The Ranch Kanthalloor

Ambrose and his wife, Nita, were looking for a unique place to celebrate New Year’s Eve. Their daughter and a first standard student, little Anna, had already told her dad and mom that they should spend this year’s New Year at a cool place somewhere in the woods. Leaving apart hotels or resorts, Anna liked to stay in a tent at a uniquely beautiful place.  However, Ambrose and Nita could not afford to compromise safety and comfort because their younger one, Steve, was only one and a half years old. Getting a place that matches all these needs was a real challenge to them. It was thus Ambrose came in contact with Kerhaven holidays Pvt Ltd, a tour operator in Kochi. Having run a travel company himself, Ambrose was well aware of Kerhaven, who has a long list of expert travel professionals with them. Kerhaven, which offers a wide range of tour packages in and out of Kerala, has a good relationship with those who arrange holiday packages ranging from tent stay to five-star hotels and resorts.

Ambrose, Nita, Anna, and Steve together with Ambrose’s nephew, Ebin, arrived at Poothampally Towers on MG Road to mark New Year’s Eve. After hearing the demand of Anna and Ebin, who was looking for some adventure and also safety, Kerhaven suggested “The Ranch – Kanthalloor” Tent Stadium in Idukki District- A retreat in a valley, away from bustling Munnar,  fit to enjoy the freshness of a morning with apples, oranges, peaches, plums, strawberries, blackberries, passion fruit, carrots, radishes, lichis, mangoes, kiwi and avocados; For stay, multi-colored tents arranged on layered floors in the valley.

Shade fields made of bamboo and lemongrass, a beautiful pitcher on two and a half acres of land. The space for the campfire. The safety of the surroundings and the gate. In the backyard of the mudroom is a kitchen that can accommodate two hundred people simultaneously. Bathrooms have a wash area and toilets with modern amenities. Anna and Ambrose, who had an eye on the sights, announced in a single voice that “The Ranch” is the place for their New Year’s Eve. Nita and Ebin embraced it with applause. Kerhaven Holidays arranged for the couple to travel to “The Ranch” in just a few minutes. That is how the family of five traveled to Kanthalloor on New Year’s Eve in Skoda Kodiak.

Ambrose informed SmartDrive about the trip. We accepted the invitation to take the ride with him when he said “The Ranch Kanthalloor”, which is likely to be an interesting destination for bike riders and off-road clubs. And who wouldn’t want to spend a night in a tent in the valley of fellow travelers? With Baiju N Nair, the traveler and chief editor of SmartDrive, taking over the drive to Kanthalloor, things were looking good and a rare opportunity to bring off-roading skills in Skoda Kodiak.

Kerhaven Holidays, which has already become a synonym for loyalty in tour operators and tour packages, has been involved in the preparation of transport logistics for various conferences and conclaves for doctors conferences and corporate trips, lodging, adventure tourism and women tour. They are focusing on pilgrimage, pilgrimage tourism, and getting students from North Indian schools to tourist destinations in Kerala. In addition, they also provide accommodation and travel packages to families and riders according to their requirements.

They offer special facilities for safari lovers and customized night safari lovers. Kerhaven Holidays play a small role today in the holiday season with no annoyance for a tourist. Ravi Shankar J, who has many years of experience in the hospitality industry, is the Managing Director of the Kerhaven Holidays.

Ambrose and his family had no concerns about safety as they traveled with Kerhaven Holidays. People from Kerhaven Holidays were regularly in touch with them while they were on the way to “The Ranch” and informed everything is well set there. They left Munnar at 6 am and reached Munnar Town at 9 am. Kanthalloor is yet another hour and a half away. Steve was sleeping well while Anna and Ebin were laughing and joking constantly.  Nita’s eyes were outside among the passing sandalwood trees as Skoda Kodiak crossed the path to Marayur.

When Steve woke up in Ambrose’s lap, he saw mist hiding in the tea gardens outside. The journey from Marayur to Kanthalloor town filled their eyes and minds with the stunning scenery. After moving forward from Kovilikkadavu, a small town called Kanthalloor appeared in front of them. Kanthalloor, a beautiful village in Devikulam Taluk of Idukki district, is known as the ‘Kashmir of Kerala’. The village borders the Kannan Devan hills, Vattavada and Kottakambur.

Raghu Pillai, the owner of the property “The Ranch-Kanthalloor” was waiting to greet us at Kanthalloor town. Raghu Pillai, after his stint in Oracle corporation and various other assignments in the Middle East, visited Kanthallor in 2006 and envisioned the tourism potential in Kanthalloor. Anna, Steve, and Ebin shouted as the Skoda Kodiak descended into the gorgeous valley after climbing two hairpin curves from Kanthalloor Town.

” That’s exactly where I wanted to be, “Anna commented. Anna giggled with delight as she gazed at the gorgeous views of the meadow along the large muddy paths and into the colorful tents on the sloping cliff. As soon as Kodiak was standing in the parking lot of The Ranch, Anna and Ebin walked out. Steve wanted to be free to enjoy with Anna, but mom held him tightly.

A  blur of snow on the rocky cliffs of the Western Ghats was waiting for the family. The new dam site is adjacent to it. A special place for campfires and mud huts. The dining table made of bamboo was under the mango tree. They provided Stylish canvas chairs for sitting. Raghu explained to us about The Ranch: “The Ranch has buffet dinner, high tea, and breakfasts. It serves Chappthy, chicken curry, chicken fry, dal curry, and barbecue if needed.

The peak season of  “The Ranch” season is from November to April. During the monsoon season also there are many tourists, who like to enjoy the rain and spend their nights at the tent. In addition to trekking to Chinnar “The Ranch” also offers hiking in the morning for 4 km long distance. Boating facilities will also be ready once the dam is built. The natural beauty here shows that The Ranch is also a beautiful area that can be rented for film shootings. After the exhaustion of the trip, Ambrose and his family sat down to eat. Chef Ranju came with chicken curry, rice, dal curry, and kanimanga pickles. Though the dishes were less everything was delicious. The sight of the kids eating together in the shade of wood and having fun was purely cinematic. As you move from urban areas to the solitary surroundings of the village, life seems like a piece of melodious music. On one side of the valley is the gleaming form of the morning mist, and on the other is the beauty of the eucalyptus. A huge square frame as a photo frame was built near the valley full of lemongrass. If you take a picture from here with mountains as the background, it would be a magnificent one.

After the meal, the children went to see the tents and the valley. Everyone was excited. Anna and Ebin enjoyed playing football. Reghu brought a pot full of sweet passion fruit which was melting like anything in the mouth of Steve. Raghu is in the process of filling orange herbs and sunflowers from the parts of  “The Ranch” outside the compound fence. As we know pomegranate and gooseberry are easily available everywhere in Kanthalloor. In addition carrots, beans, and garlic which are being used in food preparation are from “The Ranch’s” own organic farm.

The evening at The Ranch was filled with campfire, singing, and dancing. Anna and Ebin played to the extreme. Slept in harmony with nature in the tent laid out on the meadows of nature, we forget all the hustle and bustle of the city. A day in the lap of nature to forget everything. “The Ranch-Kanthalloor” is an unforgettable experience.