Vagavanam is near to the famous hill station Vagamon, which is located in Idukki district, in the Indian State of Kerala.
We started our journey from Kochi in the early morning. Had a pit stop at Thodupuzha for breakfast. From Moolamattom onwards, the journey uphill having narrow roads and curves, was not at all comfortable. We stopped our car before reaching Vagavanam and collected our packed lunch. Reached Kerala Forest Department office at Ottamarapara, which is 8 kms from the Junction. There was a small shop selling honey and tea dust and we decided to purchase those when we return.
Kerala Forest Department arranges windy walk trekking at Kuvalettam. Total trekking distance would be around 7 kms, which can be covered within 3.5 hours.
After taking entry ticket for Rs.155/- and completing formalities by filling form , we started out trek with our guides. Initial trek was through tar road, then we deviated to mud jeep road. Since this was rainy season, the road was slippery. We stoped at the foothill of the first hill, and had group introduction to know each other and resumed our trek.
Walking with greenery and fresh wind makes life easier here. We could see Vagamon in a distance.
We reached the top of the first hill. We could see a herd of elephants way down the hill.
It is all about walking up and down through the grasslands and enjoying the heavy wind. Few areas were slippery, rocky patch, so one needs to be careful while climbing. The journey is also scenic and is worth visiting for all nature lovers. Its beauty enhances during the monsoon season.
We trekked further until we reached the final hill which is the last point in windy walk trekking. Other side of the reservoir is Kulamavu. From the peak, we could get the beautiful views of catchment area of Idukki reservoir. We rested for a while, had packed lunch, took pictures and started return trekking.
It was around 3 pm, when we returned to the starting point of the trek. Next up in our chart was a bath in the nearby Kallattupara waterfalls. It was not a big waterfall, but water was cold and a bath beneath the falls, gave a lot of relief to us. After bath, we had a pit stop near the reservoir and shared our experience in this trek.
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| Kallattupara waterfalls |
A beautiful challenging one-day trial with a mixture of greenery, rain, grass land and heavy wind.
