Ponmudi :Tucked away in the Western Ghats, this quaint little hill station lies at an altitute of 1100 ft. above the sea level. Lush green woods, lazily meandering streams and countless varieties of butterflies lend a strange magic to Ponmudi.

Malampuzha : Malampuzha is in the site of a large irrigation dam built across the longest river in Kerala, the Bharathapuzha. It is set at the base of the hills of the Western Ghats.Beautiful gardens, amusement parks and facilities for boat cruises make this an ideal picnic spot.Other attractions are the rock garden, the fish-shaped aquarium, the snake park, the ropeway which takes the tourist on an aerial tour of the park, and the famous work Yakshi (an enchantress) sculpted by Kanai Kunjiraman. The most interesting feature of the rock garden is that the whole place is made of unwanted and broken pieces of bangles, tiles, used plastic cans, tins and other waste materials.The garden is a master work of sculptor Padmasree Nek Chand Saini. His rock garden in Chandigarh is world famous and attracts thousands of tourists every year.

Idukki : Idukki literally means a narrow gorge. It is a small hill town surrounded by a spread of beautiful, wooden valleys and meandering streams. Idukki is 121 km. away from Kottayam, along the way to Munnar.

Nelliyampathy : Nelliyampathy is a range of hills cut off from one another by valleys of dense evergreen forests and orange plantations. The height of the hills range from 467 metres to the tallest peak Padagiri looming at 1572 metres. It is two and a half hours drive from Palghat. The journey is a sensation of its own with a dozen hairpin curves on the ghat road passing through the fascinating jungles of the Sahya Ranges. On the way is the Pothundi reservoir, an ideal stop over.

Wagamon : Surrounded by the greenery of tea gardens, beautiful meadows, valleys and dales lies Wagamon at an altitude of 1100 metres. This, trekker’s paradise, is only 64 km. from Kottayam. Thangal para, Indo-Swiss project and Kurisumala Ashram are other attractions.

Lakkadi : Lakkadi, one of the highest locations in Wayanad, with picturesque hills, streams and luxuriant vegetation, registers the second highest degree of rainfall in the world. It is surrounded by meadows and hills on all sides. The natural fresh water lake, Pookode Lake, is only 3 km. from here.

Wayanad : The hills of Wayanad are blessed with luxuriant plantations of coffee, tea, cardamom, pepper and rubber. This north eastern tip of Kerala has the fast flowing rivers Panamaram, Mananthavady and Kabini giving the whole region a picture-postcard look.

Mattupetty : Thirteen km. away from Munnar lies Mattupetty, at an altitude of 1700 m. above the sea level. The Indo-Swiss Dairy Project with the green meadows and the exotic cattle and the rose garden also attracts tourists.

Devikulam : With its irresistibly green slopes touching the sky at a thousand metres and the silent clusters of slender red and blue gum trees, Devikulam creates its own space in the tourist map of Kerala. It is 16 km. southwest of Munnar.Devikulam, meaning the lake of the goddess, has a lovely little lake hidden within the rolling hills. According to legend, Sita Devi, the holy consort of Lord Rama, came down to frolic in the lake and the place came to be known as the present name ever since.

Before getting into this coffee-plantation hamlet, you have to drive through the textile town of Salem. If you browse around the shops, you might pick up bright handloom fabrics at half the price you would pay elsewhere.Just before the road begins to climb up the mountains to Yercaud, do look out for an interesting group of brightly coloured idols to the left of the road. These guardian deities, found only in Tamil Nadu, are worshipped as protectors of villages and are often known as Aiyanars.

On the way up the winding hill road with its 20 hairpin bends, stop at a thatched wayside stall selling ‘Fresh Garden Produce’: packets of cloves and pepper. Then come the coffee plantations before entering cottage-dotted Yercaud.You can amble around leisurely, or do a tandem tour of the lake in a pedal boat, or hire a taxi to ‘do’ the sights. 3 km away is the rocky escarpment overlooking the plains. It is known as Lady’s Seat and some wag has named another viewpoint as Gent’s Seat.

Pyramid point, 3 km away, has cairns of stones and was once a Stone Age fortress shrine before the new temple was built. 7 km from the lake is the Servaroyan Temple with a modern, striped, facade leading to an old cave temple.Once you get into this soothing, lake-centred, quiet and undisturbed green place, you don’t have to do anything but unwind .

How to Get There

Air: Nearest airport is Madras.

Train: Salem railhead is 30 km away.