Guest User
October 30, 2022
The resort is located in the middle of the jungle giving you very unique surroundings, yet it is just a few minute-drive away from the city of Kumily. Yodha Village Thekkady and the government boat ride at Periyar Tiger Reserve are very nearby. Our rooms were clean, but do keep in mind that we are in the nature which means wildlife is around you, no matter how much you try to keep things clean. On the negative side, at our arrival, there were no one in the reception to welcome us, and it took 15-20 min. of waiting in the empty building, before we got checked in. Also, for some reason our driver was not provided the hotel services as earlier agreed upon on the phone. Last but not least, it was sad to see a lonely guineapig in a cage outside without any food or even water or even without any kind of bedding. The poor animal was literally walking on metal grids in a small cage next to the parking lot. After a complaint to the ***ager, they provided the guineapig with a carpet and put the water bowl inside. Guineapigs are social pets and meant to live on ground and not 1 meter high up from the ground. Not enough with this sad experience with lack of animal welfare, we were taken to the Kalpavanam Elephant Park (owned by Kalpavanam Heritage Resort) next door just to see a view of three sad and very distressed elephants chained to a wall, waiting for the tourists to have a ride with them. Needless to say, we didn't buy any rides. If I can say anything to the property owner, please relocate these elephants to a proper elephant sanctuary and at least give a good life for the elephants to spend rest of their days with. In nature, an elephant's territory covers 400-800 square kilometres, and they are by no means ment to live a horrible life in captivity. Kalpavanam Heritage Resort has plenty of opportunity to engage themselves with eco-friendly, sustainable and cruelty-free tourism.