Nature indeed cured us, and I really didn’t know this before that eventful trip to those beautiful foothills of this part of the Western Ghats that is most deservingly called ‘Ooty of Malabar’. The lush greenery of Kakkadampoyil was obviously more than our expectations. It’s been some time that our team was planning for such a trip to any hills or some seashores, but got postponed for many a time. Also, the destination to which we were to travel also kept on changing with too many suggestions from all of each of us that ranged from Chikkamangalur to Bannerghatta. At last, it was our HR who came up this enchanting place, as he is also from Kerala. He is always like that when anyone at the office is caught in any such problem, he is there to solve up the issue most diplomatically. After all, he is meant for that.
For a more adventurous option, we thought of travelling by a bus sent by our tour operator Gogeo Holidays. Their tour consultants also appreciated us for taking such a decision, as we did travel via the Bandipur National Park. Moreover, the journey was quite comfortable and peaceful as we had booked their group tour packages that took care of each of the travelling aspects that we were about to face while heading to our destination at this captivating part of Kerala. We started from our city Bangalore by 9 in the morning and arrived at Kakkadampoyil by almost 6 in the evening. Actually, we had plans of saving a day by starting our journey at night and arriving here by early morning. But we could not follow that, as we were to pass through a reserved forest area where night travelling is restricted. Fortunately or unfortunately, due to this Plan-B, we got to witness the greenery of both Kerala and Karnataka. Furthermore, it was located at the borders of Calicut and Malappuram district.
We stayed that evening and that night at a beautiful resort at Koodarinji, as the places to stay in the small town of Kakkadampoyil is minimal. Moreover, from there, our location was only 30 minutes of travel. On the very next day after having a cool breakfast, we started to our destination on an early morning. The climate then was already a bit moody then. When we were waiting for the bus by which we travelled from our hometown, around 4 cabs came to us as the road leading to the place were sloppy and narrower. Without wasting a single moment all of us got in. There were numerous agricultural fields amid the dense forest covers, that mainly constituted of Plaintain, coffee and cocoa crops. After 10 minutes of travelling, it was raining lightly. The real magic of the hilly destination was seen after that. There were all misty clouds so abruptly. And as we were going to the higher elevation, we were literally moving into the clouds. Later, our team arrived at a crucial viewpoint of Kakkadampoyil that offered to us some mesmerizing panoramic views, as, by that time, the clouds were eventually disappearing. As the enjoyable activity of tenting was included in our packages, we also made some adorable tents at this beautiful hilltop and witnessed the breathtaking sights. Nature indeed seemed to be in great sync with our plans and time schedules. In that clear sky, we got to behold watch the views of neighbouring districts of Kannur, Kozhikode apart from Malappuram. Beyond that, there were some plain light blue areas. Somebody from our team was declaring that it could be views of the Arabian Sea!!
Might be, such an assumption cannot be left behind, as we were vacationing in the splendid land of Kerala. After devouring them, we proceed to the next tourist spot of Nayaadan poyil. From the point where our cab stopped, we had to trek alongside a forestry path of around 4 km. Strolling such a long distance at a go would never have been possible if we were doing so in Bangalore. But the dense cover of the forest and the soothing atmosphere made all the difference. There were the chirping of birds and some other small creatures evolved out of nowhere, maybe from the branches of tall trees. All of us were chatting and walking together until we reached the massive rock formations of Pazhassi Cave. It is believed that the Warrior King Kerala Varma Pazhassi Raja had lived in this jungle vicinity during his hideout living. On further enquiry with the tour guide, we got to learn that the brave majesty was the first-ever Indian king to have fought against the British colonisers. In addition to that, we also got to meet the successors of some tribal populations who had supported their ruler at the times of his captivity a few centuries back. Even some of his belongings can be seen at the base of these caves.
Now the turn was to reach the magical spot of Kozhipara Waterfalls, those were very accessibly reached by moving barely a walkable distance of 200 metres from the main road. Moreover, even before reaching the spot of the spellbinding cascading falls at a closer distance, we got to catch a glimpse of the rivulets those finally form the Kozhipara waterfalls. The pristine waters or Kuthradampuzha River that gush through those peculiarly adorable rocks were tempting each and every person of our team to dip in them. As the region is under the reserved forest covers of Kerala, we had to pay a small price at its entry point. Even though the regions around Kakkadanpoyil are unexplored and rarely visited, the tourism department of the state had ensured to install some railings for the safety of the visitors. The gushing waters were indeed sumptuous as it had rained for the past few days. So, some of their spots were banned from entering in by the forest department. Therefore we dipped and bathe in the crystal clear waters in some pond-like structures. We had lots of fun playing in the waters in such a peaceful ambience.
For taking us to a wonderful trip to this unexplored beautiful location, we really feel grateful to our company and obviously, we would like to appreciate the efforts taken by Gogeo Holidays for arranging a hassle-free journey by preparing such engaging travel itinerary.