Vandanmedu - The Cardamom Hills

As you wind your way up to Thekkady - Munnar road, just half an hour away, the wooded terrain clears to reveal a breathtaking spectacle of rolling tea and cardamom plantations. Here you leave reality behind and step right into fantasy! Vandanmedu, meaning a Beatle shaped hill in Malayalam, is an enchanted land painted in a thick coat of green. Perched 4000 ft above sea level on the Western Ghats, it is an international celebrity in its own right. Known for its richness in cardamom "The queen of spices", Vandanmedu is the largest producer of cardamom in the world.

Located just 23 kms from the Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary, this paradise now has another claim to fame, Carmelia Haven. A magical land of beauty, peace and silence, spread across 50 acres of spice plantations with 26 well spread accommodations including tree houses, cave rooms and cottages with captivating greenery and gorgeously landscaped gardens. Here you will find nature at its most abundant. As you stroll through the gardens, you can feast your eyes on clusters of trees bearing a variety of succulent fruits and smell the rich and varied spices and to top it all a Plantation theme restaurant serving multi-cuisine food.

Some of the on site and off site activities here include, environmental activities and eco programs like, organic farming, plantation tour, nature trail, bird watching (Carmelia attracts 150 varieties of birds and butterflies). Swimming pool and children's park are added facilities. Indoors and outdoor games can also be availed. Apart from this, fishing and boating at the 1000 acre plantation property Kailasam, tea factory and cardamom smoke house visits and mountain safari on a 4 wheel jeep are also available. Visit to the Cardamom auction centers, which cannot be done anywhere else in the world, can also be arranged.

To describe, Carmelia Haven merely as a holiday resort would be a gross understatement. Nature seems to be so fond of this enchanting land, she has showered all her charms upon it. Words cannot describe its mystic beauty nor can films fully capture its incredible variety. To experience the full impact of its spell, you have to be here in person, not once but many times!