It’s monsoon in Kerala and the best season to experience lush green meadows and fog clogged hillocks. We decided to kick off our bike ride from Kochi in Kerala to the heights of the Western Ghats. On our first day of the bike ride, we decided to hunt down Ilaveezhapoonchira and Illikkal Kallu.
Ilaveezhapoonchira is a locally acclaimed destination in Kottayam district of Kerala which is accessed by road from Kochi at a distance of 86 kilometers. The last 6 to 10 kilometers being rough, narrow and winding, it can take 2 hours to 3 hours for one to drive or ride from Kochi to Ilaveezhapoonchira. We traveled on two motorbikes and took almost 3 hours to reach till the top of Ilaveezhapoonchira (well we couldn’t stop from stopping our bike infrequent intervals to take videos on our way).
On the top of Ilaveezhapoonchira
We stopped our bike at the parking spot and walked till the top of Ilaveezhapoonchira. The rocky mountains were all wrapped under the tall green grass. The views of the valley with swirling water bodies beneath the smug of clouds were thrilling. The enchanting mountains whistled the music of nature and we captured the moments in our camera and in our hearts.
There is almost 1 kilometer to hike a steep to reach the top of Ilaveezhapoonchira. The best time to visit Ilaveezhapoonchira is between August and February. A trip during or immediately after the monsoon gives you the opportunity to enjoy the lushness of hillocks. You can also avail jeeps to access the hill base from the nearby town.
Ilaveezhapoonchira to Illikkal Kallu
Like any other traveler who visits Ilaveezhapoonchira, we too decided to ride towards Illikkal Kallu. Illikkal Kallu is just under 13 kilometers from Ilaveezhapoonchira and we continued our bumpy ride through the rough and narrow route. Though the ride was bumpy, it was a lot charming. Several springs that flow down through the moss wrapped rocks and tall trees delighted us.
We must have taken 45 minutes to reach the Illikkal Kallu parking space. After parking our bikes and taking the entry tickets and jeep tickets to the hilltop we waited for the jeep. The jeep ride was interesting too. The steep road was filled with amazing views of hill ranges. The place is famous for climatic swings and when we reached the spot it was shiny then moody and finally it started drizzling.
Illikkal Kallu is a natural rock cut peak that we spot from the top of illikkal mala. Here again, the view is spectacular with green plains surrounded by even lusher mountains on almost all sides.
Kattikkayam Falls
Leaving Illikkal Kallu without visiting Kattikkayam waterfall is a loss, but reaching Kattikkayam is a bit risky for children and aged. We took our bikes from Illikkal Kallu to Kattikkayam and on our way we were lost in the jungle, but it was a nice experience too. All around us were canes and bamboos with the chirping of crickets filling the air. The drizzling caused wetness on the ground and the grasses shined with the pebbles of droplets. We hardly struggled to escape from the jungle and finally reached Kattikkayam falls.
Steep rocks and tough path; we were tired too, yet we trekked down till the base of the waterfalls to see the trembling plummet. I wish I could stay there in a tent but had to reach Vagamon that night and we continued our journey after our lunch.
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