*The search
*Only three more days to go for the school vacation to be over. Still I have not gone for a holiday with my kids and family. Where to go? Only two full days available. Munnar, Kodai, Ooty all ruled out either due to the distance or the place has become tooo familiar. Sometime during a trip to munnar had heard about Vagamon. Searched the net for Vagamon. Got some pics. Wow nice. Yes I have fixed this.
But where to stay. Caman google man. yeah some phone numbers propped up. Dial it. Some say resort is under renovation. Some say sky high prices. Some say nice packages. Which to chose from? By instict chose the one where the guy was so courteous in his talks. The Vagamon Heights. Called up him again and he was offering, Stay, food, horse riding, fishing, trekking + boating @ 4000 per family (2 adults and 2 kids). We booked 2 rooms.
The journey
Come friday morning and we were already zooming through the neatly laid out MC road towards Vagamon in our MUV. The route was
Thiruvananthapuram > Ayoor > Anchal > Punalur > Pathanamthitta > Ranni > Erumeli > Mundakkayam > Kuttikkanam > Elappara > Vagamon.
A distance of 210 Kms. By the time we reached Elappara and turned to the Vagamon route we felt that we are in for something different. It is a valley sort of a place surrounded by hills. All the hills had a green blanket cover of mostly grass and not trees. Still we were pondering on how the resort will be.
The entry to the resort
We reached the gate of the resort. We had a look around. Only the gate and a small security check post. Where is the resort? We crossed the gate, reminiscent of the gate in the Evil dead movie. Soon one guy came to us and told to register our names there. Soon he opened another gate and told us that we have to travel 2 - 3 kms through this jungle trail to reach the resort’s office. Seems quite interesting. Started the journey slowly as it was a narrow road. As we moved forward found that we are moving through thick dense forest.
We reached a point where there was a small river crossing and over some rocks. Crossed the river and we were approaching an open area with a lake. It simply took our breath away. Then it was a climb through some dense forest and soon we reached the resort’s office on top where a big horse was roaming around alone. This journey of 2 km was an amazing start to the things to come.
Check in
After the check in process, one guy was assigned to us for all the support. He guided us to the cottage. Voila the way to the cottage itself was very inviting. It was a three storey building. There was a small hanging bridge which landed in the first floor. It was a sort of open air dining room. The second floor contained one cottage and the ground floor another. The view from inside the cottage was good, because we feel as if we are amidst thick dense forest with the sound of insects and some birds to accompany. Even the bathroom had big windows, which if opened we have a feeeling of getting a bath amidst the woods.
Day 1 - trekking in 4x4, boating
Took a rest for 30 minutes after which our guide took us for sight seeing in a 4 x 4 jeep. The jeep itself was good since the passenger cabin on the back was open roof. We were starting for an amazing experience which we didn’t expect. Soon the jeep was travelling in some roads atop the hills in such a way that we had huge steep inclination for company on both sides. We were swaying to both sides since there were absolutely no roads and soon we reached one of the view points from where we could have a breath taking view of the nature’s creations. We could also see the route which we take, which if one sees won’t believe that vehicles can be driven through. There were 4 such view points. Due to lack of time and impending rains we could go to only one more view point.
Then started the decent. For a change this guy was decending steeply and not in a zig zag manner.Looking down one feels really scary. This one ride is much much better than the artificial rides on the water theme parks. Soon we reached the bottom which had a nice lake. The boats were ready and we experienced the cool water in the comfort of this pedalling boats. Soon it started to rain, but when we are in such an august company of the nature how could we run for cover. Just opened an umbrella and enjoyed the boating amidst the downshower, an experience we will cherish for a lifetime.
We had time to visit the rose garden also before daylight bid goodbye to this beautiful showpiece handmade by nature and undistured by the tourist invasion.
Day 2 - Horse ride, fishing, tree house
Next morning the first activity was to have a horse ride. Riding a horse through the dense forest and hilly terrain we feel as if we are some kind of a king. The horse was absorbing all the uneveness of the terrain which had zero roads and we were feeling only the soothing up down moment which we can feel even when the horse is going in smooth roads.
We were in the 4 x 4 again, but this time headed to another direction and reached the lake where there was fishing deck. The fun at fishing in this point was double because the view which we can have from this point is something which is beyond what words can explain. See it to believe it. We spend there a lot of time that soon we were running out of time for our return journey. On our way back to our cottage, saw a tree house, about 30 feet above the ground. Climbed up the tree and enjoyed the experience of being top of a tree among the woods.
Bye Bye
Soon we packed our bags, thanked the resort staff for there homely behaviour and there support, wrote all the good things in the guest book, climbed down the woods with a handful of memories to cherish.
Some points to remember
Two nights and three days will be ideal to cover this resort fully and other view points in vagamon in a relaxed mood. the resort have more than 300 acres of land including 2 - 3 hills, one lake, rosegarden, conference room amidst forest. tree house etc.
Watch out for leeches which will feed on your blood without your notice. They will be aplenty during rainy season.
Don’t wear shoes if it is rainy season as the leeches will get inside and feed on your blood.
Keep some salt. If a leech is suc*king your blood, sprinkle the salt. It will release soon.
If you wash ur feet with detol, leech will not attack you
The climate is just about perfect during Jan - May. Not so cold and not so hot.
If you own a 4 x 4, there are plenty of tracks where you can explore.
The staff does not have a formal outlook as you see in 5 star hotels, but quite homely and will get along nicely. Something which I like.