[laluks]

Day 01, 30.10.2010
Chinnar

We spent one hour playing in the water and enjoying the coolness and the surroundings.

We started back by 12:30PM


The last view of the falls from the trek


The views from our trek back to Alampetty










A mother daughter moment


Some close ups.






We reached Alampetty finally by 13:45PM.

Some information about why you should protect our forests


continued...

[laluks]

Day 01, 30.10.2010
Chinnar - Munnar


By 14:00PM we started our onward journey to Munnar after a beautiful trek to Thoovanam falls.



The trekk to Thoovanam falls needs minimum 4 hours of time at your disposal. In case you have small kids and travellors who have problems in trekking, you can still see Thoovanam falls on the Chinnar Munnar route at a vantage location. But for the sheer feel of the waterfalls, the trek is advised. It's a nice walk.

Some pictures of Thoovanam Falls from there.





We moved and reached another waterfalls.

Karimutty falls.





This is very near the road, and there are some samll eateries nearby. We moved on towards Munnar.

There was a board near the falls about Chinnar Wildlife sanctuary.



We saw another waterfall at a distance on the mountains.



continued...

[laluks]

Day 01, 30.10.2010
Munnar

We always liked the beauty of the surrounding between Chatta Munnar Check Post and Eravikulam National Park.

See the beauty around. Red flowering trees and tea estates, its a riot.






Civvy enjoying the riot







Still further you can see the beauty of the tea estates and mountains kissed by the clouds




Civvy enjoying the views







We started on to Munnar by 15:30PM.

It was 16 degrees and 478Km from home by then.




We reached Munnar by 16:15PM and went to Saravana Bhavan for some lovely Dosas and Coffee. Filled us up, and started on to our resort.

We were booked at Club Mahindra's LakeView Resort at Chinnakanal in Munnar. You can see the details of them here Resorts in Munnar | Hotels in Munnar | Holidays in Munnar | Munnar Hill Station | Wildlife Sanctuary Munnar

Chinnakanal is further away from Munnar on the Poopara route. It was raining cats and dogs by then. We negotiated the rains, the fog at the Lockheart Gap and reached the resort by 18:30PM. Got our cottage allotted and we crashed.

Had a buffet dinner for the night by 21:00PM, talked a lot over dinner and enjoyed the chilly weather and retired for the day by 22:30Pm.

[mallumowgli]

Am bored giving the same adjectives to a Lalu travelogue - let me invent something new and then comment!!

Is there any other activities that you would recommend at Chinnar, apart from the trek to the watchtower? Am going to Palani this sunday - thought i will squeeze in a visit to Chinnar as well. How much time should I have in hand for the visit (from Udumalpet to Chinnar and back)?

[laluks]

Originally Posted by mallumowgli

Am bored giving the same adjectives to a Lalu travelogue - let me invent something new and then comment!!

Is there any other activities that you would recommend at Chinnar, apart from the trek to the watchtower? Am going to Palani this sunday - thought i will squeeze in a visit to Chinnar as well. How much time should I have in hand for the visit (from Udumalpet to Chinnar and back)?

Hi mallu mowgli,

Will wait for your invention

Well, Udumalpettu to Chinnar would be within 30 minutes. Consider then 1 hour for up and down journey.

At Chinnar Checkpost you can chose to do a long trek for 3 to 4 hours into the forest. Here you can chose to do a trek to the watch tower - this is very easy 10 to 15 minutes trek, climb the watch tower look around. Could take 30 - 45 minutes in all.

From this checkpost if you drive further some kilometeres you'll reach Alampetty. Here you can chose to trek to Thoovanam falls (3 - 4 hours), or trek to Dolmens. I'll suggest the falls.

There are some possibilities to stay - which may not interest you for now.

Thinking that you'll take atleast one long trek then 5 hours at your disposal before sun sets would be ideal.

[laluks]

Day 02, 31.10.2010
Munnar

Woke up to the flying sound of this guy.



By 09:30AM we went for our breakfast. The restaurant was packed with guests and it was pandemonium. The buffet added to the fun!


Finished breakfast and walked back to the cottage.

A beautiful flower


Saw some activities possible.


Chose the Kolukkumalai Safari. It is here where we have the world's highest grown Orthodox tea.

The jeep getting ready to take us to Kolukkumalai.


continued...

[laluks]

Day 02, 31.10.2010
Munnar

We started by 10:45AM to Kolukkumalai.

The views enroute Kolukkumalai






















There are some view points enroute


It was misty and view could not be seen


The other jeeps coming in






Finally we reached the summit


PPGs at Kolukkumalai


Our jeep needed to quench its thirst


We moved ahead and reached Kulukkumalai Tea Garden by 12:00PM





continued...

[laluks]

Day 02, 31.10.2010
Munnar

Some pictures from the tea factory

















































Continued...

[laluks]

Day 02, 31.10.2010
Munnar

Some more pictures from the tea factory





















A picture about Munnar's attractions



We started back to our resort by 13:00PM. It started raining intermittently. The jeep ride in the rains was fun!

I was told this college belonged to some political big wig


Suryanelli was once upon a time very infamous.

Before reaching the resort we stopped by a vantage point to take a look at the waterbody and the mountains. This is the waters of Anayirankal Dam







We reached the resort by 14:30PM and straight away headed for lunch.


The pandemonium at the restaurant continued... and we decided to make orders to our cottage from now on rather than walking upto the restaurant. The crowd was just too much and the buffet was not replenished on time, leading to people waiting and rushing as if seeing food for the first time in their life - horrible!! Also if you walk upto fill your plate, your chairs will be flicked too!! Call this a RCI gold crown resort!!

Anyhow PPGs, guarded our chairs , and we had to spend time till 15:30PM to finish our lunch properly.


continued...

[mallumowgli]

Altitude more than 2100m above sea level, rains and mist...but still normal clothes for the PPGs - wasnt it cold at that time?

[laluks]

Originally Posted by mallumowgli

Altitude more than 2100m above sea level, rains and mist...but still normal clothes for the PPGs - wasnt it cold at that time?

Sweater was there with them. They had kept that in the jeep during the photo sessions and in the tea factory. It was around 16 to 18 degrees.

[MohsinRoadster]

The pics of Thoovanam falls are simply spectacular.A visual treat after a tiring trek.
It makes such a perfect wall paper on the desktop. Thanks for sharing.

[laluks]

Originally Posted by MohsinRoadster

The pics of Thoovanam falls are simply spectacular.A visual treat after a tiring trek.
It makes such a perfect wall paper on the desktop. Thanks for sharing.

Yes MohsinRoadster.

It was a tiring trek, and PPGs felt that the trek was a tad too much for them. But at the end when they saw the falls, their energy levels boosted up.

A similar trek, not this much distance, but a bit hard one was to the Killiyur falls in Yercaud, where the PPGs were feeling difficult.

[hvkumar]

Thoovanam Falls - wouldn't that be deep inside the sanctuary and on the elephant-gaur pathways? Can you trek alone or do you mandatorily need a guide?

Kolukkumalai - correct me if I am wrong: I suppose you continue from Club M at Chinnakanal towards Suryanelli & Kolukkumalai? How good was the road? Are there any check posts en route?

[laluks]

Originally Posted by hvkumar

Thoovanam Falls - wouldn't that be deep inside the sanctuary and on the elephant-gaur pathways? Can you trek alone or do you mandatorily need a guide?

Kolukkumalai - correct me if I am wrong: I suppose you continue from Club M at Chinnakanal towards Suryanelli & Kolukkumalai? How good was the road? Are there any check posts en route?

You are right. It is almost 3 to 4 kilometres inside the forest. You need to take the guide at Rs 100 per person as I understand. Trekking alone - I have not explored that possibility, but having done the trek, if I had gone alone I would have got confused and ended else where may be would have met some 4 legged friends.

Yes. From Suryanelli you have to take the route to Kolukkumalai. Its a left turn when going from Chinnakanal / CM. You cannot take cars up there, the roads are not good at all. Scorpio / SUV - with some efforts I feel can go up there. Its only a stony muddy road, not 4x4 stuff. But The road is inside a private Tea estate and you'll have to grease the guards palm. The jeep fellow asked me to pay him Rs 50 for entry. The jeep ride costed only Rs 600.