The Perfect Getaway To This Serene Hill Station Near Kochi, Kulamavu. This Spectacular Escape Included A 3-Hour Scenic Drive To A Picturesque Hill Resort With Great Food And Activities To Thrill Kids And Adults, Alike. Its A Break You Deserve!! Refresh, Rejuvenate And Reconnect With Nature, The Kulamavu Way…!
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Woke up early morning. Started thinking about the things to do tomorrow as soon as I get to office. Thought about the hectic work schedule last week. Nothing exciting lined up. Need to go through it all over again… A sunny day today. Need some inspiration for the next week. What about a road trip? Yes, need to escape from the city at least for one day.
The child in me craved for a long drive, hill station, no mobile coverage, good food!
The adult in me restricted me with a budget of 2k, need of being back before dark!
Half a tank of fuel, full josh family, the adventurer in me all in for the ride. I woke up my kids and wife and told them… good news! We are going for a road trip… my son screamed. Ta.taaaa… daughter already started packing her travel kit half asleep and my wifes asked me.. Where to? I said, let’s go to Kulamavu. We will be back tonight. Take whatever you need for the day and maybe an extra pair of dress for kids. She got all excited and ask, the hill stations? Isn’t it too far? I said it’s ok. It will be fun. I searched the web for the contacts and found the hotel number and informed them we are coming. My wife went through the regular checklist, for the last minute road trip.
Half an hour later, we are on the car, on the go. We took advantage of the Sunday morning early start with very less cars on the road. Initial stretch was through the national highway 49 all the way to Muvattupuzha. We stopped at the idly shop for hot plate of idli and dosa straight from the kitchen. It’s a great food joint if you like the South Indian veg breakfast. The town has lot of food joints including the popular non veg restaurant called Dhanya which is popular for the appams and beef roast. We were happy with the idly house since we have a long road trip ahead.
After the break, we continued on the NH 49 until we took a right after Perumattom, off the main roads and onto a scenic route that skirts the Kaliyar river all the way to Thommankuthu. We made a quick stop at Thommankuthu and walked to the spectacular waterfalls. The walk is refreshing with the fresh air and cool weather under the tropical rainforest. We sat under the shade and opened up our picnic box. We had some fruit juice, wafers and of course some chocolates. We enjoyed our time in the rainforest. We couldn’t stop the kids from running towards the waterfalls. My younger kid wanted to jump in and play in the water. I promised him that we will come back another day to spend a whole day here playing in the water. Since I had planned to drive all the way to Kulamavu, we had to say goodbye to the rainforests and continued our drive.
The road became narrower as we reached Udumbanoor. We stopped at a tea shop and took a review about the directions. It seems to be a single lane and a tough climb all the way to Uppukunnu. There is no habitation until we reach the other side of the hills and we were advised to follow the main road to Kulamavu. We were feeling lucky and I heard a lot about this peak. I spoke to my wife and we all were in an adventurous mode. I cross checked with the road conditions and it seemed like a possible ride and then we decided to take the single lane route to the peak.
The drive is stunning. There were huge bamboo grooves and large trees that shaded the trail. There were small streams on either side lush green hill stations in vicinity. The road was extremely steep and winding all the way up until we reached this plateau right on top of the hills where you could see the spectacular scenery on either sides. Uppukunnu is a great picnic spot where we parked our car and walked to the rocky peak nearby called Paramada. You could see the Moolamattom power house and the Thodupuzha town towards east and the Kulamavu reservoir on the Southern side. After some photography sessions, we were back on the road. We drove through grasslands and high altitude forests until we reached the state highway 33, one of the best maintained roads in the hill ranges. We took right and the road soon reached an opening on either sides near the Kulamavu reservoir. The lake looked stunning in the backdrop of the rocky hills and the lush rainforests. We stopped there for a moment and was told to move on by the Dam officials. We continued driving up the hills until we reached our destination – the Kulamavu hill resort.
As soon as we reached the entrance gate, we were greeted by the friendly staff and we were lead to the parking and later to the hotel reception. The manager came to meet us and explained about the facilities here, but we were distracted by the smell of the spicy food which was getting ready for us. We took our seats reserved for us and a south indian buffet lunch was waiting for us. With the fresh local river fish, the crispy fried spicy chicken and the organic vegetables freshly harvested from the farm nearby, the food was delicious. May be I was too hungry but I felt that the food was much better than what we get in most South India hotels in Kochi. After a satiating meal, we visited the farm and explored the area. There were many activities on offer at the resort including river crossing, paddle boating, kayaking and bamboo rafting. We did a bit of paddle boating and kids wanted to jump into the swimming pool. They had a great time at the pool and the play area. By evening, we were guided by the hotel staff to the Nadukani peak nearby. There was a well laid path all the way to the top which is totally safe for kids. The view is amazing, we felt like on top of the world, with 360 degree view of greenery and waterfalls in far distance. After spending some time adoring the view, we walked backed and in the cliff hut, the manager had organized some snacks and masala tea for us. We enjoyed it and said goodbye to the staff and departed from the resort.
The trip back was yet another adventurous drive, down the unfamous Kulamavu Ghats. The route has in its path, 12 hairpin bends – called that because of the narrow convoluted way the road bends. Trust me when I say, it was a hair-raising, spine-tingling experience all the way to the plains below. We drove along the river until we reached Muttom and then through some famed country roads which have been featured in several Malayalam movies. We had slight delay in crossing the busy towns of Thodupuzha and Muvattupuzha, but overall the drive was very peaceful.
Our next stop was at the street shop which sell parippuvada (savoury lentil donuts) near the Muvattupuzha bridge. The parippu vada vendors line the entrance of the bridge. The hot vada is a must-do. After the well-earned break, got back on course and followed the NH 49 road until we reached back Kochi. We reached home before it got too dark with the fond memories of a weekend well spend.
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