Eco-tourism: A tree house which is in the dense forests of Wayanad 

The Fycus tree is one of the sturdiest, with strong roots that help withstand storms and downpours. Moreover, the resort area in the Western Ghats has no known history of landslides and cloudbursts. "Safety was top priority while choosing the location," says. owner of the resort.

The resort now has two tree-houses and there are plans to have eight more. From Vythiri, 65 km from Kozhikode on the road to Ooty, it takes almost 45 minutes to reach the base camp of the resort by jeep. The virgin track from the camp to the tree-houses has been retained in its primitive condition. The tourists are made to walk through the foliage to the dwellings.

The dwellings, 400 sq. ft. each, took nearly five months of collective effort by an engineer, carpenters and Paniya tribals to complete. To ensure safe transit up and down the tree, help was sought from the mappila khalasis of Beypore near Kozhikode, known for their expertise in moving heavy objects with ease. While the first house, which has a bedroom, bath, toilet and sit-out, cost Rs 4 lakh, the second, built on suggestions from guests and expert advice by German architect Carl Damnsion, cost Rs 6 lakh.

Access to the second house, which has three floors connected by a winding wooden staircase, is through a hanging bridge from a hill slope facing the house. Water from a mountain lake 1,000 feet above the resort is carried through pipes to the houses and the lodge. "These houses are a perfect blend of modern amenities and ecological sensibilities," says Sigrid. "There is minimal disturbance to the ecosystem."

Power is generated from solar energy and hurricane lamps with kerosene are used as lights. The resort plans to set up a gobar gas plant to achieve self-sufficiency in power. Interestingly, the houses have no telephones, televisions or newspapers. The base camp, which is 4 km down, is equipped with a phone and a jeep.

Food, mostly traditional Kerala cuisine served in plantain leaves, is available at the restaurant in the base camp. The vegetables are grown without using pesticides and Babu plans to set up poultry and fish farms too. 

A day in the tree-house costs Rs 6,000: for the first year a 50 per cent discount has been offered. Open since October 1997, the resort has been visited by nearly 100 tourists, most of them foreigners. Visitors are encouraged to tend to the farm and also interact with the tribals.

Torrential rains from June to December drench the entire district. Encouraged by the demand for more adventure, the owner, who was instrumental in the remodelling of kettuvallams, the traditional wooden barges of Kerala, into houseboats with modern amenities, hopes to complete the resort project within three years. That will for sure lure more eco-tourists from home and abroad to the lush forests of Wayanad, hoping to snuggle close to nature's bosom.