Gavi

Soccerfan · 25th January 2010, 22:58

"110 Kms from Pathanamthitta (Kerala). Moozhiyar ,kakki, anathodu , gavi dams . Periyar tiger reserve, animal sightings on the way"

This was the description by my friend about this place. seemed like this place is not yet spoiled by tourism . So we headed into the unknown!!!

Six of us started on friday evening . Stayed @ this friend's house and started by morning 5am so that we could reach pathanamthitta bus depot by 6am to catch the 6.30am bus to kumily via gavi. Kumily is a 5 hour journey through this route. Take your car only if you want to scrape the underbody. SUV's are the only ones for this road.

Our bus started by 6.30am . Had only about 8-10 passengers including us. This bus is mainly used by the workers @ hydro electric power stations in this route.The route being so treacherous ,a spare tyre is also kept in the bus always

. Reached a place Seetathodu by 8.30am. This is the last place where you can buy food/water on the way. We bought some snacks from a shop + some food items (chappathi +curry) for our lunch. Leaving the forest checkpost we entered some of the most beautful places i have ever seen. The road has just enough width for a bus.Nothing more!!. And the bushes are ready to take over the road if this bus doesn't run for a few days. Lot of pot holes . Bamboo and tree branches rubbing the body of the bus. Be careful!!.Dont sleep on the window seats or else your face will get some good cuts and bruises. 1 hour is over after leaving Seetathodu and there seems no end to the forest. Bus is doing @ max 15km/hr . We are passing moozhiyar dam now. No photography is allowed in dam sites. So couldnt take any.

Continuing the journey up hill , we would see the huge pen stocks running down the hill. Driver stopped there for 1-2 minutes so that we could take some snaps. We continued and reached the quarry from which the stones for building the dam were mined. Then came Kakki dam. Took some photos of the reservoir and moved. Anathodu dam was next and by around 10.45AM we reached Gavi. And it was a surprise.

To be continued..

govigov · 26th January 2010, 03:47

:: welcome :: Gavi Eco Tourism :: is this the place that you were headed to?

neat route! please continue on your travalogue

Soccerfan · 26th January 2010, 07:18

Yep . The same place . Thanks govigov . Will post the 2nd part soon

Nutty Nair · 26th January 2010, 20:04

You beat me to this, pal! I had Gavi on my radar for quite some time now. One of my friends went there in his Alto & he also said that it is a tough route to traverse in a car, but he made it somehow. Eagerly waiting for the rest of the travelogue & pictures.

laluks · 26th January 2010, 21:34

Does this place require some permission from Forest department ? If so what are the formalities for people and vehicle?

sree70 · 26th January 2010, 21:42

Seems to be really unexplored area. Please continue with lots of snaps.

ramkya1 · 26th January 2010, 22:00

This is very interesting, please continue loading and writing..... have beard about this palce from friends based in Thiruvalla / Pathanimthitta reps., I think Seethathodu has a mission hospital? Never been there, through you I have to chance to see the place.

--Ramky
=======

Soccerfan · 26th January 2010, 22:31

We got down from the bus @ the middle of nowhere. Gavi has no electricity,phone connection or mobile coverage.Its the ideal place where you can spend sometime totally switched off from the world. I have read somewhere that Bill gates spends 1 week every year @ some remote places where there is no access to gadgets/the frantic world.This should be like that. The local guys there gives money to the bus driver to buy news paper from Kumily!!

Since Gavi is part of the periyar tiger reserve all activities are under the forest department.I wish it stays like that bcoz tourism department has a tendency to commercialise things and spoil the place (lot of examples around). You have to book in advance for the forest department guest house there. they will arrange for trekking/boating/wild safari/nigh camps in jungle etc. You cannot access this if u dont book. We didnt book and we couldnt use any of the things. But that didnt disappoint us!!

The place where we alighted was about 1 km from gavi dam in the midst of hills.We got down and walked around. Climbed up a hill and spend some time there enjoying the beauty all around. Time just flies by. Around 12.30 we sat by the road side and had lunch. We then proceeded to the dam and spend some time there and entered the reserved forest area. We could hear some sounds from the trees nearby and to our surprise we could find the critically endangered lion tailed macaques (a group of around 7-8) there. We were so happy to see this. Then the forest ranger came that way in a jeep and said that we shoudnt enter the reserved forest areas. We moved from there towards the dam site and proceeded to the resevoir bank .Spent the rest of the time there . It was time for our return hourney.The bus would soon arrive. By 2.30Pm our bus arrived. And with a happy heart we bid adieu to gavi. On the way we could see a bison,elephants.

I really hope this place stays as it is and doesnt get spoiled by tourism.

Things to note before going

Book the accommodation/activities from the site (link in one of the posts)
Carry food and water if you are not going after booking (You wont get any here)
Take the bus from Kumily/Pathanamthitta OR SUV's. Will be difficult for cars
Avoid driving after 6Pm (Elephants rules afterwards)
Journey would be very tiring. around 5 hours in bad road wont do any good to your back!
Please don't litter!

@laluks - No permission needed for vehicles. But for stay you have to book in advance

Majic · 27th January 2010, 11:42

Hey man, that is a wonderful travelogue that you have in the making there, please bring out more and mmore snaps!

Soccerfan · 27th January 2010, 12:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by Majic

Hey man, that is a wonderful travelogue that you have in the making there, please bring out more and mmore snaps!

thanks majic for your kind words . I think i gave a false impression of a 3rd part

. But that is it guys. I hope you enjoyed it and will inspire you to visit this wonderful place.

Mods - Can you please rename the thread to "Kerala - My travel stories so far" ?. I am planning to keep updating this thread instead of creating separate ones .

adc · 28th January 2010, 18:03

Soccerfan that is a great unknown place to travel and then write about. This travel story going to my archives, will keep Gavi in mind and as and when south india tours begins for the VTT.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Soccerfan

Mods - Can you please rename the thread to "Kerala - My travel stories so far" ?. I am planning to keep updating this thread instead of creating separate ones .

And keep going to most unknown wonderful places and of course update us also!

Soccerfan · 28th January 2010, 22:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by adc

Soccerfan that is a great unknown place to travel and then write about. This travel story going to my archives, will keep Gavi in mind and as and when south india tours begins for the VTT.

And keep going to most unknown wonderful places and of course update us also!

Thanks sir. Will keep updating this thread with some places i have been (popular/non popular)

sun · 29th January 2010, 08:56

Hello Soccerfan, nice reading your thread on Gavi, planning to go there with family this saturday - 30th. Booked for one night. I would like to have an advice on the route to take . Pathanamthitta - Llaha - vandiperiyar or the route you suggesed Pathanamthitta - moozhiyar - kakki - gavi dam ? i will be driving a tata safari, which do you think will be the more scenic route ?

Soccerfan · 29th January 2010, 10:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by sun

Hello Soccerfan, nice reading your thread on Gavi, planning to go there with family this saturday - 30th. Booked for one night. I would like to have an advice on the route to take . Pathanamthitta - Llaha - vandiperiyar or the route you suggesed Pathanamthitta - moozhiyar - kakki - gavi dam ? i will be driving a tata safari, which do you think will be the more scenic route ?

Take the route :- Pathanmathitta-Seethathodu-Moozhiyar-Kakki-Gavi . If u go via vandiperiyar you can drive only about 27 kms through forest. You shouldn't miss the dams and the forest and the drive. You will enjoy it for sure

benbsb29 · 29th January 2010, 14:36

Thanks for the writeup, soccerfan.

My wife had mentioned this place, but my lack of georgraphical knowledge didnt tell me what to expect. Thanks for an eye-opener.

25th January 2010, 22:58	#1
Soccerfan BHPian Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Kochi Posts: 591 Thanked: 59 Times	Gavi "110 Kms from Pathanamthitta (Kerala). Moozhiyar ,kakki, anathodu , gavi dams . Periyar tiger reserve, animal sightings on the way" This was the description by my friend about this place. seemed like this place is not yet spoiled by tourism . So we headed into the unknown!!! Six of us started on friday evening . Stayed @ this friend's house and started by morning 5am so that we could reach pathanamthitta bus depot by 6am to catch the 6.30am bus to kumily via gavi. Kumily is a 5 hour journey through this route. Take your car only if you want to scrape the underbody. SUV's are the only ones for this road. Our bus started by 6.30am . Had only about 8-10 passengers including us. This bus is mainly used by the workers @ hydro electric power stations in this route.The route being so treacherous ,a spare tyre is also kept in the bus always . Reached a place Seetathodu by 8.30am. This is the last place where you can buy food/water on the way. We bought some snacks from a shop + some food items (chappathi +curry) for our lunch. Leaving the forest checkpost we entered some of the most beautful places i have ever seen. The road has just enough width for a bus.Nothing more!!. And the bushes are ready to take over the road if this bus doesn't run for a few days. Lot of pot holes . Bamboo and tree branches rubbing the body of the bus. Be careful!!.Dont sleep on the window seats or else your face will get some good cuts and bruises. 1 hour is over after leaving Seetathodu and there seems no end to the forest. Bus is doing @ max 15km/hr . We are passing moozhiyar dam now. No photography is allowed in dam sites. So couldnt take any. Continuing the journey up hill , we would see the huge pen stocks running down the hill. Driver stopped there for 1-2 minutes so that we could take some snaps. We continued and reached the quarry from which the stones for building the dam were mined. Then came Kakki dam. Took some photos of the reservoir and moved. Anathodu dam was next and by around 10.45AM we reached Gavi. And it was a surprise. To be continued.. Attached Thumbnails
	(1) Thanks

26th January 2010, 03:47	#2
govigov Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Cochin!!!!! Posts: 1,690 Thanked: 1,092 Times View My Garage	:: welcome :: Gavi Eco Tourism :: is this the place that you were headed to? neat route! please continue on your travalogue
	() Thanks

26th January 2010, 07:18	#3
Soccerfan BHPian Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Kochi Posts: 591 Thanked: 59 Times	Yep . The same place . Thanks govigov . Will post the 2nd part soon
	() Thanks

26th January 2010, 20:04	#4
Nutty Nair BHPian Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Trivandrum, Kerala Posts: 284 Thanked: 39 Times View My Garage	You beat me to this, pal! I had Gavi on my radar for quite some time now. One of my friends went there in his Alto & he also said that it is a tough route to traverse in a car, but he made it somehow. Eagerly waiting for the rest of the travelogue & pictures.
	() Thanks

26th January 2010, 21:34	#5
laluks Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Bangalore Posts: 6,552 Thanked: 16,397 Times	Does this place require some permission from Forest department ? If so what are the formalities for people and vehicle?
	() Thanks

26th January 2010, 21:42	#6
sree70 BHPian Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: bengaluru Posts: 176 Thanked: 15 Times	Seems to be really unexplored area. Please continue with lots of snaps.
	() Thanks

26th January 2010, 22:00	#7
ramkya1 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Palakkad, Keral Posts: 1,826 Thanked: 431 Times View My Garage	This is very interesting, please continue loading and writing..... have beard about this palce from friends based in Thiruvalla / Pathanimthitta reps., I think Seethathodu has a mission hospital? Never been there, through you I have to chance to see the place. --Ramky =======
	() Thanks

26th January 2010, 22:31	#8
Soccerfan BHPian Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Kochi Posts: 591 Thanked: 59 Times	We got down from the bus @ the middle of nowhere. Gavi has no electricity,phone connection or mobile coverage.Its the ideal place where you can spend sometime totally switched off from the world. I have read somewhere that Bill gates spends 1 week every year @ some remote places where there is no access to gadgets/the frantic world.This should be like that. The local guys there gives money to the bus driver to buy news paper from Kumily!! Since Gavi is part of the periyar tiger reserve all activities are under the forest department.I wish it stays like that bcoz tourism department has a tendency to commercialise things and spoil the place (lot of examples around). You have to book in advance for the forest department guest house there. they will arrange for trekking/boating/wild safari/nigh camps in jungle etc. You cannot access this if u dont book. We didnt book and we couldnt use any of the things. But that didnt disappoint us!! The place where we alighted was about 1 km from gavi dam in the midst of hills.We got down and walked around. Climbed up a hill and spend some time there enjoying the beauty all around. Time just flies by. Around 12.30 we sat by the road side and had lunch. We then proceeded to the dam and spend some time there and entered the reserved forest area. We could hear some sounds from the trees nearby and to our surprise we could find the critically endangered lion tailed macaques (a group of around 7-8) there. We were so happy to see this. Then the forest ranger came that way in a jeep and said that we shoudnt enter the reserved forest areas. We moved from there towards the dam site and proceeded to the resevoir bank .Spent the rest of the time there . It was time for our return hourney.The bus would soon arrive. By 2.30Pm our bus arrived. And with a happy heart we bid adieu to gavi. On the way we could see a bison,elephants. I really hope this place stays as it is and doesnt get spoiled by tourism. Things to note before going Book the accommodation/activities from the site (link in one of the posts) Carry food and water if you are not going after booking (You wont get any here) Take the bus from Kumily/Pathanamthitta OR SUV's. Will be difficult for cars Avoid driving after 6Pm (Elephants rules afterwards) Journey would be very tiring. around 5 hours in bad road wont do any good to your back! Please don't litter! @laluks - No permission needed for vehicles. But for stay you have to book in advance Attached Thumbnails
	(1) Thanks

27th January 2010, 11:42	#9
Majic BHPian Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Kottayam Posts: 588 Thanked: 8 Times	Hey man, that is a wonderful travelogue that you have in the making there, please bring out more and mmore snaps!
	() Thanks

29th January 2010, 08:56	#13
sun BHPian Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Trivandrum Posts: 108 Thanked: 9 Times	Route query Hello Soccerfan, nice reading your thread on Gavi, planning to go there with family this saturday - 30th. Booked for one night. I would like to have an advice on the route to take . Pathanamthitta - Llaha - vandiperiyar or the route you suggesed Pathanamthitta - moozhiyar - kakki - gavi dam ? i will be driving a tata safari, which do you think will be the more scenic route ?
	() Thanks

29th January 2010, 14:36	#15
benbsb29 Team-BHP Support Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Brisbane Posts: 9,963 Thanked: 13,154 Times View My Garage	Thanks for the writeup, soccerfan. My wife had mentioned this place, but my lack of georgraphical knowledge didnt tell me what to expect. Thanks for an eye-opener.
	() Thanks