Chembra Peak

Chembra Peak (Malayalam: ചെമ്പ്ര കൊടുമുടി) is the highest peak in Wayanad, at 2,100 metres (6,900 ft) above sea level. Chembra is located near the town of Meppady and is 8 km south of Kalpetta. It is part of the Wayanad hill ranges in Western Ghats, adjoining the Nilgiri Hills in Tamilnadu and Vellarimala inKozhikode district in Kerala. Chembra Peak is accessible by foot from Meppady. District Tourism Promotion Council provides guides and trekking equipments on hire charges to tourists.Permission from the forest office in Meppady is required for trekking up to Chembra Peak. A heart shaped lake on the way to the top of the peak is a major tourist attraction. The lake is believed to have never dried up. You can find the lake half way to the peak, after getting to the lake you need to trek another half way which is through the dense trees of about one to two km. A 5 km journey from Meppadi town through tea estates to Erumakkolli.

One can reach the forest office, from where a pass has to be acquired to trek the mountain. Also services of guide can be availed which might be very useful. The trek to the top takes 3 hours, and one can see almost the whole of Wayanad and parts of Malappuram, Kozhikkode and Nilgiri districts.

Chembra is located in Meppadi (Meppady) Panchayath, 11 km off NH212 (Kollegal - Mysore - Kozhikode). For people who prefer public transport, KSRTC (both Kerala & Karnataka) and a lot of private companies operate overnight deluxe buses between Kozhikode (aka Calicut) and Bengaluru. People taking buses can get down at Kalpetta and catch another bus to Meppadi. Meppadi is 11 km from Chundale, in the SH29, connecting Chundale to Ooty.

Veli Tourist Village ,Thiruvananthapuram

Located 8 km from Thiruvananthapuram city, the Veli Tourist Village is bordered by the Veli lagoon and the Arabian sea. The lagoon here is separated from the sea by a narrow sand bar.

The Veli Tourist Village on the outskirts of Trivandrum is a delightful waterfront park which has become extremely popular with Keralites. It is a nice place for tourists with young children to spend an afternoon. There are lots for the kids to do, and they will meet many of their young Keralite counterparts, all of whom will be eager to make new friends and try out their English

The main attraction at Veli is water - a large inland lake, separated from the ocean by only a narrow sandbar. For a few rupees, rides can be had in motor-driven safari launches and power boats, or a family can drift about in a pedal-boat or a row boat. There are kayaks, and even hovercraft, for the more intrepid. While skimming over the lake, visitors will see the local fishermen readying their boats, working on their nets, or poling sand-laden barges. 

There is a floating bridge and a floating restaurant too. Open every day; boat rides available until 6.00p.m., after which the lake reverts to the sole use of fishermen. For very small children, there is a tiny lake within the park, with sturdy, round "tub boats", equipped with miniature paddles. A small cafeteria serves ice-cream, cold-drinks and snacks, and the grounds are dotted with interesting climbing sculptures designed by the well-known sculptor Kanai Kunjiraman

Thattekkad Bird Sanctuary

Location: About 58 km from Kochi city and 13 km northeast of Kothamangalam in Ernakulam district; Thattekkad is in Devikulam taluk, Idukki district, central Kerala.

Thattekkad is made up of dense tropical evergreen and deciduous forest and grassland patches, housing a population of over 500 species of exotic birds. This globally acclaimed bird sanctuary owes much of its fame to Dr. Salim Ali, the internationally renowned ornithologist. It is the exotic microcosm of India's bird population that brought Dr. Salim Ali to this place. His efforts were instrumental in the formation of this sanctuary to a large extent.

Spread across 25 sq. km. the sanctuary lies between the tributaries of the river Periyar like a peninsula. Rare birds like the Crimson-throated Barbet, Bee eater, Sunbird, Shrike, Black Winged Kite, Night Heron, Falcon, Grey Jungle Fowl, White-Breasted Water Hen, Hornbill, Ceylon Frogmoth, Rose-billed Roller and Blue-winged Parakeet live here.

Thattekkad also has extensive plantations of teak, rosewood, mahagony, etc. The dense forest is also the home of nearly 28 varieties of animals and nine varieties of reptiles.

Getting there:
Nearest railway station : Aluva, about 48 km away.
Nearest airport : Cochin International Airport, about 44 km.

Echo point

Echo point (15 km from Munnar) This scenic place gets its name from the natural echo phenomenon here. Echo Point is on the way to Top Station from Munnar.

Lock Heart Gap
(13 km from Munnar) This is an ideal place for adventure tourism and trekking. The fresh mountain air, the mist-clad hills and panoramic view make it worth a visit.

Getting there:

Nearest railway station: Theni in Tamil Nadu, about 60 km, Changanacherry, about 93 km.
Nearest airport: Cochin International Airport, Nedumbassery, about 115 km, Madurai in Tamil Nadu, about 140 km.

Eravikulam National Park

Eravikulam National Park is situated in the High Ranges (Kannan Devan Hills) of the Southern Western Ghats in the Devikolam Taluk of Idukki district, Kerala State between 10º 05' - 10º 20' N Latitude and 77º 0' - 77º 10' E Longitude. Etymologically, Eravikulam denotes streams and pools. The Park is 97 sq. km. in extent, consisting mostly of high altitude grasslands that are interspersed with sholas. The main body of the National Park comprising of a high rolling plateau with a base elevation of about 2000 meters from mean sea level. The Park is of undulating terrain and the highest peak is Anamudi (2690 m). Three major types of plant communities are found in the Park-grasslands, shrub land and forests. The high plateau and the hills rising above it, are primarily covered by grasslands. Shrub lands are seen along the bases of the cliffs. Shola forests are located in the valleys and folds. Turner’s valley, which splits the Park roughly in half from northwest to southeast, is the deepest. The park is accessible from Kochi (Kerala) and Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu) airports, which are located at about 148 Km and 175 Km respectively. Munnar is the nearest town (13km.), well connected by roads from Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The nearest railway station in Kerala is Aluva (120 Km away from Munnar) and in Tamil Nadu is Coimbatore (165 Km) The only motorable road inside the Park, passes through the southern extremity inside the tourism zone (Rajamala) to the Rajamallay tea estate. Another road head leads to the Lakkom Muduvakudy on the periphery and is not usable at present. All other movements inside the Park are on foot along trails and footpaths Address for communication The Wildlife Warden Munnar PO, Idukki Dist. Kerala, India. PIN:685 612 Tel: 91-4865-231587 E-mail: enpmunnar@gmail.com

Top Station in Munnar

Top Station is tourist destination which falls along the border of the state of Tamil Nadu. The region is part of constituency of bodi Theni district in Tamil Nadu. Top Station is notable as the historic transshippmentlocation for tea delivered up here from Munnar and Madupatty by railway and then down by ropeway to Kottagudi.This area is popular for the rare Neelakurinji flowers. The Kurinjimala Sanctuary is nearby. Top Station is the western entrance to the planned Palani Hills National Park
.
Top Station is 32 km from Munnar. Ernakulam railway station is about 162 km from Top Station and Cochin International Airport is about 142 km from Top Station. Frequent public buses operate between Munnar and Top Station. Overnight stay is available at Periyar Residency Top Station.


 Neelakurinji flowers. 

Neelakurinji (Strobilanthes Kunthiana) is a bush with several branches.  The species name Kunthiana has been derived from the River Kunthi which flows through the rich expanse of the renowned Silent Valley National Park in Kerala.  It means that the plant has been first described from the vicinity of this river.  The plant grows profusely Shola grasslands and mountain slopes of the mighty Western Ghats and Nilgiris in India.  Neelakurinji blooms in a clustered manner on typical inflorescence stocks once in every 12 years.  The flowering season ranges between August and November with a peak period of late September and October although some varieties exhibit little variation in their phrenology.   The flower has purplish blue colour when aged. It looks light blue in the earlier stage of blooming.
The Nilgiris owe the Neelakurinji for it's name which means blue mountains as it used to clothe a vast area of hills. Neelameans blue in Malayalam language and Kurinji is the local name of the flower. There are about 300 species of plants that bloom in 10 to 16 years and Neelakurinji is the best known among them. About 46 of them are found in India . Plants that bloom at long intervals like this is called plietesials. These are mostly found on the hills of high altitude. The main habitat of Neelakurinji is hills surrounding Munnar which is in the Western Ghats. It has become a symbol of bio-diversity of the Western Ghats. This endemic species is also an indicator of the health of the ecosystem. It may well be claimed as flagship species of the mountains

Hill Palace, Tripunithura, Ernakulam

Hill Palace, Tripunithura was the administrative seat and residence of Kochi royal family, was being built  in 1865 by Kochi Maharaja. As the palace was being constructed on a hillock, it is known as Hill Palace. This 19th century building is situated on Ernakulam- Chottanikkara route, so close to Tripunithura at a distance of  2 kms and is 12 kms away from Ernakulam. It spans over 54 acres and consists 49 buildings. Single storied  ‘Ettukettu’ with an adjacent pond, temple and kulappura, was constructed in typical Kerala architecture is the oldest structure here. The roof of the palace is perfectly done by Mangalore tiles which gives great protection from heavy downpour, longevity and asthetic appearance. The other buildings are a combination of traditional and western architecture.

Hill palace was taken over by the Department Of Archaeology in 1980 and  converted it into a Museum.  The complex has Kerala’s largest archaeological museum and first ever  heritage museum, a deer park, a pre-historic park and a children’s park. It was opened to the public in 1986. It has neatly maintained garden with fountains, ponds and lawns and rare medicinal plants are growing in the surrounding palace land.   There is also a grave of Pareekshith Thampuran near the museum.

The museum displays finest 14 categories of articles donated by Kochi & Travancore royal families and the Paliam Devaswom which includes murals, paintings, coins, sculptures in stone and plaster of paris, manuscripts, inscriptions, carvings, archeological findings. The museum is preserving gold crown, ornaments & precious stones of Maharaja era.

An institute set up by the Department of Cultural Affairs, operates here in the Hill Palace.

The palace is open except Mondays from 9:00 am to 12:30 pm and 2:00 pm to 4:30 pm.