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Western Ghats of Kerala Experience

While preparing for my trip to Kerala, I received an email informing us that we would be going camping and trekking through the Western Ghats of Kerala. Instantly I googled and was told my by trusty friend Google that this would be an amazing experience. I am not a trekking or camping well more glamping girl but I was determined to experience this.
The Western Ghats of Kerala are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is also one of the 8 “hottest hotspot” of biological diversity in the world. The journey to the Kalypso Adventure Camp in Suryanelli started rather early that morning. A long drive with spectacular views and really scary windy narrow roads. Most of us tried to catch up on some sleep. We were told to pack a small backpack just for overnight purposes.
The bus could only go up to a certain point, it was here that we were met by a convoy of army looking jeeps. Once we had piled into the jeeps we set off to the Kalypso Base camp. What awaited us was a luxury camping experience and no sleeping on the floor.
The Kalypso adventure base camp is run by a number of ex army men and the guides are all Himalayan Mountain trained. The campsite consisted of tents with beds and sleeping bags,towels,plug points and yes proper showers and toilets with hot water. We were all rather impressed and were not expecting this.
Kalypso Base Camp #KeralaBlogExpress
Go back a few days , I suffer from High Blood Pressure and it was extremely hot in Kerala. I was taking my medication daily and after not feeling too grand and a WhatsApp call with mum, my doctor had suggested me not doing the trek. I was not the only one as Betty and Susana joined me and later several others from the group did as well.
 
While the others were preparing for the hike,we were told that we would trek for about 2kms up to the next camp. At this point a jeep would pick us up and we would meet the rest of the group at the halfway point. A 2km walk in the heat was not such an easy task but we got there and the views were amazing. The jeep arrived and off we headed on our own Western Ghat Jeep Safari.
No let me tell you there are no tarred roads so literally you are holding on for dear life while going up the mountain pathways. I felt as if I was a secret agent on a mission in Kerala crossing over the border. We finally arrived at the halfway station and awaited for the troops to arrive. The halfway point was home to one of the 3 Tribes who live in the Western Ghats. The views were amazing and the beautifully painted houses and doors made could easily be mistaken for Greece.
Western Ghats #KeralaBlogExpress
At this village there was a temple and a church which suggested that the locals belonged to those two faiths. The ladies of the village worked on the slopes of the Ghats picking tea leaves and elachi. After a quick snack and water break we headed to our lunch spot. Another secret agent jeep journey to a beautiful spot near a waterfall.
Western Ghats Lunch #KeralaBlogExpress
The staff had set up a cooking and serving stations to provide us with delicious tasty meals. A portable bathroom was set up as well. Very impressive for in the middle of the Western Ghats.
After lunch we headed to camp which was late afternoon.I was so impressed with the Kalypso team for accommodating me and not letting me the Western Ghats experience. At camp we had time to freshen up and then the night life started.
We were served delicious traditional dishes and BBQ meats for dinner. All meals were freshly prepared. Oh I almost forgot we had our own Chai Walla at the camp that made us some of the famous street tea and coffee. As the night set , the temperatures dropped and we huddled around the campfire listening to the sounds off the night. Like the weary travellers that we were ,we slowly made our way to bed in the early chilly hours of the morning.
Thank you Kalypso Adventures for a fantastic camping and Jeep Safari Experience in the Western Ghats. Your team was just amazing and accommodating. Thank you for adding to my #TripOfALifetime memories.For more information on Kalypso Adventures check out their website www.kalypsoadventures.com
Would you camping ?  Have you ever visited a UNESCO World Heritage Site ?
Be Inspired !
Ciao
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