Tucked in the natural beauty of Wayanad, Kerala, is the Annapara homestay, where one can experience the wilderness at its best.

This sustainable homestay run by Zafar Salim and his wife, Reshma Zafar, is a two-hour drive from Calicut, and away from the hustle of city life.

It all began almost 19 years ago when the couple decided to transform a 74-year-old building on their plantation — which used to serve as labour quarters in the 1950s — into a sustainable homestay.

The couple restored the vintage structure, carefully preserving its rustic charm. The rooms have been accommodating guests from different parts of the world for the past two decades.

Zafar’s family, who have been planters for generations, has been cultivating cardamom, tea, and coffee in Wayanad.

It was his father who bought the plantation land that houses the Annapara homestay in the ’70s. Eventually, the land was passed on to Zafar.

“As I am not a full-time planter, I decided to run a homestay by restoring the building and retaining the natural terrain and vegetation of the land,” says Zafar, who is also a businessman.

The couple didn’t have a designer or an architect onboard; they conceptualised and built seven rooms, each with an area of about 350 sq ft, with stone walls and traditional tile roofing, all by themselves.

“We painted the stone walls and provided better flooring using earthen tiles which keeps the rooms cool,” Zafar explains.

The couple later built two family suites on a small cliff within the property, with an aerial view of a coffee plantation and forest-covered hills.

The spacious family suites were built sustainably. The exposed brick walls, stone pillars and tile roofing that provides ample sunlight make it unique.

The Annapara homestay is not connected to the electric grid. They do have a generator for when it gets dark and a dongle for connectivity.

“We never took an electricity connection as we wanted to provide a minimalistic experience. All our rooms have been built in such a way that there’s ample light throughout the day,” Reshma notes.

She adds that since the climate is mostly cool they don’t have air conditioners either. Hot water is provided 24×7 using waste wood boiler pipes.

“As there’s no electricity, we don’t have a refrigerator or a mixer grinder. So, whether it is vegetables or fish, we buy them fresh from the local market daily and there won’t be any leftovers,” Reshma says.

The condiments are ground with stone the old-fashioned way. “It helps in retaining the natural flavours and nutrients,” she adds with a smile.

The homestay also provides several activities for its guests like walks on picturesque trails through the tea and coffee plantations accompanied by a naturalist.

“There’s also yoga and meditation. We also offer a mud bath — a form of therapy to draw out impurities from the skin which would make one feel refreshed and rejuvenated,” Zafar shares.