Blessed with rich flora and fauna, the state of Kerala has a lot to offer to its visitors, making it a hot favorite with not just local tourists but foreigners as well. Tourist arrivals just from Europe registered a remarkable 4.8 percent increase in Kerala in 2015.

The spice town of India

About 85 km from Munnar, lies Thekkady, renowned for the Periyar National Park, wild elephants, unending hills and spice plantations.

There are several spice gardens on the way from Munnar and your driver will probably suggest, almost persuasively, you take a tour of one of those. However, visit only if you want to. The driver most likely gets his commission from the spice plantation for bringing in tourists. We nevertheless wanted to check it out and so we stopped at one such spice garden on the way.

You are greeted by a heady scent of spices in the garden and the tour was enlightening to say the least. The articulate guide showed us a number of spices and herbals, from cardamom, vanilla, cinnamon to lemon grass, tapioca, Insulin Plant, Pathimukam plant, gooseberry, Tulsi, and so on, while mentioning their health benefits, promising a miraculous cure for everything from cough and cold to diabetes and infertility.

Only later when at the end of the tour he leads you to a shop selling all the said herbs and spices, you realize the garden tour was a smart marketing ploy to sell their products. Nevertheless I bought a bottle of herbal hair oil and a pack of red sandal powder, both of which I later found at less than half the price in Thekkady spice shops.

Periyar is one of the 48 tiger reserves in India. The popular wildlife sanctuary encompasses 777 sq. km and a 26 sq. km artificial lake created by the British in 1895. The park is home to bison, sambar, wild boar, elephants and 35 to 40 hard-to-spot tigers.

A motorboat takes you through the lake, where animal sightings are a matter of chance. We regretted not bringing with us a pair of binoculars as the boat maintains a good distance from the herds of animals that can be seen drinking from the lake so as not to scare them away by its sound or sight. Again, do not expect to see tigers, and I was obviously disappointed. But the boat ride itself and the sight of animals and birds in their natural habitat was worth the trip.

A jeep safari later on took us into the forests of Sathram, where we hoped to see elephants in the wild. After being initially disappointed for not being able to catch sight of a single animal, we were on our way back when we spotted a pile of elephant dung on the road. It was exciting and some villagers were happy to inform us of an elephant sighting near by. We hurried to the said place, and lo and behold, we saw not one, not two but four elephants grazing on a mountain. Again, a binoculars would have been handy.

Homestays in Thekkady are a great way of discovering the culture of its people. We stayed at Periyar Mist, a cozy homestay just 4 km from the national park. Our hosts and their daughters were extremely friendly and informative on best shopping deals, tourist attractions, local eateries, etc. It was a welcome change from the mainstream hotels.

Venice of the East

At about 140 km form Thekkady, lies the city of Alleppey, famous for its luxurious houseboat cruises along the Kerala backwaters.

Houseboats are country boats that were used in the early days for the transport of goods from the isolated villages to the towns. Even though you can spot the locals using boats to get from one place to another, houseboats today mostly serve as tourist attractions, offering the best way to explore the beauty of the backwaters.

The thatched boat floats along leisurely on a crisscrossing network of canals, as we gazed at bright paddy fields, bustling with glimpses from day to day village life along the banks. It is all peaceful and tranquil. This is one of the most mesmerizing experiences you simply cannot miss.

The houseboats have fully furnished rooms, two or three, all with attached bathrooms, making it more economical if booked in groups. There’s a deck for sightseeing, kitchen, a dining table with chairs, TV and VCR along with a selection of Hindi and Malayalam movie DVDs. The cuisine is traditional South Indian with local specialities such as fish and prawns, rice, popadom and a variety of vegetarian curries, all freshly made and customized by the chef on board. You can book a houseboat online or at one of the hotels you will be staying at in Munnar or other cities.

We opted for a one-night boat trip. The boat leaves at 12 p.m., stops for an hour’s lunch break at 2 p.m. and parks up around sunset. It will start its journey back to the port at 8 a.m. the next day, reaching the port in an hour. So that’s basically only five hours of sight seeing.

Alternatively for budget travelers, tourist ferries at a fraction of a cost of a houseboat are available for different routes and durations.

Urban adventures

After all the adventure in the countryside, we couldn’t have left Kerala without checking out one of its burgeoning urban cities — Kochi aka Cochin. We were transformed back to the world of malls, multiplexes, movies, shopping, fast food, not to forget busy roads, pollution and high temperatures — the usual staples of city life. The port city has a lot to offer in terms of historical and cultural tourism and our short stay in the city was not enough to experience it all.

Food

Do not expect any fancy food in Munnar, Thekkady or Aleppey. Even food that is typically not South Indian had local flavors. We mostly stuck to vegetarian food, gorging on idlis, dosas and vadas for breakfasts. Lunch and dinner was a fusion of traditional South and North Indian fares. We were happy and relieved to find a pizza outlet in Thekkady.

Retail therapy

Most tourists in Munnar like to shop a variety of tea powders, either from the tea factories or from local shops. I particularly loved the green tea, freshly harvested from the lush fields of Munnar.

Spices like cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and pure honey are a good buy in Thekkady. A number of Kashmiri shops selling cashmere shawls, semi precious and silver jewelry, hand embroidered garments, showpieces and other gift items dot Periyar. If you plan on purchasing something from here, do not forget to bargain.

Cochin is undoubtedly a shopper’s delight, and if you are a lover of fine silk sarees and gold ornaments, then this is your place.

Cochin’s MG Road is where most of the shopping action takes place as it is home to popular saree stores and the biggest jewelry showrooms. Fortunately, our hotel was located on MG Road.

Another popular destination is the LuLu Mall, which is unlike any LuLu Mall in Saudi Arabia. It is the largest shopping mall in India, spanning 17 acres of land. With over 215 outlets, food courts, entertainment zones, a multiplex, spa, ice skating rink and bowling alley, it is much more than a mall — a complete recreational package.

Kerala has so much beauty to be explored. If your trip is well planned and organized, you can make the most of this South Indian wonder, taking home memories for life.

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