A general view of the Caravan Park in Idukki district, Kerala. Photo / Kerala Tourisim Ministry

AM Abdussalam, Correspondent

In a major tourism initiative, Kerala on Friday opened the first Caravan Park in the state, offering visitors unique opportunity to visit untapped tourist destinations without sacrificing world class amenities and facilities.

Minister for Tourism PA Mohammed Riyas inaugurated the state of the art caravan facility in Vagamon in Idukki district on Friday.

Caravan Meadows, set up in Nallathanni on the Vagamon-Elappara Road, is a project of the ADRAK Group.

The minister boarded the caravan and reached the park as part of the inaugural function. Tourist caravans are vehicles that are designed specifically for pleasure, travel, and lodging.

These customised and attractive automobiles are equipped with all required modern amenities to ensure a pleasant travel and stay.

The caravan, which takes tourists to various spots, will be stationed at the parking space at night. Caravan Park is situated on a 50-cent plot in Nallathanni, which is seven kilometres from Vagamon and 9km from Elappara.

The parking space is provided for two caravans at the park.

In the first phase, one caravan will operate. At the parking lot, there are facilities for preparing food, conducting campfires and using stone benches for rest.

There are electric points at the park for using AC and other services.

The park also has facilities for filling up water in the caravan and handling waste management. Provision has also been made at the park for the stay of the caravan staff.

The rate charged for a group comprising four people for a one-day package is Rs40, 000 per day, according to ADRAK group director S Nandakumar.

The rate for availing caravan is based on the distance travelled. The caravan is built from a BharatBenz 1017 bus chassis by renowned coachbuilder JCBL at its plant in Chhattisgarh. The caravan, which is 9m-long has a living room, bedroom, kitchen and a toilet.

Four people can travel in the caravan. These caravan parks will come enhanced with surveillance cameras, strong fencing, and other safety measures.
Also, there will be two kinds of caravans available, for two people and family. They will feature a dining table, a sofa-cum bed, GPS, toilet, Internet, kitchenette, fridge, microwave oven, and more.

There are three methods to store water in the caravan: Purified water will be stored in a 300-litre Blue storage system; a Gray Storage facility can store 200 l of used water, and sewage water from the toilet is stored in a 150 l Black storage tank. These caravan parks are developed as a part of Keravan Kerala project keeping in mind safety, sanitary, and security requirements of travellers.