Page 161 - Off the Tourist Trail - 1000 Unexpected Travel Alternatives (Part 1 of 2)

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Band-e Amir Lakes, Kerala’s Lakes
Afghanistan and Backwaters

NEED TO KNOW NEED TO KNOW NATURAL WONDERS
LOCATION The Band-e Amir LOCATION Alleppey, in the
Lakes are in Afghanistan’s heart of Kerala’s backwaters,
Hindu Kush mountain range, is about 40 miles (65 km) 1",*45"/ /&1"-
563,.&/*45"/ %FMIJ
192 miles (309 km) from the south of Cochin and 90 miles
capital, Kabul -",&4 0' (145 km) north of Trivandrum */%*" ,PMLBUB
#"/% & ".*3
NUMBER OF *3"/ )FSÈU ,BCVM NUMBER OF LAKES
LAKES Six Five lakes and thousands .VNCBJ #BZ PG
"'()"/*45"/ "SBCJBO #FOHBM
DAYTIME ABOVE Pilgrims at the lake of Band-e Haibat, Afghanistan of backwaters 4FB
TEMPERATURES ,BOEBIÈS DAYTIME TEMPERATURES #BOHBMPSF
Jan: 27°F (-3°C); Apr: 48°F (9°C); 1",*45"/ Jan: 79°F (26°C); Apr: 84°F (29°C); "--&11&:
Jul: 64°F (18°C); Oct: 48°F (9°C) The Band-e Haibat dam is usually the focal point Jul: 79°F (26°C); Oct: 81°F (27°C) 5SJWBOESVN 43* -"/,"
of a trip to the lakes. This is the deepest and largest
of the Band-e Amir Lakes, and sinks to an awesome
Few bodies of water can match the stunning, depth of 492 ft (150 m). Stunning vistas along its At the southwestern tip of India, the magnificent
otherworldly beauty of the Band-e Amir Lakes. shores reveal rugged golden cliffs towering above Keralan lakes and backwaters are a shimmering
Set high in the Hindu Kush mountain range of turquoise water, beneath the distance gaze of the tropical labyrinth of five lakes and more than
central Afghanistan, this chain of deep-sapphire Hindu Kush peaks, which glow almost pink on the 621 miles (1,000 km) of rivers, canals, rivulets, and
lakes lies across a desolate landscape of bone-dry horizon. Not much disturbs this magnificent scene: lagoons. Trips aboard houseboats – converted
canyon rock like shiny jewels on the fingers of a the lakes, once a romantic haven for nomads and barges once used to transport rice – depart for
withered hand. Spread out across natural hashish-smoking hippies, do not receive many the backwaters from lakeshore towns. Using long
terraces, the enormous, interconnected ice-cold visitors despite being an oasis of peace in war-torn bamboo poles, oarsmen slowly steer you through
pools flow into one another, from the highest to Afghanistan. The people who do visit are pilgrims a maze of silent channels dotted with isolated
the lowest in the chain, via a series of sparkling who believe that the cold lakes have great powers hamlets and fringed with coconut palms, dazzlingly
waterfalls and gushing rapids. of healing. Few places on earth are more serene. green paddy fields, and plantations of banana and
The lakes owe their unique beauty to the yam. Plan your trip around Alleppey, known as
carbon-dioxide-rich water that oozes from Practical Information the “Venice of the East” for its myriad canals.
fractures in the earth’s crust deep beneath them. Getting There and Around Flights to Kabul from Europe and North America
So rich in minerals are the lakes that they change go via Dubai. Minibuses make the 149-mile (240-km) bone-shaking Practical Information
color regularly throughout the day, alternating journey across dirt roads from Kabul to Bamiyan, the gateway city to the
Band-e Amir Lakes. Privately hired cars and minibuses carry visitors on to Getting There and Around International flights arrive at Bangalore, Delhi,
between deep sapphire, turquoise, green, and or Mumbai, where connecting flights go to Cochin and Trivandrum. Take a
the lakes, which are 47 miles (75 km) away. Local drivers are essential as
gray according to the light and motion of the several of the roads in the region remain heavily mined. Once at the lakes, train, car, or, best of all, boat on to Alleppey and the other lakeshore towns.
water, which moves the minerals with it. White hike their banks or rent a paddle boat to take in vistas from water level. When to Go December to May is the best time to visit Kerala – this way
travertine dams, formed naturally by limestone When to Go Aim to visit between September and November, when you avoid the monsoon season and southern India’s unbearably hot summer.
deposits, edge each of the lakes and add yet daytime temperatures are pleasant and mountain nights are cool. Website www.keralatourism.org
another striking feature to this barren desert. Website http://afghanistan.saarctourism.org/band-e-amir.html Houseboats on one of Kerala’s verdant backwaters, India

One of the Band-e Amir Lakes in its arid setting, Afghanistan

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