India (Frommer's, 4th Edition) (154 page)

However, if you really have the spirit of adventure in you, there’s only one place you want to be:

Friday’s Place
If you scream at the sight of a frog and have an abiding hatred of insects, you’d better look elsewhere. This tiny lodge tucked deep inside a jungle just off the lagoon is where you can reconnect with your eco-warrior. It comprises only four wooden cottages (two high on stilts) in the wilderness extending straight out into the Neyyar backwaters, so environmental impact is negligible. Designed by owners Mark and Sujeewa Reynolds (who personally run the retreat), the cottages are solar-powered and sport an eco-friendly sewage system—two rooms share a common bathroom. Newly added is the chic two-level Tsunami House, a solid stone cottage like nothing you’ve ever laid eye on; it’s minimalist but comfy, with a large downstairs bathroom. Rates may seem a little steep, but you’re paying for the pleasure of a true Robinson Crusoe–style adventure, complete with a bevy of Man Fridays tending to basic needs or preparing fresh, wholesome meals. Note that the retreat has no road access, is only open mid-October through April, and serves vegetarian meals only. Bring books, iPod, and a willingness to get back to basics.

Poovar Island, Attupuram, Uchakada P.O., Thiruvananthapuram 695 506.
0471/213-3292.
www.fridaysplace.biz
. 5 units, 2 with attached bathroom, all with shower only. £105 cottage double, £150 Tsunami House double. Rates include all meals. Minimum stay 3 nights. No credit cards.
Amenities:
Dining area/lounge; airport transfers (£10); country boat. In room: No phone, Wi-Fi.

6 The Cardamom Hills & Periyar Tiger Reserve

Thekkady (Periyar) is 190km (118 miles) from Kochi and 145km (90 miles) from Madurai

Each year, around half a million travelers make their way up into the Cardamom Hills, where the crisp, cool air is redolent with the scents of spices, and soaring mountains give way to tea plantations and dense jungle. Most people intent on seeing the best of Kerala head from the backwaters to the village of Thekaddy, gateway to
Periyar Tiger Reserve,
the stomping grounds for large herds of wild elephants and apparently where as many as 22 to 40 tigers avoid being spotted. Although it’s true that Periyar is one of India’s largest and most popular elephant reserves, this is not a wilderness experience in the true sense. Unless you opt for an overnight trek or one of the full-day hikes, the popular boat trip on the lake feels much like being processed like sheep by regimented nature rangers, and the intense tourist activity around the roads leading to the gates is quite disheartening.

However, with a couple of lovely places to stay, it is well worth overnighting here if you are traveling by car from Kerala to Tamil Nadu (or vice versa), though the most direct route (if you’re driving between Madurai and Kochi) is via
Munnar,
which lies 4 hours due north of Thekkady. At a much greater altitude than Periyar, Munnar is a collection of vast green-tea estates first established by a Scotsman in the late 19th century—it’s hardly surprising, then, that the area is sometimes referred to as Kerala’s Scottish highlands. In the days of the Raj, it became a popular “hill station”—a place to escape from the summer heat in the plains. Today the landscape—for the most part—retains a classic hill station atmosphere. Watched over by Mount Anamudi, South India’s highest peak (2,695m/8,840 ft.), Munnar’s primary attractions are its gorgeous views of rolling hills covered with tea and cardamom plantations, and the cool climate—great, if you intend to stay more than 1 night, for leisurely walks and cycle-tours (not to mention a close encounter with the endangered Nilgiri tahr, a variety of mountain goat).

ESSENTIALS

VISITOR INFORMATION
All Periyar Tiger Reserve inquiries should be made through the
Divisional Forest Office,
Thekkady (
04869/22-2027;
Mon–Sat 10am–5pm, closed second Sat of the month). Note that entry to the park costs Rs 300 and is only open between 6am and 6pm. Easiest by far is to ask your hotel to make arrangements; all the resorts will book and transfer you to the KTDC-arranged excursions (see “Periyar Tiger Reserve,” below).

In Munnar, the
Tourist Information Centre
(
04865/23-1516;
www.munnar.com
; Mon–Sat 9am–7pm) in Old Munnar is relatively helpful.

GETTING THERE
From Kochi
Periyar/Thekaddy is a 4-hour drive east of Kochi, a long but (once you’re beyond the city limits) enjoyable drive that traverses mountain roads ascending 900m (2,952 ft.) above sea level. Munnar is about 5 hours from Kochi (and a 2- to 3-hr. drive north of Periyar), and another beautiful drive; you’ll pass tea plantations and spice-growing embankments and drive through lovely sections of forest. Do the drive in the monsoon season and you’ll witness some spectacular waterfalls, too.

From Madurai, Tamil Nadu
Both Munnar and Thekkady lie around 4 hours away from Madurai; if you’re really in a hurry, Munnar will shave a few minutes off.

Note:
Traveling by bus is arduous and time consuming, at worst hair-raising, but if you want to save money, this is the way to go.

GETTING AROUND
You can pick up a ride on a auto-rickshaw or taxi almost anywhere in the
Periyar
area, with hordes of vehicles waiting at the bus stand. Overcharging foreigners is common; try to ascertain from your hotel what the going rate for a particular route is, and bargain upfront. Taxicabs and auto-rickshaws are readily available in and around
Munnar,
or you can arrange a car and driver through your hotel.

WHERE TO STAY EN ROUTE TO KERALA’S HIGHLANDS

With 4 to 6 hours of endlessly enchanting scenery between Kerala’s coast and the Western Ghats which form a natural border with Tamil Nadu, there’s nothing to stop you from simply racing to your destination at the entrance to the Periyar Reserve or in the highlands tea country around Munnar. But that would be a complete shame, since there are a handful of utterly captivating places to bed down along the way—more than that, these are may very well be the highlight of your trip, and very relaxing spots, indeed.

Paradisa Plantation Retreat
We wouldn’t dream of coming to Kerala without spending a night here: About 90 minutes from Periyar’s entrance, with stupendous views of the reserve’s forested hills from its elevated position on an old spice plantation, this is as peaceful as it gets. Equally uplifting is the cuisine—there is no menu per se but plate after plate is carried into the open-air dining area where, with luck, the charming and urbane owner Simon Paulose will be holding court. There’s always more than you can possibly eat, but eat you will, because you will never taste this exact combination of exquisite home-cooked flavors again, more’s the pity (though guests are welcome to spend time in the kitchen, learning how to reconstruct the retreat’s delicious meals, and a recipe book may be forthcoming). Accommodation is just what you’d expect from a retreat: gorgeous, and very, very private—salvaged traditional Keralan teak houses, all making the most of the unobstructed views of the rolling green hillsides.

Murinjapuzha P.O. Idukki District, Kerala 685 532.
04869/288-119
or 0944/7088-119. Reservations:
0469/270-1311
or 0469/260-2828.
www.paradisaretreat.com
. [email protected]. 12 units. Rs 10,500 double deluxe cottage, Rs 18,500 Cardamom cottage; extra bed add 20%. Rates include breakfast; taxes extra. Christmas and New Year’s Eve supplement. Meals Rs 950. MC, V.
Amenities:
Dining; Ayurvedic treatments arranged at nearby medical center; outdoor pool; room service; walks and excursions to tea plantations (free); Wi-Fi (unreliable connection; free).