest, it also includes long rides on Bamboo rafts on the Periyar Lake. The escorts include Forest Department officials and some rehabilitated poachers who know the forest like the back of their hands. Breakfast and lunch served in the forest is an experience by itself. Breakfast consisted of fruits, biscuits, bread and tea served in a clearing in the forest which was cordoned off from the surroundings by a elephant trench! Lunch was home cooked Pulao Rice, Onion raitha (raw onions in plain yoghurt) and pickles. A typical tribal villagers meal. After 6 hours of trekking, it was a better meal than any other we have ever had.
The trek was through dense, slushy foliage with an abundance of leeches. We had covered our legs upto our knees with something that looked like a cross between socks and gumboots with strings attached to the top for tightening. It was sprinkled with tobacco powder rather generously to deter the leeches. However, a few enterprising leeches found their way through all these obstacles.
Usually the forest is full of birds. We did not sight any due to the incessant rains. However, our stubborn guides took us through non conventional routes in the evening to give us a dekko of an amazing herd of wild elephants with two really tiny baby elephants, several herds of bisons, sambhar deer and one wild boar. For a good measure of adventure, we also saw the skeletal remains of an elephant and the nail marks of a tiger that had marked its territory.
This day long trek is a must do for every outdoor enthusiast, every nature lover and every non outdoor person who can make it a "once in a lifetime experience". After this, a massage at the Spa at the resort is soothing to say the least.
After 3 days in Thekkady, we headed to Allapuzha for a day on a houseboat. We did our booking through Cardamom County. Houseboats are available in one bedroom, two bedroom and multi bedroom options. Some are available with a conference room too! Ours was two bedroom for the three of us with a crew consisting of the Captain, a motor engineer and a Chef. We were treated like house guests, amazing food served on board in the most beautiful ambiance. The staff were the most courteous and well trained in hospitality.
Starting at 12 noon, the houseboat goes towards Vembanad Lake. At 4 pm, the guests are taken in a small boat through the winding backwater lanes on Allapuzha. It is not a wonder that this is the Venice of India and personally speaking, much cleaner than Venice. The houseboat is anchored at 5.30 pm in the backwaters for an overnight halt. At night, the houseboat could be anchored along with a few others or in an isolated place with just one or two other houseboats. This has to be clarified before booking to ensure privacy alongside security and also to avoid crowded, noisy night. The night in the houseboat is simply outstanding - the backwaters on one side, paddy fields on the other, lilies in the field, the sound of the insects of the night and an exclusive candle-light dinner.
Kerela is God's Own Country. Truly.
Our recommendations
Places to visit and things to do:
- Must do: House Boat - Muthoot Cruises, Bamboo rafting at Periyar Reserve, Kalaripayattu demo
- Ok to do: Jeep safari, Elephant ride, Spice garden walk
- Can avoid: -
- Must avoid: -
- Must do: House Boat overnight stay
- Ok to do: Cardamom County (Stay)
- Can avoid: Cardamom County (Food)
- Must avoid: -
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