Did a 4 day family road trip to Vagamon, Kerala in my BMW 525d

I wondered if I should have taken my Mitsubishi Pajero, but the comfort of the 5 Series was excellent, absorbing the roughness of the roads without causing fatigue.

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Hello All,

Writing about my travels has always been on my mind, but somehow couldn’t bring pen to paper this time. I’m making an effort to conquer procrastination, so here I go.

Prelude:

My son was nearing his 11th birthday, the school had just shut for the Dasara holidays, and his ideal celebration idea was to call his friends over for a party. However, due to the vacation, we decided to celebrate with his friends after school resumed.It had been almost five years since our family took a holiday/ vacation post-COVID. I transitioned from the corporate and consulting worlds to focus on reviving our family estate and farm, doing a bit of construction along the way to create stable income streams. I also consciously moved from Bangalore to Mysore for a more relaxed pace of life, allowing me to be present at the farm more often.

The idea of taking my son on a 3 to 4-day outing lingered in my mind. I wanted to visit a place to which we could drive from Mysore, with Coorg and Ooty as my first thoughts. Incidentally, I hail from Wayanad and visit it a couple of times a week, so that was not on the menu! I started checking travel sites, but hotel rates seemed exorbitant due to the holidays. I’ve never been too keen on spending so much on these places. We are blessed with a lovely spot in the estate that could qualify as a good resort. I also wanted to take my elderly parents, who are 70+, along.

Day 1- Mysore-Wayanad-Guruvayur


So, on the morning of Saturday, October 5th, we started our trip to the family home in Wayanad from Mysore. Once I finished my tasks at the estate, I asked my parents if they were open to joining us for a road trip, and they agreed. We outlined the travel plan and decided to go to Guruvayur to seek blessings on my son’s birthday and maybe check out Vagamon, a place I’d heard about from friends and had been on my mind. Since schools in the state were still in session following Onam, I figured Kerala might not be too crowded. I reached out to a travel friend for recommendations in Vagamon, and she referred us to a quaint place. More on that later.

We left Wayanad around 3:30 PM, headed for Guruvayur with a plan to reach by around 9:30 PM. Given the ongoing expressway work between Kozhikode and Thrissur (part of the Kochi-Panvel Expressway project), we chose a different route. Kalpetta-Thamarassery-Edavanna-Manjeri-Perinthalmanna-Pattambi-Gurivayur

Unfortunately, the overall road condition was pathetic after Edavanna, with a journey of around 200 km taking about 7 hours and a 30-minute break for an early dinner. We always try to finish dinner before sunset.

Warning for travelers: If you plan a road trip anywhere in Kerala, do not expect to maintain an average speed of more than 40 km/h.

We finally reached Guruvayur at 10:30 PM and checked into a family suite at Bhavanam Regency, located about a kilometer from the temple entrance.
We knew the temple would be crowded on Sunday, but we wanted to be there early.

Bhavanam Regency is a decent three-star hotel .The Family suite had two bedrooms, a living area, and a dining area. The hygiene and upkeep were good, and the price was reasonable at ₹4,500 per night.

The BMW drove through the broken roads comfortably though it pained me to put her through the bad roads. I wondered if I should have taken my Mitsubishi Pajero, but the comfort of the BMW 5 Series was excellent, absorbing the roughness of the roads without causing fatigue.

Day 2: Guruvayur and Onward to Vagamon

We woke up at 6 AM and proceeded to the temple around 6:30 AM. Standing in the regular queue would have required a wait until 2 or 3 PM for darshan, so we opted for the special darshan, called Neyvilakku (Ghee lamp offering), which costs ₹4,500 for up to five members. (if you are travelling solo /couple, you can opt for the individual special darshan which is charged at₹1,000.)

We managed darshan in around 30 minutes. The actual time in front of the deity was less than five seconds, but like always it fills you with a lot of positivity!

As my son is fond of animals, especially horses and elephants, we decided to visit the Punnathurkotta elephant enclave (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punnathurkotta). This place is home to around 30 elephants that have been offered to the Lord, including some calves from famous personalities.

After our visit, we had a buffet breakfast at Devaragam restaurant and returned to the hotel for a short power nap before setting off for Vagamon at 11:30 AM.

The Route Taken:
Guruvayur- Thirssur-Angamaly-Kalady(Shankarcharya’s Birth Place)-Perumbavoor-Moovattupuzha-Thodupuzha-Muttom-Kanjar-Vagamon

En route, we stopped at Bhavan’s Veg Hotel in Angamaly for lunch. Vegetarian options on Kerala roads are limited, although they have improved significantly over the years thanks to the influx of pilgrims on the Sabarimala route.

Bhavan’s Hotel is average in terms of hygiene and food quality, but it’s conveniently located on the highway. There are definitely better options along the Thrissur-Ernakulam Highway.

After lunch at around 2 PM, we proceeded further, reaching Muttom around 4 PM. We noticed that the clouds were gathering; a severe downpour was expected. There are two routes from Muttom to Vagamon. After inquiring with a local, he suggested the scenic route, which has fewer hairpin bends.( Muttom-Kanjar-Vagamon)

For the next two hours, we drove with mixed feelings. Covering the 40 km stretch, the road was better suited for my Pajero than the BMW. It started pouring heavily, and the road barely allowed space for one car. Every time a vehicle approached from the other side, we had to pull off-road. It was a challenging drive, but The BMW performed beautifully despite the harsh conditions. The scene was dramatic, with water gushing from all sides and reducing visibility to less than 100 meters, all while recalling recent landslides in Wayanad.

After an intense drive, we finally reached our destination, which was 15 km away from Vagamon. The route, filled with twists and turns, is a driving enthusiast's dream, especially with the right set of wheels.

Our recommended stay, Hidden Peaks, is located in the Mountain range. The caretaker had been calling since 2:30 PM to check on our travel progress and take food orders for dinner. We had ordered chapati, idiyappam, kadala curry, rice, dal, and my son’s favorite — gobi manchurian. Unfortunately, we could not find an eggless cake, which we ended up skipping. The Idiyappam and kadala curry were good, while the rest were below average; instead of dry gobi manchurian, we received gobi curry, which went to waste.
We reminisced about the trip, chatted for a while in my parents' cottage, and then retired early, around 8:30 PM, falling asleep by 9 PM.

Day 3: Vagamon Outing

We woke up at 6:30 AM and had a leisurely breakfast around 8:30 AM. Jebin, the caretaker, suggested places to explore in Vagamon. We aren’t the type to visit every spot, partly due to my "crowd allergy." He recommended a nearby waterfall and a tourist village, so we decided to explore these, calling for an auto to spare my BMW from the rougher roads. Thankachan, a friendly auto driver, arrived on time and took us to two waterfall locations.

The first waterfall was small but serene and secluded; however, we couldn’t reach the waterfall point due to safety warnings. He then took us another location. Thankfully, when we arrived, we were the only ones around. We jumped into the pristine water and enjoyed a refreshing nature shower for about 90 minutes until a family from Tamil Nadu arrived, and we made ourselves comfortable in one section of the waterfall. There’s a lone tea shop nearby where Chetan made awesome tea for us, along with some Maggi for my son.

After a relaxing time in the water, we conversed with Thankachan, the auto driver, who shared that his two daughters were serving as nurses in Israel. He seemed nonchalant about the ongoing conflicts there. Interestingly, it appears that many young girls from Kerala are migrating abroad as nurses, in search of greener pastures. In regions like Kottayam and Pala, many have migrated en masse to the UK, US, and Canada, leading to a surplus of large properties for sale. Interstinly Thiruvalla, another town in Kerala, boasts branches of nearly every bank in India, with vast Fixed deposits remaining unclaimed as their children often don’t return.

We returned to the cottage, changed, and decided to visit KPM Tourist Village.

It turned out to be a stone quarry converted into a tourist attraction with a few plants on display. It paled compared to my mom’s garden and featured a few ducks and large birds. There was also boating and a water ball. My son played for a while, and we then searched for other places to visit. Google indicated that the Idukki Wildlife Sanctuary was around 25 minutes away, so we navigated there, only to realize we were close to our cottage. Around 1:20 PM, we decided to have the pre-ordered lunch. It was a simple meal of rice, rasam, vegetabls, pickle, and curd.

Afterward, we set out for the wildlife sanctuary. However, I was hesitant to put my car through the rough patches that were more suited for my Pajero. Each exit from the cottage was physically taxing, but the BMW held up well. Unfortunately, Google Maps led us to the boundary of the wildlife sanctuary, and we got lost. Locals informed us we needed special permission to enter the sanctuary and recommended proceeding toward Thekkady, which was about one hour away. Having been there a decade ago it didn’t excite us, so we opted to visit other tourist spots around Vagamon.

Traveling through winding roads, we reached the Vagamon Meadows. The Google Maps in this area are unreliable, sending us off the beaten path a couple of times. The green meadows are beautiful, and they were shrouded in fog during our visit. We walked up different hills and embraced nature’s blessings as the air was fresh. Various activities like zip-lining, cycling, and boating were available, but visibility was around 50 meters. We spent some time there, which was nice, though the crowds increased despite it being a Monday. The Meadows reminded me of an old novel I read called "Heidi"

Afterward, we proceeded towards the pine forest and the government-run plant nursery. We stopped at a roadside tea stall for the hot"Pazham Pori" and hot cups of chai. We were disappointed by the nursery, as most of the plants there were already in my mom’s beautiful backyard.

Vagamon is definitely a a solace for urban dwellers who want fresh air and scenery but for us, who live inside a coffee plantation, it was more about quality family time without interruptions. We ended the day with a repeat of idiyappam and kadala curry.

Day 4: Return to Wayanad

We had breakfast of idli and chutney at 8 AM and began our journey back to Wayanad, deciding to take the Erattupetta route instead of the one we arrived on. The roads were excellent and winding until Muttom.

Note: If any of your planning a drive to Wagaman, try out the Kanjar route in a SUV only if it is not raining and you feel adventurous People in SUVs by all means try this route. If you’re not comfortable driving alongside on this narrow road take the Erattupetta Road

While driving back , I felt the urge to visit the renowned Pajero workshop in Pala, known for hybrid clutch installations. However, since my family wanted to head back to Wayanad quickly, we decided to skip it. Our goal was to reach Thrissur for lunch, and we managed to do so by 1:45 PM with a short tea break at Hotel Woodlands in Thodupuzha. The name Thodupuzha evokes memories of the blockbuster film "Drishyam," as it repeatedly features in the protagonist's storyline — a reference mallus will instantly recognize.

En route, we passed Vazhakulam, renowned as the pineapple capital of Kerala, filled with merchants and vast pineapple fields — indeed a sight to behold.

We had a meal at Hotel Bharat in Thrissur and opted for the highway to Calicut instead of the route that we had taken earlier. There was work in progress on the entire Thrissur-Calicut stretch, and we could not average more than 35 km/h. We paused for coffee at a Metro-style coffee shop after Kottakkal, enjoying delicious cappuccinos and hot chocolate. We continued through Kozhikode and reached Thamarassery around 7:30 PM. After a quick tiffin at Sobhana Veg Restaurant, we were eager to head home.

The drive from Thamarassery was uneventful and smooth, though I did feel anxious about possible traffic jams in the hills, which can happen due to accidents or heavy vehicle breakdowns. We finally reached home around 10 PM, completing a 14-hour journey of 380 km from Vagamon to Wayanad — an overall enriching trip that filled us with joy and allowed us quality time together.

Review of The Hidden Peak Cottages

The Good:

• Secluded location
• Boutique-style (only two cottages)
• Rustic charm, great for urban dwellers seeking a break from city life
• Privacy
• Open bathroom (depends on personal preference)

The Bad:

• Hygiene was a concern; cutlery left outside in the open by the caretaker, raising discomfort over cleanliness.
• Insects and Snails were present in abundance.
• Authenticity missed: While the cottages resembled mud huts, flooring material varied greatly, leading to an inconsistent experience.
• Lack of security personnel on the premises.

While the location is stunning, improvements are needed to enhance the overall experience. Our cottage featured an open-sky bathroom, but the flooring felt inadequate, with one cottage having vinyl floors and the other ceramic tiles. For those with a fear of insects, the open bathroom might not be ideal. Additionally, the water pressure in the shower was low, and the plants in the bathroom were more hindrance than aesthetic. Food must be pre-ordered, and it is sourced from a nearby house, leaving little choice.

My rating: 3 out of 5 — Significant room for improvement.

Though Vagamon boasts several resorts and restaurants, I am unaware of any premium properties in the area.

If you’ve read until here, thank you for your patience! Please share your feedback and let me know if you’d like reviews in this format going forward!

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