Kerala’s Laterite Hills and Biodiversity

Laterite hills of Kerala – fragile, vibrant, and rich with hidden life

Rugged yet radiant, the laterite hills of Kerala rise like rust-red islands in a sea of green—sculpted by millennia of tropical winds and rains, and pulsing with a life force both resilient and rare. Often mistaken for barren wastelands, these ancient plateaus are in fact biodiversity hotspots, home to seasonal wildflower meadows, lithophytic plants, and ephemeral aquatic ecosystems that emerge after the monsoons.

Take Madayipara in North Kerala, for instance—a living mosaic of insectivorous sundews, ground orchids, medicinal herbs, and Myristica swamps tucked between rocky outcrops. These habitats support dragonflies, damselflies, and pollinators, as well as elusive and endangered species like the Malabar civet, slender loris, yellow wagtail, and Malabar lark. Even the smallest microhabitats—puddles in rock depressions—become nurseries for amphibians and aquatic invertebrates, while sacred groves shelter rare ferns and orchids alongside culturally significant trees like ficus and neem.

As part of Ekathra’s Natural Heritage Experience, visitors are invited to explore these landscapes not just through sight and sound, but through purposeful engagement. Accompanied by local naturalists and field ecologists, travelers walk quiet trails that come alive with stories—each wildflower, birdcall, or butterfly a thread in a fragile ecological web. With notebooks, cameras, or even mobile apps in hand, guests often become citizen scientists, observing and recording sightings that feed into People’s Biodiversity Registers, helping communities and researchers better understand and protect the ecosystem.

Along the way, one might meet traditional medicine practitioners who share how certain herbs are used for healing, or indigenous elders who recount stories of sacred groves and ancestral trees. These interactions root the journey in lived experience, revealing how ecological wisdom has long been woven into cultural identity.

In some areas, travelers join local communities in conservation efforts—collecting seeds from native plants, planting saplings to restore degraded patches, or clearing small rock-cut ponds that collect rainwater and support aquatic life. Some choose to participate in seasonal monitoring of butterflies or bird migrations, learning how to distinguish species while contributing to long-term biodiversity mapping.

Others express their connection through eco-documentation—sketching rare orchids, photographing birds in flight, or writing short narratives that become part of the collective memory and advocacy for these landscapes. Each contribution—no matter how small—becomes part of a larger movement to protect and celebrate Kerala’s lesser-known natural heritage.

In a world rapidly losing its wild spaces, the laterite hills stand as a reminder of the resilience of life—and the power of thoughtful, responsible travel to ensure its survival. Through observation, collaboration, and storytelling, every visitor becomes a custodian of these ancient, vibrant ecosystems.