The Hill
Stations of Kerala
When the heat is on
the plains and its time to get away from the crowd, come for a rendezvous with nature.
Inhale the bracing mountain air, relax in peace, stroll down the winding paths, marvel at the
beautiful views, enjoy the profusion of flowers in bloom. Kerala's exotic appeal is
centered in the highland area of the Western Ghats. Rising to an average height of 1520 m, it houses rich flora and fauna .
Wayanad
Luxuriant plantations of coffee,
tea, cardamom, pepper and rubber, stretch over the hills of Wayanad as far as the eye can
see. The fast-flowing rivers - Panamaram, Mananthavady and Kabini, cuts across
the undulating panorama and lends a picture-postcard look to the north eastern tip of Kerala. |
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Ponmudi A quaint little hill station tucked away in the Western Ghats,
Ponmudi is at an altitude of 1100 ft. above sea level. Lush green woods, lazily meandering
streams and countless varieties of butterflies lend a strange magic to Ponmudi. |
Nelliyampathy
| The Nelliyampathy
Hills, a forest range that is 75 kms. from Palghat (travel
time: 2 ½ hours),
comprise a chain of ridges cut off from one another by valleys of dense evergreen forests
and orange plantations The height of the hills range from 467 meters to the tallest peak
Padagiri looming at 1572 meters. Accessing Nelliyampathy from Palghat is a
sensation on its own. Negotiating over a dozen hairpin curves on the ghat road
and passing through the fascinating jungles of the Sahya Ranges. En route, the shimmering Pothundi Reservoir and its manicured surroundings make for an
ideal stop over. |
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Munnar The nature-lover’s paradise. Snuggling
in the green and serene Kannan Devan Hills, lies the quite and restful resort of Munnar,
at an altitude of 1524 m and 136 km off Cochin. Panoramic views of low-flying clouds and
mist filled valleys make it a pretty little heaven with a cool bracing climate. It was
opened out of virgin forests, a century ago, by pioneering planters. |
| Within its remote and elderly
churches are gracious stone-structures with ancient chandeliers and rosewood pews. A little
beyond lies Anaimudi, South India's highest peak. In the vicinity is the Eravikulam
National Park, the home of the endangered Nilgiri Tahr that roams on a stretch of
grassland or is seen climbing the pinnacles of the undulating hills. Here we can have a
glimpse of a Gaur, Langur, Lion-tailed macaque and Elephants roaming in herds. |
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| The Kundale Tea Plantation,
surrounding a lovely lake, offers some of the most stunning views of the region.
It offers the best opportunity you are ever likely to have, to see the tea plantations, to
watch tea being picked, to learn how tea is processed, to smell the sweet scent of tea
wafting through the air and to buy the tea directly from the gardens. |
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Mattupetty At an elevation of 1700
mts. above sea level, this place is 13 kms.
away from Munnar. It is also the seat of the Indo-Swiss Dairy Project where the green
meadows, the exotic cattle and the rose gardens attract a lot of tourists. |
Idukki
| En route to
Munnar and121 kms. away
from Kottayam lies Idukki, a small hill town, surrounded by a spread of
beautiful wooden
valleys and meandering streams. Famed for its arched dam built across the Periyar river,
Idukki literally means a narrow gorge . |
Devikulam
| Devikulam, sixteen kilometers southwest of
Munnar, is a dainty town. It consists of irresistibly green slopes touching
the sky at a thousand meters and silent clusters of slender red and blue gum trees. It
has a lovely little lake hidden within the rolling hills. According to a legend,
Sita
Devi, the holy consort of Lord Rama, came down to frolic in the lake and the
place came to be spoken about as ’Devikulam’ (meaning the lake of the goddess),
ever since. |
| Peermade Peermade is a small hill station on the way
to Thekkady. It is a fertile land at an altitude of 914 metres. Formerly the summer
palaces of the Travancore Rajas, this tiny and cool hill station is full of rubber, tea,
coffee, pepper and cardamom plantation, interspersed with waterfalls and open grass lands. |
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Lakkadi
A place of scenic beauty with
picturesque hills, streams and luxuriant vegetation, Lakkadi is one of the highest locations in
Wayanad, and registers the second highest degree of rainfall in the world. 3 km from here
is Pookode Lake. The natural fresh water lake is very wide and deep and
is one of the rare
reservoirs in Wayanad. Surrounded on all sides by meadows and hills, it has
become a favorite picnic spot. |
Mangalam Dam
The Dam, constructed across
Cherukunnapuzha, a tributary of Mangalam river, is located in picturesque
surroundings. The reservoir fringes on the forest area where there are deer, wild
elephants and a variety of birds. There are beautiful parks and lawns adorned with
statues. |
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Malampuzha
| Malampuzha, a major tourist
attraction, is in the site of a large irrigation dam built across the Bharathapuzha.
The town is set at the base of the hills of the Western Ghats and around the large
reservoir are beautiful rose gardens and amusement parks for children.
Boat cruises in the reservoir and the famous work 'Yakshi' done by Kerala's
famous sculptor Kanai Kunhiraman are other attractions. |
Wagamon
Wagamon, 64 km. from Kottayam and 34
km. from Pala, situated at an elevation of 1100 metres above sea level is a trekker’s
paradise. It is an ideal tourist spot surrounded by the greenery of tea gardens,
beautiful meadows, valleys and dales. Other attractions are Thangal Para, lndo-swiss
project and Kurisumala Ashram.
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