Kerala : God’s own country

I have visited many places in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand and explored the beauty of Himalayas. Ranging from places where Gangetic Plains meet Shivalik Ranges like Haridwar to places at high altitude like Deoria Tal from where you can see snow-capped Chaukhamba Peaks which are more than 7 km in altitude. Such is the beauty of Himalayas that one can never get bored travelling in the Himalayas. This time, for a change we thought to visit a seashore, where you can see nothing but water as far as you can see. And what can be a better place for that than Kerala, God’s own country. We had in our mind the beaches with bent coconut trees planted beside them. The very imagination of that close encounter with serene nature was enthralling.

We planned to go there in mid-December thinking that it would we overcrowded with tourists near Christmas and new year. We divided our journey into four parts. In the first part, we had to cover Munnar, the popular hill station of south India. The second was to visit Periyar Tiger Reserve and do trekking and sightseeing in the wildlife sanctuary. In the third part, we had to go to beaches like Varkala, Kollam and Alleppey, and let the mighty ocean touch our feet. Fourth and final part was reserved for a day in houseboat, roaming in the backwaters of Kerala. This way we could cover a variety of destinations in Kerala.

Below is the route of our trip:

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In chronological order, the places covered were:

1) Munnar : Day - 1, Eravikulam National Park (Photos of Eravikulam National Park on flickr)
2) Munnar : Day - 2, Dams, Waterfalls and Tea Gardens (Photos of Munnar on flickr)

3) Periyar Tiger Reserve: Into the wilderness (Photos of Periyar Tiger Reserve on flickr)

4) Kollam and Varkala beaches: 'kahin door jab din dhal jaye' (Kollam on flickr and Varkala on flickr )

5) Alleppey : the Venice of the East (Photos of Alappuzha on flickr)

6) Cochin : the Queen of Arabian Sea

In a nutshell, Kerala truly was a heaven. In one state you could find hill stations, forest reserves, seashores and urban centers. This was an example of how much diversity a state can possess. If one is planning a week-long trip, one should certainly consider Kerala.