In December 2021, my cousin and I embarked on a trip to Kerala that, while seemingly a good idea at the time, had moments where I seriously questioned my life choices. The kind of trip that makes for great stories afterward, even if you’re convinced you might not live to tell them!
Our Kerala adventure took us on a beautiful circuit. We first landed in Kochi, then traveled to Kumarakom and Alleppey before continuing to Periyar Tiger Reserve. From there, we headed to the misty hills of Munnar before returning to Kochi to complete our journey. Throughout our travels, we were treated to stunning landscapes, exceptional hospitality and cuisine. But it’s our time at Periyar Tiger Reserve that stands out most vividly in my memory because that’s where I genuinely thought I might have to say goodbye to the world forever.
At the Periyar Tiger Reserve, we decided to stay at the KTDC Lake Palace which is literally on a tiny island in the middle of Periyar Lake. It used to be the summer palace of the King of Travancore, so we were basically living like royalty for two nights.
On one of the days, we decided to go on a jungle walk. The property staff, who provided information about activities available to tourists in the area, told us we would be accompanied by a forest ranger who would serve as our nature guide. And so, we met the ranger. He had a cool office with a very Jumanji-esque vibe.
The ranger mentioned we need to cross the lake from our little palace island to get to the jungle. No big deal, right? He gave us special footwear to protect from leeches and life jackets. The life jackets made sense when I saw our transportation across the lake. I was expecting, you know, a BOAT. Something with sides. Something that floats reliably. Instead, what did I see? A tiny bamboo raft. Like, sticks tied together that we were supposed to trust with our lives. I literally saw my entire life flash before my eyes. I turned to my cousin and dramatically announced, “This could be our last day on earth.” I was genuinely terrified. My cousin, being the responsible adult in the situation was like, “I’m here, nothing’s gonna happen, just hold my hand.” That one-minute ride felt like eternity. Einstein’s theory of relativity in full effect. I was completely frozen with fear the entire time.
Once we finally made it across (alive, somehow), the jungle exploration was actually amazing. There were these massive trees with intricate root systems, gorgeous flowers, and leaves everywhere. All you could hear were birds and little critters. The air was so fresh and cool inside the forest.
About halfway through our walk, we bumped into a group of trekkers who claimed they had camped in the forest overnight and spotted a tiger in the early hours of the morning. I laughed nervously, thinking they were just trying to scare the tourists. But then our ranger pointed out a trail of what were unmistakably tiger paw prints right across our path! He casually mentioned that we could potentially be lunch if we weren’t careful. Great. Just when I’d recovered from the raft ordeal, here I was mentally preparing to say goodbye to the world again. Despite the renewed fear, I have to admit, the whole experience was totally worth the death-defying raft ride.
Of course, what goes into the jungle must come out of the jungle, so we had to take that same raft back. I was slightly less terrified the second time around, though I definitely squeezed my cousin’s hand so hard I’m surprised she didn’t lose circulation. She was super sweet about it though and said, “It’s all ok, I’m glad you did this.”
And you know what? I’m glad I did it too. But next time I’ll be asking if there’s a proper boat option before I commit to any “crossing the lake” activities!