Old topic I am sure but new to me - Kerala houseboat birding (1 Viewer)

[ebwilderae]

So I am looking at a visit to Kerala in Jan/Feb of next year along with Sri Lanka. We were told by folks we met about very nice houseboats that we could stay on and bird in some comfort. This appealed very much to my wife. I have found some info on Grandeur Houseboats and expect there are others as well. My question would be is this still a viable method to do some birding while having a very nice experience on a boat in the lagoons? I confess I have yet to learn the names of the varied birding spots so won't embarrass myself here by trying just yet. Thanks for anything.

 

[wintibird]

It's certainly a nice way to see the common species in Kerala. However, you won't see any Western Ghats endemics from the boat. To see them you have to visit the forests and the hills (like Thattekad, Munnar or Periyar).

André

 

[ebwilderae]

Makes good sense Andre so I must continue my planning in that direction. I will be searching this forum archives for some data. Since the latest post I had seen then menioned lagoons was nearly 10 years old I was mostly wanting to see if this is still viable. Any experience folks have had with given companies and locales would be most welcome. Thanks.

 

[Bob Philpott]

Mike, I was there 18 months ago and am going back in 2018. Andre is right about the houseboat, nice way to see the common birds.

We used Kalypso Travel in Kerala. Organised through MotMot and Wild about Travel in the UK. I would recommend all of these. The Kalypso guide was excellent even though birding was only a part of the trip. Next time we are concentrating on Thattekad and Periyar.

If your wife wants comfort with a bit of birding then stay at Dewalokum for a while. Bob

 

[ebwilderae]

Thanks Bob, again very good advice. We are sort of odd ducks I suppose in that we have more time at our disposal than $ and are also not hard-core birders. So we look for a way to fill 7-8 weeks of mostly self-guided travel or house-sitting while getting a look at local birding hot-spots using local guides for short-term. I will be chatting up a friend here in North Carolina who has birded the W Ghats for more particulars. Meanwhile I'll get a map and figure out where some of these places are and hopefully how to pronounce them...