Ecotourism embraces the principles of sustainable tourism and the following principles which distinguish it from the wider concept of sustainable tourism:

» Contributes actively to the conservation of natural and cultural heritage.

» Includes local and indigenous communities in its planning, development and operation, contributing to their well-being.

» Interprets the natural and cultural heritage of the destination to visitor.

» Lends itself better to independent travellers, as well as to organized tours for small size groups.

Kerala

Location : Kerala is a south Indian state, located in the extreme southern tip of India.

Time to Visit : Any Time of the year.

Weather : Salubrious and Pleasant.

Known For : The Rich Biological Resource.

Kerala
India’s most loved tropical paradise, Kerala boasts of some of the richest biodiversity in the World. Popularly known as the God’s Own Country, Kerala is today one of the most sought after tourist destinations in Asia. Located at the southern most tip of India, Kerala is a 560 km long, narrow stretch of land. The land blessed by the God, is higher in diversity with the climate more humid and wetter. Kerala represents one of India's three richest tropical moist forest areas. This part of the country with wet evergreen forest has the most complex and species rich vegetation assemblage in the country. Endemism is very high especially in flowering plants, small mammals and amphibians. Kerala is also home to a kaleidoscope of people and cultures.

Eco-tourism in Kerala

Kerala Wildlife Resources
Settled in the luxuriant forests of the Western Ghats in Kerala are some of the finest Wildlife sanctuaries and National Parks. Each one home to rare animals, birds, reptiles, insects and plants. You will come across endangered Nilgiri tahr, lion-tailes macaque, atlas moth, Travancore evening brown, rarest of butterflies in the world. Kerala is home to the Neelakurinji that blooms once every twelve years, podocarpus wallichianus (the only south Indian conifer), and skirting. These exotic locations are some of the most refreshing and revitalizing trekking trails in the country. The management of the parks laid emphasis on creating scientific conservation methods that are complementary to the traditional lifestyle of the tribal residing in the region. Some most visited wildlife sanctuaries in Kerala are - Wynad Wildlife Sanctuary, Eravikulam National Park, Periyar National Park, Silent Valley National Park. A visit to these parks should be regarded as a memorable experience, as this part of India is the last representative virgin tract of tropical evergreen forests in India.

Birdwatching in Kerala

Kerala Backwaters
Lush Backwaters of Kerala along the 600 km long coastline of dazzling beaches are unique to Kerala. These Backwaters of Kerala are the basis of a unique lifestyle and mesmerizing sights. The boats cross shallow, palm-fringed lakes and travel along narrow shady canals, where Coir, Copra, and Cashews are loaded into the boats.

Kerala Beaches
The 600 km long shoreline of Kerala dotted with some of the most charming and most enticing beaches of the world. The beaches of Kerala are all in splendour with coconut groves, natural harbors, lagoons and sheltered coves. The palm-lined beaches of Kerala are most visited for the gentle surf and the soothing azure waters. Some of the beaches in Kerala where you can sit amidst tranquil and healthy ambience along with some Yoga, Meditation and Ayurveda practice are - Alappuzha Beach, Kovalam Beach, Pthiramanal Beach, Sankhumugham Beach, Thirumullavaram Beach and Varkala Beach Kerala.

Kerala Hill Stations
Kerala's highland area rising to an average height of 1520 m covers the tropical forests of the Western Ghats, housing rich flora and fauna. Not to speak of expansive, loamy plantations of tea, coffee, rubber and fragrant cardamom. The hill stations in Kerela offer the most charismatic experience of nature in all its spotless beauty. The hill station of Munnar and Nelliyampathy in Kerala are an ideal spot for trekking.

Ecotourism is a growing area in the tourist friendly state of Kerala. Ecotourism in Kerala has taken off in a big way because Kerala has many destinations known for their natural beauty and exquisite landscape. Kerala is one of the greenest destinations in India. The landscape is covered with coconut palms in the coastal areas. The paddy fields shimmer with the emerald green of new shoots. The banana plantations are filled with the whisper of waving green banana leaves. The tea plantations are a green blanket that cover the hill ranges as far as the eye can see, in the Western Ghats in Kerala and the backwaters are fringed with Pandanus plants that trail the tips of their long leaves in the rippling water, as you float by. You can appreciate the verdant beauty of Kerala on Kerala tours with Kerala backwater.

The wildlife sanctuaries of Kerala are popular ecotourism destinations. Tourists from all over the world come to see tigers, elephants, deer and animals native to the Malabar region, such as the Nilgiri Tahr, in the wildlife sanctuaries of Kerala including Periyar, Wynad, Silent Valley and Eravikulam wildlife sanctuary on Kerala tours with Kerala Backwater.

In recent times the rubber plantations and tea estates have also opened their doors to tourists who travel to Kerala, seeking a green getaway. The Portuguese, Dutch, French and English colonial rulers of Kerala established the plantations of Kerala during colonial times. The crops they introduced to Kerala include rubber, grown for its latex, and tea - England's favorite drink. These crops grew and flourished in Kerala's pleasant climate. Sheltered from the sun by tall trees, the plantations and their lodges, offer tourists a relaxing getaway on Kerala tours. You can visit the plantations of Kerala on ecotourism vacations in Kerala and Kerala tours with Kerala Backwater.

Some of the ecotourism attractions that you will see on Kerala tours with Kerala Backwater are:

Ecotourism in India

The year 2002 was celebrated as the 'International Year of Ecotourism' and this environment friendly form of tourism has many important connotations that range from responsible tourism to environment conservation and contributing towards keeping the natural environment clean and as unadulterated as possible.

Ecotourism is an attempt at sustainable ecological development and India Wildlife Tours offers online ecotourism booking to the some of the most naturally beautiful locales in India.

The concept of ecotourism is gaining momentum in India very quickly. The promotion of the concept of using natural products in different walks of life is opening up vast options for using stuff that are environment friendly be it compost or toiletries.

Certain things that you can do to contribute in your own way towards the conservation of the natural beauty of the luxuriant locales that you visit are:

Try not to litter forests etc with non-biodegradable wastes such as tins, cans, bottles etc. these things must be disposed of in the municipal waste bins.

Avoid contributing to noise pollution by toning down your radios etc. when you go on wildlife tours as the noise can easily distract or scare wild animals who are accustomed to the natural sounds of the jungle.

Avoid using detergents and defecating near water sources in the jungle.

Avoid building campfires in dense forests and do not leaves cigarette buds or other waste material in the forests.

Do not consume aerated or alcoholic beverages and throw the bottles in forests areas.

Ecotourism is a new concept in tourism. It is a purposeful travel to natural areas to understand the cultural and natural history of environment, taking care not to alter the integrity of the ecosystem, while producing economic opportunities that make conservation of natural resources beneficial to local people.

In short, ecotourism can be conceptualised as

"Any tourism programme that is

(a) nature based,
(b) ecologically sustainable,
(c) where education and interpretation is a major component and
(d) where local people are benefited

can be called ecotourism. If it does not satisfy any one of these components then it cannot be called a real ecotourism venture.

THENMALA ECOTOURISM

Tourism Department, Government of Kerala, India has taken steps to give focussed attention to ecotourism in the State. A separate ecotourism wing has been created to give policy support for the development of the ecotourism destinations in the State. Accordingly a project for the first planned ecotourism destination (Thenmala Ecotourism Project) has been formulated in and around Shenduruney Wildlife Sanctuary with the co-operation of departments such as Forest, Irrigation and Tourism. In order to give flexibility in management for the development of this destination, a separate Society, the Thenmala Ecotourism Promotion Society (TEPS) has been constituted.

"Thenmala Ecotourism" has been conceived as a first planned ecotourism destination in India and the initial stages of implementation is completed.

The major objectives of this project are

1. To develop Thenmala dam and its surroundings as a major tourist destination.

2. To promote Ecotourism on the basis of sound principles of ecological sustainability in the surrounding areas of Thenmala.

3. To have a well planned tourism destination with emphasis on sustainable tourism development so as to become a model for other destination development programmes.

Located about 72kms from Thiruvananthapuram, the State Capital of Kerala, God's Own Country, the southern most State of India. Thenmala is a small village at the foothills of Western Ghats and predominantly a forest area. The famous Shenduruney Wildlife Sanctuary is the most important ecotourism resource of Thenmala Ecotourism. This Wildlife Sanctuary is of about 100 sq. km. and harbors large varieties of flora and fauna.

Thenmala : "Then + Mala" , i.e. in local parlance "Then" means honey and "Mala" means hillock i.e. it mean honey hills. The honey collected from Thenmala forest region is of good quality and of high medicinal value because of the unique floristic composition of the forests.

General Information
(Thenmala Grama Panchayat: the local self Government)

Total population : 24,212,

Altitude : Between 100-600 m above MSL

Climate : The hottest months are March to May and the coldest, December and January. The maximum temperature during daytime in the hottest month is about 39oC. The daily temperature varies from 17oC to 35oC.

Rainfall : Southwest Monsoon: May to August extends up to September
Northeast Monsoon: late September, October and November
Average rainfall 2600 - 3000 mm

Languages spoken : Malayalam, Tamil & English

Season : Throughout the year

Clothing : Tropical

When the idea of developing Thenmala as a tourism destination was mooted seriously in 1996, it was decided to develop it as an ecotourism destination by keeping the degraded forest area, in the outskirts of the Sanctuary, as a familiarization zone. The studies and discussions followed helped to evolve a strategy to control the mass tourism within the outer limits of the Sanctuary. Hence the ecotourism products, which are developed within Sanctuary, are expected to be supply driven, which eventually takes care of ecological sustainability. It was also planned to have satellite centers in various places in Western Ghats mountainous region within a radius of 50 km from Thenmala. The familiarisation zones thus created function as area for soft ecotourists.

Eco-friendly General Tourism is planned in the periphery of the sanctuary so that pressure of tourism will not affect sanctuary. The real ecotourism is to take place in sanctuary and only ecotourists are encouraged for that. Others can experience the ecofriendly products such as small nature trails, elevated walkway through canopies, mountain biking etc. This will give them a feeling of what awaits as ecotourism in the sanctuary area, for which they have to wait since it is supply driven. This was a consciously developed management strategy after analysing what is happening in various sanctuaries by way of tourist pressure.

Facilities such as boating in the Sanctuary reservoir, boardwalk, sculpture garden, amphitheatre, Musical Dancing Fountain, etc. are also provided at Thenmala for soft ecotourists. An Environmental education and interpretation center is also being set up at Thenmala.

Thenmala Ecotourism Promotion Society adopted a strategy to co-ordinate with Forest Department, the Irrigation Department and Tourism Department and implement various activities in association with each Department.

Private initiative is expected in areas such as providing accommodation, transportation facility etc. No permanent constructions are made in forest areas. Accommodations for tourists are developed outside the forests, at a distance.

To make this project a great success Thenmala Ecotourism Promotion Society (TEPS) entrusted the conduct of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) to Kerala Forest Research Institute (KFRI). KFRI had conducted EIA for the destination and the satellite spots. Further, on the recommendations of KFRI and on the basis of the Environmental Impact Assessment, TEPS amended the activities so as to minimise the negative impacts of the project.

The products such as trekking, bird watching trails etc. is being developed and operationalised through the institution of Eco-development Committees / Participatory Forest Management Committees (locally known as Vana Samrakshna Samithi (VSS)), thereby ensuring local benefits from ecotourism. Forest Department has already evolved expertise in the formulation of Eco-development Committees and VSS through institutionalised means. This will help in channelising the benefits of ecotourism to the local people, which will ultimately elicit support of local community for forest protection and conservation.

Thenmala ecotourism project is the first planned ecotourism project/destination in the country. In many other cases it was just renaming of an already existing "nature tourism". Here from the very beginning efforts have been taken to imbibe the internationally accepted principles of ecotourism in the planning process as well as in implementation. A conscious management strategy has been evolved to create a familiarization zone to limit the impacts in sensitive ecosystems to the minimum. Another important feature is the institutionalizing of co-ordination mechanism among Forests, Irrigation and Tourism Departments, Local Community, Local Self Government and other stake holders.

In short "Thenmala ecotourism" is a learning experience. Our idea is to make this destination qualitatively better by getting valuable feedback from all esteemed visitors and there by strive for excellence in the area of conservation of natural resources and authentic tourism experience.

Munnar

Munnar is a little hill station in the high ranges of the Western Ghats, 1600 to 1800 metres above sea level- a breath taking expanse of tea plantations falling away in precise green steps. This nature- lovers paradise opened up out of virgin forests a century ago by pioneer planters. Every leaf and log in Munnar they say, lends itself to imagery. It is difficult to believe that once all this perfection.

Ooty

Located in the southern state of Tamil Nadu. The British Collector John Sullivan discovered this place and developed it to a summer resort for the people of South India. This picturesque place nestles in an amphitheatre created by four majestic hills namely the Doddabetta, Snowdon, Elk Hill, and Club Hill. These hills are part of the Nilgiri ranges, & are the meeting points for the Western and the Eastern Ghats.

Kodaikanal

Located amidst the folds of the verdant Pali hills is one of the most popular serene hill stations in India, which mesmerises any visitor. With her wooded slopes, mighty rocks, enhancing waterfalls and a beautiful lake, it is a charming hill station. Situated at an altitude of about 2,133-m high. It's pride is the 'Kurinji-flower', which blossoms once in 12 years. The fruits and plums are known for their freshness and taste.

Wagamon

Located 64 kms from Kottayam and 65 kms from Idukki town, Wagamon is a hill station perched at an altitude of 1100 m above sea level. A trekker's delight, Wagamon is surrounded by beautiful meadows, valleys and tea gardens, which are all spellbinding works of nature. Wagamon is engulfed by green tea gardens and deep puzzling valleys. All the trekking enthusiasts enjoy climbing this 1100m tall hill.

Wayanad

Wayanad is derived from the expression 'Wayanadu', which means the 'land of paddy fields'. Offering the climate of the hill station, Wayanad is blessed with mist-clad mountains, fast flowing rivers, soil which promotes a lush growth of vegetation and sylvan valleys. Situated at a height of 700 to 1200 meters above sea level, the district's climate and the geography make it ideal for the cultivation of coffee, tea, cardamom, pepper and rubber.

Nelliampathy

Located at a distance of 52 kms from Palakkad, the cool hills of Nelliampathy, nestling atop the Western Ghats, offer a breathtaking view of the misty mountains and enchanting valleys interspersed with sprawling tea, coffee, cardamom and orange plantations. The bracing climate and green magic of nature enhance the exhilarating experience. For a vantage view of the spectacle, one must visit Seethakundu, where a 100m high waterfall provides an added attraction.

Ecotourism is a growing area in the tourist friendly state of Kerala.

Ecotourism in Kerala has taken off in a big way because Kerala has many destinations known for their natural beauty and exquisite landscape. Kerala is one of the greenest destinations in India. The landscape is covered with coconut palms in the coastal areas. The paddy fields shimmer with the emerald green of new shoots. The banana plantations are filled with the whisper of waving green banana leaves. The tea plantations are a green blanket that cover the hill ranges as far as the eye can see, in the Western Ghats in Kerala and the backwaters are fringed with Pandanus plants that trail the tips of their long leaves in the rippling water, as you float by. You can appreciate the verdant beauty of Kerala on Kerala tours with Kerala backwater.

The wildlife sanctuaries of Kerala are popular ecotourism destinations. Tourists from all over the world come to see tigers, elephants, deer and animals native to the Malabar region, such as the Nilgiri Tahr, in the wildlife sanctuaries of Kerala including Periyar, Wynad, Silent Valley and Eravikulam wildlife sanctuary on Kerala tours with Kerala Backwater.

In recent times the rubber plantations and tea estates have also opened their doors to tourists who travel to Kerala, seeking a green getaway. The Portuguese, Dutch, French and English colonial rulers of Kerala established the plantations of Kerala during colonial times. The crops they introduced to Kerala include rubber, grown for its latex, and tea - England's favorite drink. These crops grew and flourished in Kerala's pleasant climate. Sheltered from the sun by tall trees, the plantations and their lodges, offer tourists a relaxing getaway on Kerala tours. You can visit the plantations of Kerala on ecotourism vacations in Kerala and Kerala tours with Kerala Backwater.

Bhoothathan Kettu
Kothamangalam, Ernakulam District, Kerala

Bhoothathan Kettu, the perfect getaway for the nature freak. Forests to trek in, birds to watch, a river for boating, rapids to shoot, a lake to fish in, and much more, provide the perfect holiday for the nature loving tourist.

An Overview

Tall mountains, a calm lake, the river Periyar and an all-encompassing forest meet at Bhoothathan Kettu to make it a tribute to nature. Bhoothathan Kettu is 100 mtr. above MSL and has a very moderate climate. At Bhoothathan Kettu a nature loving tourist can enjoy a cruise through a tranquil fresh water lake, trek through deep green reverie forest in search of remnants of bygone civilizations, go for an adventure expedition down the turbulent Periyar reenacting the old route, take a cool dip in fresh clean water coming down a mountain where the ‘Neelakoduveli’-a life-giving herb- is said to grow and much more. All this is located just 50 km. North east of Kochi and a 35 km. drive from Kochi International Airport.