The artificial reef has many purposes to serve. It will protect the shore and the beach from sea erosion – the submerged sand bags are placed to crack sea waves taller than a metre, and allowing only smaller ones to pass through.

The reef will improve growth of underwater flora, and in turn will increase fish breeding. And most of all, the state’s tourism will leap as it will attract tourists and adventure lovers – from surfers to divers.

This river has strong undercurrents; nevertheless, it is visited by families, school groups and nature lovers. It is only 10km from the town of Malayatoor and about 60km from Cochin.

The government is planning to start boating facilities here. Trekking, too, will be arranged. The Iringol forests, about three km away is a nice getaway for a trek and nature walks in the evenings. There is an ancient temple within the forest.

Kodanad, which has a prominent elephant training camp is close by. There are buses from Cochin and Angamaly to Illithode. Angamaly has the nearest railway station.

It is a great way to beat stress. Just head to the hills, as they say. Wayanad has a lot of summer retreats located off Sultan Bathery, Mananthavady, Vythiri and Kuruva Dweep. One such summer haven is the Pepper Green Resorts. It is situated close to the forest reserve and the Kuruva Dweep.

You can relax and have a refreshed weekend at the resort. For those adventure-seekers, check out the trekking trails around Kartikulam and the Tholpetti Wildlife Sanctuary. There is lots to see and experience. Elephant rides, bullock cart rides, animal-spotting safaris, and much more await you. You can also cross the streams of Kabini on a bamboo raft and stay in a tree house.

If you come to Wayanad once, you’ll keep coming. That’s how attractive and naturally blessed it is.

Link : www.peppergreenresorts.com

These have now become a tourist phenomena. Using eco-friendly raw materials like coir, bamboo poles, hay straws, live tree trunks as pillar, and more. In such a tree house, you’ll find all the necessary facilities. They come with one or two main rooms and a bathroom. They might also have a balcony or a sit-out with arm chairs.

Most of them are built as eco-lodges, that have forest trekking routes and
walking trails nearby. Activities like trekking, boating, jungle safaris and mountain climbing are common, and you might find good offer packages for the same.

It’s a great option for a relaxing holiday. All over Kerala, hotels, resorts and
forest houses have put up these amazing tree houses. You can find them in plenty in Thekkady, Vythiri, Manathavady, Kumily, Munnar and many other tourist spots.

Whether it is near a forest reserve, a wildlife sanctuary or within a cardamom or tea plantation, you can relax and catch up with yourself.

While on your visit, you can explore coral islands, go scuba diving, sea swimming and fishing. There are resorts and beach accommodation availablefor tourists. Pristine beaches, sea cliffs, nature trails, trekking routes and much more waiting you.Besides Cochin, there are special packages and cruises from Mumbai, Mangalore and Goa to Lakshadweep.

Link – www.lakshadweepcruise.com

The Sanctuary is the home to four indigenous tribal communities—the Kadar, Malasar, Muduvar and Malamalasar. These tribes’ people live in thatched huts and tents which you can visit on your way. The sanctuary is full of tropical evergreen, semi evergreen, Shola forests, deciduous and bamboo forests. Animals and plants are plenty here. A variety of medicinal plants and orchids are found in the forests. The forests are home to some of Kerala’s best preserved wildlife—elephants, bison, leopards, panthers, tigers, gibbons and much more.

The Veettikunnu Island inn is within the sanctuary, offers row boats to cruise along the island stretches. You can go for a bird watching-nature trail early in the morning while on the island. About six tourists can travel on the raft-houseboat along with an armed staff, two naturalists and four experienced EDC rowers. There is a Thellikkal IB deep inside the forest and you can reach it after a eight-km trek. There’s a lake nearby, where you can go on a country row boat.Go on a Parambi Cruise through the unpolluted Parambikulam Reservoir and look out for a variety of wildlife on the way. U can go on a short trek on one of the islands there. The offer package starts at 9 a.m. and ends at 5 p.m.

The Kariyan shola trail winds through enchanting and beautiful evergreen forests and endangered medicinal plants and orchids. Here, too, you will be accompanied by two trained tribal naturalists.The sanctuary is approachable only by road, and is 95km from Palakkad and 100km away from Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu. The nearest town is Pollachi in Tamil Nadu, 39km away. There are transport bus services run by the Government of Tamil Nadu, from Pollachi.

Ganesh, the elephant-headed God (son of Lord Siva), has millions of worshippers in India. These gentle animals carry the idols of Gods during temple festivals and processions. For example, in Punnathur Kotta, an elephant sanctuary in Guruvayur, around 40 domesticated elephants are prepared by the temple management, for the service of Lord Krishna.

Elephant camps are where wild elephants and captured ones are trained. There are seven such elephant camps in Kerala run by the Forest Department at:

1. Konni – Pathanamthitta

2. Kodanad – Ernakulam

3. Muthanga – Wayanad

4. Nilambur – Malappuram

5. Tholpetti – Wayanad

6. Arynkavu – Pathanamthitta

7. Thekkady -Idukki

These camps are safe havens for the elephants. While they are taken care of by doctors and mahouts, orphan and old elephants are also sheltered in the camps. The Elephant is an icon of Kerala  let us enjoy their rides and treks, but let us also remember to protect the gentle giants.

Known for its rich collection of orchids, it also famous for herbs, medicinal plants and the plentiful bamboo trees. The islands are reachable by boats and ferries from the banks of the Kabini. As a more interesting option, go for a raft ride across the river where you will find shops, huts and of course, treetop huts that can be rented by tourists.

It is a beautiful spot for boating and to go trekking. You will be able to experience nature in its purest form. The Begur Wildlife sanctuary is just a few kilometres from here. It has a lot of wild animals-elephants, leopards, wild boars and plenty of deer and birds.

These islands are worth half a day’s visit. Other tourist spots are the Tirunelly temple, Pazhassi Raja tomb and a few ruins of Jain temples.

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Having a well-connected canal system, it’s no doubt that a majority of Kerala’s village folks still move about in canoes and boats. They ferry people as well as their produce to the markets. Talking about boats, there are a huge section of boats in Kerala-from snake boats meant for races to fibre fishing boats to traditional wood canoes to houseboats to classy yachts and luxury boats. Kerala’s rich coastline gives it ample scope for cruising as well as tourism.

The private and state-owned bus service connects even the far-flung hill stations to the major cities in Kerala and south India. Not to mention the ride in one!

How do we forget the good ‘ol railways? They have been running steady for years, connecting this coastal state with the rest of India. Being a cheaper and more reliable form of transport, a lot of tourists prefer them.

Cars, bikes and other vehicles available on rent provide flexibility for  travellers. An added advantage are the taxis and auto-rickshaws.

Which ever mode you choose, be sure to use them carefully and to the maximum. Riding a bike or a jeep in the hills of Munnar or Wayanad will prove to be an exhilarating experience (If you have the right company, nothing like it!).

Bolghatty Island, situated off the Cochin coast, houses the famous Bolghatty Palace. The island is connected to the mainland by ferries, and recently by bridge. The Palace has been converted into a heritage hotel equipped with a golf course, too. There are daily Kathakali performances for the guests here.

Once the home of the British Governors, it was built by the Dutch in 1744. The Kerala Tourism Development Corporation helps in its maintenance. The calm backwaters around parts of the island provides for great boating. There are a number of birds that make this island their homes.

Dutch merchants had built a villa on an island locally known as ‘Ponnikkara’ in 1744. It had green gardens, and was later called the Bolghatty Palace, and became an important picnic resort for the Dutch.

The yachting berth at the Marina near Bolghatty Palace came to be around the time of the Volvo Ocean Race. More recently, the Vasco da Gama Yacht Rally, from Kochi to Turkey took off in mid February. This three-and-a-half-month event will have stopovers in Oman, Yemen, Egypt and Cyprus before finishing at Alanya in Turkey.

The marina here will be the only one in the world to have an attached golf course. It has berthing facilities for 50 yachts. Two other marinas are being planned in this coastal city—at Maradu, and another in one of Cochin’s islands.

There are government as well as private resorts, lodges and tourism packages on offer. Most of these spots have a variety of leisure and adventure activities-trekking, jungle safaris, nature trails and much more.

Here are a few of them–Achankoil,  Palaruvi, Konni, Pamba, Purakkad, Agastyavam, Arippa, Kulathupuzha, Mangalavanam,  Kodanad, Athirapally, Vazhacha, Nelliyampathy, Peerumedu, Kuttikanam, Peruvannamuzh, Kuruva Islands, Thirunelli, Kottiyoor, Malampuzha, Nilambur, Tholpetti and Kumarakom.

The abundant wildlife and natural resources is what attracts people to these locations. Everything from tree houses to jungle canopies to leisure walks-it’s all yours.