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Wayanad
Luxuriant
plantations of coffee, tea, cardamom, pepper and rubber, stretch
over the hills of Wayanad as far as the eye can see. With the
fast-flowing rivers - Panamaram, Mananthavady and Kabini -
cutting across the undulating panorama and lending a
picture-postcard look to the whole region - the north eastern
tip of Kerala.
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
A forest range
75
kms. (travel time: 2 ½ hours) from Palghat, the Nelliyampathy
hills 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,
as you negotiate over a dozen hairpin curves on the ghat road
passing through the fascinating jungles of the Sahya Ranges. En
route, 17 kms. from Palghat, the shimmering Pothundi Reservoir
and its manicured surroundings make for an ideal stop over.
Munnar
The nature-lover’s paradise. Snuggling in the green and serene
Kannan Devan Hills, lies the quite and rest ful
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 up out of virgin forests a century ago by pioneering
planters.
Within its remote and elderly churches - 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.
The Kundale Tea Plantation - An area surrounding a lovely lake
that 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.
The
Kundale Tea Plantation - An area surrounding a lovely lake that
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.
Idukki
En route to Munnar, 121 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 is a dainty town, sixteen kilometers southwest of
Munnar. It consist of irresistibly green slopes touching the sk y
at a thousand metres and its 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.
Peerimade
Peermade is a small hill station on the way to Thekkady. It is a
fertile land at an altitude of 914 meters. Formerly the summer
palaces of 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.
Lakkadi
A place of great scenic beauty with picturesque hills, streams
and luxuriant vegetation, 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, very wide and deep, one of the rare reservoirs of
water in Wayanad. Surrounded on all sides by meadows and hills,
it has become a favorite picnic spot.
Mangalam Dam
The Dam is cons tructed
across Cherukunnapuzha, a tributary of Mangalam river. The dam
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.
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 as well as facilities for boat cruises in the
reservoir. The famous work 'Yakshi' done by Kerala's famous
sculptor Kanai Kunhiraman is another attraction in this garden.
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