Arippa
Hills, valleys, plains, streams, cascades, towering trees, medicinal plants, birds, and animals – the woods at Arippa thrum with life, and after a time you walk ecstatically, abandoning yourself totally in the sheer bliss of being there as a pilgrim to Mother Earth. The virgin land of Arippa is located on the edge of Thiruvananthapuram-Shenkottai State Highway.
TREKKING TRAILS
To explore Arippa you can trek up to the Myristica freshwater which is a unique habitat for some endemic vegetation.
The trek to Myristica Swamps
A trek up to Myristica swamps and Vellamkudy in Sankhili forest is the trail in Arippa. Well known for its rich animal life, Myristica swamps comes under the Kulathuppuzha forest range in Kollam district. And you know what are these Myristica swamps, they are tropical freshwater swamp forests with an abundance of Myristica trees, which is considered to be the most primitive of the flowering plants on earth. The evergreen, water-tolerant trees have dense stilt roots helping them stay erect in the thick, black, wet alluvial soil. On the way, if you are lucky you can spot birds like Malabar hornbills, warblers, flycatchers, woodpeckers and babblers of different varieties. Perhaps Arippa-Ammachiyambalam could be the best stretch to watch birdlife in early mornings.
This is included in the stay over programme. The food included in the package is evening tea, dinner, breakfast and Lunch (one each). Maximum of six persons in one package.
Cost of the package
Rs. 2000/- per person
JUNGLE CAMPS
Stay at Jyothirmayi guest house
If you are here for a stay, the KFDC Inspection bungalow offers the best vantage point from where you can savour the beauty of the forest. It is a two day package. Day one of the plan goes with bird watching in the evening. Experience for yourself how the impulsive cries and screeches of nocturnal birds bruise Arippa’s pitch-dark nights. There would be long stretches of silence. Now go the cicadas. Amidst all these noise along with the soft gurgle of a river your touchy ears pick the faint sound of twigs cracking near the bungalow. You wake up with a startle. What could that be! Elephant! A tiger! Overnight stay at Jyothirmayi guest house.
Cost of the package
Refer trekking cost
Contact
KFDC Facilitation Centre
Thiruvananthapuram-Shencottai road,
Arippa
Ph: +91-471-2002700
kfdctvm@yahoo.com
Getting there
By Road: 18 Kms from Thenmala and 52 kms from Thiruvananthapuram
By Rail: 52 km from Thiruvananthapuram Central Railway Station
By Air: 65 Kms from Trivandrum International Airport
DISCLAIMER : Since the availability of Eco Tourism Packages are subject to change based on climate and other conditions, please make sure you confirm its availability beforehand. We will not be held responsible for any inconveniences caused owing to the unavailability of any specific package.
