A small little hill station which offers the nearest trekking escapede, 61 km away. And the good professor used to trek in the shoal shrub hills of ponmudi even when she was well into her eighties. No doubt, the salubrious atmosphere and the twisted trails across clear streams must have contributed to her health.

Ponmudi means golden hair or golden crown, a name said to have been born from the golden rays of the sun striking the face of the hills at this end of the ghats. This is a very small hill station and the expected thing to do is to walk around, preferably slightly off the main ponmudi center which houses the KTDC complexed as well as the government guesthouse.

If you’re driving down to ponmudi from Thiruvananthapuram with sign boards counting down the 22 hairpin bends on the last stretch stop off at the bridge across the Kallar River, a few kilometers from ponmudi. Get your snacks at the little teashops here before you trek along the banks of the kallar upstream to the Meenmutti Falls, an hour away. This used to be the best spot to swim the waterfall feeds into a largish pool that is deep at one end, but generally safe until students discovered it and assorted youngsters who are not eco-friendly and leave behind a trail of broken bottles and litter. Some accidents of them from lingering at Kallar, but don’t expect to find it as nature intended it to be.

And always heed the warnings of the locals about foul weather before you set out, especially if it is during the rainy season. They have seen the river in all its moods and can predict when it can turn nesty. Ask at the bridge or in one of the teashops about weather conditions. Early mornings would be the best time to do kallar, so that you return to the bend in the road where you’ve parked in time from lunch before setting off to ponmudi.

Agasthyakoodam 60km

Agasthyakoodam is the abode of Agasthya, the puranic saint and seer who travelled around south India, especially in the hills of the western Ghats. A favourite spot for birdwatchers, Agasthyakoodam has forests that teem with medicinal herbs as well as rare orchids. It is also the source of the kallar River. The area once came under under the Kotoor Reserve Forest, but got rapidly degraded. It is now a protected park the Agasthya Vanam Biological Park.

There are two routes to trek to the peak one starting at Kotoor near Neyyar Dam and the other at Bonacaud. Remember this is a protected area and you won’t be allowed to trek through the forests at will. You’ll have to get permission and a forest pass from the Neyyar Wildlife Sanctuary. They organize guided tours with an overnight halt at the camp inside the forest. For Rs 500-1,000, the tour can include trekking inside the park, boat rides, food and stay at the camp.

Trekkers say the first 10 km of the trek is a breeze, along a much-trodden but well maintained path. The next 16 km are very steep and you will find your knee meeting your forehead more than once. Even before the final ascent, you’ll get to see waterfalls. From the top, the views of the Neyyar and Peppara dams are breathtaking. Send out a prayer of gratitude to the statue of Agasthya at the top.

Nayyar Dam

The Neyyar Dam 80 km and Sanctuary attract bus-loads of visitors, not all of whom are headed for the famous Sivananda Ashram, founded by the Flying Swami in 1978. Most instead, have come to peek at the crocodiles in the Crocodile Park, Lying deceptively lethargic, jaws open to the sun. These are small freshwater marsh crocodiles, said to tbe almost extinct. Get on a boat that circles a small island that contains a variety of Wildlife. The boat ride starts at the Wildlife Information Centre and is fairly enhoyable, set against the bluish mountains. The sanctuary forms the drainage basin of the Neyyar River and its tributaries, the Mullayar an dKallar and nudges the Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve in Tamil Nadu.

Around Ponmudi

Thenmala 70 km

Thenmala is the site of what is claimed to be India’s first planned ecotourism project. It’s worth the excursion as there is a range of things to do including dabbling in adventure sports like rappelling and river crossing. The staff of the Tenmala Ecotourism Promotion society is particularly helpful and will patiently brief you about the project and the options on offer.

The project area has been divided into zones such as the Leisure Zone, Adventure Zone and Buffer Zone. You can walk along the elevated walkway a wooden stairway that climbs at tree canopy level to the old disused. Thiruvananthapuram shencottai road. At the end of the walkway exists a sheer rock face which you can climb aided by trained mountain climbers.

Route: NH7 to Tirumangalam via Salem, Dindigul and Madurai. NH208 to Thenmala via Tenkasi and Shencottai; state road to Ponmudi.

Kurisumala monastery is a famous hill station and pilgrimage center for the Christians where cross put-up in each sub hill stations. The close to Kurisumala Ashram is a residence of calm and spiritual delight. This hill area includes 12 sub mounds where pilgrims visit as a sacrifice. Travelers can enjoy trekking and climbing this high hill. The area is fully surrounded with Tea estates and lakes. Indo-Swiss Project dairy farms is situated on the hills.

In the Sahya Range of the Western ghats on Idukki’s border with Kottayam 68 km from Thekkady

Vagamon is surely God’s final creation so nearly perfect that it looks like the culmination of practice in sculpting the other beautiful spots in God’s own country.

Come to think of it you’ll be hard pressed to find a room even today there are few hotels currently available and finding a bed to crash out on can become an exercise in desperation. So what gives?. A hill station sans hotels?. A place high up in the clouds with nary a roof for shelter.

The Vagamon 3,500ft above sea level is a paradise in the making or more correctly, an unknown heaven only now beginning to show its charms to the world outside. Like a bride being prepared for a dazzling wedding, Vagamon is now gathering the accourements that will embellish the grand occasion when the whole world gasps at her beauty, her trousseau, her gait. You can see it happening, as the thin mist lifts with the rising sun to reveal a young archtect squatting in the midst of a 100-acre forest seeking inspiration on how to integrate stone and wood into a villa, without displacing a single rock formation.

About 10 km from vagamon is Kurisumala, a pilgrime center for Christians that recreates Christ’s final hourney the way of the cross in a series of pictures or tableaux. These represent scenes in the passion of Christ, each corresponding to a particular incident as he made as last journey up to calvary and constituting the most popular of all catholic devotions.

Though it looks formidable from the ground, kursumala is not a very tough climb and there are enough paths around the steeper inclines to allow even the aged and infirm to complete the 2 km trek. All along you will be accompanied by groups of devotees passing from station to station, offering prayers at each, deditating on the various incidents depicted here.

And all along, you can stop to catch your breath and take in the spectacular vistas the cows grazing in the distant valley, the towns of pala and thodupuzha sitting like little patches on a green carpet, the mist kissing the hillsides, the terraced tea plantations like cakes at a wedding reception. Even a non-believer will feel uplifted once atop kurisumala. Kurisumala can also be visited by jeep from Vagamon for around Rs100-250.

Meditate Amidst Cows and Flowers

Just before you enter Vagamon, about 3 km from the market center, you’ll see a bus stop opposite which is a large statue of Christ. The road from there leads to the Kurisumala Ashram, which thankfully is off bounds for vehicles. But you can walk around the beautiful ashram campus, set up in 1955 by a Belgian Cistercian monk, Abbott Francis Acharya.

Previously the ashram was open to visitors who could tour the farm the dairy training center and the meditation center. Now though it is closed for technical reasons, you can still walk around and savour the silence and meditative calm of the place, heightened by the beautiful gardens and glowers.

Picnic on Hilltops

Turn right at the junction with all the signposts and you’re on the road to Elappara, a small township 20 km away, where you can stock up on essentials like fuel. There is no petrol station at Vagamon, though some shops sell fuel in the black. The only other pump is at Erattupettah, 24 km away. You can also get some fuel for yourself at the government run liquor store at Elappara, as there are no bars in Vagamon.

Kerala popular tourist attractions in the state contain the beaches at kovalam, cherai and varkala; the hill stations of munnar, nelliampathi, ponmudi and wayanad. Wildlife sanctuaries and national parks at periyar and eravikulam national park. The Kerala backwaters region an extensive network of interlocking rivers, lakes and canals that centre on alleppey, kumarakom and punnamada also see heavy tourist traffic. Heritage sightseeing such as the padmanabhapuram palace, hill palace, mattancherry palace are also visited. Kerala Cities such as kochi and thiruvananthapuram are popular canters for shopping and traditional theatrical performances.

Kerala Tourism was able to transform itself into one of the holiday destinations in India. The tag line Kerala God’s own country was adopted in its tourism promotions and became synonymous with the state. Kerala Travel is a global superbrand and regarded as one of the destinations. Kerala attracted 8.5 million tourists an increase of 23.68% in foreign tourist arrivals compared to the previous year, thus making it one of the fastest growing tourism destinations in the world.

Almost every inch of the mist-wrapped undulating hills of Wayanad have coffee, pepper and cardamom growing on them, hedged by lush rainforest that stuns the eye with its varied shades of green.

Wildlife truly roams free in Wayanad, whse forests share borders with Bandiput and Mudumalai. This vast stretch of protected earth is a haven of freedom of the fauna of Malabar and the Nilgiris. Add to that the relative lack of development of Wayanad District and you get lots of pristine environment unblemished by the excesses of civilization.

So if you’re sick of civilized courtesies and sham creature comforts, head to the twin jewels of Vythiri and Lakkidi, trucked into the wild beauty of the forests of Wayanad, across the state border in Kerala.

Lakkidi often referred to as the gateway to Wayanad is 2,297ft atop Thamarassery Ghat Pass beyond which lie the kozhikode plains. After Meghalaya’s Cherrapunjee Mawsynram region, Lakkidi registers the second highest degree of rainfall in the world. If you travel along the 12 km ghat road from Adivaram to Lakkidi, amidst thick forests you’ll have to negotiate nine hairpin bends, making for a thrilling ride.

About 3 km from Lakkidi is this small an dplacid freshwater lake 21 ft at its deepest and covered in parts with lotus flowers. Pookote Lake is the most visited tourist spot in Wayanad. Flanked by green hills, it does make a pleasant spot for picnics and boating. From Vythiri it’s a kilometer on foot, so if your’re staying at one of the resorts there, it’s a nice walk to the lake, which emerges from between the trees and dazzles the senses with its dark beauty. In the vicinity of the lake are a children’s park, an Uravu Eco-Shoppe selling local handicrafts and spices, a nursery and a freshwater aquarium for when you’re done with the row and paddle boats.

Chembra Peak

At 6,890 ft above sea level, Chembra Peak is th ehighest point in the Wayanad Hills. It takes a whole day to trek to the peak 24 km from Meppadi near Kalpetta and the trail is invariably wet and slippery fed as it is by the incessant rain that feeds the perennial lake at the top of the peak. The trail goes through tea plantations.

Route: SH17 to Kalpetta via Antarasante and Mananthavady, NH212 to Lakkidi.

Malampuzha is the abode of Yakshi Sculpted in concrete by Kanai Kunhiraman, Kerala’s best known contemporary sculptor, Yakshi adorns the landscaped gardens of the dam at this picnic spot.

Sometimes referred to as the Vriandavan of kerala this garden town derives its name from the curvy malampuzha River which flows through as a tributary of th eBharathapuzha.

It’s a hill station with a difference so don’t expect from Malampuzha what you do from others. With its garden complex, ropeway and reservoir, among other attractions, think of it as a weekend romp for the family especially the kids.

Unmatched Views

Among the first exciting things you’d want to experience in Malampuzha is the Udan Khatola the passenger ropeway. Any of its 64 two seater chairs with their transparent hoods give you a beautiful view from a height of 60 ft of the Malampuzha Gardens at the foot of the blue hills. The 20 minute, 625 k ride in the sky will thrill your kids. After that they’ll get more thrills on the toy-train rides in the gardens.

Gardens and Roses

The Malampuzha Gardens on the banks of the reservoir oftern remind Keralites of Prem Nazir darting across rose plants a he wooed sheela in many a classic Malayalam film. Don’t be surprised if you get the urge to burst into song yourself for the rose garden itself has over a hundred varieties. The Rock Garden at Malampuzha is particularly worth spending time in designed by the legendary Nek Chand Saini the man behind the rock garden in Chandigarh.

There’re a variety of boats to take you all round the reservoir you can hire rowboats and pedal boats for those feeling more energetic, water scooters and motorboats, all from 10 am to 6 pm. Or check out the freshwater aquarium. There’s also a swimming pool near the garden colosed on Tuesdays in which those more conventinallly inclined can opt for a few laps. Aquarium timings 11 am to 8 pm.

Fantasy Park

Roam around Malampuzha’s Fantasy Park and get in touch with the child in you even as you pamper your kids. As kerala’s first amusement park it’s considered a landmark of sorts.

Built on an 8acre site near the malampuzha Gardens, Fantasy Park offers a menu of 20 exciting rides. Kids can try cut the Oriental Express, Water Merry go Rround, Pirate Boat, Saya Trooper, Swing Slambobm Go Cart, Striking Car, Conveniently enough, there’s a restaurant and an ice cream parlous in the park.

Where to Stay

Malampuzha has some decent options. Should hotels in Malampuzha be booked up you can always opt for one of the many in Palakkad just 14 km away. Malampuzha Garden House Tel: 0491-2815217 /  191, Price: 480-980 the KTDC Gust house is also near Malampuzha Gardens.

The mist clings to the lake like tendrils of cloud, linking water and air, wetness and emptiness. It’s cold the coldness of purity, not harsh enough to penetrate deep. The silence of the hour before dawn is mildly disturbed by the prow of the boat slicing through the water, leaving a wake that undulates gently to the far bank, interrupted every few metres by bare tree stumps that reach for the sky, seeking to be free, ethereal pointers to another time, another eon, another yearning. What lies beneath the lake Fishes, crocodiles, water snakes, monsters. What goes through the mind of the tiger deep in the forest.

As day breaks over the Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary, a herd of elephants sets out to the edge of the lake, now no longer alarmed by the distant whirr of the motor boat laden with humans. The elephants romp in the water, spouting spray onto their leathery backs, the females forming a protective ring around the young tusker.

This must be how the earth looked like once wild, free, uncaged, raw, pregnant with memories, like elephants. Elephants have memories, yes and so will you when you leave periyar, Thekkady, Kumily.

The periyar wildlife sanctuary is one of the few places where the chances are pretty high that you will spot an elephant in the wild at close quarters and from the safe confines of a boat. Not just elephants, but if its your lucky day, tigers gaur mahseer otter and other wildlife.

Route

NH7 to Dindigul via hosur, salem and namakkal state highway to kumily via sembatti, Theni and Kilgudalur, state road to Thekkady.

You will find yourself wondering, as you soak in the neat arrays of verdant green, dotted with the reds and blues and violets of the women who are plucking tea leaves.

And as the sun goes down on the hill crested horizon, and the gin and tonic in your hand spreads a warmth matched only by the glow of the wicker and teak dining room of the high range club.

Tea plantations, trout filled streams, placid lakes, picnic spots at each bend of the winding road, wildlife reserves, trekking routes that take you to the highest peak in south India.

Munnar for long, the best kept secret among hill-station destinations now the choice of honeymooners, tea testers, corporate warriors and wannabe colonial masters. Wrapped in the greenest of carpets this side of Eden.

Angling

Munnar has several mountain streams and brooks that contain fish like trout of the Indian species closest to trout, the mahseer with would tempt any angler.

Trekking

Munnar is home to south india’s highest peak, Anamudi 8,842 ft above sea level and getting there is half the fun. Not so easy, though because of some overzealous efforts to protect the Nilgiri tahr. Most people get dispirited by the hassles of getting an official trekking permit from the divisional forest office, but if you are a serious trekker it is worth the effort.

Devikulam

A little hill station 7km from Munnar, Devikulam boasts some rare flora and fauna and also the sita devi lake good for trout fishing. Local lore has it that sita took a dip in this lake and so it is regarded as sacred and is graced by a sita temple.

Mattupetty

Mattupetty is a quaint little place 13 km from Munnar town. An ideal spot to pitch a tent is in the area known as old Munnar, near Mattupetty Lake and Dam. The lake is a popular picnic spot, where the DTPC offers boating facilities. Nearby is the Kundala Plantation and Kundala Lake worth trekking to.

Eravikulam National Park

This is the home of the Niligiri tahr, the rare mountain goat that is fast becoming extinct. Most of the remaing Nilgiri tahr are found in this park now closely protected and divided into three zones the core zone, the buffer zone and the tourism area. Tourists are allowed only into the tourism zone, where the tahr can be observed at close quarters amidst ther favourite food the shala vegetation.

Within the park, visitors are allowed only up to Rajamalai through the 10km private road belonging to Tata Tea. No plastic is allowed into the park.

Route

NH7 to dindigul via hosur and salem, state highway to munnar via sambatti, kodaikanal and Marin Shola Falls.

Getting there is just as much fun. The roads are jaw droppingly smooth you pass modest sized hills one seemed perennially covered in cloud, rather like Tolkien’s Misty mountain and there are mangoes and block grapes being sold at ridiculously low rates once you are in the Coimbatore area. The Walayar Forest you need to traverse to reach palakkad makes for a scenic route. Red-tiled houses, parrot green paddy fields, swamps of palm groves, blue-grey skies an unspooling navy road, clear signposts in English and Malayalam and as you near nenmara needle slender waterfalls spurting from the mighty wall of the Western Ghats. As you take the twists and turns up towards Nelliyampathy the road affords amazing glimpses of the pothundy reservoir down below. A truly memorable drive.

There are two ways to do Nelliyampathy once you park yourself in one of the resorts, hire a jeep and hit the road. Or pull on your trekking boots and hit the road. Neither way is too easy. Some of the inclines you will traverse in a four-wheel drive are almost vertical and call for extreme fortitude. The trekking paths are rough-hewn and call for dexterity but the views from journeys end, places like seethargundu, palakkapandi, kesavanpara, karapara and even parambikkulam, which isn’t too far away, make the trek worthwhile. The Nelliyampathy hills are known for the malabar hornbill as well as the rust coloured malabar squirrel amongst other wildlife.

Maampara Peak:

Maampara is a bald peak 5,250 ft above sea level, 10 km form the center of Nelliyampathy and accessed by a track that makes a mockery of more conventional roads. At times the climb is almost vertical. The view is worth it, though it adds a new dimension to the erm panoramic. When the mists that rise from the valleys below clear the chaliyar, Meenkara and Aliyar reservoirs sperkle down below, Pollachi and Coimbatore can be glimpsed to one side and Palakkad to another and directly below lies the pastoral hamlet of Kollengode. The summit of the peak is along the route of the Palghat Gap, so the wind is more a perpetual gale that threatens to lift and carry one away. Kesavan Para is another peak, 6 km from Nelliyampathy which offers another bird’s eye view another stop almost in the eye of gale force winds.

Seethargundu Viewpoint

The improbable myth has it that Sitacame this way along with Ram and Lakshman, sat by a deep well that seemed carved out of the side of the Western Ghats and rested awhile. This then is Seethrgundu, 8 km from the center of Nelliyampathy from where you can look down upon Kollengode spread below you in a maze of paddy and stone quarries. A perfect picnic spot.

More to Do

Visit a relic of the Raj, the small Victoria Church, which stands prettily on a modest hillock with a cool breeze blowing all around. A pretty sight. Picnics down by the Ponthundy Reservoir, animal and bird watching, fishing, hiking, boat rides on the river are on offer. And of course just chilling out which could end up as the main attraction of this hills station.

Nelliyampathy’s oranges were once quite a luscious byword, down in the plains. A southern version of Himachali keenu, the truit was small bright of hue with a tang that sat well on the tongue. Orange trees grew in almost as much profusion as coffee and tea and of course the gooseberry that purportedly gives its name to the village of Nelliyampathy.

At Nelliyampathy’s government orangery, piles of passion fruite and guava lie piled, ready to be made into preserves and squash. The nursery across the road stocks some fine apecimens of plants and flowers, notably hydrangeas, lilies, orchids and anthurium. There is a notable lack of enthusiasm when the talk veers to oranges. The agricultural officer shrugs helplessly when aked why they persist with orange cultivation when they could well move on to another fruite that grows and sells better. Therein of course, lies the catch 22 situation of Nelliyampathy’s orange groves. It doesn’t do well, but they continue to grow it.

This little known hill station has some charming options, across all budgets.

Air Nearest Airport: Coimbatore (101 km/3.3 hrs). Serviced by India Airlines and Jet Airways. An ambassador taxi to Nelliyampathy from here would be Rs1,500 approx.

Road almost international standard roads on NH7 and NH47 from Bangalore via Hosur then via the coimbatore bypass onto palakkad and to nenmara which is the base of the hill on which Nelliyampathy sits.

Rail Nearest Railhead: Palakkad Junction (54 km 2 hrs). Hire a jeep for approx Rs 900 to take you up the hills. KSRTC buses leave at 4.30, 7 and 7 am, noon, and 1 and 5.30 pm to Nelliyampathy Village. Tickets are just Rs 30 and an auto from Palakkad station to the bus stand is Rs20.