[humyum]

Hi Team,

My parents and me want to go on a roadtrip to Kerala from Mumbai. The dates we can leave are from 15th October and till 30th October is when I have my leaves. I know its late in the day to plan but we were dilly dallying on the location since sometime before freezing on Kerala

We have a brand new Innova Crysta Automatic Diesel which we just got on 5th of October, we are done with 850 km and tomorrow its going for its free service after which it will be ready for the trip.

We are fans of scenic places but would not want to see more than 2-3 places on our trip as we want to stay at every place for somedays and explore nearby areas at a leisurely pace

Since mom been in her cancer remission since 10 months only, other than the travelling bit to Kerala and in between locations, we will want to stay in Airbnb's where in we can cook her food.

Please help me out with the places to checkout with possible stops to take in-between so that I can start booking Airbnb's.

Thanks a ton in advance.

PS: Since I am a photography enthusiast, as a treat, I will try and click amazing pictures of the trip and post it here.

[GrandTourer]

Since you're looking at a relaxed vacation, you can't go wrong with Alleppey and Munnar. I had done Munnar-Kochi-Alleppey-Periyar before the start of the Pandemic. There are some beautiful airbnbs in Alleppey & Munnar. Avoid Kochi, becuase it's too hot right now. Since you'll be driving from Mumbai, doing southern Kerala might not be easy given that your parents will be traveling with you and long drives on Kerala road are not easy.

I have captured by travels in this travelogue (Trip through God's Own Country, Kerala)

[thirugata]

Let me add to what has already been advised.
Wayanad has 2 parts, you can enter wayanad district from Nagarhole national park in Karnataka or via Bandipur national park. Wayanad is ideal for wildlife spotting.
Idukki district has Thekkady as most popular place and there are some more off beat lesser known places too. (It could be difficult to find airbnb here) Same is true for Gavi and vagamon.

When you are in Kerala in Oct, watch out for leeches in coffee/ tea estates and forests.

[libranof1987]

We completed this trip, just last month. From Pune. Here's the travelogue.

I'd recommend that you do Mumbai - Pune - Kolhapur - Goa and then drive all the way down along the coast.

Does she / the family prefer the mountains or the ocean? Or want a mix of both. You can tailor your trip accordingly.

[vrprabhu]

Mumbai to Calicut (Kozhikode) or Cochin (Kochi) either via coastal route (Goa, Karwar, Mangalore, Calicut, Cochin) or the plains (Pune, Belgaum, Bangalore, Trichur, Cochin) will entail covering ~1500 km (one way) by road (a minimum of two full days travel).

With that in mind, restricting to two or three places for visit will mean continuous travel.

If you make the trip like this (or vice-versa), it will be a round trip -

Mumbai -> Goa / Karwar -> Mangalore -> Calicut / Cochin (this will be most arduous part of the travel!) -> Mysore -> Mumbai (leave early, avoid Bangalore)

No idea about Goa / Karwar; at other places, home stays are available.

[Turbohead]

Just remember that 250kms of driving inside Kerala will be the equivalent of covering 600-700 kms on a four lane highway along with additional fatigue. Yup, 25-30 kmph is all you can expect as average.

The exception is the Coimbatore to Kochi four lane stretch where average speeds will hover around 40-50kmph while fatigue will be similar to other four lane highways.

So I'd suggest you to pick locations accordingly to avoid any resulting heartburn. Happy journey!

[Kosfactor]

Idukki District has plenty to see, if you are put up at a place around Idukki it would be awesome.

Other than certain stretches of the NH, most of the other roads will be quite narrow however will be having full size vehicles running through it at highway speeds. Exercise caution, drive slowly and see places in a relaxed schedule.

[rajesh1868]

Originally Posted by humyum

The dates we can leave are from 15th October and till 30th October is when I have my leaves.

Please expect rain during this time. Of late the seasons are a bit unpredictable but the post-monsoon rains (Thulaam rains) is around this time

[rt363]

As a Keralite my suggestions based on terrain would be the following:
1. Beach: Varkala/ Kovalam - This is towards the southern part of kerala. But Varkala cliff is one of a kind in Kerala and has some amazing airbnbs.

2. Hill station: Vagamon - An alternative to munnar, though not as cool as munnar, vagamon has beautiful properties amongst the tea estates, near the valleys and near streams.

3. Hill station: Chinnakanal - Beautiful place. If you can stay in the Club Mahindra property or Ayur County, you would get the best views of the tea estates along with amazing sunrise and the amazing lake view. But plan a little bit considering the traffic. If you can travel before 7 a.m, that would help. Heard it is the time of neelakurinjis, flowers that bloom once in 12 years. You could also do a neelkurinji visit.

4. Backwater : Alapuzha - Plenty of laid back resorts available. Airbnbs are also great with local food.

There is an instagram page malayaliyathrakal if you really want to explore the hidden places in Kerala.

Let us know which side of Kerala you are planning to travel.

[narayans80]

You can expect absolute chaos on roads on 21st-22nd and 24-25th on account of Diwali. Make sure you are not doing serious driving on those days.

Originally Posted by rajesh1868

Please expect rain during this time. Of late the seasons are a bit unpredictable but the post-monsoon rains (Thulaam rains) is around this time

Do you get deluge sort of rains in late October?

The NEM season hasn't really started on eastern coast, so was expecting to be relatively quiet on the Western ghats and coast too.

[humyum]

So we will plan from Bangalore the Kerala trip as Mumbai to Bangalore we can stay at my relatives place and then head for Kerala from there. We have a hard stop to get back to Mumbai on 30th or at max 31st as work starts from then on.

So Day 1 on Sunday from Mumbai to Bangalore -16th October

Now, Wayanad is something my dad and mom both want to go, but since Wayanad is quite vast, which place is Wayanad we should aim for? Something which is very picturesque as well as not that far away from civilization if we need to get food/roam around during the day. We want to visit some really off beat areas too during our stay here, where in Wayanad would you guys recommend?

So 18th if we leave for Wanayad from Bangalore, we can stay till 22nd and leave on 23rd to the 2nd place to Chinnakanal/Munnar ( Both are next to each other, so they are like Panchgini, Mahabaleshar right?

Stay here from 23 to 28 and on 29th drive back to Bangalore and 30th Drive back to Mumbai?

Is there something I can change in this to accommodate one more place which could be amazing?

Will be replying to all the posts once out of office.

[vrprabhu]

There are home stays / resorts likely to be available near Sulthan Bathery (which lies on your route from Bangalore -> Gundlupet -> Wayanad) or Mananthavady. Both these places are small sized (by Mumbai standards!) towns amidst hilly areas.

Kalpetta is another town in this district where some facilities may be available.

Tip - search for stays in tea estates - I remember about reading about a few in this area; also, of a tea museum in Wayanad.

[rt363]

Originally Posted by humyum

So we will plan from Bangalore the Kerala trip as Mumbai to Bangalore we can stay at my relatives place and then head for Kerala from there. We have a hard stop to get back to Mumbai on 30th or at max 31st as work starts from then on.

So Day 1 on Sunday from Mumbai to Bangalore -16th October

Now, Wayanad is something my dad and mom both want to go, but since Wayanad is quite vast, which place is Wayanad we should aim for? Something which is very picturesque as well as not that far away from civilization if we need to get food/roam around during the day. We want to visit some really off beat areas too during our stay here, where in Wayanad would you guys recommend?

So 18th if we leave for Wanayad from Bangalore, we can stay till 22nd and leave on 23rd to the 2nd place to Chinnakanal/Munnar ( Both are next to each other, so they are like Panchgini, Mahabaleshar right?

Stay here from 23 to 28 and on 29th drive back to Bangalore and 30th Drive back to Mumbai?

Is there something I can change in this to accommodate one more place which could be amazing?

Will be replying to all the posts once out of office.

you have plenty of time to cover each of these places. In wayanad, I would so one amongst the popular off beat place is 900 kandi. Not sure if you would be able to find proper hotels therein. Most places have temporary structures, but proper stays or tents. But it is worth a one day visit.
Plenty of options to stay near vythiri or banasura sagar dam. Vythiri is the coldest place. Also, you might go for a jungle safari if you wish in tholpetty.

Chinnar and munnar is nearby. You can stay at chinnakanal and visit all the popular attractions.
I would suggest to stay in Alapuzha house boat or some resort with lake view for two days and then head to munnar.

[K_Drive]

Originally Posted by humyum

Now, Wayanad is something my dad and mom both want to go, but since Wayanad is quite vast, which place is Wayanad we should aim for? Something which is very picturesque as well as not that far away from civilization if we need to get food/roam around during the day. We want to visit some really off beat areas too during our stay here, where in Wayanad would you guys recommend?

Check following places:

1. Edakkal caves.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edakkal_caves

A little bit adventurous. But very scenic from top. Attaching some pics that I took when I visited last year.







Way up is challenging:


2. Karapuzha Dam, Adventure park and garden.

Very peaceful in the evenings.

This place is well maintained and you can find some lite adventurous activities like Zip line(South India's Longest tandem Zipline - 600metres), Bungee Trampoline etc:
https://karapuzha-dam.business.site/

Zipline track:

If you are staying near Sulthan Bathery, then you can cover these two places in the span of 4 to 6hrs.

[rajesh1868]

Originally Posted by narayans80

Do you get deluge sort of rains in late October?

The NEM season hasn't really started on eastern coast, so was expecting to be relatively quiet on the Western ghats and coast too.

Mid to Late October rains are common in Kerala. Especially during evenings with lightning and thunder. I am not entirely sure if these are monsoon, which typically starts in June. Locally this is called Thula Varsham, Where Thulam is the Malayalam month and varsham is rain. But as I mentioned of late, seasons are bit unpredictable.