THE WORLD CHALLENGE TREKS ( July, 2008)

In July 2008, Kalypso conducted a trekking program for students from The Munich and Frankfurt American International Schools who had been brought down to India by the World Challenge organization that designs and delivers outdoor educational programmes for school groups that are packed with physical challenges and eye-opening cultural exchanges.

Before setting out for the hills of Kerala, the groups arrived in Kochi, where Roheen, the tour leader introduced them to Kerala and briefed them about the trek ahead, complete with all the safety precautions they would need to take while answering all the questions the curious, young students had to ask him.
The next day, filled with anticipation and a little nervousness for what was ahead, we set off for Chinnakanal, the starting point of our trek. Traveling up, we had time to get slowly adjusted to the change in climate, from the humidity of coastal Kerala to the cool, windy weather of the hills. After about five hours we reached Chinnakanal, a region surrounded by tea plantations and misty mountains and made preparations for the trek ahead. With everyone ready and raring to go, we headed out, heavy backpacks and all, making our way to Suryanelli and our campsite for the night. Our trek involved walking through grasslands and beautiful eucalyptus plantations while stopping for lunch en-route. After a difficult five hours of trekking, with an exciting river crossing on the way that added to the sense of adventure, our tired and relieved group reached the Kalypso campsite at Anaerangal.

Starting out

Lunch stop

River crossing

Admiring the view

Up early on the second day, we enjoyed a tasty breakfast, got our backpacks and gear ready, and set out for the second day of trekking. Inspired by the scenery and views, we passed through plantations like pepper and cardamom at Papathi Chola, and also walked past the Muduvan tribal colony, which gave us the unique opportunity to see the indigenous people and admire their way of life. The next few hours included a walk through a pine forest until we finally reached Lakeside camp in time for a hot lunch served by the Kalypso team. The rest of the day gave us time to explore the area and laze around by the lake, catching up on some much needed rest while the students, still in high spirits indulged themselves in some fun games and activities.

Early morning view from the Anaerangal camp

The 2 groups before setting out on the 2nd day

Walking through plantations

More trekking

Clowning around

Making our way to the Lakeside Camp

Much needed rest stop

We've finally reached!

Re-fuelling centre

Exploring a treehouse near the lake

Bonding time

The kitchen tent- source of all our food

The third day, we awoke to clear skies and bright sunshine. After another hearty breakfast we started the trek along the banks of the Anaerangal lake. The name of this lake literally means “where the elephants come down” and camping here gave us the great opportunity to see wild elephants drinking water from the lake. Our trek today was to be longer than the previous two days, but as we were in better shape, we pressed on, trekking through tea plantations, with a bit of a walk on the main road, until we reached the Kalypso campsite at Shantanpara. Tired but happy, we settled down for the night.

Anaerangal lake

The capable Kalypso team-Jerry, Roheen and Francis

Ravi, the camp manager distributing bananas

Wild elephants coming down to the lake

Starting out

In single file

Recording memories

Still trekking past the lake

Water stop

Shades of green

Resting by the road

Our final day of trekking was to be our most challenging day yet. We warmed up for the day by walking a few kilometers on a plain road. The real trek started a while later, as we had to make our way through the undulating terrain of the grasslands at Chaturangapara. Trekking up proved to be no easy task, but when we finally made it to the top, the spectacular views more than made up for it. Chaturangapara is situated on the border between Kerala and Tamil Nadu and being up there let us be witness to the the plains of Tamil Nadu on one side and the hills of Kerala on the other. After spending sometime on the windy mountain top, we headed to camp and were greeted there with a hot cup of tea

Warming up

Roheen, taking the lead

Starting out on the tough bit

Illusion?

An almost vertical climb

Teamwork got us to the topAlmost there

We made it!!

Exhausted by the climb

Group photos at the top

It had been a challenging four days of trekking, but the things we had seen, the people we had met and the breathtaking views that had stirred us was reward enough.

The students with the Team Kalypso