Working in 9 to 5 cooperate job,I usually get very minimal leaves for travelling. So I decided to explore Kerala this time. The backwaters of Kerala are a perfect place to unwind in the midst of tea and spice plantations. It has very dense forest and wild life sanctuaries. Being so rich in culture & in tradition, very famous Kathakali dance in Chithirapuram, Munnar is a must visit. I will be sharing a detailed trip for next 5 days for you... So let's just start...
Well, Solo travelling is never easy but worth a shot. It not only pushes you out of your comfort zone, it also pushes you out of the zone of others' expectations. I start my journey with an early morning flight from IGIA, Delhi. I reached airport two hours before my flight and it was all set to depart at 5:15 am. I reached Kochi at 7.30 am in the morning.
Landed at Cochin(Kochi) International Airport: One that runs on solar power and saves a lot of electricity.
Heavy rain on the outskirts of Kochi Airport.
Stays :
Holiday home Anaya's Lake House is located at KMD Nabyar road, Panangad Anaya's Lakehouse in Ernakulam district of Cochin 8.6 km from the airport itself. A very loving place to stay in Kochi right after arrival. This place is really beautiful and peaceful to enjoy with your loved ones. I booked taxi from airport to Lake house. Click on the below image for price and booking.
Later in the evening, I decided to explore local shops and places and I found this very beautiful South Indian vegetarian restaurant to eat dosa and chutney situated In Front of the Foot Overbridge, Sarovaram Rd, Vytila Aroor Bye Pass Road, Service Road West, NH 47, NH 66, Chambakkara - Kannadikadu Rd, Maradu, Ernakulam, Kerala 682304. Do visit if you are staying in Kochi for a couple of days.
I only had one day left In Kochi before moving to Munnar. So on Day 2 I decided to explore Fort Beach in Kochi which is quite amusing and famous because of it history so I booked a cab for the whole day and reached in the afternoon which is approximately 8kms from my stay. It offers everything for nature lover from mountains to lakes, from river to beach. It attract a lot of tourists who come and enjoy some time and relax in the beauty of this Beach. The best part is no entry fees is required. Come with your loved ones and enjoy a beautiful sidewalk.
"The secret to happiness is Munnar"- It's the place you would love to visit & you would never wish to leave.Do you know Munnar itself is a combined name of three rivers- (Muthirapuzha, Nallathanni and Kundala). Very popular destination among the honeymooners & also an ideal place for nature, wildlife and coffee lovers. It has quite a few charming tea museums if you are a tea lover and also spice gardens.
Stay Day 3:
I left Kochi early morning by taxi and reached Munnar property by 1 pm. Transport through buses are also available. Tree house lover will love this property is located in Viripara, Maankulam Kallar Road, Munnar, Kerala 685565. It is at a distance of 40 mins from the city surrounded by beautiful and refreshing waterfall view and forests that will refresh your eyes with greenery.
Places :Plan at least 2 days for Munnar to explore many places like museum and rose garden, Munnar Echo point at Kannan Devan Hills, famous Kathakali Dance of Munnar, Spice garden, mattupatty dam, etc.. Try to visit for national park early in the morning for sunrise as it will take 4-5 hours to complete. Post lunch I headed towards tea factory & later spice garden... At some factories entry fees is required and the timings are fixed so check before visiting. No videography is allowed.
After tea factory I visited spice plantation which took around 1-2 hours to discover the whole garden and you can shop organic spice and coffees from the store itself.
Monsoon season can't get any better if there is no rain. In the rainy weather Echo point looks so beautiful and scenic. As you scream, it is fun to hear your voice reverberate around the attraction again and again. This point is situated on the Kannan Devan Hills in Kerala, 15kms from the Munnar town. Time required 1-2hrs. As it was raining heavily in the evening on very day, so I decided to go back to the property and spent the rest of the day enjoying view from the property with a hot cup of coffee. One can also visit backwaters and houseboats I have done that before so i decided to skip that this time due to heavy rain.
So day 4 is the last day to explore Munnar and other places around so I started my journey early morning around 9 am with a heavy breakfast and coffee. I left for (Periyaar Tiger Reserves-A walk on wild side) and reached there by 1pm but in the sanctuary it was very difficult to to spot Tiger but definitely you will be able to see elephants and other wildlife.
Kathakali Dance of Munnar is very famous and has fixed opening hours. So I googled the place and got myself booked for the show at 5.20pm in the evening. Tickets will cost around ₹700 per person. An Indian tradition that never fails to impress us. Punarjani Traditional Village is located in chithirapuram, Munnar. Various activities like Marshal arts and dance fusion will be worth a shot. The artists were very well trained. It is a beautiful experience overall. You might not understand the lingo but the expressions says it all. It was indeed one of the best dances I have seen in my life.
I was literally gazing the living hall where I was having the breakfast and felt overwhelmed as I was about to say to goodbye to Munnar and checkout the place. Since I was having my return flight from Kochi departing at 11.55pm,I left Munnar with a heavy heart at 11 am so that I can reach Kochi Airport by 8 in the evening. On the way back to Kochi I was keen to watch the famous ATHIRAPALLY WATERFALLS which is also known as BAHUBALI WATERFALLS which got famous after being seen in the Bahubali movie itself. This waterfall is famous for a reason to be in bollywood movies like Dil Se, Nayak to be used as a prime location.
Watch my instagram reel on this: https://www.instagram.com/reel/ChFHpn5JZEh/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Athirappilly Falls is the largest waterfall in Kerala and it is a 2 hour drive from Kochi Airport via Chalakudy - Anamala Rd. So if you are coming directly from airport early morning most likely you and your family can travel to this place in the afternoon. I decided to visit on my way back to airport. There are resting rooms if you want to change clothes and food stalls as well. Around 5pm I left for airport and that's how I ended my solo journey in a beautiful Paradise-KERALA.
I wrote this blog for those who like to go on short vacations just like me and like enjoying themselves among the nature.
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