Nelliyampathy

State

Nelliyampathy is a beautiful hill station in the state of Kerala, located near the town of Palakkad. This tourist hill station is located close to the border of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. The region comprises of Nelliyampathy hills and mountains, which form a part of the majestic Sahyadri ranges in the Western Ghats, with gorgeous valleys interrupting its flow. Historians believe that a rich civilization was present in Nelliyampathy during the Tamil Sangam period.

The way up the Nelliyampathy is a steep climb with a series of hair pin bends and passes through a number of privately managed farms and tea estates. Nelliyampathy is thus a good destination for eco tourism and farm tourism, where one may be enlightened to farm management activity. On the way to Nelliyampath one also passes the popular picnic locale of this region, Porthundy Dam, where one can also enjoy boating. One can also catch a glimpse of the Palakkad Gap, a unique geographical formation.

The Nellikota mountain ranges are the highest in this region and rise up to an altitude of 1572 m. Padagiri is the highest peak situated in the Nellikota ranges. Vellachimudi, Mayanmudi, Valiyavana and Vela Vanchan are some of the other important peaks of the Nelliyampathy mountain range. The Nelliyampathy range is a chain of ridge covered with green forests and valleys. Sprawling over the ranges are also plantations of tea, coffee, cardamom and mainly orange. The misty mountains, the breath-taking valleys and intense greenery offer a feast for the eyes.

The highest point of Nelliyampathy is the Palagapandi Estate which contains a bungalow of British period, that has now been converted to a resort. Even the estate is covered with plantations of tea, cardamon, coffee and one can also be fortunate to sight a lot of wildlife here. The hills of Nelliyampathy also ofer a good view of Sholayar Pass.

Seethakundu is a famous tourist spot which gives a fantastic view of the valley and where one can enjoy under a 100 meters high waterfall. Other places to visit near Nelliyampathy are Malampuzha Gardens, Raja's Cliff, Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary and Koothampully. It is worth visiting Koothampully for its tectiles of the local handloom and woven weavers community of this village. Their textiles were very famous with the royalty of Mysore.

Accessibility

Air: The nearest airport is in Coimbatore, which is nearly 140 km away from the Nelliyampathy. Coimbatore is well connected to all major cities in south India, including Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad. Tourist taxi from airport to Nelliyamapthy costs about Rs 3000.

Rail: Palakkad, at a distance of about 75 km away from Nelliyampathy, is the nearest railway station. Palakkad junction (Olavakkode) is an important station and the trains have stop at Palakkad and from there one can take a taxi to reach Nelliampathy. Taxi costs about Rs 1500.

Road: Most of the south Indian cities are connected to Nelliampathy by bus. Tourist buses as well as State owned buses provide services from cities like Trichur, Kottayam, Kozhikode, Guruvayoor, Cochin and Trivandrum. From Palakkad to Nelliampathy buses run on regular intervals.

Things to do

Trekking: Nelliyampathy’s hilly terrain and thick forest provides immense opportunities for trekkers. As most of the hills have a height ranging from 500 meters to 1600 meters, they provide tremendous potentials for trekkers to explore the terrain and forests. Padagiri peak is an excellent place for trekking.

There is a base camp at Kaikatty where trekking and camping facilities are provided. Forest department’s guesthouses also provide trekking facilities and local guides for accompanying the trekkers. During the trekking trials tourist can enjoy the flora and fauna of Nelliyampathy forests and also have an opportunity to watch wildlife and birds.

District
Palakkad
STD Code
0491
Termperature
Summer 20-35°, Winter 16-28°C
Best time to visit
September to May