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-   -   My Travel Diary | Monsoon Wanderlust | Thekkady, Vagamon, and the Call of Mountains (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travelogues/268872-my-travel-diary-monsoon-wanderlust-thekkady-vagamon-call-mountains.html)

“I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel’s sake. The great affair is to move.”

Prologue

A trip to Thekkady had been brewing on our bucket list for quite some time now. After a lot of planning, we finally managed to visit in mid-July. I had last been to Thekkady more than a decade ago when I was in college, while my wife had yet to visit. Thekkady, being a highly popular tourist destination, tends to get incredibly crowded on weekends, particularly during the monsoon season. Therefore, we made sure to schedule our visit exclusively on weekdays.

July is not the best time to visit Thekkady as it's the peak monsoon season. It would be raining very heavily, but that was precisely one of the reasons why we chose this time. It had been quite hot in Coimbatore, and we were really missing the monsoons of Kerala. So we packed our bags and drove straight into the Western Ghats! Incidentally, I had been on an office trip to Valparai just the day before, making it almost a continuous week of travel for me!


Route

The straightforward route from Ernakulam to Thekkady is:
Ernakulam > Pala > Mundakayam > Vandiperiyar > Kumily.

I chose to take a slight deviation. Since my wife hadn't been to Vagamon either, I chose:
Ernakulam > Muvattupuzha > Thodupuzha > Vagamon > Kuttikanam > Vandiperiyar > Kumily






Places to Visit

We visited the following places during our trip:

1. Vagamon Tea Lake
2. Vagamon Mottakunnu
3. Panchalimedu View Point
4. Valanjanganam Water Falls
5. Parunthumpara Hill View Point
6. Thekkady Boating
7. Philip's Natural Honey And Bee Farm
8. Sathram View points
9. Pandikuzhi Viewpoint
10. Chellarcovil Aruvikuzhi Waterfalls
11. Chellarcovil View Point
12. Kuravan Kurathi Statue
13. Kuruvikkanam Windmill Farm
14. Kalpavanam Elephant Park
15. Farm Periyar Spice Garden
16. Jeni's Grapes


A snapshot of our trip:





Stay

We stayed at Forest Canopy, which is located just outside of Kumily town. The resort is built entirely onto the side of the hill and has several beautiful cottages.





Ride

Just back from a 300km Valparai trip, our Rapid continued her drive into the mountains one more time. The 1.6TDi was a hoot to drive along the twisty hill roads.

Day 1

We started from Ernakulam at a comfortable 7:30AM. Since it was a weekday, we had to wade through quite a bit of morning traffic before making it out of the city. The roads remained busy all the way to Muvattupuzha before it cleared up a bit. Thanks to the narrow roads, congestion and terrible road manners, it was by no means a fun drive.


Breakfast

Once we had crossed Muvattupuzha, the roads become slightly less congested. It was 8:30 AM by now and our tummies were grumbling. We stopped at Hotel Woodlands for some much needed food and a bio break. We had doshas and some coffee. While the food was decent, we really missed the awesome filter coffee of TN. Damn, Coimbatore has spoiled us!





After crossing Muttom, we took a right turn from Kanjar to head towards Vagamon. Idukki was only about 30kms from this point. Maybe next time!






Koovappally Waterfall

It was a sharp uphill drive for several kilometers. The route was extremely scenic and the Rapid really enjoyed grunting her way uphill. On the way, we made a quick stop at the waterfalls. We had stopped at the exact same spot half a decade ago on another Vagamon trip. How the time flies!






It was quite sunny untill now, and we were desperate for some rains. Thankfully, soon it started to get very cloudy to the point it started getting dark! We were loving it! We stopped along the way to enjoy the view, and we greeted by a strong cool breeze!






As soon as we started, the clouds opened up and we were greeted by some of the heaviest rain we had seen in months! Our smiles only grew wider with the drop in visibility! When the rain became a drizzle, we stopped and got down. The feeling of the cold raindrops falling on your face is not something that I can describe in words!







We made the mandatory stop at the famous hairpin bend. Everything was lush green thanks to the monsoon rains. The greenery and the rain was a much needed change from the dry Coimbatore climate.






We stayed there for some more time, till the drizzle became heavier and turned into a heavy downpour.






As we approached Vagamon, the rain stopped and was replaced by an incredibly thick fog. The whole area covered in an almost solid blanket of fog. Visibility was bad during daytime, I cant even imagine driving through this at night!







Vagamon Tea Lake

Our first stop of the trip. It is a small lake surrounded by tea plantations. Boating was also available, though we decided against it on account of it being too foggy to even see anything. We were barely able to make out the visitor centre and purchased the entry tickets. Once inside, we might as well have been blindfolded. The bridge itself was barely visible!






On the bridge leading to nowhere. It was eerily quiet, save for the blowing of the wind. The whole place had quite a mystical feel to it! There were a bunch of college kids who had opted for the boating, and their disembodied voices could be heard floating through the thick fog. Eerie indeed!






By the time we reached the other side, it started to rain again and we broke out our rain ponchos. The heavy rain forced us into the building where we waited it out. Once it had slowed down to a drizzle, we made our way back to the entrance. The mandatory couple pose was, well, mandatory!






By the time we reached the entrance, a strong gust of wind had blown away a section of the fog, to reveal the surroundings for the first time since we got there! It was as if we were suddenly teleported into another place!






Vagamon Meadows

After around a 15 minute drive through rain and fog, we reached our next stop, the Vagamon Meadows. Its a wide open area of hills and valleys and the whole area turns lush green during the monsoons. It wasnt very crowded when we reached, and we were able to get a parking spot quickly.






It was drizzling again while we made our way to the top. Its row upon rows of gentle hills. Basically, all we had to do was pick a hill, sit and chill. The cool soothing drizzle and the gentle breeze was as relaxing as it gets.







With only a few visitors and several hills to choose from, we got one entirely for ourselves. The weather seemed pretty confused, as it was alternating between rain, fog and wind.







We laid down on the cool, smooth grass, taking in the serene beauty of the place. It was so peaceful, we could have easily fallen asleep!






There were some fun activities like zip line and boating nearby. We walked around aimlessly for a while, simply enjoying the lush green surroundings. We really didnt want to leave, but suddenly it got sunny and hot and we started to sweat inside our ponchos. Slowly we made our way back to the entrance.






It was past 12 by now and our grumbling tummies took over the control of our feet and steered us into the nearby tea stalls. By the time we got some freshly made pazhamporis it had started to rain again. Sipping piping hot tea while biting into a steaming hot pazhampori, during a heavy monsoon downpour, thats something every Malayali can relate to!






Back on the road, we took the Elappara route to Kuttikanam. Its an incredibly scenic route with lush green fields and plantations on either side. Spectacular scenery along with some beautiful roads, this was as close to perfect as it gets!






We saw several small streams and waterfalls along the way. It was lunch time and my stomach was doing the driving by now, but still we managed to stop at some particularly beautiful spots on the way!






Valanjanganam Water Falls

From Kuttikanam, we drove straight to the falls. Its located right by the road and theres ample space to park nearby.






Its a beautiful multi level waterfalls and there was plenty of water thanks to the monsoons.






There are stairs leading to the falls. The water falls onto the path at the very end, and we saw plenty of people enjoying the cool shower. We were starting to get drenched from even here.




Day 1 to be continued....

Day 1 Continued....


Our next stop was the Panchalimedu View Point. The drove along the Kottayam-Kumily road and took the deviation towards Murinjapuzha. It was a narrow uphill road, and just as we were starting to enjoy the picturesque route, a thick blanket of fog descended upon us, bringing down the visibility close to zero! We drove like this for several kilometers. Thankfully, all the vehicles we encountered were driven quite sanely. I guess being a working day, all the squids and ricers would have been in college.






Panchalimedu View Point

The viewpoint is about 15 mins from the waterfalls. We drove the last few kms in complete fog. In fact, we actually missed the place the first time. Even though GMaps has the area marked, we drove ahead for a km or so since we couldn't spot anything. After taking a turn and driving back, we finally caught sight of the entrance.






We purchased tickets from the counter and made our way inside. The place is named after Panchali / Draupadi and the story goes that she and the Pandavas spent some time here during their exile.






There are several stone structures all over the compound. The first and the biggest one has a canteen and souvenir shop inside it. Spotted this beautiful spout fountain on the corner.






Since we really couldnt make out the details of the place, or get any sense of direction orientation, we just decided to follow the path to wherever it leads us. We could hear faint disembodied laughter and chatter around, but the only way we could tell if they weren't spirits would be if we actually walked into them!






One of the several structures in the place. Though we could hardly see anything from there, we could feel that they were along the edge of the hill. It was really windy here and the shifting fog made it all the more disorienting.






We followed the path till what seemed like the end. A mysterious muddy path leading into the spooky, creepy fog! The magical/horror story writes itself!






After meandering about for some more time, we came upon this uphill path that leads to, well god knows where. I think there is a spot at the top from where one can observe the valley, but here we had to use our imagination and memories of our numerous trips to western ghats.






We walked uphill a short distance hoping the fog might shift a little bit, but it only got thicker. It go so thick that we had to stop and turn back, so as not to take a blind step off the hill! Plus, it was starting to drizzle now. I read somewhere that Sabarimala might be visible from here. Yeah, I couldn't even see my wife if she stepped more than 5 feet away from me, so Sabarimala aint happenin!






With rain getting heavier, we made our way back to the entrance. The rain and the fog dictated that we get some hot tea, and we obliged. One of the eeriest tea we had so far!







Lunch

It was nearly 3PM and alarm bells had gone off in our stomachs, all them pazhamporis having evaporated long ago. We made our way to this hotel, which was just by the roadside.






Though it looked quite unassuming from the outside, the dining area had a splendid view of the mountains. Once it started raining, it became all the more serene.







We could spot a waterfall from our table. How many eateries can boast of such a view?






Food was decent, though it might have been our hunger as well. We had some appams, beef curry, and egg roast. The ambience was brilliant though. By the time we were nearly done, another round of fog rolled in, making tea obligatory.





Parunthumpara Hill View Point

Parunthumpara or Eagle Rock is a hill top view point that gives an excellent view of the surrounding Peerumedu hills. Its a short, but superbly scenic drive from Peerumedu town to reach the spot. From the abundance of parking space available, I guess the spot gets pretty crowded on holidays.






The view of the hills from this spot was simply breath-taking! The path on the right leads all the way to the top which has a small viewing shelter.






The view of the other side. It was a spectacular sight indeed. Lush greens, hills hiding in the mist, and a cool breeze to sum it all up.






The wind picked up as we made our way to the top, from a gentle cool breeze to a gust! At one point, we had to turn away to take a breath! And just as we reached the top, it began to rain heavily.






Once the rain stopped, we made our way back down. At the far end, there is a path that leads to the rocks, which was actually the main highlight of the view point. Its a stiff hike, having once made it all the way to the edge, more than a decade ago, along with BHPian SandyX. Right now, even the thought of trying had our joints up in protest!







We parked our Rapid on a nearby hill, going as far as we felt was safe. And wow, the view from this spot was absolutely breathtaking!






One more pic from the other side. The Rapid, perched on top of the hill, was enjoying the view as much as we did!






A throwback to my previous visit. Same spot 10+ years ago. Kindly forgive me for the atrocities I committed on the Baleno, I was young and didn't know any better! :crying






Forest Canopy Resort

With all our sightseeing for the day done, we headed to our resort. On the way we crossed Vandiperiyar town, which happens to be one of the entry points to Gavi. After an uneventful drive, we finally reached our resort by 5:30PM.






The resort is built entirely onto the side of the hill. From the reception, its a series of hairpins to reach the top, with each level having a row of several cottages. Its an extremely tough task to walk all the way, so we were driven around by a couple of Eecos. After the check in formalities, we were driven all the way to the top, where there is a small recreational area, and this very cute little chaayapeedia. They served us some great coffee and snacks.






By this time, they had moved our bags and luggage to our cottage. Since it was a walk down, we turned down the offer for the vehicle. Our cottage was on the 3rd level, so had a brilliant view of the hills and the road below. It had a well sized deck outside and we sat there enjoying the view and cool weather till sunset.






Soon it was dinner time. We called up the reception who sent the vehicle right away. The dining area is at the very top. Its a beautifully laid out space and very well decorated.






The food was lip-smackingly brilliant! We ended up eating here for the entire duration of our stay! All the items very delicious and portion sizes were spot on.





After dinner, the cab dropped us back to our cottage and we turned in for the night.

End of day 1

Day 2

We woke up quite early and went out to the deck. It was quite cold outside, and we took our coffee with us. It was quite an experience indeed, sipping hot coffee while taking in the awesome view all around us!





Surrounded by tall trees, we saw plenty of birds everywhere. We were following a trail of rustling branches when we spotted this big fella', the Malabar Giant Squirrel. The guy lives up to the name, he was huuge!





Thekkady Lake Boating

After a sumptuous breakfast from the resort, we drove to the boating point. We had booked the tickets online well in advance, from the Periyar Tiger Reserve website. We had also purchased the tickets for the bus ride and parking as well, so that we didn't have to stand in queue at all. There's ample parking space near the entry point. Since we had booked the 11AM slot, it wasn't that crowded as well. Once we showed them the online booking receipt, they allowed us to board the bus, which would take us all the way to the boat landing. The last time I came here, I remember we drove nearly all the way to the boathouse. This seems to be a recent change.






Though it was short, the bus ride was pretty scenic. We rode past thick forested areas, and also crossed the KTDC Periyar House resort.






Since we arrive early, we had time to kill before our boat arrived. We spent the time exploring the visitor center, which also had a nice souvenir shop. At long last, our boat arrived. There seemed to be 2 bigger boats and a smaller one. I guess there was some other type of ticket for the bigger one. Anyway, no harm no foul.






Seat numbers are printed on the tickets, and the guards were quite strict about it. They gave us instructions to not stand up from the seat under any circumstance, and to always wear the life vest. As usual, a few smart guys couldn't handle these simple instructions and started arguing with the guard in Hindi, which the poor guy barely spoke. It was only once he threatened to de board them that they grudgingly moved to their seats.

After the delay, we set off. Thekkady Lake, or Periyar Lake, is an artificial lake formed by the creation of Mullaperiyar Dam. The tree stumps seen in the middle of the lake, are the trees which once stood tall in the valley, before it was flooded due to the dam. Now, only their top dead branches remain visible above the water. We were able to spot plenty of birds perched on them.






Being peak monsoon, it was highly unlikely that we would be able to spot animals, especially elephants and wild cats, since there would be plenty of water sources deeper inside the forests. The guard told us that the dry season just before monsoon was the best time for animal spotting. Still, we were able to spot this small herd of Sambar deer.






Just as we were starting to get disappointed, we spotted another, larger herd on the opposite bank. Other than those, we also spotted a family of hogs.






We travelled nearly 6+ kms before turning back. From what we could see from GMaps, the Mullaperiyar dam was only a short distance away.






Soon the boat turned around and made the way back to the landing. On the way, we spotted the KTDC Lake Palace Resort. The guards informed us that the only way to reach the place is via boats. After that, there is no way back till the next boat in the morning. Would really love to spend a night here!






Finally back at the landing. There lies the sad wreck of Jalakanyaka, a stark reminder not to take water lightly.






Lunch

For lunch, we went to Tusker Cafe, which was only a short distance away. Its a very small cafe with limited parking space, but the ambiance was fantastic!






The food was even better. We ordered meals, along with meen pollichathu and prawn roast. Every single item tasted exquisite, especially the fish. Definitely one of the tastiest fish we had, coming next only to those we had in Mahabalipuram.






Philip's Natural Honey And Bee Farm


Next we paid a visit to the famous bee farm. Mr.Philip keeps several hives both in his home and a nearby plot and raises several varieties of bees. He also sells honey made from his farm.





He explained to us in detail, about the different types of bees and their preferred types of flowers, and the types of honey they produce. He pulled out one of the hives and showed us the queen bee of that colony.






He let us hold one of the hives, while giving us strict instructions not to make any sudden movements. Which was really hard to follow when you have a gazillion flying stabby-butts buzzing around your face. Out of pure instinct, I swiped at one of them that flew too close to my face, and for my efforts I got stung twice! So that's 3 leech bites and 2 bee stings in a span of a couple of days, if anyone's keeping score.







A close up view of one of the hives. He informed us that this one was just recovering after a nasty wasp invasion.






A pic with the man himself. We bought a few bottles of honey including the famous cheruthen, or honey from sting-less bees, which is supposed to be far more nutritious than regular honey. It is very commonly prescribed in Ayurvedic medicine.



Day 2 to be continued...

Day 2 continued...


By now it was past 3 PM, and we were done with the activities for the day and so we drove back to the resort. At the reception, while having some coffee, I casually inquired about the off-roading to the nearby Sathram viewpoints. He gave us the contact of a driver who offered us decent rates for the ride. By the way, the coffee was splendid!





Sathram View Points

We stared off as soon as the driver arrived. Our ride was a previous gen Thar 4x4. To reach Sathram, we first went till Vandiperiyar and then took a deviation. On the way, we crossed the Periyar river, which is the longest of the 44 rivers of Kerala.






A few kms ahead, we stopped at a point where we could get down and walk over to the river. Though we were in peak monsoon season, the water levels were quite low, due to deficient rains this year. We were nearly able to make it all the way across here. A slight drizzle started and we just sat down on the rocks to enjoy the serene surroundings.






Very soon, we went completely off road. I had gone off roading previously, but damn this was something else! We were bounced around inside the cabin and had to hold on to dear life!






This section of the trail was one of our favorite. The grass growing all around is actual lemon grass, and the whole area was engulfed in their sweet lemony scent!







At our first stop, we got down to explore a little. We kept walking into the lemon grass, just to get a whiff. The whole area smelt like mom's table cleaning liquid!






An extremely capable vehicle in the hands of an equally capable driver! As a sedan enthusiast, I can never really appreciate these capable machines, but damn they have my respect!






It soon started to drizzle and a slight mist started to cover the area. We got some tea from a nearby stall and just sat down to take in the magnificent view.






On the way to the next point, we came across this small waterfall / water crossing. A few inches of water wasn't enough for the Thar to even take notice!






One more pic from the side. It was apparent that the driver loved his vehicle. When he saw me clicking pics of the Thar, he offered to take it for us! The Thar looks at home in this wilderness!






Take a look at the articulation! The wheel is almost completely outside the body! This is one mean off roading machine!






The next section of the trail was particularly brutal. The driver had to engage 4L in a couple of sections to get out of sticky situations. It was so bad we needed both hands to keep ourselves from being thrown around, forget about holding a phone! After what felt like hours, we finally reached a motorable road as we neared the second view point. Again, breathtaking landscape!






Again, jaw-dropping scenery from this point. The hills have all turned green due to the rains. Thanks to the fog, they kept slipping in and out of visibility, it was a most ethereal sight indeed! You can see the road we took to reach here at the base of the hill. Along the way we spotted several half built shelters and platforms. Our driver informed us that they were being built by the Tourism Department, but then the Forest Department managed to get a stay on the construction activities.






A pic with our driver, Mr. Aneesh. Even though he had done this route hundreds of times, he genuinely seemed to enjoy the drive.






It was starting to get dark now and we started on our way back to town. On the way, we stopped by a tea plantation, for some pics and for some tea from a nearby tea stall.






We then went back to the main road, crossed Vandiperiyar and rode all the way back to the resort. While dropping us off, he told us that 2 more activities were included in that package, which we had to skip for now due to paucity of time, and that we could call him up whenever we had time to do them.

Back at the resort, we were really looking forward to dinner, and it didn't disappoint! Food was amazing as usual and we thoroughly enjoyed every single item.




By the time we were done, the manager had called the cab to come up and drop us off at our cottage. Extremely satisfied with the days outing, we finally turned in for the night.

End of Day 2

Day 3

For day 3, we drove along the Kumily-Munnar highway to visit the viewpoints along this route. 1 day is actually not sufficient to stop at all the points, especially if we include the places to see towards Idukki directions, like the Anchuruli Tunnel and so on. So after yet another extremely sumptuous breakfast, we set off to cover as many places as we can.


Pandikuzhi View Point

This was the first view point on the way and is only about 10kms from Kumily town. Its about 2kms from the main road and the road is bad, though it most definitely wont kill a sedan. We came to know later from our resort that this place is covered as a part of 'jeep off road package' and they wont usually allow private vehicles to come this far. Well no one was there to stop us on a weekday morning, so we drove as far as we felt it was safe.






We actually drove up until this point, but having no idea about the road ahead, we used the space available to take a U-turn and parked a short distance ahead. From there we walked the rest of the way. The path was so beautiful, covered by trees with light coming in from the side.






A panoramic pic of the point. The cliff literally forms the KL-TN border! From here, we could really appreciate the geography of the western ghats and stark difference in the terrains of KL and TN along the border. Its literally kms and kms of flat land on the TN side!







There is a small area that we could step down into, closer to the edge. Very few panoramas have left us breath taken, this comes close to some of the sights we'd seen in Ladakh.






A close up of the town below. Based on our general orientation and location, I'd guess that would be the Gudalur town.






A zoomed in view of the Kumily-Theni road. The penstock pipes leading to the Lower Camp power station can be seen from here.







Kungiripetti Dam

Okay, heres what happened. After leaving Pandikuzhi, we set the map for Aruvikuzhy and started on our way. I might have missed a couple of turns, because soon the road got narrower and narrower and we reached this dead end. GMaps seemed to suggest that we engage the Amphibious Mode of the Rapid to get across, but since I couldn't for the life of me find that damn button, we had no other option that to turn around.

So in summary, we totally planned to come to this totally awesome spot, and weren't totally misled by GMaps and totally didnt miss any turns. Totally!






Its a tiny check dam, made on a tiny stream, probably ending up in the Periyar. Still, it was a really quaint place, a small dam in the middle of nowhere.






So we got down and went looking for space to turn around.... ahem.... I mean, we went exploring around the dam. There is a path that lead somewhere downhill, which I think was a dead end. But from this point, suddenly we were caught by the beauty of the spot. Surrounded by greenery, with the only sound being made by the splashing of the water, it just felt so peaceful. For what was most definitely not a wrong turn, we spent quite some time here.






"If you don't look back at your Car after you park it, you own the wrong car."






Aruvikuzhi View Point

Without any more incidents along the way, we finally reached our next stop: the Aruvikuzhi Viewpoint. Just like Pandikuzhi, this viewpoint is perched on the same cliff, overlooking the Chellarcovil waterfalls. The place is beautifully maintained and there's plenty of parking available, both right at the site and nearby.






Since it was a weekday, we had the entire place all to ourselves, and I mean that literally! We could genuinely soak in the beauty of the location in complete silence.






The view point is at the very brink of the falls. The water flows through multiple levels before making its dive off the cliff. There are sufficient fences and barriers to keep away the influencers from un-aliving themselves.






There is a path leading to an elevated area from where we were able to get this truly captivating view of the surroundings. The stunning panoramic view of the cliff edge really takes your breath away!






From this vantage point, the rest of the viewpoint came into view. There's a visitor center with a canteen and an upper-floor viewing platform as well.






We took a leisurely walk all the way down to the stream. Thanks to the shallow water levels, we could sit by the stream, dipping our feet into the water. It was incredibly refreshing – despite the sunny weather, the cool breeze and the water worked together to create a perfectly relaxing atmosphere.






This was the sight from the viewpoint's edge. There was a railing here, along with safety instructions not to cross. Sadly, this remains the only perspective of the waterfalls from this viewpoint, given its location right at the uppermost point of the falls.







Chellarcovil Ecotourism Park

Afterward, we headed to the Chellarcovil Eco-Tourism Point, which was just a few kilometers away from the Aruvikuzhi viewpoint. It's essentially a dead end, with the path ahead reserved for forest officials only. There's a small garden / park along with a watchtower.






The watchtower had multiple levels and provided a phenomenal view of the nearby hills and forests. The forest official at the entrance mentioned that they sometimes use it to monitor elephant movements in the area.






The tower granted us the finest view of the towns along the Tamil Nadu border. We even managed to capture a close-up picture of Gudalur town.






Wait, there was more to explore at this spot. The forest guard offered us a guided tour of the adjacent forest area, leading us right to the cliff's edge. After a short walk through a forest trail, we actually crossed the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border. Yes, that fence in the picture is the actual KL-TN border!






Et voilà ! An absolutely splendid, unparalleled view of the Chellarcovil waterfalls! This remote location turned out to be the perfect spot to witness the falls. And let me tell you, what a spectacular sight it was. The magnificent waterfall right at the cliff's brink, truly showcasing the grandeur of the Western Ghats.






A close-up pic of the falls reveals the roof of the Aruvikuzhi viewpoint's visitors center from this vantage point. You can also spot the location where we took the earlier photos.






Leaving without capturing a bunch of goofy photos would have been unthinkable! In fact, the guard appeared to be used to such antics and even recommended the ideal spot for us to do this. He even guided us to get the most fantastic shots! :uncontrol





Kurivikkanam Windmill Farm

A visit to a windmill farm is a mandatory part of any Thekkady or Idukki trip. Chathurangappara is a well known farm, but its close to 60kms from Thekkady, and we just couldn't fit it into our schedule. Aneesh, our "jeep" safari driver, pointed us to Kurivikkanam, which happens to be a part of their safari package. It was less than an hour and also on the way to Ramakkalmedu. We crossed Cumbummettu and took a deviation from Kootar. The route was as pretty as it gets, and took us along some beautiful country roads and quaint villages. After what felt like an eternity of driving uphill, we caught the first sight of the windmills.







They are spread out over a large area and we were able to drive all the way near them. For some reason, they were all "off". No idea why!







We didnt realise how incredibly windy it was until we got out of the car. I'm not exaggerating when I say that we had a hard time keeping the doors open long enough to get out! Not gonna lie, getting some megalophobia vibes standing next to these gigantic structures!






The view was simply spectacular from this place! There were windmills all over the nearby hills. It was so incredibly windy, we had a hard time holding our phones still long enough to take proper pics! Most our pics were turning out to be blurry!







We had to do a spot of off roading to get around. The Rapid made it through without any fuss, other than a hit to the rear tow hook. The anti-stall feature was super useful here.







One last pic before we left the place. The wind really picked up now, so much that we felt the 1.3 ton Rapid buffeting, at standstill! Damn!




Day 3 to be continued.....

Day 3 continued...



Kuravan Kurathi Statue / Ramakkalmedu

Ramakkelmedu was only a few kms from the windmill farm, but it took time since the road was in bad shape. From the entrance, "jeep" safari packages can be purchased for a nearby trail. We just opted for entry to the viewpoint.






The Kuravan Kurathi status is constructed at the top of the the hill with well laid out paths leading to it. Now for a bit of back story:

Ramakkalmedu translates to Land of Rama's stone. Legend has it that Raman and Lakshmanan stepped on this rock while looking for Sita.

Kuravan (meaning tribal male) and Kurathi (meaning tribal female), were a tribal couple who were cursed by Lord Raman and turned into mountains. Before they turned, they begged to not be separated, and in turn they were promised that they would be reunited in Kaliyugam. Its said that this prophecy was fulfilled, when Kuravanmala and Kurathimala were finally joined together by the magnificent Idukki dam that was built between them.






The hill top boasts of a fantastic view of the surroundings. We could see the windmill farms of TN beyond the cliff.







A closer look at the statue. A wonderful piece of art, though it really needs some maintenance.






There is a trail leading to the edge of the cliff, which I think is a jeep trail as well. Next time maybe.







There was a jungle themed watchtower near the statue. I love how artistically it was made.






The view of the hills from the top of the watchtower was as spectacular as it gets! Kuravan and Kurathi can be seen watching over their land, either in peace or with sorrow, depending on how you want to look at it.



It was very windy and incredibly peaceful here. We just stood there, lost in our thoughts and only thought of leaving once our tummies started to complain. The canteen there was closed and so we had to drive back to town for lunch.



Lunch

For lunch we stopped at Camel Resto. Food was bad, taste was bland, the interiors were poorly lit and filled with smoke and took an incredible long time to get our food ready. Thankfully we didnt get diarrhoea, so that was good.





This was as far as we went along the Munnar route. By now it was close to 3PM and we decided to head back to Kumily. As we drove back, we remembered that our "jeep" safari package included 2 more items which we couldn't cover the other day due to shortage of time. We called up the driver and he sent us a location just outside of town and asked us to wait for him there. From the spot, he came along with us and guided us to our next stop.



Kalpavanam Elephant Park

There are several elephant parks all over Kumily. Our package included this one, which turned out to be quite decent. It was quite well maintained and had sufficient parking space available nearby. Our driver spoke to the guys at the ticket counter and got us our tickets.







After a short wait, it was our turn. The pappaan (mahout) held the elephant steady while another person helped us get on. And we were off!!







This was easily one of the most unique experiences we've ever had! The pappaan took us along a short route inside the compound, about a km or so. We were literally at the level of tree branches and the view from the this perspective was unlike anything we'd ever seen!







The ride lasted nearly 20 minutes. Back the entrance, we bought some fruits to feed him, which he happily accepted. He even started sniffing around our hands!







We both got "blessed" by him. While it was a cute gesture, all I could think of was how a casual flick of his trunk was more than enough to send us flying into the next compound.




On one hand, we really enjoyed the ride and loved the experience, but on the other hand, it did leave us a but upset on how these magnificent creatures were treated. There are so many reports on these giants being mistreated and forced to work through injuries. The recent saga with Arikomban really shows how they are suffering due to the greed and manipulation of those with power. Even the way the pappaan was yelling commands left us wincing. We couldn't help imagining our pet cats being similarly mistreated, though it doesnt make any sense in comparing a 3+ ton pachyderm who could kill you, to a squishy feline who will kill you. Still, really hope these tuskers are well taken care of.




Farm Periyar Spices

The last part of our package was a visit to the spice plantation. This particular one was close to our resort. It was almost closing time when we reached, but the staff (who turned out to be an Ayurvedic doctor), was very courteous and showed us around the plantation.






Here are some of the medicinal plants they grow there, along with their uses.


Shadavari: Womens health
Murukootti: Treatment for varicose veins
Madhunashini: Promotes insulin secretion
Keshavardhini: Used in hair oil
Brahmi: Mental health
Ayyampala: Treatment for acidity
Neelemberi: Treatment for hair greying





Ashwaghandha: Men's health and fertility
Theocarpus: Used to improve metabolism
Sarpasughandhi: Skin care
Gandhabala: Skin care
Dhevadharu: Treatment for snoring






Elaeocarpus angustifolius or the Rudraksha tree. You can see the "eyes" on the trunk.




They also had an outlet for Ayurvedic medicines which contained an impressive collection of treatments for all sorts of health issues.




With al the items in our itinerary crossed off, we returned to our resort to end the day. We went to the top for some tea and snacks and then spent time till dinner near the pool. Food was consistently fantastic and loved every single item. The presentation was spot on too!






We declined the cabs and chose to walk down to our cottage. It was quite cold and very windy and we had a leisurely walk though the resort.




End of day 3

Day 4

Since this was the last day of our trip, we slept in and had a late breakfast. After the sumptuous breakfast, we had fun playing games in the nearby recreation area. These were the two cabs that spent all day going up and down the resort.






We decided to check out close to noon, and so had plenty of time too go exploring the resort grounds.






The place was beautifully maintained and we had fun meandering our way down to the cottage. We finished our packing and checked out by around 11:30AM.






After spending days playing around the KL-TN border, we finally crossed the official border into TN.






The short ghat section starts immediately after the checkpost. Around half way down, we saw the penstock pipes leading to the power station. We had spotted this the previous day from Chellarcovil.






Once the ghat section ended, the roads straightened out as far as the eye could see. We could really appreciate the stark difference in the geography of KL and TN. Everything changes within the span of a few kms, the terrain and climate changed drastically. Cumbum/Theni is quite literally in the rain shadow region of the western ghats, much like Coimbatore. The wind was quite hot, due to the change in altitude as compared to Kumily.






The road runs literally parallel to the cliff line. We also caught sight of the Chellarcovil Aruvikuzhi waterfalls, this time from the other side.






Jenis Grapes

A trip to Cumbum and Theni would not be complete without a visit to one of the many grape farms here. We were quite surprised at how many there were!






Jenis grapes had a store in the front with the farms behind. A small section of the farm was a designated visiting area. We were able to see grapes in all stages of their growth.






Grapes come in a whole rainbow of colors! From the classic purple and green varieties to red and even black grapes. The color of the grape actually comes from the skin, which is packed with pigments.






They were also selling fresh grape juice and wine. The sweet cold drink was extremely refreshing in the harsh heat.




From the store, we bought a few bottles of grape crush and some fresh grape juice for the rest of the drive. Just opposite to the farm, there was a small restaurant. We were very hungry and were looking forward to some lunch, but had to come out sorely disappointed. Some repair work was going on inside and it was quite loud, and the staff very apparently didnt want to serve food. We took out GMaps and started searching for some place nearby.


Lunch

For lunch, we stopped at Hotel Surya in Cumbum. We left the bypass and entered the town. Parking space was very limited but the friendly security guard guided us to a nearby space.






Though we didn't have a lot of expectations for the food, we were pleasantly surprised. It was quite tasty and more importantly, the place had clean restrooms.





After the lunch, we got back on the road. Soon crossed Theni, Batlagundu and took a turn ahead of Dindigul. The open landscape was so incredibly windy that the Rapid was starting to buffet at higher speeds!




Tea Break

We stopped for tea and bio break at Saravana Bhavan just outside of Oddanchatram. We had been driving for more than 2 hours and needed to stretch our legs.






Taking a short break, the mile muncher that she is!






This road runs literally parallel to the western ghats. Heres the route to another popular hill station.






Just before Dharapuram, we were stopped by the cops for some reason. After checking our documents, and some basic questions about where we were headed and so on, they let us go without having to give any "donation".






Finally, nearly 6 hours and 300 kms later, we reached Coimbatore.






Home sweet home at last!

Conclusion

Total Distance: 800 kms
Total Fuel Consumed: 47 L
Estimated FE: 17 kmpl

As we wrap up our unforgettable journey through Vagamon, Kumily and Thekkady, I can't help but feel that the Western Ghats have some sort of magnetic pull on us. Our Rapid was the perfect companion, taking us through the twists and turns of these magnificent mountains. From the vast plains to the towering peaks, from the bustling cities to the serene viewpoints, our 800 km trip had it all.

As we bid farewell to this green paradise, we're already planning our next outing. Growing up in KL, the Western Ghats have always been a part of our lives. So, until our next visit to the mountains, we'll hold dear the memories of this trip, the views, and the sheer joy of exploring this incredible mountain range. The Western Ghats have cast its magic on us, beckoning us for that next drive to the hills.



Until next time, this is GeneralJazz signing off.....

Amazing pictures. Looks serene and calm compared to other hill stations (Ooty and Kodai). Have been to Tekkady almost 15 years ago, hows the traffic? Your log has kindled our long desire to visit a hill station. Is December a good time to visit this place or will it be raining?

That was an entertaining and super fun read (disembodies voices and what notrl:). You have surpassed yourself.
Also, like all your other travelogue this will be a wonderful guide to whoever is visiting the place

Your pic from college days is the icing on the cakeclap:

Perhaps all visitors should be made to mandatorily watch a 5 minute news footage video of the Jalakanyaka disaster. That may help drill some sense into these morons.

This is one of my favorite, travel routes, and must say that I never looked at exploring Kumily and places around to the fullest like these. I will obviously add all the places on the list to my itinerary.

Great pictures and loved to read the whole write-up.

Don't be deceived by how calm it looks now, its the middle of off-season, that too on a weekday! July is possibly the worst time to visit Thekkady, since its peak monsoon time. The only reason we were able to explore this much was due to the alarming rain deficit in Kerala this year. December is a good time to visit, though chances of rain are lower in January. It will be very crowded, due to the Christmas/year end leaves.

Thanks Praveenji! The heavy fog made everything much spookier! It was a great experience visiting the same place after such a long time, though this time somehow I feel the hills have gotten steeper, and the distances from parking to the viewpoints have gotten longer. Or perhaps its just the age talking! :coldsweat


Fully agreed! They could have displayed it on a TV in the waiting area. I used to think that only those who never lived near water had this attitude, but the recent Tanur accident says otherwise.



Thank you peterjim13. There are so many more smaller, less explored hidden gems all over Kumily and along Kumily-Munnar route. We really wished we had more time to explore more.

What an incredible trip. Nice travelogue and great photos. Brings back great memories. When it comes to the Western Ghats every nook and corner is a destination unto itself. So with a reliable ride one can just go on and explore. Believe me every time it has got some great surprises up its sleeves.