Tigers, tea and tranqillity

I travelled with Intrepid to central Kerala in September 2016 and arrived back home still excited about my first trip to India, so immediately began planning my return with Cenwyn and Rhys. This time we would scratch the surface of Karnataka and northern Kerala, which are areas just opening to foreign tourism.

We started in Mysore which is home to the second most visited attraction in India after the Taj Mahal. Our guide led us through the walled city, it’s colourful history, and gave us a taste of life today down by the river and in the vivid food market. The palace is usually illuminated once a week on a Sunday by 10000 light bulbs, as an Easter bonus it was lit up on Good Friday which meant that we could see the big switch on.

Between game drives we rested at Kaav which is a boutique six room property five minutes from the Nagarhole National Park entrance. For a 2-night stay, we crammed in four safari drives/boat trips to maximise our chances of viewing the wildlife. The best trip for us was the one by boat where we spotted a tiger stalking a family of nine elephants, who had to flee across the water to an island. The protective barrier that they all formed around the baby was beautiful to see. We navigated between crocodiles to seek out more elephants and an elusive sloth bear. The bird life around the river was abundant, and it felt as if monkeys played in every tree.

After the early rises and intensive game drives, we had two nights of tranquillity at a tea and coffee plantation. The boutique hotel currently has four rooms but is adding a further two as well as a new pool.

The end of trip was spent by the sea. I’d been told that northern Kerala was still relatively undiscovered, and how true this was! Beautiful white sandy beaches, lined with palm trees, stretching for miles. I found three super hotels all sharing the same beautiful beachfront. The perfect place to dine, practice yoga and recharge with Ayurvedic treatments – food for the body and soul!

We were only waiting for one last piece of our Indian jigsaw - no trip to Kerala is complete without a night on a house boat in the backwaters, just bliss. The backwaters here are quieter than further south, currently with only 24 house boats, rather than the thousands closer to Cochin. Roll on tomorrow!

I have been writing this on the balcony of my little cottage, listening to the sea and watching the sun set. I’ve thought about where all my clients are in the world at this moment, and I honestly think that this is where they should travel to next Easter!