Room in a 150 year old heritage home at Thettakkad

Room in a 150 year old traditional Keralian wooden house with 2 bedrooms within a 3 acre farm with over 200 varieties of tropical fruit trees, larval host and fodder plants for Butterflies and important medicinal plants on the banks of the Periyar reservoir and bordered by the Cheramala forest, 2.5 Kilometers from the Thattekkad Bird Sanctuary. With a dream for Native air, Sound sleep and Sweet recreation, my family had determined to create a few acres of land that would provide our guests a never before experience. We started with the planting of tropical fruit trees in the plot, adding few larval host and fodder plants for butterflies and incorporating important medicinal plants and few rare and endangered plants to the garden as we like to call it. The scenario has now changed, many species of birds and butterflies stick to the plot. This together with the rare and rich aquatic flora and fauna of the reservoir area surrounded by the Screw Pines makes the land unforgettable for anyone who steps in. Now about an acre of the land is in fact a little paradise! To add to the charm, rabbits, and chicks, roam freely on the land while ducks, flying ducks and various types of native fish swim in the large pond in the campus. One can walk among them feeding or can cycle through the track around the pond early in the morning with a view of rose pink sea of water lilies. For the dare devils, you can embark on a trekk through the Cheramala forest. Go through the wicket gate to the trekking path the Cheramala hills meaning ‘ Chera Hills’ which is believed to be the capital of the Chera Dynasty and has been accredited with the potential for exploration. We have set hammocks aside the main water body and benches for relaxed times. Relaxing corners are also set around some shady trees where sunlight finds it difficult to peep through. One half of the campus is under development in which at present we have arecanut plantation intermixed with Plantains under organic cultivation. We intend to make up this part of the farm land with newly arriving fruit trees. The entire Farm along with the reserved room and common spaces. Cheramala is beleived to be the location of the summer palace of the erstwhile Chera Kings. The remains of the ruined steps of the palace, boundaries etc. can be found on the hill top. The steps were made of dressed single stones which are now dislocated goes down to the Arattu kadavu (bathing ghat) at the banks of the Periyar river where the royalty used to bathe. Thattekkad (literally meaning flat forest) is an evergreen low-land forest located between the branches of Periyar River, the longest river in Kerala. The Thattekkad Bird Sanctuary, covering an area of barely 25 Sq.km. is the first bird sanctuary in Kerala. Dr. Salim Ali, the world renowned ornithologist has described this sanctuary as the richest bird habitat on peninsular India. Several species of birds, both forest birds as well as the water birds can be spotted here. The sanctuary is a habitat for many varieties of cuckoos and a region of the sanctuary popularly called 'Cuckoo Paradise'. You can reach our farm from Kothamangalam. Please do contact us for directions. Our farm cannot be located on maps as the roads are not mapped due to the geography (forest area). Please do call me before you start so that I can guide you reach our farm. The rates are with breakfast for 2 adults. Extra persons will be charged. Home cooked lunch and dinner will be provided at an extra cost please do inform us your requirements in advance.