Located just outside Thattekad, on the edge of the Periyar River, Hornbill Camp should be a quiet place. There are a number of fixed-site tents which have beds and tables in. They have electricity for lighting. each tent has a bathroom. there's a verandah with chairs to sit and watch the river lazily swirl past.

I cycled to the camp from Cochin; it's not a difficult cycle ride, though the signposting for the Camp is a little patchy from the main road.

The camp is in a good location for birdwatching, and other activities. They have rafts and canoes, bikes and guides. If I had more time, I'd have stayed longer. Even though I was the only guest there for dinner, they laid on a fine spread - chicken and veg curry, fried chicked, fruit and pudding. A feast and much needed after the days exertion.

There's only a couple of flies in the ointment - the first, outside the hotel's control, is that the adjacent temple plays its music very loud and they start at 5.30am which rather destroys the peace and solitude. The camp also has a bit of a generator issue which meant lights failed several times during dinner: keep a torch to hand.

I had said I would be leaving quite early and hoped for some coffee and fruit before leaving but none of the staff were around at 6.30 as i got ready to leave, so there was no breakfast unfortunately. But provided you are not looking for luxury and don't mind a bit of wildlife wandering in to your sleeping quarters, Hornbill Camp could be an interesting change of scenery and certainly a break from traffic noise.

I would like to have stayed longer to do more bird-watching and use the kayaks - the on-site resources looked exemplary.

After reading tripadvisor reviews I wanted to visit Hornbill Camp even though we only had one night to visit. I was not disappointed. It is well appointed, tranquil and the staff cannot do enough for you. Plenty of birds to see. The accomodationis comfortable and each tent has its own bathroom with shower (The rough Guide claims they are separate)
When I return to Kerala I will take a longer visit.

From the moment Deepak, the Executive from Lemontree Ecolodges dropped us off at Hornbill it was 3 days of pure bliss.Kerala is " Gods own country" ,and Hornbill's location can truly be described in these words.The tented room with the sitout overlooking the river was cosy and provided with clean linen and toilet.The food was excellent.The staff were willing to go out of their way to make our stay memorable -kayaking,cycling,trekking and birdwatching.And they are knowledgeable guys too-Unni, the kayaking instructor is a former Indian Navy Sailor,the Naturalist Abhilash was a fund of information and a birders delight ,I am sure.The Thattekad bird sanctuary is well worth a full day even for anyone who is not a birding enthusiastic.
Its just one hour away from Cochin airport and a must for anyone holidaying in Kerala.You can spend several days here if you like quiet,comfort without needless luxury,and want to get a feel of rural Kerala

We had looked forward to this place and were not disappointed. It formed part of our three week tour of Kerala and whilst not the 'best' place we stayed it was in a category all of its own. It was the only 'tented' camp of the trip. We are used to these from our African trips and love them very much.
We only had two nights here which was pity as I would have liked longer. So our main day was spent in the Bird Sanctuary itself although trips to Elephant camps, Rubber plantations Kayakking and bike rides are available.
Reception was welcoming and warm and the tent very nice. We were the only guests staying so got to use the nearest one to the food. Appropriately named "Hornbill". As descriibed the entrance to the 'Tent' was via a small Patio with chairs where you could sit and view the river and birds or just doze off with a good book.
Inside was a nice bed and to the rear, via a zipped flap, were the ablutions. All mod cons and nicely finished. Cooling was by Fan when power was on. It was getting hot by our visit in mid April but we coped by encouraging a through draught. Insects were not a problem although we did meet a very smart Black & Red Scorpion.
Food was in the main hall and was laid out Buffet style which was a bit tempting, there only being the two of us. We enjoyed each and every thing put in front of us (we always do!). There was no fridge so I would have declined a warm beer even if offered.
The staff were very friendly and attentive. The camp grounds were bustling with birds such as BeeEaters, Barbets, Cuckoos etc., so just sitting around was no hardship. There was a steady stream of larger birds up and down the river. The Butterfly bush in the garden had so many of them it was hard to get a single Specimen photo.
All in all a very nice place and easy to recommend to anyone seeking a quiet spot in nice grounds way from the noise and bustle.