Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Nelliyampathy - an unexpected Nature Haven

A bike trip from Coimbatore towards the Mallu land had always been pending in my list when I came across this small little place called Nelliyampathy in one of the blogs. It was pretty surprising to find very little information about the place but whichever information available further enforced my impression about this place. The place is supposed to be one of the off-beat lesser known and a lower altitude hill station with little or no facilities, but certainly worth checking out if you prefer the isolated stretches of view points and land scapes, road rides and calmness.

With very little knowledge and almost no expectations just two of us - in one bike started out on an early morning 'one day' expedition - 8.30 am - towards the keralan border.  With almost no route details in any websites, the good old google maps came to the rescue and helped me figure out that there were two routes towards the place - one via [Coimbatore - Palakkad - Nelliyampathy] and the other [Coimbatore - Pollachi - Nelliyampathy]. (I have put up the map and routes at the end of this write up). I am sure anyone coming from north kerala or Calicut should also be taking this route - via Palakkad. Our plan was to go straight towards Nelliyampathy in the shorter Palakkad route, spend whatever time available in the day and if we had enough time return via Pollachi, if possible check out the other two reservoirs Meenkarai Dam and Chulliyar Dam on our way back - which are in the Pollachi road.

I have to admit that the road from Coimbatore till Palakkad were pretty bad, messed up with all those trucks, cement lorries, college buses almost filling up the road and leaving just patches and pot holes for bikers to get through. A nice sumptuous breakfast of Appam, kadalai (all time favourite kerala breakfast)  along with some Puttu and Noolappam (Idiyappam in tamil) at a wayside mess after Palakkad, was one of 'the best' satisfying part of the trip. The way and the route beyond palakkad were indeed difficult to identify. There were some particularly awkward and funny malayalam conversations with road side people which almost ceded as there were lesser and lesser people and more and more crossroads in the route with many of the directions and sign boards written only in malayalam. However a GPS enabled mobile handset proved a life saver. The route we took was from Palakkad - Koduvayur - Nemmara - Nelliyampathy.

The roads were much better and had two lanes most of the time, with reasonable traffic along the way. The way side green paddy fields and some interesting houses and coconut trees gave nice backgrounds to our cameras. At 12.30 pm we reached the Pothundi Dam, an almost abandoned park and a reservoir which had a reasonable amount of  water and sightseeing spots. The only visitors were ourselves and a couple who were cuddling behind one of those old park benches. We spent about an hour in the place and after some pictures left toward Nelliyampathy.

The road was indeed a pleasure to ride, freshly laid tarmac and a serene road without almost any traffic - a biker's paradise. The forests were thickening and we found quite a few water streams though it was not a particularly rainy season. A few hair pin bends and plenty of beautiful view points were crossing us by as well as the nice chilly wind as we were climbing up along the road. We reached the Nelliyampathy bus stop at 1.30 pm and had a mallu meals at ITL restaurant which looked like the only credible looking hotel over the entire place.

After some enquiries I got to know that there were indeed many view points and places to check out and regretted that we had'nt landed here early enough.
Below were atleast the main places to cover with each of them worthy of taking an afternoon's time if you are intent on exploring.
1. Poab's estate view point (Sithargunde estate)
2. Manpara
3. Kesavanpara

Among this the last two required a minimum of a 4x4 wheel drive- the good old Mahindra jeeps were available on hire. Manpara seemed to be the most exotic spots of the above and the ride is supposed to be entirely breathtaking with steep climbs in jeep over the rocks. However we settled for Poab's estate view point which could be reached by bike. After a brief ride along a narrow but well laid twisted roads via 'Munnar-ish' looking tea estates and coffee estates we reached the Poab's entry point which infact resembled the famous 'Jurassic Park' entrance gate. The place is owned by private and they were indeed particularly concerned about public visits and strayings inside their estate, however were kind enough to direct us to the route and explain about the place. We parked our bike after a 45 mins ride from Nelliyampathy and started walking towards the view point.

The place was quite beautiful and the landscape was nice. We didn't settle for the early spots and kept going ahead along the view side expecting greener pastures and almost were trekking for about 45 mins when indeed we spotted a big water falls. However the foot track kept going and we didnt have much more time to explore as it was getting late about 4.30 pm. After some pictures we started back towards Nelliyampathy. As it had already darkened by the time we reached the Meenkarai road (towards Pollachi) and we did not stop for checking out the Meenkarai and Chulliyar dams. However we did find a decent mallu hotel and had the famous 'Kerala Parotta and Eratchi curry' and which was as good as it can get. We managed to reach Coimbatore back at 9 pm.
Nelliyampathy - Nemmara Road
Enroute -roadside after Palakkad


A cut road that we entered after vithanassery  relying on GPS's shortcut -
In India GPS does disappoint at times


Poothundy dam


Gen Next :) --  kid picking stray bottles for money


park nearby Poothundy dam

Poab's estate entrance


View point - poabs estate

The waterfalls after the short Trek off Poabs estate view point



Heavy hearted return :)



The ITL hotel - this aint the resort - ITL resort is located ahead of the bustand





Nelliyampathy - Nemmara road


The place did turn out to be a good discovery, one of those places that would give the 'lingering feeling' of not having spent enough time to catch a breather and explore those lovely spots.I would recommend the trip only those looking for a 'difference' and the place is certainly worth exploring two days if you get accomodation in a good resort or local home stays (ITL resort is quite famous there - a google search on ITL resort will give contact information). And make sure you go only during winter or post monsoon as its not those 'evercool' hill retreat and might get warm during summers.

Please note that the route from Vithanassery to Nelliyampathy (the last stretch) has to be covered via Nemmara and not as indicated in the map.

Small Request to readers: Please do comment in the below comment section in case you had visited the place or if you find the article useful.

38 comments:

  1. Nice piece of info.

    http://rajniranjandas.blogspot.com/

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  2. Planning to have a trip to Nelliyampathy with friends some time soon.

    Your trip is indeed an inspiration :)

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  3. I have travelled to Nelliampathy many a times, and must say your article has definitely shown justice to the beauty of this place.
    Manpara is a must visit place for anyone who goes to Nelliampathy, coz the journey uphill and finally the view is beyond words.. :)
    -
    DD

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  4. Some senior citizens are planning a trip to Nelliyampathy shortly. Your blog is certainly useful.

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  5. Helpful article, i am planing to visit Nelliampathy with my family in Oct 1st week. We are planning to go in our old ambassador car. Will it climb the peak or we need to hire an suv. My parents are aged 65 and 60, any breathing problem with they face.

    Please suggest

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  6. Ambassador shouldnt be a problem at all. however there are addiotnal tourist spots that can be covered only by 4x4 vehicles many of which can be found at Nelliyampathy town. which The altitude is lesser than most hill stations and there shouldnt be any breathing problem at all

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  7. Amazing article. We have an upcoming trip to Nelliampathy by the end of November 2011. Was desperately looking for some info and chanced to hit upon this blog. Kudos to you and your team mate. Not only have you had a wonderful trip but your simple way of describing the beauty has made Nelliampathy all the more attractive. Congratulations!

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  8. Thanks a lot.. hope you had a good time there:)

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  9. very well written. Especially considering that there's hardly any other info to go along. Are there any other hotels/resorts?
    mini

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  10. i think there one or two hotels that have prebooking -itl resort,

    http://www.keralatourism.org/where-to-stay/hotels/nelliyampathy.php

    If you are a casual traveller there are a few good hotels past the nelliampathy bus stop where one can go straightaway and book a room..

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  11. Thanks friend. Had a wonderful trip to the place. We were 18 in total; ten adults and 8 children! We had a grand time up in the hills. No internet, no phone connections, 2 days of simple bliss! We stayed at Ciscilia Resort. Wonderful place. Went for the tremendous jeep 4x4 ride up the hills! Memories of a lifetime. Thanks for giving a sneak peak into the place through your writing.

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  12. dude.....one doubt....do we get to see wildlife in a one day trip?

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  13. Iam from palakkad and I have visited this place many times.. You have done a good job and Iam sure this will help others in experincing this beautiful place. The pictures too are pretty good.

    Joy anthikkat

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  14. The ideal time will be Sept, Oct, nNov and Dec. and the route, palakkad - koduvayoor - kakkayoor - pallavoor - nenmara - pothundy - and then from there the climb starts.

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  15. Hey, Excellent and Marvellous pictures

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  16. @kashyap - not much wildlife sightings in this place.

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    Replies
    1. We saw gaur & a elephant & lots and lots of leeches

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  18. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  19. We were referred to this place by an unown friend .. And at first before visiting we were worried what kind of place it wud be... But now we have visited twice and we love this place

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  20. A very unspoilt and beautiful place.we stayed at a new plantation guest house, it was a thrilling experiance.

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  21. Nice trip. Thanks for sharing your trip experience. There are the mesmerising beats of the panchavadyam sharing sound waves with film songs. Palakkad is home to a considerable number of Tamil Brahmins who settled here over centuries in agraharams, villages that preserve their unique way of life. They assimilated Kerala influences to produce a delicious cuisine. Check out all best hotels in Palakkad also.

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  22. Hey guys need a small favour from anyone visited there.. if we take bus till nelliyampathy bus stop..From there to other locations such as sitagunde view point and trek,Is there any public mode of transport or where can we hire jeeps

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  23. Thanks for sharing this information. It's useful to everyone. Kerala Tourism official website provides text, photos, video, on travel destinations, hotels, accommodation, culture, heritage, art forms and people of God's own Country specially those
    on tourist destinations, kerala tourism, beaches, backwater, forts & palaces

    ReplyDelete
  24. Great article with excellent idea! I appreciate your post. Thanks so much and let keep on sharing your stuffs. Plan Your Trip to Kerala | Kerala Tourism

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  25. I think, this is really very well and informative content . Thanks for given this information here about this blog. Tourist Destinations of Kerala | Kerala Tourism

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  26. Great post!! its really awesome to look into this blog. Thanks for sharing this wonderful post in this blog. Book your bus tickets in Kallada Travels and enjoy your trip.

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  27. Pollachi is an awesome place with chill climate. It is one of the well-known place by everyone. Thanks for sharing this blog. If anyone planning for your trip to Pollachi by bus, then book your bus tickets in Vaigai Travels.

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  29. Lovely and worth reading post. Thanks for sharing about this place. This blog inspires people to explore different places. Everyone will explore different places during vacation, this is one of the best places to explore. Planning to visit Coimbatore, book bus tickets in Conti Travels.

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  30. Palamalai is a small hill near the sub-urban areas of Coimbatore. From the center of the city, it is located at around 25 KM distance. One needs to go to the Mettuppalayam Road, Periyanayakan Pirivu, Kovanoor, and Palamalai. The roads are quite ok, and there was a road going over this small hill. Bharat taxi prides on providing best taxi service in Coimbatore as our courteous drivers are extremely polite and professional therefore relax while our chauffeurs drive you around the town. https://www.bharattaxi.com/coimbatore

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  31. Hi
    Nelliyampathy is a virgin hill station located in Palakkad district of Kerala. Nelliyampathy is blessed with lush dense rain-forests with number of wild animals like elephants, hill squirrels, deers and bison. Located above 467 m above sea-level, it is well known for its sprawling tea gardens, coffee, cardamom and orange plantations. The largest perennial multi crop organic farm in the world owned by Poabs-India has given this sleepy hill station, international repute. Several small waterfalls, streams and rocky hill ranges also add beauty to this wonderful summer destination.

    Very interesting post, we enjoyed each and everything as per written in your post. Thank you for sharing this article because it’s really informative. If you are planning for your holiday and Bus Ticket Bookings, searching for the beautiful place to spend your time then you can wander around this vibrant city. It really helps people to plan for future trips. If anyone want go to visit these places and your online bus ticket booking advance in Kallada Travels and get more Bus Ticket Offers.

    ReplyDelete
  32. Hi
    Nelliampathy is surrounded by tea and coffee plantations. The village has its own gram panchayat and forms a part of the Chittur taluk. Pothundi Dam, which was constructed in the 19th century, is the entrance to Nelliyampathy.


    Very interesting post, we enjoyed each and everything as per written in your post. Thank you for sharing this article because it’s really informative. If you are planning for your holiday and Bus Ticket Bookings, searching for the beautiful place to spend your time then you can wander around this vibrant city. It really helps people to plan for future trips. If anyone want go to visit these places and your online bus ticket booking advance in Kallada Travels and get more Bus Ticket Offers.

    ReplyDelete
  33. Palakkad lies in the important railway route of South India. The railway station has connection to many important places of the country. Kerala mostly has uneven terrain and hence it might take extra time to travel from one place to other. Are you waiting in Palakkad for your connection trains or are you taking a detour in your planned trip? If you want to travel to religious sites, dams and other recreational sites near Palakkad, it is better to stay in hotel rooms near palakkad railway station. This way you can get a convenient stay and still be in an easily accessible place.

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