We flew to Cochin from Hyderabad via Chennai. The weather was fortunately clear and here are some of the pictures of Chennai from the top.
We reached Cochin by midday. Our first stop was the Athirapally waterfalls. This scenic waterfalls are about 78kms from Cochin and it takes around 3hour to reach the place. This waterfalls are about 80 feet high and located in the Sholayar forest ranges. One of the must visit places. If you ever go that place, do not forget to get a view of these waterfalls from the bottom. There is a trail that leads you there. Do not forget to take a water bottle, you will need it on your way back to the top.
Our next stop was Munnar. The most beautiful place I have been to so far. We started from Athirapally in the evening and reached there in the night. The most part of the drive is along the ghat road through the forest range. As we traveled in the night, the darkness made the drive more exciting and thrilling. One of the most memorable drive I ever had. I always wanted to visit this place with my best friend.
We spent the next two days in Munnar. There are many beautiful locations like lakes and viewpoints that are worth visiting. Here are some of the pictures of those places.
One of the places worth mentioning is the "Top Station View point". You need to walk for about 2kms to reach the View point from the parking place. The trek down is very simple when compared to the walk back. It tests your physical stamina, trust me. So do not forget to carry water and some snacks.
Here are some of the pictures of the scenic beauty from the viewpoint.
Munnar is full of greenery and it is a kind of heaven for nature lovers. Had some good time in munnar. The holiday resort we stayed at "Holiday Heaven" was really great, it had great food and great ambiance.
Our next stop was Thekkady. It is famous for its wild life sanctuary. They have a boat ride there which takes us through the forest. We could see some deers and wild pigs. Nothing more. It was not up to our expectations. Then we had a elephant ride at some private plantation which was good. We spent the night there in a Home Stay which was very good. It is not very costly but had all the facilities of a good 3 star hotel. Very much recommended. Here are some photos.
The last stop was Alleppey also known as "Venice of the east", where we went on a boat ride through the backwaters. The 3 hour ride was exciting for the hour or so, from then on it was kind of boring. The place is full of natural beauty with lush green paddy fields. Take a look at some of the pictures
That was the end of our tour. We reached Cochin from there and took a flight back home to Hyderabad. The trip to the Gods own country was a good experience overall. Had some good time with my friends Shashank and KP. Thank you guys for making this trip memorable.
