Marayoor – Munnar Road Travel

During the recent torrential rains in Kerala, the tourist hub Munnar experience great destruction and all the roads leading to the destination was blocked by erosion of roads, landslides or overflowing rivers. Munnar derived its name from the meeting point of three rivers that almost flood the town and the road from Udumalpet through Marayoor (which I took during my trip) was the most affected and damaged. It was a pleasant uphill task for us through forest and tea plantations and this route have number of brooks, waterfalls and rivers (that you may have seen in my posts related to Munnar) could easily eradicate the road when the water level and pressure arises on river/streams. I tried to connect with photos I captured during my trip with the places that faced damage and the following photos were shot between Marayoor and Munnar. 

In 1924 a similar situation turned out at Munnar (including other parts of Kerala), eradicated the town and its tea plantations to core and only then the Mattupetty Dam and Munnar (Hydel) Dam was built to preserve flood and hydro power.  I come to know it even before the disaster struck 2 weeks ago.  Thanks to the documentary I watched on Munnar at the Tea Museum there and images of the havoc washing away the town and tea factories. Lot of lives have lost as well. The Udumalpet-Munnar was the first road to lay to Munnar and I come across many old bridges on this road which must be threatened by the gushing water. I recommend this route for anyone love nature and pleasant driving to Munnar, keeping away the bustle traffic and tensing depth and valleys and sharp bends. 

One of the old arch bridge that was damaged in flood

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Marayoor is also a lovely place to stay and enjoy nature and wildlife around the town. The weather was such blissful during my pass away of the town, even though the road beyond that was wrapped in mist, in a way blocking away many fabulous views I was expected to look out for, but for a person who love to lose in mysterious mist, it was enjoyable along with multiple falls enroute. Marayoor is popular for their distinctly tasted Jaggery made from the sugarcanes harvest here and the natural sandalwood reserve is splendour of Marayoor, where we stopped for few minutes to have our tea. I made a stop at Udumalpet for a night stay was mainly to experience this route as leisure as possible, admiring the wilder rich and pristine touch of nature as many don’t take this route or to say a road that less travelled. 

Sugarcane fields past Marayoor town

Driving through the natural sandalwood reserve

Venture through thick blanket of mist

Since mist, drizzle and wetness take over the atmosphere; it feels fresh despite the weather traveling through thick and lush green landscapes that goes from light to dark patches of greenery. The road quite lost in the mist at some places and there were very few cars on the road so it wasn’t a problem driving through Ghats and the nature was so wonderful and cheerful in crown of mist capping the mountains sending downstream to valley.  Everything is pristine on this stretch and pleasing to sight although not clearly, this time, my quench for nature is endless but I wish to take this road again (if possible) to see the magnificence I missed in the cover of mist.

Most of the photos here were shot with iphone 

Munnar, Travel in Brief

The entire travel (from Nov 26 to Dec 2) has been really cool and comfort and except couple of sunshine moments, the travel was indeed cloudy, misty and rainy. Thanks to the low pressure and cyclone Ockhi, though it created a great destruction in Kanyakumari/Kerala and blocking certain views during my travel, the sun got total holiday from the sky. The weather was very pleasant when we started our journey from home early in morning and was drizzling though hazy just out of the city. We took OMR to reach the highway and being Sunday roads are bare enough and we felt quick transit entirely and reached our destination (Udumalpet) earlier by 4 pm and settled in the room in about an hour.

Man driving cows in drizzling rain near Udumalpet

Following dinner, we also took our breakfast from Hotel Ariya Bhavan (which was really tasteful) on Munnar-Udumalpet Rd before move into the mountains of Munnar, via Anamalai Tiger Reserve and Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary. Munnar is about 85km from Udumalpet, though it was slightly drizzling all the way to the town, we passed through heavy mist that blocked the sights of certain places including the chance of closely watching the Anamudi, the highest peak after Himalayas in India. But it wasn’t disappointed me anyway since the mist and rain has put us in sheer delight of watching number of waterfalls from the fresh mountain streams. We reached Munnar by noon, and after buying lunch we moved to the cottage (Tea Drops plantation) we have already booked.

Driving through the mist and rain in Munnar

It was really a wonderful place (nestled 7 km away from Munnar) to stay rest and relax among the coffee and cardamom plantations, and its owner Lijo is a friendly person and helps in any other ways. Except the three steps to get into the cottage, it wasn’t difficult to stay around, though it was an old house renovated into a cottage the owner has made things simply neat and hygiene. But the only thing bothered us was the way leading to the cottage. It was about 200 meters down from the main road with a narrow steep road, which at glance felt impossible to climb down or up, but we made it using our SUV which is quite difficult for any other cars.  They provide Jeep support for those come by car to be parked at their Pvt. Parking, but we took risk as I wouldn’t be comfy at their Jeep.

Night effect in Tea Drops plantation cottage

Staying there we visited various places and sightseeing from the two day and three nights. We missed many views as most viewpoints are covered in mist by the time we check, which is perhaps because of the storm but glad there wasn’t heavy rain alike we travelled to Ramakkalmedu, before climbing down the hills. The highway was like a gushing river and the muddy waters were running down the road/hillside and once rain over, mist over take. We couldn’t see anything at the Ramakkalmedu, popular for high blowing wind and viewpoint and shooting spot. The grass mound here has a huge statue of Kuravan Kurathy, a tribal couple, to mark the Sangam landscape and period.

A pleasant view on mountains and tea slopes of Munnar,  and there's a falls beneath, which u could  see in further post

Actually we planned to stay at Cumbum or Theni before taking the long back journey to home, but took a day rest at my uncle’s woodhouse in the mountains of Kodaikanal. We climbed down via Cumbum valley and took the scenic highway, which is my favourite route that travels along the Western Ghats and reached Kodai Ghats section by evening. I thoroughly enjoyed the travel between Cumbum and Kodai and the mountains covered in clouds and lush green fields, along drizzling weather was awesome feel. I also took a short detour to stop at my favourite spot (which u saw in my previous post) to take some shots, but I was disappointed a bit to see two big banners blocking the view.

Breathtaking view on the beauty of Theni, and mountains covered in clouds

We reached the woodhouse by late evening, but it was a real challenge than the entire trip because the road to woodhouse (in Thandikudi) from the Kodaikanal main road was quite lost in mist. The visibility was very very low and we couldn’t see anything beyond two or three feet and the road was a single lane, though there wasn’t a vehicle opposite finding the road and bends were challenging. I open the Google map and using the GPS I kept telling my cousin the curves ahead and  it was really tremble passing the deep valleys. Our entire stay at the woodhouse was under mist, cold and heavy rain. Even Munnar wasn’t cold enough, but this is first time I experience heavy mist and cold in Thandikudi, where it is rainy season. And we returned home on Saturday  (Dec 2) evening.

On a dream travel

Been sometime took a long journey and explore places for the first and Munnar is one of my dream destination I have planned to visit next week and I’m so excited to take the travel through Anamalai Tiger Reserve and Chinnar Wildlife sanctuary instead the national highways. I have prepared my own route map that travel through the interiors (small cities and towns) that get me glimpses of many places which I miss a lot traveling on National Highways. I have been trying to achieve this trip for last few years, only this year things came closer. Actually I want to be there last month, as soon the southwest monsoon end but for some reasons it was postponed and I really don’t want to delay future so thus leaving off on Sunday.

During my stay at the woodhouse in Kodaikanal in July, I went up to the foothills of Munnar while took a drive to Kurangani aka Bottom Station in the Bodi valley. It was a former tram station where goods are transported from the mountains via Top Station in Munnar before loaded into Lorries. It’s time for explore the above - Munnar and I will leave you with a view on the mountains of Munnar, I shot long back on my way to cloud mountain. This is one of my favourite locations on the road to Cumbum valley near Veerapandi, but this spot hides away since the highway take detour. Hope to take many lovely photos from the travel and you all take care

RGB Monday

Here is a kind of line houses in Valparai, what is just a piece of what was washed off in the recent landslides and flash flood in the high mountain ranges of Munnar; killing nearly 50 people belong to the families of tea labourers. The southwest monsoon is smashing around the Western Ghats Mountains of Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu and many a places are flooded and Munnar, a beautiful hill station in the Idukki district of Kerala is one of the top producers of tea and many a labours work here are from the plains of Tamil Nadu.

The landslide turned into a major disaster, where rescue operations are still underway as people are being dug out of the mud. The disaster location being close to the Anamudi, the highest peak of south India and the popular tourist spot (Eravikulam National Park) for Thar goat sighting, exposed to cold winds and rain to extend the rescue operation. Valparai is nothing less to Munnar, and these two places are bordered by a valley that separates the two states. And their living conditions were also similar and the workers were all settlers from the plains to work in the tea plantations. It’s the workers of Rajamalai tea estate went to grave before buried really. While the covid eradicating away the lives in plenty, the plane crash and landslides were doing their better half. Nature has its own plans and no one can predict its move and we could only mourn for those died.  

Thoovanam Waterfalls

During my travel to Munnar, through Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary, we got to see this awesome waterfall from the road we are traveling between Udumalpet and Marayoor and it was flowing gracefully down the valley covered in dense forest. Thoovanam, meaning drizzling sky, is one of the beautiful waterfalls I have seen and though it flows far from where we stood watching its majesty, we could hear the rushing water cascading from a height of 82 feet.

Thoovanam could not stop us from thinking about Athirapally, the largest waterfall in Kerala on the Chalakudy River, which we checked while staying from Valparai in 2008. Though Thoovanam isn’t big as Athirapally, the way it looks resembles. Actually we missed a stop earlier on road, where we would have got a whole view of the waterfalls, but I was truly content from the location we stopped to watch and take photos as it gave a bit near view.

Thoovanam waterfalls from on the Pambar River that run down along the valley between the hills and dense forest, and the highway between Udumalapet and Munnar travels along the river which supposed to be originated at Anaimudi, the tallest peak of  South India. The Chinnar wildlife sanctuary offers trekking to the waterfall and the forest guided trek takes about 2-3 hours to cover 4km of stretch through wild forest and hills.

The valley view where the Pambar river winding through thick forest after magnificently fall as Thoovanam

Apt. to the name of waterfalls (Thoovanam) the weather was drizzling sky as we passed the mountain Ghats. Though our entire trip to Munnar in November was drizzling, rainy and foggy for the most gave far refreshing sight of many waterfalls and cool weather along our travel, Thoovanam as it flows through a pristine cover of forest green is spectacular to be watched again and again.

Some of the multiple waterfalls enroute to Munnar

Munnar bestow me with lot of pleasure as I explored its beauty in November and as you know except the blue sky I shared in a previous post, the weather has been quite cloudy and drizzling to rain entire the trip. Though I missed many views across the mountains and valleys to wrap in mist, the multiple waterfalls and brooks get me throughout a wonderful mood and upraise at every rise of natural spring. Following Thoovanam, and Karimutty Waterfalls I enjoyed some little waterfalls and water flowing from a raised mountain rock/cliff, to lookalike a waterfall from great height, and that all falling within short distances make feel quirk at each fall.

Within 2 minute drive from Karimutty we stopped on a small bridge by sighting of a creek, pretty cascading from a decent high to underpass the bridge to merge with Pambar River beneath the valley. It looks like a branch of the brook that makes part with Karimutty waterfalls, from the original source of water (which believed to have medicinal value) above the mountains (click here to see from where it flows). I also liked more the trees making a solid stand between the rocks and the entire scene gives a jungle feel although it’s not far from Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary.

 

In the picture above (1st one) you could see the back road or the one we took from Chinnar and the brook runs below to valley and Karimitty waterfall is on the left side of the image. Few km from there is Marayoor, the only town between Udumalpet and Munnar, and just passed the town of many restaurants and cottages, we stopped at the sight of another mini falls silently making its way through vegetation and banana plants, which seems to belong to the house beside the waterfall.  I just enjoyed the lush green of the area with mist wrapping above the mountains… a couple of bends and curve from there brought the breathtaking sight of all.

It was refreshing to see water flowing from that high cliff of mountain and being black rock mound the water falls like overflowing of milk. Thanks to the mist and clouds to trigger showering above the mountains to create this natural waterfall to be visible from a distance, though it was far above to reach I zoomed on to get the views (below) from the stopped car. Glad there was no vehicle in front or behind to force us to move, and I could feel the coolness even through the sight. This road takes us through number of natural wonders and it’s all because of the weather condition of mist and rain aid us to enjoy this special occasion/vacation.

And ten minute drive from there and about msl 1200, and somehow above the mountains, crawling through the mist and pristine scene of nature it was wonderful to see another shades of silver (waterfall) leak through the thick forest vegetation and tea plantation. It was from there things went hide from our views as we travelled through thick fog, my eyes couldn’t miss few more little waterfalls took stream from the mix of mist and rain. But it is for another day.  

Skywatch Friday

Before checking the Tea Museum in Munnar, I captured this lovely shot on the pretty sky raised above the mountains of tea. Interestingly this’s the only part of the blue sky I watched during the entire trip of Munnar in Nov 2017! I ever experienced a travel like that where the whole trip went under gloomy, cloudy and rainy atmosphere and treated with multiple waterfalls decorating the mountains like festoons.

I really forget that I have completed 13 years in blogging on June 20th. I’m certain it’s only because of you, friends, support that I continue to blog and your comments were my booster to kept spring here. Thank you all. Blogging is a celebration every day and in the long run that particular day doesn’t mattered anymore and blogging isn’t the same as well when I begin and the experience of blogging taught me a lot to apply in my life and track  changer as well. It’s all because of you and you created a path for me to walk through.

Linking this post with Skywatch Friday

Travel through Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary

A continuation of travel to Munnar…

Following Anamalai Tiger Reserve, we entered the Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary as well as the state of Kerala crossing the border check posts of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary is facilitated with ecotourism where tourist can stay and enjoy wildlife from their rest houses and take safaris and hiking through forest. The Chinnar got its name from the river Chinnar, meaning small river, which travels long the northern edge of the sanctuary defining the state boundary of Tamil Nadu/Kerala by East-West.

(the monkey leaped on our car bonnet and we're force to roll up the windows)

It continues to be cloudy and slightly drizzle to keep environment wet as we travel for about 13km through the sanctuary and few kms from check post the Pambar River joins for company along the left side of the road and as we continue to elevate through hills the river travelled against us as gorge. We stopped at few places to watch the river flowing amid the wild forest and hills and at some places making beautiful waterfalls. Near the check post of the Sanctuary we are attracted to the handing bridges made for monkeys to cross the road, and we find couple of monkeys using the bridges, which remind me Valparai, where I saw the bridges made for same to the endangered Lion tailed macaques.  

With Eravikulam National Park to the south and Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary (Anamalai Tiger Reserve) to north and Kodaikanal Wildlife Sanctuary to east, Chinnar forms an integral part of 1187 sq. km of protected forests. The road from Udumalpet-Munnar passes though the sanctuary, divides it into nearly equal portions and the Chinnar and Pambar rivers being a perennial of the sanctuary leads to Amaravati Dam after merging at the interstate boundary. The Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary is home to 34 species of mammals including Tigers, Panthers, Elephants and Nilgiri Tahr and Indian star tortoise and mugger crocodiles live largely in the sanctuary.

A forest camp site is down the valley and close to the Pambar river

The Ecoregion of the sanctuary comprises mostly grassland and wet grasslands vegetation with 965 species of flowering plants and some South Western Ghats montane rain forest and moist deciduous forest and high sholas. The Maraoor sandalwood forest or reserve is located close to the sanctuary and Thoovanam waterfalls is a must watch for anyone on this route. More on later…

Pambar river creating little falls like flow

Linking this post with SATURDAY CRITTERS

Anamalai Tiger Reserve, Amaravathi division

Back on my travel experience to Munnar, and like I told in my earlier post on same it was drizzling or slowly showering as we moved out of the Udumalapet guest house. As we loved the taste of the dinner from Hotel Ariya Bhavan there, we hadn’t anything to choose for breakfast and as I want to be around the Tiger Reserve as early possible we took parcel from the hotel and ate before we enter the forest area. The Anamalai Tiger Reserve here comes under Amaravathi division, which is a part of the Anamalai Hills, a range of mountains in the southern part of Western Ghats.

I have been to the other parts of Anamalai Tiger Reserve, including the tourist attracts Topslip and Valparai and I have even went to Amaravathi Dam and Crocodile park adjoining the Tiger Reserve. A ranger whom we met here took us on a brief ride into the forest when checking Amaravathi Nagar in 2008, but since I know the road from here goes to Munnar, I wanted to take this road when I travel to same. Actually it become a dream for me to take this road, as it passes through two wildlife sanctuaries, it would be a great opportunity to see wild animals at their abode.

Herd of deer staring at us through bushes (all pics can be enlarged)

I want to be there early in morning so that more animals could be sighted, but we couldn’t make up before 9 am, the time we reached the forest check post. While dad went to sign the register, the guard who came checking the car protested for taking our pet dog into the tiger reserve and he insist for veterinary certificate to give permit. We are told that allowing outside animals have a risk of spreading disease to other wild animals, if the one have any and the veterinary certificate is must to ensure the dog is healthy. But his higher officer just instructed to not let down the dog anywhere until moved out of the tiger reserve.

The traffic free forest road though Anamalai Tiger Reserve, and the border check post near Chinnar wildlife sanctuary

We could understand why they are strict with outside animals but we haven’t faced anything like this earlier even though we have stayed in Topslip (one of the core area), Valparai and Cloud Mountain with high fauna. We aren’t complaining anyway but rather happy that forest department is conscious in preserving the wild animals and this would help us be cautious in future travels with dog. The entire stretch of tiger reserve was wet and drizzling with haze, though the weather was pleasant it don’t give hand in spotting wild animals, perhaps they too don’t like dampness or hideaway in absence  of sunlight.

They told only in evening animals come into sight mostly or should be early in morning, but this unusual weather of showering and fog kept away the little opportunities. We encountered only couple of vehicles in opposite and few overtaking us, as we drove slowly, the road was far empty. The Anamalai Tiger Reserve is a blend of wet evergreen forest, marshes and grass lands covering a total area of 1479 sq. km includes a core area of 958. Sq. km and Amaravathi cover 172.5 sq. km.

Within few kms into the forest we saw a herd of Chital, aka spotted deer, staying and staring from the thicket. My cousin has keen eyes for deer, and alike many a time; he spotted the deer which could be easily missed. It looked like a family of deer, from fawns to well gown with big antlers. They stared at us for few seconds before turn their attention somewhere and marched forward. Where there’s lot of deer means a favourable circumstance for tigers, while deer’s are there favourite prey and according to the census the tiger reserve is home to 32-36 tigers. 

Few kms from there the backwaters of Amaravathi reservoir come to sight. Perhaps due to less water, it looked like swamp and guess animals would come visiting this place to drink water or feed on vegetation.

Vultures on prey

Our next stop was an encounter of vultures prey on some flesh at distance. First thought it was peahens but they haven’t look alike and this is the first time seeing vultures in wild. As we near the border check post (between Tamil Nadu and Kerala) found some peahens around grazing buffaloes, which we though was wild ones but realized soon it should belong to the people around check post. The Chinnar River that crosses here marks the border between the two states, from where the Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary begins – which could be my later post. 

Bits on travel to Udumalpet

Though winter is here and the weather turns chill in the morning and foggy experienced at the outskirts of Chennai, my journey to Munnar began on the early hours of November 26 wasn’t much different due to the low pressure in bay, I experienced a feel on mountains. The travel between Thiruporur - Chengalpattu, in the outskirts of Chennai south, was blissful than ever while passing the countryside beside the hill and forest terrain. The picture below will give idea how the travel was and the glasses were scrolled down until touched the national highways.

But the entire journey wasn’t on NH, and we took a detour at Perambalur instead going down to Trichy to reach Musiri, a town on the north bank of Cauvery. Crossing the river, we hit the NH again before took turn to Dharapuram to go to stay at Udumalpet where we booked rooms at govt. guest house. On the road to Thuraiyur, from Perambalur I come across a beautiful temple tower which I had no idea until I browsed using the location marked at the iPhone image detail. I shot many photos using my iPhone SE, like ever with a mobile, and it was quick and easy than a P&S.

The temple was at a village called Kurumbalur, and the temple named as Panchanadeeswarar Temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and the temple was built in 10^th century by King Veeratarajan. First time traveling on this road the weather was helping hand, aside the cool countryside and trees guarding roadsides. Again on NH, we encountered two big blades of windmill (pic below) transported in trucks.  Around Dharapuram and Udumalpet one could find number of windmills and this region is open to many windmill farms since it falls under the straight line of Palakkad gap, through which it receives Arabian Sea breeze.

Across Dharapuram, the state highway was really good and beautiful with all the curves and row of trees was inspiring to shoot. The drizzling weather was like ice on the cake and we couldn’t stop have tea from the roadside tea shop even before it turned 4pm. Being a Sunday Udumalpet was bare enough with almost shops closed, and the guest house on the Munnar road was easy to move out rather going into the town. They allotted two rooms for us, but the five of us decided to stay at the AC room, though we didn’t used the AC since the weather was cool enough. 

Collage on the scenic  state highway around  Dharapuram, towards Udumalpet

Karimutty Waterfalls, Marayur

Following Thoovanam, we checked the Karimutty waterfalls on our travel to Munnar. The beautiful, fresh and natural waterfall is located on the end of Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary and 3km earlier to Marayur, the only town between Munnar and Udumalpet – from where we started our journey. The waterfall makes an impressive fall right next to the road and one could get a full view from the bridge across the waterfalls.

Few kms ahead to the waterfalls, we saw the water flowing down the mountains through thick vegetation and grasslands and the water is believed to have medicinal values as it passes through lot of herbs. Since it was slightly wet and drizzling weather, the waterfall makes feel cool and refreshing. There is a stair leading down to the waterfalls, provide a secure platform for people who desire to take bath and beside the falls there’s a room which I believe to be built for changing cloths.

Adjacent to the waterfalls, there’s a huge sculpture of an Indian Star Tortoise. I actually thought it was built to enhance the waterfalls but we find it was an Eco shop with an opening in the side, sells products made by the local tribal communities. The eco-shop also sell tea, coffee, biscuits and snacks along with some organic and herb products with the help of forest department. The Indian Star Tortoise structure here marks the existence of the endangered species more on the rivers along the Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary.

My dad stood at the side of the falls, and our car parked aside the road (pic right above) and water running down across the bridge on other side of the waterfall 

This place is also facilitated by homestays and accommodation in forest guest house, from where one could take forest trek to Thoovanam waterfalls and Ancient dolmens and rock paintings date back to the Stone Age. Marayur is the only place in Kerala that has natural sandalwood forest from where one could learn more on the fragrant trees and is also popular for jiggery. Karimutty waterfall is located at a height of 500 meter, is a tributary to Pambar River flowing through the Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary.