Kerala’s hidden charms & offbeat corners for the discerning traveller!
Wednesday, May 31, 2017As our definitions of vacations have changed from hectic, see-everything-you-can sightseeing holidays to leisurely travels where we would rather not see hordes of people blocking our view, the wide open spaces of the world seemed to have shrunk but thankfully haven’t disappeared altogether. It’s time for us to start experiencing destinations in a whole new way by stepping beyond the cliché and exploring the hidden gems around popular spots. Kerala is a hot favourite among travellers and naturally gets a lot of attention. That means it can feel crowded and all too familiar at times. Fortunately, the state has enough sights and secrets to hold those who stray off the beaten path, in rapture. Including the likes of hiking in the flourishing hills of Nelliampathy and a walk among the humbling Dolmens of Marayoor, here are few offbeat ways to experience the best of Kerala.
Walk among the ancient Dolmens of Marayoor
In an unassuming town called Marayoor, 42 kms away from Munnar, a secret of historic proportions is waiting to be unraveled by anyone who is willing. Ancient dolmens that have miraculously survived the test of time (over 5000 years to be precise) can be found littered on a rocky slope at the edge of this particular village. Dolmens are megalithic structures from prehistoric age where large slabs of stones are stacked together to form tombs. Given these are structures from thousands of years before, there is little information available but the idea that something from another time has survived all this while is most intriguing. Located on the barren slopes of a hill overlooking the town of Marayoor and Pambar river, surrounded by the looming hills of Western Ghats, it is hard not to get drawn to the intense energy of the place. It helps that the drive to the town of Marayoor from passes in immensely beautiful as well, including the famous section through the rare and natural Red Sandalwood groves on the way.
Fall in love with the misty peaks of Nelliampathy Hills
The first glimpse of Pothundy Dam on the way to Nelliampathy Hills is a great preview of the spectacular scenic beauty of this little-known hill station located 60kms away from the town of Palakkad in Kerala. The glimmering water of the reservoir is surrounded by lush forest and pointy hills that extend till the eye can see; it looks particularly impressive on a stormy day. Even though a lot of the forest here has been converted to massive tea, coffee and cardamom plantations, there’s still a huge swathe of forest that’s pristine and where wild things roam free. With the help of a forest guide, a hike to one of the viewpoints inside the protected area offers stunning vantage point views of the valleys below the windswept slopes.
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Sip in the stunning views from Kolukkumalai Tea Estate
While the usual reason to visit Kolukkumalai Tea Estate on Kerala-Tamilnadu border may be sampling a cup of the delightful organic hand-rolled tea, I offer another incentive. Stunning views of a Tea Garden dwarfed by rugged mountains and surrounded by deep valleys! At 8000ft, this has to be the world’s highest organic and orthodox tea processing estates that eschews machinery to Cursh-Tear-Curl machinery. A sad excuse of a jeep trail winds through the tea plantations to climb to this estate and the road is as bad as it can get. The trail then crosses over to the other side to reach Kolukkumalai. The journey, though backbreaking, offers full redemption in the form of extraordinary views. From here, we can see the mountains and villages in Tamilnadu. The tea factory here has been standing since 1930s and is still in use to produce tea in the orthodox seven-step process.
Spend some quiet moments on the banks of secluded Sita Devi Lake
Nestled between lush forests of Devikulam, yet another little known hill station in the vicinity of the more famous Munnar, Sita Devi lake is a small but idyllic water body which can only be reached on foot. What it misses in grandeur, Sita Devi lake more than makes up for it with its incredible serenity. Without any of the ugly manifestations of so-called development, the lake is pristine as it comes, surrounded by lovely groves immediately and tea plantations in the far distance. Even the hike along the dense forest and by the stream is equally enjoyable as the destination by the end. The hike starts from one of the estates in Chinnakanal that’s at a distance of 22kms from Munnar, and is an easy one-hour effort, quite suitable for beginners.
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Marvel at the heart-shaped lake on Chembra Peak in monsoons
While Chembra Peak is a great hike during most part of the year, it is only in the monsoons that the grasslands covering the higher reaches of the mountain transform into a lovely carpet of green. Between that glistening expanse of swaying grass, the heart-shaped lake of Chembra shines like a jewel. As you go higher up on the trail, a view of the lake below and its iconic shape becomes more and more detailed. The starting point of the hike to Chembra Peak is situated at a distance of 8kms from the town of Meppady and the period just before or right after monsoon is the best time to hike here. At 2100m high, in theory, it the lure of scaling one of the highest peaks of Wayanad that may draw the traveller to Chembra Peak, but it is the heart-shaped lake that eventually steals your heart.
Have you been to any of these places? Or perhaps you have more secrets from Kerala you'd like to share with me?
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20 comments
Very nice article with beautiful photographs!
ReplyDeleteI like the way you have given a monsoon theme to all your photos. The next 2-3 months in Kerala have skies like these all the time :-) - Loved seeing the true colours of Kerala peaks!
ReplyDeleteI love monsoon, most of the photos will have monsoon theme around here! ;) And thank you, glad you enjoyed this post.
DeleteKerala is such a heaven for every kind of tourists. I think it is one of the most exotic place and one can go here with his friends or his family.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely!
DeleteWoow, this looks really amazing,
ReplyDeleteThis is really on my have to do list before i get into my 40's
Keep posting,
Kind regards
Stefanie
Kerala is quite amazing in the monsoons if you are willing to put up with the torrential downpour. :)
DeleteThe monsoon feel is back.. the greenmountains and the dark clouds once again.
ReplyDeleteOnly side of Kerala I know and love! ;)
Deletelook amazing,people avoid kerala in monsoon;you give reason to travel to kerala in this season
ReplyDeleteIt looks awesome place and pictures. Kerala is such a heaven for every kind of tourists.
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golden triangle tour with ajmer and pushkar
Beautiful article with awesome clicks. Kerala is such beautiful and it has no of must visit place in your life. You visit some of them. And much more is waiting for you. 12 districts contain 100s of wonders you need to see. Kavadityar Temple, Gavi, Kumarakom, Kochi, Munnar, Lakkidi, Bekal, Payyannur etc 100s of places awaiting.
ReplyDeleteLooks like such a fascinating place, one I would LOVE to visit someday! Useful tips for first time visitors, will be sure to pin this for future travels
ReplyDeleteReally it is an entrancing place, i loved it. Soon i will going to plan a trip to there.
ReplyDeleteSame Day Taj Mahal tour by car
Same Day Taj Mahal tour by train
Great pic…..I also do a lot of traveling and organized a lot of trips to these places and capture lot of great pictures from my DSLR camera…………..like this…………
ReplyDeleteHi NEELIMA,
ReplyDeleteCool collection of Kerala's hidden beauty. I'm fall in love with the Kolukkumalai Tea Estate and hope will visit soon.
Kerala is like Heaven and you have rightfully justified it with this beautiful post. Great job!! Keep travelling :)
ReplyDeleteThe post is really helpful to explore Kerala more.It is such a beautiful place that people wants to see more of it beyond its tourist places.
ReplyDeleteWow, Awesome article with stunning pictures. Thanks for great share.
ReplyDeleteloved the pictures !!
ReplyDelete