Sunday, December 8, 2002		Adventure

In the lap of nature atop eco-cottages
P. G. Suja

WOULD you like to lose yourself in a euphoric exile of verdant woods; and ensconce in an eagle’s nest to watch the moonlit night pulsating with ancient rhythms? Come to a treetop eco-cottage in North Kerala’s Wayanad district to savour the mystery of the jungle. Atop a 90-feet tree house, it is just you and nature.

The tree houses have all the basic facilities. Built on giant fycus trees using indigenous expertise, these forest canopies have been visited by nearly 600 tourists so far, most of them foreigners. "These tree houses will make a gateway for eco-tourism in Kerala," says resort owner Babu Varghese, who was also instrumental in modernising Kerala’s backwater tourism. The Vythiri Nature Resort has three treetop houses and when it is fully complete, it will comprise 16 ground level terraced cottages and 10 reed and bamboo houses suspended some 100 feet up on wooden platforms between the branches of giant trees.

The tree houses are located on 500 acres of pristine verdant tropical forest where Britishers once cultivated cardamom. Twentyfive acres of the estate is earmarked for the tree houses. At 3750 feet above the sea level, Vythiri lies 65 km east of Kozhikode, north Kerala’s commercial hub. It is a three-hour drive punctuated by roller-coasting hairpin bends through the jungles on Wayanadan Ghat roads.

Shrouded by thick mist, the Wayanad hills are a part of the Western Ghat chain in the northeastern corner of Kerala. Undulating green giants clothed in steam blue vapour, Wayanad’s tropical forests once received the world’s second highest rainfall. Currently, as a result of degradation of the land, the region’s coffee, cardamom and tea plantations are dwindling. But it is boom time for eco tourism.

From Vythiri on the Kozhikode-Bangalore route, it takes almost 45 minutes by jeep to reach the base camp of the resort. From here, visitors have to walk through the foliage on a virgin track. Visitors may choose to explore a number of walking trails, as each promises a different adventure. These trails have been made in such fashion that they do not disturb the surroundings. "By regulating vehicular traffic, the resort area is protected from pollution and disturbing sounds," noted Lesley Gillilan, a recent visitor. More interestingly the houses have no telephone, televisions or newspapers. The base camp, which is a good four kilometres downhill, is equipped with a phone and a jeep.

Construction of the three tree houses cost Rs 15 lakh. While each house has a bedroom, bath and sit-out, one of them, designed on the basis of suggestions from guests and expert advice by German architect Carl Damnsion, has three floors connected by wooded staircase. Each tree house took nearly five months of collective effort by an engineer, carpenters and Paniya tribals to complete. Help from Mappila Khalasis, the traditional Muslim timber workers of Beypore port who are known for their expertise in moving heavy objects with ease, was also sought to ensure safe transit of the wood and cane up and down the tree. Each tree house measures about 400 square feet.

Why the fycus trees? Babu Varghese says it is one of the sturdiest trees with strong roots that helps it withstand storms and heavy downpours. Moreover, the resort area has no known history of landslides and cloudbursts. Safety was top priority while choosing the location," says Babu. "If trees had muscles the fycus would be the forest’s Mr Universe," says Lesley Gillilan.

The energy source for the resort is a unique combination of solar energy, gobar gas from cow dung and hurricane lamps with kerosene. Conventional electricity and power from the diesel generators are avoided, to prevent air and noise pollution.

Access to the houses is either by the hanging wooden bridge from the hill slope facing the houses or by the bamboo lifts that operate on an apparent simple water-bag-and-pulley system. It is a bent wood cage suspended from hundreds of metres of coir rope counterbalanced by a bag of water. The tree houses have comfortable bedrooms and spacious decks. They have separate bathrooms with cold-water showers and flushing hose. But this is the only concession to modernity and plastic. It is a true eco-resort where even refrigerators are taboo.

The kitchen of the resort is open to guests and the visitors are allowed to conduct health and hygiene checks. The food court and the eatery also share the transparency and most their activities can be seen by the visitors. The menu is not complicated. The vegetables and fruits are grown in captive organic garden, which does not use any chemical pesticide or manure. Traditional north Kerala meals are served on banana leaves without forks and knives.

Babu Varghese, a zoologist-turned-entrepreneur, dropped out of university in the 70s to start a tourism firm. In his role as guide, he is given a generous mention in Alexander Fretter’s book Chasing The Monsoon, but is best known for having pioneered backwater houseboats -creating a new role for the region’s traditional but obsolete rice barges and boatmen who crew them.

Torrential rains from June to December drench the Wayanad hills. For the adventurous, the rainy season offers an unforgettable experience. It is not just paddling through power showers, but snuggling close to nature’s bosom.

— Quest Features