Showing posts with label kerala. Show all posts
Showing posts with label kerala. Show all posts

Friday, July 8, 2011

Exquisite Travel this Rainy Season

The monsoon season is reaching its peak. To watch the country in monsoon is an ecstasy.  The whole nation rejoices when the rains arrive. From farmers to office-bearers and children, everybody applauds the cloudburst.

The rains mean something to everyone. Farmers will be able to cultivate the crops required to nourish its inhabitants, artists can use the rains as their muse, kids can splash everywhere in the rain puddles and couples can use it as their aphrodisiac. The country has a huge dependence on the rains for its fresh water supply. The rains definitely help many rivers & lakes to fill.

While some people might frown at the indication of a holiday in monsoons, there are several nature lovers who specially wait for the monsoon to arrive to fill their holiday books. Monsoon trips are expressly popular with environment lovers & honeymooners. 

Here are some places worth visiting this monsoon –

Goa – Goa is like a paradise during monsoon. The fresh fragrance of the soil and liveliness on the beach, it is a must visit for all travel enthusiasts. The Mollem National Park & Cotiago Wildlife Sanctuary is stunning to visit during the rainy season. Furthermore, the quiet Mandovi River complements romance and love in your life.

Periyar National Park – Kerala – Known as the God’s Own Country, Kerala is marvelous during the rainy season. One of the National parks in the country which is open during monsoons is Periyar National Park in Kerala. The treks here are carried out entirely on boat, providing for an innovative experience of the brilliance in Kerala. It is believed that the state comes alive with enchanting fragrances and thick green flora during the monsoons.

Lavasa – The most recent hill station of the country, Lavasa is splendid during the monsoon. Lavasa holds lush green fields with small waterfalls and fairy-tale rainbows during the rains. Lavasa is home to an astonishing range of bamboo plantations which turn out to be even more richly green during the rains.

Manipur - Manipur also known as the ‘Switzerland of India’ lies in the deep junction of the northeast India. This gorgeous land is enclosed by Nagaland and Assam along with the international border with Myanmar. From composed lands to mysterious nature the place is filled with attention-grabbing moments. Read more on Manipur.

Friday, August 13, 2010

Jiyo Life in Thekkady this monsoon

Monsoon rages on our city indefinitely. Now is the time to engineer a perfect getaway from the city even if it means going for just a weekend. The one good place to to really enjoy the monsoons and the moisture soaked earth happens to be ‘God’s own country’. Kerala is a fascinating place to visit throughout the year. But there is real pleasure to be derived from visiting Kerala in the rains. Thekkady in Kerala seems to the perfect place to go to.

Location:
Situated in Kerala, close to the Kerala - Tamil Nadu border town - Kumily, it is located about 257 km (160 miles) from Trivandrum, 114 km from Madurai Airport, 185 km from Cochin International Airport and 114 km from Kottayam railway station.

Tourism:
The sanctuary is renowned for its dense evergreen, semi-evergreen, moist deciduous forests and savanna grass lands. It is home to herds of elephants, sambar, tigers, gaur, lion-tailed Macaques and Nilgiri Langurs. The Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary is spread across 777 km² (300 sq. miles), of which 360 km² (139 sq. miles) is thick evergreen forest. The Wild Life Sanctuary was declared a Tiger Reserve in 1978. The splendid artificial lake formed by the Mullaiperiyar Dam across the Periyar River adds to the charm of the park. The greatest attraction of Periyar are the herds of wild elephants that come down to play in the lake. Thekkady is considered a heaven for natural spices such as black pepper, cardamom, cinnamon and clove.

Places to visit:
Periyar National Park:
The Periyar National Park is spread over an area of about 777 km² and comprises a thick evergreen forest with exotic wild life. The sanctuary was declared a tiger reserve sometime in 1978. It has an artificial lake formed by the Mullaperiyar Dam, built in 1895 across the Periyar river.
Murikkady
This place consists of spice and coffee plantations. It is about 5 km from Thekkady.
Chellar Kovil:
This is located about 15 km from Kumily and leads to the Theni district of Tamil Nadu. This place has a lot of waterfalls and cascades. It is very beautiful and extremely serene
Mangala Devi Temple:
It is situated about 15 km from Thekkady and sits at an altitude of 1337 m above sea level. It is only open during the Chitra Pournami festival.

I hope you all will have a fun-filled monsoon trip this heavenly place.

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Jiyo Life this monsoon in Munnar

The monsoons are here & we should all be out there trying to make the most of it. Some of you will play football in the rains, while some will go trekking . There are some who enjoy having a cup of tea with some hot bhajiyas. Now we will tell how to make this monsoon more special by visiting one of the beautiful places we have here in India. The place is Munnar. Now don’t tell us that you have never heard of this place!

The name Munnar is derived from the words munnu aar . Munnu meaning three while aar meaning rivers. Situated at the confluence of three mountain streams - Mudrapuzha, Nallathanni and Kundala in Idukki district of Kerala, the place has become one of the hottest tourist destinations in India. Placed at height of 2000 to 2600 meters above sea level, the climate here is fantastic. The air is crisp, clear and unpolluted & the temperature normally hovers between 0°C - 25° Celsius. The place was once a summer destination of the erstwhile British Government in South India.

Munnar is full of greenery and mist and once you visit there you will be greeted by miles and miles of tea gardens. It has the highest peak in South India, Anamudi. Towering over 2695 meters the place is an ideal location for trekkers. An exotic flower, Neelakurinji blooms every 12  years & bathes the hill in blue color. The Nilgiris, which means the blue mountain received its name from this flower.

Here are some of the must visit places in Munnar this monsoon:

Rajamala: This place is situated 2695 meters above sea level & is about 15 kms from Munnar. It is famous for the Nilgiri Tahrs which is the state animal of Tamil Nadu. An endangered species, more than half of these thars or goats, about 1300, can be found over here.

Eravikulam National Park:
Situated in Devikulam taluka of Idukki district, this 97 sq.km. park is home of the Nilgiri Tahrs. The Anamudi peak is situated in the southern part of this park. The place is covered with evergreen trees which makes it beautiful and is one of the best mountain ranges that we have in India.

Pothamedu:  This place offers an excellent view of the vast tea, cardamom and coffee plantations in Munnar. It is ideal for mountain walk as it offers a view of the lush green beautiful hills and mountains. Nature at its best.

Matutupetty: Around 13 kms from Munnar & 1700 meters from sea level this place is famous for the Indo-Swiss live stock project. Visitors are allowed into three of the eleven cattle sheds where you will find over 100 varieties of high yielding cattle being reared. There is also the Mattupetty Lake & Dam which is a favorite picnic spot.

 Nyayamakad:
Located between Munnar and Rajamala, Nyayamakad has some beautiful and breathtaking waterfalls some of which are at a height of 1600 meters. The scenic surroundings will make you mesmerize in natures wonder.

Pallivasal :
Again a place with some awesome scenery, this place also has the first Hydro Electric Project in Kerala.

Attukal :
Located between Munnar and Pallivasal, the place has some of the best views of the waterfalls. Watch the Attukkal waterfalls where white foaming water descends down from a great height and creates cloud of mist. Attukal is also one of the most photographed attractions of Munnar. 

Chithirapuram:
Home to the Pallivasal Hydel Power Project, this is a sleepy town with old cottages and bunglows which gives it a distinct charm. There are also spice nurseries owned by the Kerala Spice Board.
Lock Heart Gap:
Located 13 km from Munnar this place is famous for adventure tourism and trekking. If you want to spend some priceless moments of solitude this is the place to be.

Devikulam:
Located 7 km from Munnar this place is famous for the Sita Devi Lake, where it is believed that Lord Rama and Goddess Sita took bath thus consecrating the water with curative powers. You can also find bluish and red rubber trees here.

That’s all about Munnar. Do visit, enjoy your monsoon and Jiyo Life.


image courtesy: binbrain.com/wikimedia commons