Kerala and the Western Ghats
- A journey through India`s tropical south
- Trekking in the Cardamom Hills
- Madurai`s outrageous Sri Meenakshi Temple
- Houseboat cruise on the Keralan `backwaters`
- Trekking in Kerala
At the southern tip of India, the states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu offer a range of adventure travel experiences unlike anything else on the Indian Subcontinent. After a day's relaxation on the Indian Ocean beaches of Kovalam, we transfer to Alleppey to meet our houseboat for a sunset cruise and overnight stay on the 'backwaters'. Our next stop is at the Periyar Wildlife Reserve, home to wild elephants and tigers, where we have a full day's hike with a forest ranger. Another unmissable attraction is the amazing Sri Meenakshi temple complex at Madurai, probably the most colourful example of Indian religious architecture. Then, from the British Raj hill-station of Munnar, 5 days of trekking takes us through rich forest and plantations of tea, coffee and spices, with a high point at the summit of Meesapulimala (2600m), Kerala's second highest peak. A visit to the picturesque old Portuguese city of Kochi brings this amazing journey to a close.
Is this holiday for you?
This is not a long or sustained trekking holiday. The 5-day trek through the Cardamom Hills begins with a short introductory walk around the tea estates at Munnar and then involves 4 days where we will be walking for an average of 6 hours each day. The altitudes attained are never sufficiently high to cause problems with acclimatisation and the underfoot conditions are generally good, on tracks and trails through tea plantations and forest and between villages. We may encounter some slippery conditions on forest trails. This short trek, at low altitude, is graded EASY. The trip also includes several relatively short (3-hour) vehicle transfers on generally good roads.
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