THENMALA AND PALARUVI

Thenmala is located at about 75 km from Trivandrum. Its on the border areas of Trivandrum and Kollam districts of Kerala. It is the first Eco-tourism project developed in the country.It also shares its borders with the Shenduruney wildlife sanctuary in the state of Tamil Nadu.

When one goes from Trivandrum to Thenmala, you will sight a railway bridge known as Kannara bridge.Its view is beautiful and is a 110 years old bridge built during pre-independence era.Its on the once used Kollam-Shenkottai metre gauge route, which is not used now.Renovation works are going on to get the railway line back on track.

KANNARA BRIDGE

After that while you reach the Thenmala town, you will be received by the Thenmala dam, which is also a tourist attraction.The dam is built mainly for irrigation purpose.It is also known as Parappar dam.

THENMALA DAM

While moving some more distance one could see the entrance for Eco tourism centre. There is a small fee for entrance,and once inside the centre there’s an elevated walkway leading into the deep forest.Its not advised to walk more deep into the forest, as sometimes tracing the way back is difficult.

There are many activities for a visitor like mountain biking,river crossing,rock climbing etc.there’s also an activity known as board walk leading to top of the dam.

For children, there is also a dear park, which has spotted dear, sambar dear and barking dear in it.some of the other attractions inside the park are tree top huts and river side treks.

16 kms from Thenmala, located deep inside the forest is a hidden gem, the mystic Palaruvi water falls, meaning stream of milk.The water in the falls is clear as milk and is very cold too.For reaching there you have to travel around 6-8 km through the forest.here the water falls down from the height of 300 ft. Water of Palaruvi pools is believed to have healing properties. Many locals, who never otherwise venture out to any waterfall, visit here to just take a dip in the medicinal waters.

The falls has two sections, one for gents and other for ladies.it also provide changing rooms for ladies.One thing one should remember is that entire area is kept plastic free by vana smarakshana samithi.so “SAY NO TO PLASTICS”

HOW TO REACH:-

From Trivandrum-Get on to any ksrtc bus going to Thenkashy,Aryankavu or Thenmala and get down at Thenmala.It take about 2 ½ hrs to reach there from Trivandrum.

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KSRTC MINNAL-WHEN TIME REALLY MATTERS

Gone are the time when buses were considered slow when compared to trains.But Kerala state road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) official carrier of Kerala is rewriting history by cruising ahead of time and their railway counterparts.They are doing this not by just driving recklessly and dangerously like the private buses does, but by reducing stoppages to minimum.They calls this class of buses as “MINNAL”, which means lightning.The passengers have already received theses buses wholeheartedly.They had an earlier version of this named lightning express in early 2000’s

TIMING COMPARISON OF 16347 TVM-MANGALORE EXPRESS TRAIN AND TVM-KANNUR MINNAL BUS

BOTH DEPART AT 20.45 HRS FROM TRIVANDRUM

By comparing the timings of both bus and train, we can conclude that bus is far better in case of timings.But in reality these buses reaches the destination 10 to 20 minutes before the stipulated time.Not only this, these buses are fitted with latest model of Haritha seats with push back option, which offers more comfort.KSRTC buses are known for offering more leg space(the space between your seat and the seat ahead of yours) than other RTC or private buses.Light luggage can be kept underneath the seats and baggage can be kept on the luggage rack on top .All seats are provided with mobile phone or laptop charging sockets.which are necessary for long distance journeys.

HARITHA SEATS WITH PUSH-BACK OPTION,HEAD-REST AND BOTTLE HOLDER

  These buses also cost the passengers less money when compared to private buses and also have online and offline advance reservation facility.Passengers can reserve seats HERE

Image courtesy-respective owners  

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KADINAMKULAM

This beautiful lake is located at a distance of 8 kms from Technovalley in Trivandrum, the IT capital of the state.Its being rightly called as the holiday/picnic spot of techies as this scenic spot is near to IT parks like Technopark, Infosys, UST Global etc.Kadinamkulam offers a great scope for backwater tourism, which is under utilized as of now.Those coming here can enjoy a cruise in this scenic backwaters. 

  The district tourism promotion council (DTPC) has introduced a tourism circuit connecting three lakes in Thiruvananthapuram - Kadinamkulam, Anchuthengu and Akathumuri - offering a combination of boat cruise through the backwaters free of industrial pollution and visit to historical monuments and uninhabited islands in the locality besides traditional delicacies. The whole place is a haven for all types of water birds, including migratory ones, which add more life to the serene landscape and rural life.  One could also witness local people collecting oysters from the lake  bed.

This back water lies almost parallel to the adjoining Arabian sea for some distance and has a temporary connection with the sea at the north western region. It is the largest among the backwaters of Trivandrum district. The Vamanapuram River originating from the Western Ghats, after traversing for about 80 km and covering a drainage area of 540 sqkm,empties into the backwater through Anchuthengu lake.

Perumathura  and varkala beach are the nearby attractions

How to reach:-

Nearest railway station is kazhakoottam-8 km
Nearest Airport-Trivandrum International Airport-12 km
Nearest Bus stand-kaniapuram-1.5 km

Get down at kazhakoottam or kaniapuram  on Kollam –Cape highway and take an auto-rickshaw to reach here.

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ELEPHANT REHABILITATION CENTRE KAPPUKADU,KOTTUR

ELEPHANT REHABILITATION CENTRE KAPPUKADUDU,KOTTUR-TRIVANDRUM

For the elephant enthusiasts and for all who would like to have fun with elephants, come to kappukadu kottur elephant rehabilitation center in Trivandrum, kerala. Located deep inside the forest near the beautiful Neyyar reservoir, this is an ideal place to have fun with elephants and to bring the childishness in you.

The main activities here are elephant bathing, elephant feeding etc. Rice and jaggery made into the shape of balls are given to elephants. Visitors are allowed to go right near the elephant and also can take photos and selfies with elephants under the strict guidance of mahouts. Visitors can also take part in bathing of elephants and are allowed to scrub the body of the largest mammal on earth. It is the only eco tourism center where elephants are allowed to roam freely

Contact number- 097444 46671

Time-from 0830 to 1700 hrs (365 days)

How to reach:-

Nearest airport-Trivandrum international

Nearest railway station-Trivandrum ctl-33 km, neyyantinkara-10 km

Nearest Ksrtc bus station- Trivandrum ctl-33km, Kattakada     13 km

From Trivandrum ksrtc bus station there are frequent buses to Neyyar dam, which is also a tourist attraction.

From Neyyatinkara, direct buses are limited. There are frequent Ksrtc buses to Kattakkada Ksrtc bus station. From there u get buses to Neyyar dam once in every 15 to 20 minutes to much buses to kuttichal kottur. Lodges are available at very low rate there; you can get taxi from kuttichal to kappukadu, Ponmudi and Neyyar dam and Aruvikkara dam and Kanyakumari also.

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VELLAYANI LAKE AND VAVVAMOOLA

Vellayani Lake is the largest freshwater lake in Thiruvananthapuram District of Kerala. Located on the outskirts of Trivandrum, at around Velleyani is a picturesque village where you can enjoy both natural and village beauty at its best. Everywhere you get to see village beauty. This beautiful village has now turned into a traveler's paradise. Even foreigners come here to breath fresh air all the way from London,Brisbane etc The area around Vellayani like is generally known as “mini kovalam” .Vellayani Lake is the largest fresh water lake in Trivandrum.

Not far from the IT Capital city of the state, Vellayani lake provides you with opportunity for fishing and country boat riding.Its just 9 k away from Trivandrum and 7 km from Kovalam.in the morning time, you can buy freshwater l fish from here . Buy a cup of tea from any of the small tea huts and go for fishing, you will not be disappointed even if your catch don’t give you anything, because the experience is amazing. kerala Agricultural college is situated near to this beautiful lake.The lake also forms part of research oriented studies for the students from the college.Soon this lake will also have the biodiversity heritage site tag.The lake and its catchment of 490 hectares constitute a unique freshwater ecosystem.More than 100 avian species,including 23 species of migratory have been recorded from the lake and the paddy fields of Punchakkari.It is also the home for about 42 species of fish.

BOAT RACE DURING ONAM

There is a road through the lake and you can enjoy the crystal-clear and calm water, especially during moonlit nights, which is a wonderful sight.Interesting thing is that this place is yet to get a resort or something like that, so the level of pollution is nil.Just a interlocked portion of road is there for any one going there. The govt does not want to take any chance with the beauty of the place in the name of development, which is agreeable for others too.Monsoon time here is like Feb 14 for humans.

AREA IN RED AND BLACK IS WHERE YOU CAN SIT/WALK/DO FISHING

After vellayani, Head towards vavvamoola lake, which is also a part of vellayani lake.Here seating arrangements (granite benches) have been made by Govt .Authorities have planted many trees on the banks of the lake, which is quiet appreciable.

VAVVAMOOLA LAKE

Along with fishing, here one can spot planes which are about to land in the Trivandrum International airport.These areas form part of the approach area for flights before landing .So count as many as you can...

How to reach:-For vellayani ,buses are available from KSRTC bus stand at East-Fort.Board into any bus via Agricultural college(karshika college/AGC) and get down near to the lake.For vavvamoola,there is only one bus from East fort .Auto-Rickshaws are the only cheap mode of transport between the places. 

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WHY TO SLOW DOWN IN KERALA

“SLOW DOWN IN KERALA”-Because it’s really worth slowing down when you are in Kerala, the southernmost state of India. Situated between the Arabian sea and western ghats, this not so large state has population more than that of California,literacy rate amongst highest in the world,birth rate blow that of America and is ever falling.Health awareness and food habits has made infant mortality much below that of the entire country.Early mornings one could hear music from temples,muessins at the mosques and church bells ringing  in cathedrals This state has a tag called “God’s own country” and  could give you everything you want as a traveler or a tourist.

Kerala was formed in 1956 after India got freedom in 1947.The people there gives a warm welcome to every new comer there.It is one of the few state in India where every one is English Literate.The behavior and Literacy has big connection with the Portuguese ,Dutch and English people who went there for Trade or for any other purpose.St Thomas,one of the disciple of Jesus is believed to have landed in then the port of Muziris (now Kodungalloor) in AD 52.

It is believed that Kerala had trade relations with many other countries even before AD 52.Spices and cashew were the main goods for trade.It is recorded that queens of Egypt used pepper from Kerala since 1500 BC.Pliny,who visited kerala in 1 AD wrote about pepper in his records.Malabar found a place even in IBN Battutta's records as land without robbery and thieves. Portuguese explorer Vasco Da Gama landed in Kerala at Kappadu in present Calicut district in 14th century.He reached India through Atlantic ocean as the first European to set his foot in India via Atlantic. Kerala spices attracted Portuguese traders to kerala in 15th century.And later came the dutch,the British. Kerala was formed by the unification of Malabar, Travancore and Kochi kingdoms.At the end of Anglo Mysore war between the Malabar Kingdom and British ,Mlabar went with British rule in 1792.Travancore and Kochi was not under the British rule.They were princely states.British signed treaties of alliance with king of Cochin in 1791 and Travancore in 1795.

Kerala's Education history is something unique.The mighty Travancore royal family,Nair service society, SNDP, MES, Christian missionaries all has a positive impact on the education system of this little state.The christian missionaries during British rule gave lot of attention to education.The women are mostly educated so as the people of lower strata ,thanks to the free and compulsory primary education strategy executed by the rulers.
The culture,tradition and religion all has its effect on the food habit of Kerala.On a visit to kerala one would find a variety of dishes like beef-fry/roast,avial,Kerala paratta,fish curry,paal payasam etc.The south (Travancore),central(Cochin) and the north (Malabar) kerala has their own unique dishes and separate style of cooking of same dish.As someone said “when in Rome, do as the Romans do”, when in Kerala, do as the Malayalis do. Malayalis are good eaters of rice food.Rice food is a must from breakfast to dinner.They like to have food in banana leaf whenever and wherever possible.

Kerala is connected to most of the countries around the world.It has three international airports within an area of 500 km. Another one is coming up and its in the final stages of construction which makes it 4 international airports ,which could easily beat United States in Air Connectivity.Within the country,the state is connected to all Indian cities by rail and all major south Indian cities by bus. Kerala so This is a small attempt to help all those going to Kerala and are in Kerala in having a good time in a low cost and budgetary manner.

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