I grew up in the High Ranges of Kerala, so I’ve
always loved mountains, meadows, and greenery. Even after moving out of Kerala,
our trips back home often ended in Munnar, a beautiful hill station with tea
plantations. Munnar always gave us peace—it felt like nature's clinic, healing
both body and mind.
Munnar is beautiful in every way. The valleys,
the green tea plantations, and the colorful flowers by the roadsides make you
forget all your worries. But we didn’t realize Munnar had so many beautiful
places nearby—Marayur, Devikulam, Aanakkulam, and more—all within 100 km. You
need at least a week to explore everything properly.
This year, we decided to visit Marayur. It’s
known for its sandalwood forests, sugarcane farms, and lovely scenery. It’s not
very commercial yet, with only a few homestays and Airbnbs. We stayed at Vana
Jyotsna Resort, and it turned out to be one of our best holidays ever!
The resort is in the middle of a sandalwood
forest and is built carefully without harming nature. It’s a beautiful
bungalow-style house, neat and well-kept. It has two floors, three bedrooms,
two sitting areas, and a kitchen. The place has lot of space to
accommodate people in groups. The best part? The fireplace—our favorite place
to relax, chat, and play cards in the evening.
We were greeted by friendly monkeys, which made
the children really happy. They fed the monkeys, and the monkeys happily played
around us.
We instantly fell in love with the place. The
resort was built with a lot of care. It had clean goats, hens, turkeys, and
even a fish pond with big fish. The kids loved fishing there with the help of
Bobychan, the kind caretaker.
Our favorite spot for tea was the tree house,
always surrounded by monkeys. It even had a small room with a bed—my dream
place to write. I was amazed to know that no trees were harmed to build it!
We were lucky to spot some animals too—Giant
Malabar Squirrels, a group of deer, and even a few elephants near the property.
Another interesting place in the resort was a
bamboo hall, perfect for yoga, meditation, or small gatherings.
Bobychan made sure we enjoyed every bit of our
holiday. He told us about many adventure activities we could try nearby. One
evening, we went for a short trek and had a refreshing bath in a forest
waterfall. The cold, fresh stream water was so soothing.
The resort also had a washing machine, which
made it easy to wash and dry our wet clothes. After our bath, the fireplace was
already lit. We spent the evening there playing cards, and soon, home-cooked
food from a nearby local was delivered. We could order anything we liked and
enjoy the local flavors.
The next morning was even better. We took a walk
in the fresh morning air and visited the local church, which had an amazing
view of Marayur. After breakfast, we tried rock climbing and went to some
nearby viewpoints. Some of us climbed, some couldn’t—but we all had fun trying.
Bobychan wanted to take us on a long forest trek
organized by the forest department, but we didn’t have enough time. Instead, we
visited one or two more waterfalls and then drove to Kanthalloor, a nearby
village known as the Kashmir of Kerala because of its cool weather. It’s the
only place in Kerala with apple farms and rare berries. Their garlic is also
very famous!
We stopped at a farm, bought fresh fruits and
vegetables, and visited the Dolmens (Muniaras)—ancient tombs that are over
3,000 years old. On the way back, it started raining heavily, but we still
managed to shop a bit in Marayur town.
It was hard to say goodbye to this beautiful
place and Bobychan. But we left with hearts full of memories—and a wish to come
back again soon!
