Category: India

Kumarakom

by Leela Gopinath, posted in Kerala

Kerala is known for its backwaters, lush green paddy fields and some awesome beaches. A major stretch of backwaters lies in Kottayam district in Kerala. A large network of rivers and canals empty into the huge Vembanad lake here. Vembanad lake itself is a developing tourist destination with facilities for boating, fishing, bird watching and other sightseeing experiences.

Vembanad Lake

Kumarakom is a green peninsula jutting into the Vembanad lake situated 15 kms from Kottayam.

Kochi , located 75 kms away is the nearest airport.

Like in any place in Kerala, the coconut tree is omnipresent and the gracefully bent coconut palms swaying in the breeze against the backdrop of the backwaters leaves everyone mesmerized.

The omnipresent Coconut palms

Much of the rural life in these areas is intricately connected to the canals and backwaters. Many houses are located along these canals and a boat ride on the canals gives one a sneak peak into the day to day lives of the locals. Most houses here own a boat and that meets most of their transport requirements. Even the women folk in these villages are deft at handling these boats.

A typical house along the backwaters with their boat

Mangrove clusters also dot the shores of the Vembanad lake where migratory birds arrive and thrive regularly. That provides bird watching opportunities to tourists.

A Cormorant family

Seagulls

One of the best ways of exploring these backwaters is to take a boat ride on one of the many houseboats that cruise these canals and the Vembanad lake. The houseboats are iconic of Kerala and are made of wood and have woven bamboo/palm mats used to provide shelter and shade.

A typical houseboat

These houseboats have all facilities for lodging of guests with a kitchen, bedroom, dining area etc. There are houseboats of various sizes with the larger ones having multiple rooms to accommodate more people. They all follow a particular itinerary.

A typical overnight cruise itinerary:

A typical overnight house boat cruise starts around 11 am. The houseboats are anchored along the jetty which abuts the side road and is lined by local houses and shops. The driver and assistant pick up the requirements for the overnight stay including any special meal requests from the guests and then set out.

The initial part of the boat ride is invariably through a narrow channel with houses on either side. After sometime the boat leaves the narrow channel and enters the lake. The driver takes a round of any particular area of the lake and by noon, halts for lunch and siesta.

Lunch is usually typical Kerala cuisine with fish and other varieties of seafood being the highlight. After lunch and siesta, the boat again cruises other parts of the lake and anchors around sunset at another jetty. Here the boat is connected to powerline for the airconditioning and other requirements. The guests are free to take a walk around the jetty or visit the local market or just laze around and enjoy the ambience.

Dinner is again provided according to the guest’s choice. Next morning the boat again starts and cruises the lake and breakfast is also provided. By around 10 am, the boat reaches the jetty from where they started.

Our Trip

We did an overnight trip on a house boat after driving in from Kochi and leaving the car at one of the houses along the jetty.

Some pictures as we cruised Vembanad lake and its surrounding areas. Take a look…

Our houseboat before it left the shores…

The narrow channel with houses on either side.

Soon we were in the open waters of the Vembanad Lake

A typical kerala style lunch with fish curry

Some of the resorts along the shores of the back waters

And some Chinese fishing nets along the shores

Sitting on the upper deck and relaxing as the boat cruised along

The beautiful sunset painted by mother nature…..take a look

And gradually it got darker

After the houseboat anchored, we just took a stroll on the village road and returned to the boat for dinner. Next morning we enjoyed the sunrise views and were treated to some nice tea and biscuits .

Then we again cruised and enjoyed some more views….

Peaceful morning on the backwaters….

Followed by some authentic Malayali breakfast…

A typical kerala breakfast of Puttu( rice & coconut preparation) , Kadalacurry(chickpea gravy) and Nendrapazham(banana)

With that, the boat had reached its starting point and we stepped ashore and on to our car and drove back to Kochi.

We had a nice relaxed time on the houseboat and this is an excellent holiday destination….more so for small groups of friends and family to meet up and spend time with each other.

So do add this to your list…

Before that, do comment and give me your feedback..

Athirappilly Falls

by Leela Gopinath, posted in Kerala

Starting my first destination in India with the roaring Athirappilly falls….

This week, I take you to Athirappilly the famous waterfall in Kerala. Closer home, this is one destination that anyone can visit. No elaborate plans or preparations needed. Just fill up your fuel tank and take off to this beautiful destination….

This Niagara of South India will take your breath away for sure! A beautiful waterfall; the largest in Kerala, Athirappilly must be in every nature lover’s bucket list. Athirappilly falls is located on the Chalakudy river in Thrissur district of Kerala. The Chalakudy river is the fifth largest river in Kerala. The bountiful fall is seen mostly in the monsoon season or immediately after that. If there is a shortage of rainfall, the quantity of water flowing is reduced unlike in Niagara where the flow is constant by and large.

The Chalakudy river originates in the Anamalai ranges of the Western Ghats and after an initial smooth flow, cascades 80 feet below at Athirappilly creating this magnificent waterfall. Here, the river flows in between rocks and forms three plumes before it plummets down. The peculiarity of this waterfall is that the entire breadth of the river cascades down the rocky ledge.

There are two views of the falls. One from the top which is where we reach first. A trek down a mud road takes one to the lower part where there is a totally different view of the falls. The trek up after seeing the falls from below can be a little challenging.

Have a look….

The falls as seen just as one approaches it.

Our Trip

We drove down from Coimbatore on NH 544 Salem Kochi highway. The diversion to Athirappilly is clearly marked on the sign boards after Thrissur. Once we diverted to Athirappilly on the left, we reached a more picturesque environment. Winding roads, with thick forests on either side welcomed us. A couple of theme parks for children are also located on this road.

As we drove further down we crossed the deceptively calm Chalakudy river. We were fooled by this calmness as the same river roars with ferocity at Athirappilly falls a few kilometres away.

The deceptively calm Chalakudy river.

As we drove further down we reached Thumboormuzhi dam where there is a beautiful foot bridge across the river.

The beautiful foot bridge at Thumboormuzhi

A couple of bridges to cross and we were at the first view point of the falls. Here we saw the falls from a distance across a forested area.

The falls as seen from the first view point

A short drive further down and we were at the main entrance to the falls.

There is a ticket counter where we purchased tickets . The entrance and ticket counter are made of bamboo giving it a very natural feel and matching the surroundings.

The entrance to the falls

From there we walked for a few metres and reached a flat rocky area. We walked on the rocks carefully as it was slippery at places. At many places we had to skip over a small stream of water.

The flat rocky area just before the river tumbles down

After we walked in between the rocks for a few metres, we reached the actual point of the falls. Suddenly the flat rocky terrain is not there and all we can see is the river hurtling down a rocky precipice . When we went we saw the river flowing down as two or three branches. With incessant rain, this can be just one broad mass of water….I was told.

The point where the river plummets down

A rainbow at the site of the falls

There is another fascinating sight at the edge of the falls….a cute little hut (Watcher hut) which is believed to have withstood many a spate in the river.

The mighty hut!!

After enjoying the view of the mighty falls from above, we decided to trek to the bottom of the falls. A passage paved with stones with a bamboo fencing leads to the bottom of the falls. We followed the path and soon were at the bottom of the falls. The trek passes through some forested area and can be a challenge to the less agile.

The path leading to the bottom of the falls

The view from the bottom was awesome!! Here it was very windy and the roaring of the water added to the thrill. Have a look…

Looking at the falls from below….a different perspective

Get the feel of being at the base of the falls by clicking on the video above

At the base of the falls….An exhilarating moment indeed!

After all the trekking , we were tired and decided to take a short break. Had a coffee and some local snacks at one of the food stalls around constantly keeping a watch on the monkeys around.

Then we decided to visit Vazhachal falls which is about 5 kms upstream. The drive to Vazhachal was through some dense bamboo thickets along the road which added to the charm.

The bamboo lined road to Vazhachal

The entrance to Vazhachal is also beautifully done up in bamboo. The tickets for Athirappilly can be used at Vazhzchal too.

The entrance to Vazhachal falls

A herbal garden lies on the way from the entrance to the falls.

Herbal Garden

The Vazhachal falls is more flat . Take a look…..

At Vazhachal falls

We had decided to stay for a couple of days at Athirappilly and were put up at the Plantation Valley resort which was a beautiful resort on the banks of the Chalakudy river.

The beautiful Plantation Valley Resort

The Chalakudy river seen from the resort.

After a refreshing stay on the banks of the Chalakudy river and few more visits to the actual falls, we decided to drive back on a different route.

We drove back via Sholayar dam and Valparai to reach Pollachi and returned to Coimbatore. This route is very picturesque but sometimes you may encounter elephants here.

Foggy tea estates lined this route adding to the charm…

Foggy tea estates near Valparai

We had a bonus during this drive; a lone Nilgiri Tahr was resting by the roadside near Sholayar. Nilgiri Tahrs are mountain goats which are an endangered species and so finding one on the roadside was really a surprise!

A lone Nilgiri Tahr by the roadside

Enjoying the beauty of the tea gardens of Valparai, we reached Pollachi and from there on, it was back in to the hustle and bustle of the city.

It was a nice easy to do holiday….easily doable by anyone…so don’t put it off…just hit the road to Athirappilly!!!

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