Long Treks And Private Waterfalls: Feel The Charm Of The Western Ghats Here

Disconnect from city life and head to Fringe Ford -- a heritage estate that is cocooned in a faraway jungle, where you can go on treks, enjoy a date with bae at one of the many private waterfalls and get a vantage view of the Wayanad Hills.

Nestled inside a cosy valley, high up in the hills and surrounded by the forest, Fringe Ford is as cut off from the world as it gets. No cell phone towers here, so you can't make any phone calls, send text messages or access the Internet. In fact, there are no newspapers and no TV either, so you'll find absolutely nothing to clog your brain with information -- digital or otherwise.

What you will get here, though, is a firsthand feel of the tropical rainforests of the Western Ghats, and plenty of natural streams with waterfalls tinkling here and there. The estate was bought by an Englishman in 1912, and you'll see a reflection of this era in the decor -- the 5 rooms that can be booked are all well-lit, housing wooden fixtures and furniture, and with a gorgeous view of the forest to wake up to.

The estate offers treks that the in-house naturalist will take you through -- if you're lucky, you'll be able to spot Nilgiri langurs, lion-faced macaques and wild elephants, so make sure to go with your DSLR and binoculars. If you're just going there to relax with bae in a rustic sense, make sure to have a romantic lunch by the waterfall, play Scrabble by the candlelight or just have a nice cup of chai before you put on your leech socks and head out to explore the forest. 

This summer, you'll find naturalist training progra­m­mes for older children and adults.