Best Honeymoon Destinations In Kerala

Gods’ own country also known as Kerala is primarily located on the southwestern tip of India with the Arabian Sea on the west and the Western Ghats towering 500 – 2700 m on the east. The state is divided into three regions- the coastal lowlands, the fertile midlands and the highlands. The lowlands of Kerala are networked by endless backwaters and the deltas of forty four rivers. The midlands are rich with cashew, coconut, tapioca, banana, rice, ginger, pepper, sugarcane, and other vegetable plantations. The forested highlands abound in tea, coffee, rubber and spice plantations and wildlife reserves.

Kerala enjoys unique geographic features that have made it one of the most sought after tourist destination s in Asia. An equable climate , a long shoreline with serene beaches, tranquil stretches of emerald backwaters, lush hill stations ,exotic wildlife, waterfalls, ayurveda, enchanting art forms, festivals, historic and cultural monuments and an exotic cuisine….all of which offers an unique experience.  Amongst the fascinating honeymoon destinations of Gods’ own country i.e Kerala, here in this article we are trying to give you a brief description of top five popular honeymoon destinations of Kerala, which is very popular amongst both Indian as well as western tourists . The top five widely visited honeymoon destinations are Kochi, Munnar, Thekkady, Alleppey, and Kovalam. Each destination has got its own specialty and unique in their own sense and offers once in a life time opportunity to honeymoon couples to enjoy the serene and peaceful spots of God’s own country.

Fort Kochi / Cochin:

Kochi / Cochin is located on the coast of Arabian sea in Ernakulam district and with Kottayam and Alappuzha districts on the south, Idukki on the east and Thrissur on the north. It is the most cosmopolitan city of Kerala . It has one of the finest natural harbours in the world.  Cochin was once a major centre of commerce and trade with the British, Arabs, Chinese, Portuguese, and Dutch etc. The honeymoon tour in Kochi will provide couples a gifted opportunity to enjoy every single moment of their precious honeymoon time. The places in Cochin / Kochi, honeymoon couples should visit are St. Francis Church built in 1503 by Portuguese Franciscan friars, Santa Cruz Basilica, Chinese Fishing Net, Mattancherry Palace (Dutch palace, closed on Fridays), Jewish Synagogue (closed on Saturdays and Jewish holidays), Jew Town, Cherai Beach, Willingdon island, Kaladi- the birth place of Adi Sankaracharya and Fort Kochi etc. A leisurely walk through the city is the best way to discover the historic Fort Kochi. Kochi has an eventful and colorful history. A sunset view from the world famous Chinese Fishing Nets is a popular activity amongst the honeymooners.

Munnar:

Munnar is one of the most nature rich area and finest hill station of Kerala and is located in Idukki district. It is an ideal destination for honeymoon tour alike Ponmudi, Wayanad and other well-known hill stations of kerala with fabulous picturesque charisma and healthy climate. Munnar is situated at the confluence of three mountain streams- Mudrapuzha, Nallathanni and Kundala and is 1600 m above from the sea level. This hill station was once the summer resort of the erstwhile British Government in South India. Sprawling tea plantations, picture-book towns, winding lanes and perfect honeymoon holiday facilities makes  Munnar a popular hill station among Indian as well as foreign  tourist. Among the exotic flora found in the forests and grasslands here is the Neelakurinji. This flower which bathes the hills in blue every twelve years will bloom next in 2018 AD. Munnar also has the highest peak in south India, Anamudi, which towers over 2695m and is an ideal spot for trekking.  Munnar attracts couples for their honeymoon tour from all over the world on account of its beautiful nature. Nowadays every domestic and international honeymoon traveler likes to include Munnar in his/ her Kerala honeymoon tour package. During the honeymoon tour in Munnar, honeymoon couples can indulge themselves in activities like trekking, expedition in tea plantations or simply relax at exotic locations.

Thekkady:

Located in the Idukki district of Kerala, Thekaddy is a small but attractive town and primarily famous for wildlife tourism. The town is loaded with flora and fauna. Periyar wildlife sanctuary, one of the most fascinating natural wildlife sanctuaries of Kerala is located in Thekaddy. Most of the honeymoon couples prefer to enjoy their own honeymoon stay in Periyar because of its rich flora & fauna and opportunity to explore Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary.  Thekaddfy is noted for its geomorphology, wildlife, and scenic beauty. The Periyar tiger reserve attracts travelers from all over the world. 360 sq. km. of the 777 sq. km. sanctuary is covered by evergreen forests. The 26sq. km artificial lake formed by the Mullaperiyar Dam across the Periyar River offers boating facilities (0700 – 1800 hrs). This is the only wildlife sanctuary in India where the wild elephant can be observed and photographed at close quarters from the safety of a boat. A boat cruise on the lake is perhaps the best way to watch the wildlife in the reserve.

Alleppey:

With the Arabian Sea on the west and the vast network of lakes, lagoons and fresh water rivers crisscrossing it, Alleppey (also known as Alappuzha) is a hub of immense natural beauty. There are numerous backwater destinations in Kerala like Kumarakom, Alleppey, Kollam, Kottayam, Thiruvallam, etc. Amongst all, Alleppey is possibly the most popular. Referred as the Venice of the east by honeymoon travelers from across the world, this backwater country is also home to diverse animal and bird life. By virtue of its proximity to the sea the town has always enjoyed a unique place in the maritime history of Kerala. Today Alleppey has grown in importance as a backwater tourist centre, attracting thousands of domestic and international honeymoon travelers each year. It is also famous all over the world for its boat races, houseboat holiday packages which is the best option for honeymoon couples to experience the beauty of Kerala’s backwater, beaches, marine product, sea food, and coir industry. A singular characteristic of this land is the region called “Kuttanad”. The land of lush paddy fields, Kuttanad is called the rice bowl of Kerala and is one of the few places in the world where farming is done below sea level.

Kovalam:

Normally when someone plans for his/her honeymoon tour in Kerala, the first picture comes to his / her mind is of a place full of privacy, calmness, serenity, picturesque and something special. If you are also dreaming of such kind of a place for your honeymoon tour in Kerala, then Kovalam beach is the place in Kerala where many couples from all over the world like to spend their precious honeymoon moments. The famous Kovalam beach is located in Trivandrum district at the southwestern tip of India. It is bounded by the Arabian Sea on the west and Tamil Nadu on the east. The long shoreline and internationally renowned beach, historic monuments, backwater stretches and rich cultural heritage makes this place a much sought after honeymoon destination in India. The internationally renowned Kovalam beach resort is an ideal getaway for honeymoon tours, family tours, and fun tours. It has been a favourite haunt of honeymooners since 1930s and attracts honeymoon tourist from all over the world. Kovalam consists of three adjacent crescent beaches. The southernmost, known as the lighthouse beach, is the most popular. Kovalam offers accommodation options and honeymoon tour packages suitable for all pockets.

Kovalam beach resort offers a variety of activities to enjoy.  It offers romantic views of sunset, sunrise, leisure walk, boat cruise, Ayurveda body massage
at ayurvedic resorts & parlors, sunbathing, swimming and water sports to the honeymoon couples who opt for kovalam honeymoon tour package in Kerala.

A Birdwatching Caribbean Cruise is the Ideal Way to Still Enjoy Your Passion

If you are an avid bird watcher and decide to take a Caribbean cruise, then you can enjoy two pleasures at the same time. This is because not only are there many types of bird species for you to see in the Caribbean , there are also many very rare types of bird species, that you will never have chance to see anywhere else in the world.

Here are some of the places you may wish to visit on your cruise.

The Trinidad Asa Wright Nature Center. Is situated ten miles north of the town of Arima on Blanchisseuse Road. It is a wonderful location for birdwatching, with over 200 acres of rain forest. You can take a walk here on the many forest trials and you will be able to observe many different bird species. If you can make the time, i would try to spend at least 2 to 3 days here as it is an ideal place to enjoy your passion for birds.

The Bubali Pond in Aruba. Is on the north side of eagle beach and just south of De Olde Molen. You can expect to see brown pelicans here in large groups as well as the Black crowned Night Herons. It is best to do your birdwatching here at dusk or dawn.

In Aruba’s Spanish Lagoon. You will have the chance to observe many different species of birds, such as, brown pelicans, egrets, herons and frigates. Do not be at all surprised if you also see large green and yellow parakeets that are twice the size of those you would see in a pet store at home. These birds are mostly seen at sunset.

The Barbuda Frigate Bird Sanctuary. Is a secluded location, this is because the only way to get there is by boat. The use of a birdwatching guide is recommended here. When you get to this location you will be able to see thousands of Fregata Magnificens or man of war birds. The best time to visit here is during the breeding season as you will get to see over 170 species of birds living together.
If your birdwatching Caribbean cruise makes a stop in Jamaica, you should take the time to visit the Rockland’s Bird Sanctuary. Here is a once in a lifetime opportunity for any bird watcher to observe 289 different bird species of which 28 are endemic and 6 have just been introduced. There are also 10 bird species on the endangered list which includes the Black billed and Yellow billed parrots.
There is an entrance fee charged at this sanctuary and you can also pay extra for a guided tour, which is recommended that you do so. Here, you will get to see hummingbirds, Red billed Streamertails, Jamaican Mango, Black and Yellow faced Grassquits as well as their relative the Orangequits. All these species of birds you will be able to hand feed, if you wish to.

These places are just a few that you can visit while you are on a Caribbean cruise. There are many more locations available to you and all you need to do is search the internet to fine them.

The Caribbean cruise packages that are being offered do not come with birdwatching tours, but once your cruise liner docks at port, you can sign up for one as they are readily available to you at many locations. So who said you can not enjoy two pleasures at the same time?

Books About Rose Gardening

Books About Rose Gardening are Essential Reading for Matching Different Types of Roses with Your Garden.

Regardless of whether you are new to gardening with roses, or if you have been growing roses for years and are an “old hand” at it – you will find that there will be a rose gardening book to match your experience. Such books can help you choose roses to suit the different aspects of your particular garden, or give you ideas on how to care for them effectively. Some people have dedicated their entire lives purely to roses, the information found in these books will have your rose garden producing an abundance of blooms for year upon year.

For those new to rose growing, rose books will inform you, most importantly, on preparing your garden soil before planting roses. This can make a fundamental difference on how your roses develop, from the start. Like all plants they have optimal requirements. If you are lazy, or indifferent in your attitude towards gardening, forget about planting roses, roses require maintenance on an ongoing basis, if your plants are to perform at their peak. Otherwise they quickly become unsightly, unhealthy, harbor pests and disease, and will flower poorly. Left to their own devices, roses are pretty hardy beasts, but you have planted them for their flowering capabilities, and if you want lots of flowers, you must maintain them properly.

As a more experienced gardener of roses, gardening books about roses will still afford you plenty of information. Development of new breeds of roses is constant, and avid rose growers cannot really help themselves, about wanting to know the new varieties available. Rose growing and breeding development is so big, that it is indeed it’s own industry.In addition, the maintenance and care of roses is a constantly evolving field with new techniques, different pruning styles, and ideas developed and tested all the time. Sometimes a book can contain a single new piece of information you’ve never heard before, but that may make a big difference to the success of your rose gardening.

Even experts or, “old hands” at rose gardening, will continue to find useful information in rose books. There are always new breeding techniques popping up, different climate, environmental and soil discoveries being made. Not forgetting the advances is tool technology. Learning from other experts and scientists is always going to expand your own knowledge. All of this information can be found in books about rose gardening.

Caiman Hunting in Peru's Amazon Basin

On Peru?s eastern edge, in the heart of the Amazon basin, crouch hoards of black caimans, the endangered relative of the crocodile. Bedding down amongst the oxbow lakes and groves of Mauritanian palms, these crocs have poached nearly to extinction, and recently have been declared a dependent of the Amazon parks and reserves. The Black caiman has been hunted for its hide as well as its meat, but many eco-tourists hunt for these impressive beasts just to glimpse their unique appearance and iridescent eyes.

From Puerto Maldonado, the city that acts as a launch point into the Amazon interior, you can choose from several tours that allow you to look for the elusive Black caiman. Along the Madre de Dios River there lives an abundance of biodiversity, including world-record breaking numbers of ant, butterfly, and bird species. It is this rich region that nurtures and protects the rare Black caiman.

At the Inkaterra Reserva Amazonica Lodge, only an hour boat ride away from Puerto Maldonado, you can take a boat ride along the river at dusk to search for caimans, as well as capybaras, owls, and other nocturnal creatures. Guided excursions are not only recommended, they are necessary, as black caimans live in completely remote areas. Plus, caimans are difficult to spot without a knowledgeable guide, and although they rarely approach humans, they can be dangerous.

The Posada Amazonas Lodge also gives tours where you might spot caimans. This lodge, two hours from Puerto Maldonado, is near a meandering oxbow lake. You can take catamaran tours around the lake, where caimans, hoatzins, and the endangered giant river otters live. In addition to catamaran tours, you can hike to a nearby clay lick, an embankment where macaws, parrots, and other colorful birds come to feed.

Also close to Puerto Maldonado is Sandoval Lake Lodge. This lodge is adjacent to another oxbow lake, this one lined with 100 foot Mauritanian palms.  The lake acts as a refuge for a number of flora and fauna, including orchids, birds, turtles, and the endangered river otters and black caimans. At this lodge you can take night boat tours to catch sight of the caimans when they are active at night. Night sightings are possible because caimans have large, iridescent eyes that reflect light from the boats.

African Hunting Safaris–Hunting Areas in Africa

There are more hunting opportunities in Africa today than ever before.  The African continent represents the best value for money in the entire hunting world with many safaris today costing less than a hunt in the US.  Africa has historically been classified into three major hunting regions:  East, Central and Southern Africa. 
East Africa is what most people imagine when they think of the classic safaris of the past in Kenya and Tanzania.  These are traditional big game safaris in truly wild areas focusing primarily on big Lion, Leopard, Buffalo, Elephant and a variety of plains game species like Sable, Roan, Kudu, Eland, Waterbuck, etc.  
Central Africa has the jungles and open savannahs, pygmies and rare species such as the elusive Bongo, the biggest of all African Antelope the Giant Lord Derby Eland, the mystical duikers and dwarf buffalo. 
And finally you have Southern Africa consisting of South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Zambia.  These countries host 70% of all hunting in Africa from full Big 5 Safaris to short plains game hunts. 
The differences in hunting East, Central and Southern Africa are great.  Factors of cost, physical condition, previous African experience and desired species are crucial to planning a safari.  Geography, climate and habitat dictate the fauna available, and Adventure Unlimited selects only the areas that sustain healthy populations with trophy quality animals.  Using all of our resources we can fine-tune your plans for an African hunting safari.

There are three basic types of hunting areas found in Africa today:

Concession Areas– these areas are vast uninhabited tracts usually bordering a national park or preserve.  Concessions range in size from 100,000 acres to in excess of million acres.  They abound in dangerous game and herds of plains game, as dictated by their proximity to the parks and reserves.  These areas produce the best quality Lion, Cape Buffalo, Elephant and excellent Leopard as well.

Private Land Ranches & Conservancies– These areas are quite large (20,000 to 120,000 acres), and aside from South Africa, are primarily unfenced.  They offer the best plains game hunting, and without a doubt produce the best leopard in Africa.  Several of the private landowners in some of the southern African countries have pooled their properties together into huge tracts, some as big as a million acres, and the Conservancy was born.  Using strict quotas and regulations some of these conservancies such as the Save Conservancy in Zimbabwe have healthy populations of all of the Big Five and can offer superb safaris for everything from a short 7-day plains game hunt to full collection safaris.

Communal & Tribal Trust Lands– A comparison to these types of areas would be the huge Native Indian Reservations in the United States.  Roughly 30 years ago some of the African governments began programs that would directly benefit their indigenous people.  The result was the Campfire and similar programs that are instrumental in showing the local communities that preservation and proper management of wildlife has a true dollar value.  Funds derived from sport hunting are poured into the native economy to build schools, provide income for lost crops and improve the quality of life for both the locals and the wildlife.  These areas have excellent big game hunting at a reasonable price, especially for elephant and buffalo.