Road Trip Through God’s Own Country
We were planning for Kerala for quite sometime; however we mostly ended up with an international travel for December holidays. Summer is too humid and monsoon too heavy in Kerala; hence Nov – Jan is the ideal time to visit. We planned the trip from 25th Dec to 2nd Jan with itinerary as:
Kochi – 1 Day
Munnar – 2 Days
Thekkady – 2 Days
Kovalam – 2 Days
Alleppy – 1 Day
Fort Kochi
We landed early morning in Kochi and had booked Saj Earth
Resort near the airport. Its an exceptional and unique experience with all
rooms having direct entry into a large swimming pool. We started our trip with
Fort Kochi – an old island town connected by Ferry to mainland. Being Xmas day
the streets were decorated and houses lit with the festive season. We hired a
local rick for 100Rs 1 hour tour through Fort Kochi covering the churches,
famous Chinese Fishing Nets, beach and temples. We had an amazing seafood lunch
and beer in a nice restaurant. With some free time in we decided to go for
Ayuverdic massage – over priced and not authentic L. One must not miss walking
around the alleys of Fort Kochi where you get to see some nice Portugese
style homes and cafes. We had then booked for Kathakali show in the Kerala
Kathakali Centre. There are multiple places where you can experience this
traditional folklore and it is definitely a must do.
Munnar
Next morning, we drove via NH47 to Munnar – the roads are
narrow two lane and winding through the hills. We had booked Season7 – a
camping place 15km before Munnar. Unfortunately, the weather was hot and sunny
and hence we could not enjoy the cold and fog which Munnar is famous for. Day 2
in Munnar went around the town, Tea Museum and visiting some Tea Gardens.
Thekkady
Munnar to Thekkady is about 4 hours drive through beautiful
Western Ghats with Spice, Tea, Coffee and Rubber plantations. We had a booked
Green Court Homestay where we welcomed by a very warm Mr. Joseph– the owner.
We did an Elephant Ride – over crowded and not so great and some trekking in
near by forest area. There are multiple options of half-day, full day trips
incl. open jeep safari, bamboo water rafting, trekking, boating etc. We decided
to opt for the full day Gavi trip which started early in morning at 0530 hours
into the Periyar National Park. The ride is very scenic and an early morning
increases the chances of spotting some wild life. Unfortunately, besides Black
monkeys and Malabar giant squirrel, we did not get to see much. You can then do
a government arranged tour which includes boating, waterfall, trekking,
cardamom factory and 3 meals. The full trip incl. car costs you around Rs. 2000
per head. Evening was spent in local markets in Thekkady.
Kovalam
Thekaddy to Kovalam was the longest distance ~230 Km and 6
hours. Kovalam has a mix of traditional hotels and lot of Ayurvedic resorts
which occupied by foreigners. We stayed at Maharaju Palace which was near the
Lighthouse beach. We were pleasantly surprised at the Kovalam beach culture
with beach beds, clean water, variety of shacks and good sea food. Almost all
places sell beer and wine and some cocktails illegally, but much needed esp for
31st Dec! Next day we took a ride to Poovar, about 15km from Kovalam
and had lunch in the floating restaurant. Evening was spent planning for the
New Year night and we decided to hop places with few of our hotel guests. There
was nice music a firework show sponsored by the government with strong police
control and security. Overall a great experience for the new year’s party.
Alleppy
Getting up early on 1st of Jan was an arduous
task and we dragged ourselves into the car. Alleeppy is about 150 km / 4 hours
from Kovalam via NH47. We had not booked houseboat due to time constraints; but
I will highly recommend booking one. It’s a journey worth experiencing and if
you consider the total cost of stay, boat ride and 3 meals, it comes to almost
the same price of staying in a normal lake side resort room. The Shikara boat
trip via the backwaters is really mesmerizing and please plan it during sunset
– you see floks of birds, a nice sunset through paddy fields and a quitter and
pleasant village surroundings.
Last day we were back to Kochi airport for a noon flight and
returned our car. It was a great experience as you get to cover an old town,
hill station, national park, beach and backwaters all in a single vacation. The
people are warm and friendly, the roads are good for a self drive and food is
delicious.
The Drive
I was a bit sceptic about self drive through Kerala mainly
because you do no have established car rentals. After a lot of googling a
stumbled upon one Mr. Anoop ( +91 9847947222) who was providing cars on rent.
These were however private cars with white number plate. The charges were
reasonable –Rs.750 per day for a Swift Petrol and Rs. 950 for Diesel.
The road conditions are very good, however it’s a continuous
winding drive through the mountains. The roads are narrow, and mostly 2 lanes
without a divider. The traffic is not heavy and people generally drive within
rules and safely. So if you are the one who like to speed through some straight
multi-lane roads, Kerala is definitely not the place. But if you want to enjoy
some scenic mountainous terrain and greenery then its definitely worth a shot!
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