When we heard of the mind blowing beauty of Gavi, It was our dream to visit this place at least once in life time and we achieved it. One must visit this place to see how the almighty god has crafted this place so beautifully. No wonder why Kerala is knows as God’s Own Country. In every scenery you can see a professional and personal touch of that weaver.
Journeys will be surprising and more enjoyable if they are unplanned, but in the case of Gavi let me tell you first this is not going to work if you are planning for stay over programs.
The accommodation is kind of limited and bookings have to be done well in advance to avoid the last minute surprises.
Gavi eco-tourism
Gavi eco-tourism project is one of the top rated among Kerala tourism packages. Gavi became widely popular after the “Alistar International” and managed to be enlisted in the must see places of India.
Gavi is highly recommended for all the nature lovers as gavi is preserved in it’s natural scenic beauty untainted by the mighty hands of modernity.
Entrance of boating area and garden in front of green mansions forest lodge
Gavi is mainly famous for its scenic beauty and wildlife. Endangered species including Lion tailed macaque and Nilgiri Tahr are often sighted at the outskirts of Gavi.
Undoubtedly we can say Gavi is a paradise for the photographers. If you are a bird watcher, Gavi is highly recommended with more than 260 species of birds including woodpecker, great pied hornbill and kingfishers.
The Journey of wander lusting
We can’t sleep that night properly because of the thrilling adventurous journey which we are going to start next day. All bags were packed for a trip considering the fact that the resources will be exceptionally limited inside the forest.
The next day was another new year for us. We five people were all set for the trip in a car to our favorite destination from Trivandrum, Kerala.
If it was for jogging, no one will get up by 4 or 5 in the morning but when it comes to trips all will have that energy. Yes, the feeling of traveling itself is a great catalyst for our most of the trips.
Let’s start our engines, get ready for the Gavi Trip.All were talkative about our unknown land and its beauty throughout the journey. The roads were not much sure for us but had a vague idea of route towards Gavi.
On the way to Gavi
We managed our breakfast on the way after Pathanamthitta town. You will never get disappointed in your 6 hours of travel since the nearby places are also having the blanket of tea plantations.
After Ranni town one can see more number of signboards on the roadside for Sabarimala , a very popular pilgrimage destination in south India located in Pathanamthitta district, Kerala.
Actually there are two routes which can take you to Gavi, One through the forest and the other one was through Vandiperiyar check post.
We need to travel through Vandiperiyar since we had to collect the vehicle pass from there to Gavi.
We could cover the Trivandrum – Vandiperiyar route of around 192 kms in 5 and half hours including our breakfast.
From Vandiperiyar to Gavi it was marvelous! No words can explain that beauty.A 360 degree full of tea plantations, small rivers your camera will never get rest without capturing all these Landscape frames. Believe us this is the place for photographers.
After a long drive, we stopped in between to have a tea (Chai )near a local shop. The shop keeper has done his job wonderfully, first class tea! He was bit busy in sorting the pepper into grade one and grade two to sell it in the local market. We appreciated him for his outstanding tea and continued our journey.
Our next important target was Thekkady forest department’s check post, from there we need to collect the travel pass to proceed.
Thekkady forest department office
We would like to let you know in advance that, this area is untainted by the hands of modernity and you are entering into the lap of nature.Keep this area clean! We can save the earth for the coming generations too.
Plastic bags and plastic bottles are not allowed of course the Alcohol too. There will be a strict checking from the forest department for allotting the travel pass. Be a real fan of nature.
We had some empty water bottles in the car which they have taken from us and allocated our entry pass. The officer were instructed us not to stop the car for long time in lonely area and to avoid the horn inside the forest which can provoke the wild animals.
We were good in that and finally reached our heavenly land “Gavi”.
The Unforgettable evening in the Gavi
After the office formalities, we were allocated with our rooms and car parking slot. We managed to unload our luggage and started walking inside the facility.
Green Mansions Forest Lodge Gavi
The Gavi had a very neat and clean mess with manageable furniture. Excellent! We didn’t expect such a luxurious setup from this place. The KFDC really deserves that appreciation.
After a quick tea in the evening, we started exploring the place one by one. First one was the boating in the lake with the guide provided to us from the office.
That one hour of boating was very precious for us, the guide was very informative and shared his stories one by one with us. His family was migrated to Gavi when he was 10 years old to work in the cardamom estate over there.He is living here for the past 52 years knowing this heaven inside –out that made our day.
Gavi Boating area
We really enjoyed that boating in the Gavi dam reservoir and the guide allowed us to roam around in the nearby places.We walked around 2 hours to explore the nearby places situated next to the stay we had.
We couldn’t even find a single small shop near to that, but there is a colony where the estate employees are living.
The trekking has finally ended up in the garden visitor center. A visitor center was built into the garden so people can experience the site without intrusive buildings wrecking the view and a scenic walking path which leads to the lake.
Visitor center in the garden
The dinner which they served made us really surprised, we expected a very limited dinner which we had in Misty Valley Resort in our Nelliyampathy trip. That was a royal buffet for us.
We had almost everything for vegetarians and non-vegetarians. Very good dinner for what you are paying for your packages in Gavi. Recently we came to know that Thekkady forest department has started one day programs in Gavi for the holiday visitors. KFDC is also arranging one day programs in Gavi for 1250 per person.
The next day was really feast to our eyes with the jeep safari and the hidden beauty of Gavi. We are very excited to share that stories with you. Keep watching this place, to be continued…
How to reach Gavi
Nearest railway station: Kottayam, about 114 km
Nearest airport: Madurai Airport (Tamil Nadu), about 140 km away and Cochin International Airport, about 190 km