Kalypso Adventures: THE ONE TO ONE TREKKING CHALLENGE (17th to 28th January, 2008)

In January, 2008 the One to One trekkers from the One to One Children’s Fund, embarked on an amazing trek in Kerala, organized by Kalypso Adventures. They passed through some of the most challenging and beautiful terrains as they made their way from the tea country of Munnar until they reached Chinnakanal, near Suryanelli on the 5th day.
The One to One Children's Fund exists to support social and educational projects all over the world, relieving suffering, hardship and neglect wherever they arise and to help children overcome the trauma of war, prejudice and natural disaster.
Their aim is to build a one-to-one relationship of mutual trust and regard with local communities and to invest the time, skills and careful funding that would make the most positive difference to the quality of children's lives.
Before setting our on their trek, the participants from One to One spent a day in Alleppey with a charitable organization and visited the after-school project they had set up after the 2004 Asian tsunami, to develop resilience and leadership skills among children.

The students from the school aided by One to One

At a beach in Alleppey

The second day saw the participants board a houseboat headed for Kumarakom. The 3 hour ride took them through the tranquil backwaters, which allowed them the unique opportunity to get a close view of life of the locals as they went about their daily tasks on the banks. All aboard! The backwater view

From Kumarakom, they were transferred to Munnar where their stay was arranged in the Tea County resort. Munnar, once a favourite summer resort town of the British is set at an altitude of 1600 metres above sea level and proved to be a welcome change from the humidity of the plains. The team had the rest of the day to relax and prepare themselves for the long and arduous trek ahead. Tea plantations in Munnar

The trekkers awoke to a new day, ready for their first trek to Ellapatti. Led by guides from Kalypso and assisted by the locals who acted as porters, they set out on their trek. It turned out to be a comparatively hard first day, reaching the campsite only by 6.30 in the evening. The exhausted but contented trekkers, then settled down for the night, after enjoying the dinner prepared for them by the Kalypso staff. Starting out The local porters Small waterfalls encountered along the way

Trekking on the second day started a little earlier at 9 in the morning. Compared to the previous day, day 2 was a relatively easier day of trekking and they reached the campsite at Rodo Valley in the afternoon. This gave them time to have some fun of their own, resulting in a spontaneous cricket match that brought out their competitive spirit. After some fun and laughter, they got ready to turn in for the night, while taking in the breathtaking views as the sun set in the horizon. Trekking to Rodo Valley
Navigating the steep descent

Fooling around

Camp at Rodo Valley

Day 3, saw the trek begin at 9 in the morning. After about 2 hours they reached Meesapulimala. At 8750 ft, this is the second highest peak in South India and the view from this height was awe inspiring and rewarding after the long climb. Following the short stop here, the team continued onwards, passing through the highest tea estate on the way at Kollukkumala, while trekking to the Kalypso camp at Anaerangal. The camp was a welcome stop for the trekkers, tired after a hard day, with luxury tents and attached bathrooms and a great view of the surrounding mountains. Entertainment was provided by Justin, a musician arranged for by Kalypso, who delighted everyone with his singing. At Meesapulimala

Above the clouds Trekking down

Passing through the highest tea estate in the world

At the Anaerangal camp

Being entertained around the camp fire

The next day, the team started trekking towards the Anaerangal lake. The trek led them through a great route, passing through papathi chola, right down through the Muthuvan colony and through pine forests until they reached the campsite at 3.30. The Kalypso team had set up camp at a beautiful location, right by the lakeside, which proved to be the perfect pitstop for this leg of the trek.

Snake charmer!

A tree house Kalypso camp on the lakeside The lake view

The final day of trekking began with a taste of excitement when a slight deviation had to be made, as a wild elephant was discovered to be on the planned route. The trekkers then made their way upto Gundumala, through the HML tea estate. With an excellent lunch en-route they headed to their final destination- Sienna Village at Chinnakanal. This proved to be the perfect ending to the trekking challenge.