River rafting in Wayanad: an experience to remember
Are you thinking about adventure activities in Wayanad? How about a thrilling river rafting on a bamboo raft? It was a lot of fun for and we are sure you too will enjoy it.
I try to look for the best in every place I go. Some places have a lot of activities that will keep me busy all day, but some others are just meant for relaxing with nature, enjoying the quietness all around you. Even though the goal of most of my vacations are to get away from all activities and just relax, that doesn't happen always. I will start getting bored pretty quickly if there is nothing much to do (or see). For example, the houseboats in Kerala are my favourite vacation destinations but I can't stay inside the boat for more than a few hours without really feeling bored. So, I always prefer day cruises in houseboats in places like Kumarakom where there are a lot of scenic beauty to enjoy while cruising through the backwaters.
Wayanad is one of my favourite destinations in Kerala. Obviously, the valleys, hills and mountains are the primary attractions of this beautiful place. During my last visit, I really enjoyed the natural beauty of Wayanad a lot but it started a bit boring from the second day. I quickly realized I need to find some outdoor activities without leaving the wilderness but was clueless on where to look. The internet wasn't really helpful since most of the search results I got from Google were pointing me in wrong directions. Luckily, I met a tourist guide who has extensive experience in guiding tourists through the villages and off-road destinations, who was actually the coordinator of Responsible Tourism in Wayanad and organizer of Wayanad Village life experience tours. He introduced me to Pepe Vacanza, a specialized tour operating company which arranges outdoor activity programs and off-road tours in Wayanad.
Check out the budget resorts in Wayanad.River rafting in Wayanad
River rafting is gaining attention in Wayanad as a popular outdoor activity for tourists. There are several locations where rafting can be done. For families and people who like risk-free rafting in a quiet atmosphere, the Bamboo rafting offered by Pepe Vacanza is an ideal choice. Please note that there are many others offering bamboo rafting but we are talking about the rafting package by Pepe Vacanza since we got an opportunity to experience their rafting package during the visit to Wayanad.
One of the best attractions of the river rafting by Pepe Vacanza is, it is a completely customizable package. You choose the date, time, location and duration - they will make it happen for you. Bamboo rafting by Pepe Vacanza
Pepe Vacanza offers bamboo rafting in the Pozhuthana river at Pozhuthana village, located 4km away from Vythiri. Pozhuthana is a small village with rolling green, whistling valleys and gushing rivers adding to its beauty.
Pozhuthana river is more like a lake than a river due to its almost still water, which merges with Kabani river after several kilometres of its very slow ride. There is a check dam in the river that makes it further slow on its way to Kabani river.
The bamboo rafting starts at a location where you can park your vehicle and get into the natural raft made of dry bamboos. Typically, 5 people are allowed in a raft but sometimes they allow up to 6 people. Even though the river looks very calm and quiet, it is actually pretty deep in some areas. So, listen to your guide accompanying you in the raft. For your safety, they will have another raft following you with the lifeguard on duty.
River rafting in Wayanad by Pepe Vacanza
Pepe Vacanza owns 5 bamboo rafts in Wayanad, which are licensed from the local panchayat. If there are more number of people, then they can quickly arrange more rafts from other agencies.
A typical rafting session will last for an hour or a bit more. In our case, they were kind enough to extend it for an extra hour. As a special offer, they have promised us that all readers of this blog would get an extra hour free ride in the raft if they mention "India Travel Blog" as the referral source. So, if you are planning to go river rafting, mention that you read about them in "India Travel Blog" and ask for your extra hour of fun.
The raft took us through the stream, which is sometimes very deep and sometimes shallow enough to see the bottom. All of us enjoyed the cruise really well and we returned with the pledge to come back. The best part of the rafting was, when we reached a shallow and safe location, they made a sudden turn of the raft, which made all of us drop into the water, which was sort of expected since we were already talking about jumping into the water. The water in the river is so clean and clear so that you will feel like drinking from the river.Fishing
One thing that we really missed was fishing. We wanted to do a picnic and cook some fish we catch live from the river. But they told us there are not many fishes in that area and they promised to take us to another location for fishing as part of their adventure activities. Unfortunately, we could not go fishing but we did enjoy some other adventure activities with Pepe Vacanza including a thrilling off-road jeep driving. I will write more about the other outdoor activities in another article.Booking & Tariff
During tourist season, you may need to book 1 or 2 days in advance so that you won't have to wait for others to finish their ride.
Relax, take a deep breath and prepare yourself to rid all the stress. Bamboo rafting in Wayanad will be a memorable experience for you.
The tariff is Rs 2,000 per raft. Max 5-6 people can be accommodated. You will have the life guide/helper in the raft throughout the cruise.
Find more details at http://pepevacanza.com/. Don't forget to mention you read about them in India Travel Blog and claim your extra hour of rafting for free.
Saw the video. Bamboo rafting looks adventurous! In case of sudden increase in water in the river, the rafting can be dangerous. Is there any safety measures that have been taken by authorities for the tourists in this place?