[i20ian]

Here are a few pictures of Nelliyampathy landscapes.































The tea estates





The waterfalls on the Ghat roads. They get active during the monsoons.





Sunrise at Varayattumala



Karappara river

[ramkya1]

Thank you for the wonderful T log on Nelliampathy, Palakkadan Ooty, as we call it. Yours is one of the best T logs of Nelliampathy l have seen in a long while with awesome clicks.

Your story would boost visits, something a group of us are trying hard to do, lots of success, problems too. Our FB page, Palakkad Trails, promotes responsible tourism.

Some weekends are mad, not enough place to park and jams are now common, weekdays are best. We, a group of concerned people, have recommended to authorities many changes like, a token system on weekends, clear information at check post and web about day's quota etc., limit vehicles per day, jeeps per day, introduce night safaris, battery operated vehicles for sight seeing etc., don't want to change too many things and destroy the already fragile eco system. Hope they, including forest officials will implement them in a transparent way. Good part is, they don't want too many tourists coming in!

I stay at the base of the hills, Nemmara and help many people who want to explore the area, out of genuine concern for responsible tourism. Sorry to say, most ppl who visit are clueless about the damage they do with plastics, litter, smoking & throwing butts all around, open toileting, feeding monkeys, loud horns and what have you. Very irresponsible behaviour.

There are a few more beautiful places nearby to explore like Mangalam dam, Chinganchira Temple area, Seetharkund waterfalls etc., enough for 2 nights and 3 days.

--Ramky

[vikrantshete]

Originally Posted by i20ian

Nelliyampathy situated in Palakkad district of Kerala is popularly known as poor man's Ooty and is bestowed with a lot of natural beauty. Presenting here a few pictures taken by me during recent visits to this natural paradise.
......

The natural beauty of Kerala and it's rich flora and fauna cannot be expressed in these pictures alone. Hope everyone enjoys these pictures.

Wow! That was amazing. How long have you spent waiting for those shots? Any particular place like a national forest or hill in Nelliyampathy where you could take such pictures?

[mallumowgli]

Awesome bird documentation there and Awesome pics

Originally Posted by i20ian

Nelliyampathy situated in Palakkad district of Kerala is popularly known as poor man's Ooty and is bestowed with a lot of natural beauty. Presenting here a few pictures taken by me during recent visits to this natural paradise.

But I object to this poor man's Ooty tag to Nelliyampathy. Commercialised Ooty is impoverished in comparison to the pristine treasure trove called Nelliyampathy

Lovely landscape pics too

Originally Posted by i20ian

All these pictures are taken from the birds natural habitat without using any feeds, perches or unethical means. If you become a part of nature and be patient you'll be eventually rewarded.

Golden words

[SUBRU]

Amazing pictures and a wonderful Travelogue. Was it a day trip from palakkad? What time does the checkpost at Pothundi dam open? How is the condition of the road now? Especially from Kaikatty to karadipara? Read some where that travel restictions have been imposed to karappara waterfalls?

[i20ian]

Originally Posted by ramkya1

Thank you for the wonderful T log on Nelliampathy, Palakkadan Ooty, as we call it. Yours is one of the best T logs of Nelliampathy l have seen in a long while with awesome clicks.

Your story would boost visits, something a group of us are trying hard to do, lots of success, problems too. Our FB page, Palakkad Trails, promotes responsible tourism.

Some weekends are mad, not enough place to park and jams are now common, weekdays are best. We, a group of concerned people, have recommended to authorities many changes like, a token system on weekends, clear information at check post and web about day's quota etc., limit vehicles per day, jeeps per day, introduce night safaris, battery operated vehicles for sight seeing etc., don't want to change too many things and destroy the already fragile eco system. Hope they, including forest officials will implement them in a transparent way. Good part is, they don't want too many tourists coming in!

Hi. Nice to see another person from Nemmara here. I am also a native of Nemmara. Those are really good proposals if they become practical.

Originally Posted by ramkya1

I stay at the base of the hills, Nemmara and help many people who want to explore the area, out of genuine concern for responsible tourism. Sorry to say, most ppl who visit are clueless about the damage they do with plastics, litter, smoking & throwing butts all around, open toileting, feeding monkeys, loud horns and what have you. Very irresponsible behaviour.

There are a few more beautiful places nearby to explore like Mangalam dam, Chinganchira Temple area, Seetharkund waterfalls etc., enough for 2 nights and 3 days.

Rightly said. A lot of people are totally unaware of the damages they inflict on the environment.

Originally Posted by vikrantshete

Wow! That was amazing. How long have you spent waiting for those shots? Any particular place like a national forest or hill in Nelliyampathy where you could take such pictures?

Nelliyampathy hills is spread over an area and the entire area is interesting.

Originally Posted by mallumowgli

But I object to this poor man's Ooty tag to Nelliyampathy. Commercialised Ooty is impoverished in comparison to the pristine treasure trove called Nelliyampathy

Yes. High time to change this tag. I still remember the time when i ran away from Ooty Botanical garden maddened by the huge traffic jam and chaos.

Originally Posted by SUBRU

Amazing pictures and a wonderful Travelogue. Was it a day trip from palakkad? What time does the checkpost at Pothundi dam open? How is the condition of the road now? Especially from Kaikatty to karadipara? Read some where that travel restictions have been imposed to karappara waterfalls?

Thank you. These pictures were taken from multiple trips. Pothundy checkpost opens at 6am and open till 4pm. Road conditions are generally good except a few stretches in the ghats which are quite easily manageable by car. Haven't heard of any such restrictions in karappara.

[Mafia]

Wonderful photographs!

The Great Hornbill in full flight is mind-blowing!

Excellent composition.

Is the 200-500 lens from Nikon or a compatible brand? I am looking to get a decent zoom lense for my birding needs.

[peterjim13]

Originally Posted by i20ian

I have stayed at a few locations in Nelliyampathy. There are a few decent accommodation facilites available. A few are:
1) Greenland Farm house
2) Misty Valley resort
3) KFDC Pakuthipaalam
4) ITL Residency
The must visit places are
1) Seethargundu view point
2) Keshavanpara view point
3) Karappara waterfalls
4) Karashoori jeep trek. You'll have to hire jeeps from Nelliyampathy to go there.
5) Orange farm

Thank you. Guides are generally not available at Nelliyampathy. If you are able to spend some time along the Ghat roads early in the morning, you'll come across a lot of bird varieties. Also Karappara would be interesting for bird watching.

Bangalore- Salem- Coimbatore- Palakkad- Erimayur- Nemmara- Nelliyampathy is the route. The ghat roads start after Nemmara from a place called Pothundy. The roads are good throughout except a few stretches on the ghats were the roads are a bit bad.

If you want to feel cut off from the rest of the world you can book accommodation at Misty Valley resorts. It is located deep inside the jungle and you'll need to park your vehicle in Nelliyampathy town and take an off-road jeep to reach there.

Also KFDC Pakuthipaalam is a Government owned accomodation which is deep inside the forest.

Thank you. Good that you liked the pictures. Next time when you travel do keep an eye out for birds and you'll be surprised at the sheer variety of them.

Nelliyampathy will be good for a two day trip and you can surely club Parambikulam with that if you have 4 days at your disposal.

Thanks for these tips and shall surely add them to the travel plan.

And I see it is quite drivable, and now seems to be the best time to feel the climate.

Do we get any larger animal sighting on the road beyond whatever you have listed?

Originally Posted by i20ian

Nilgiri Langurs are a separate species and their tails and appearance itself is different.

Thanks for the correction, I just realised that the Nilgiri Langurs are a bit different from the Grey Langurs we have around. We used the refer Grey Langurs as Nilgiri Langurs and now understand the difference.

Interesting to see the Nilgiri Langurs and Lion-Tailed Macaques have some bit of similarity in the hair colour.

Thanks again for this - I stand corrected

[Stryker]

Wow, nice photos, i20ian! I especially love the eye level shot of the Malabar Giant Squirrel. How did you manage to get that high? What's the story behind the shot?

[i20ian]

Originally Posted by Mafia

Is the 200-500 lens from Nikon or a compatible brand? I am looking to get a decent zoom lense for my birding needs.

Thank you. I used Nikkor 200-500 for all the photos. Along with D500 it still gives a good run for money even after 2 years of it's release. I would recommend it hands down for birding.

Originally Posted by peterjim13

Thanks for these tips and shall surely add them to the travel plan.

And I see it is quite drivable, and now seems to be the best time to feel the climate.

Do we get any larger animal sighting on the road beyond whatever you have listed?

If you are lucky enough you might find a herd of elephants blocking your way up the ghats.

Originally Posted by Stryker

Wow, nice photos, i20ian! I especially love the eye level shot of the Malabar Giant Squirrel. How did you manage to get that high? What's the story behind the shot?

Thank you. The Malabar giant squirrel photo was taken during the fruiting season back in July. The fig had fruited heavily and there were all sorts of birds and squirrels who if left undisturbed would eventually come down to the lower branches and provide such wonderful photo opportunities.

[Ddrive]

Loved this photologue very much. The verditer flycatcher image was the best i like, gives a kind a peaceful mood. Short and sweet for a quick read. Thanks.

[M35]

Hello,

I am looking for a 3-4-5 star rated resort/hotel in Nelliyampathy. The facility should be easily accessible (Not changing cars or trekking etc) in a regular car. Any leads will be appreciated.

[i20ian]

Originally Posted by M35

Hello,

I am looking for a 3-4-5 star rated resort/hotel in Nelliyampathy. The facility should be easily accessible (Not changing cars or trekking etc) in a regular car. Any leads will be appreciated.

Hi. There are a few good places which are accessible by your own car. Please Google and see the following places:
1) Vanya resort Nelliyampathy
2) Greenland resort
3) Ciscillia heritage
4) ITL resorts
All these are accessible in our own car. Hope that helps.