Nelliyampathy - A Natural treat to our eyes, mind and heart !!!

Everybody has this important desire in their bucket list that to go on a trip with the special friends. Whenever your friends are with you, you'll be more energetic and would feel adventurous than any other time.

Nelliyampathy's Pothundy Dam from a view point

I planned to go to Nelliyampathy, Palakkad district which is located on Kerala. A trip based on a forward message in a group on WhatsApp. So after receiving that forward message about Nelliyampathy, I thought if this trip gets done then this would be the unforgettable trip of my life and it happened. This trip is also a special trip as it was our first long trip together. Also it is a trip which is planned. So those who say "Planned trips don't happen", please note this is a "Planned trip with friends which really happened".

So I planned the trip, initially planned it for at least with 10 friends but at last the numbers dropped to 5 friends. The companions of the trip are Abinesh, Asiq, Hari Balan, Raja Guru and Myself.

Clean and Green Nelliyampathy

After Receiving the message, I googled it for at least 3 or 4 days to find out the amenities available there and finally ended up with getting one good travel agent number. This planning of mine began even before 2 months of the trip. With that travel agent named Abhan Abilash, I finalized the package for 2 days and one night package at Nelliyampathy covering food, trekking and stay at a resort.

About Nelliyampathy

Nelliyampathy is a hill station located in the Palakkad district of Kerala. It is just an evolving tourist spot. Thank God!! That we've visited this place even before coming to the limelight. All over Kerala filled with green plants and trees all over the places. Nelliyampathy is way too heavenly than any other places and truly it's a treat to our eyes. You could enjoy the authenticity of hill station only at Nelliyampathy. It is the best destination than any other hill station that I've visited ever like Kodaikanal, Yercaud and Ooty.

Clouds touching the mountain

About our journey

5 of us started our journey by train from Thanjavur by Ernakulam express which originates from Karaikal and terminates at Ernakulam Junction. We boarded the train by 6:45 pm at Thanjavur and got down at Palakkad Junction at 3:00 am in the early morning.

At Pothundy Dam, Nelliyampathy

During our journey towards Palakkad from Thanjavur, we encountered with many funny and some serious personalities. We got to meet them as we were travelling in an unreserved coach. One guy got very emotional about the problems happening Thamizh Nadu related to agriculture, another guy told us that they have remodeled a tourist bus worth Rs.1 crore and to the top of these encounters, we met one person who was saying that his wife tells him that he looks like Thamizh actor Vishal from that he became fan of actor Vishal. He was also judging us by our looks saying that Asiq looks arrogant whereas he is the most innocent in our group. All of us are teetotaler, without knowing that somebody asked us whether we need weed or alcohol and all. We all still laugh at this question. "Yean da engala paarthu andha vaarthaiya keta???” Like this our journey made interesting because of these incidents.

Nelliyampathy

Day 1

We took a nap in the platform itself till 4:15 am. We got refreshed and had tea at a tea stall. Then we reached the Palakkad bus stand from where we had to catch the bus to Nenmara which is located at the foot of the Nelliyampathy.

On the way towards Nelliyampathy

During our travel in the bus towards Nenmara, we found posters of famous football clubs and we were very much amazed by the craze that Keralites have towards football. To our surprise there were no posters of any political party or any caste based posters. That's a difference we found between Thamizh Nadu and Kerala.

Football Posters

Football Posters

After reaching Nenmara, We then called Abhilash who arranged a cab for us to the resort and trekking point. Cab will be arranged if needed. Till the time we decided to have breakfast in the local hotel and found one vegetarian restaurant named "Hotel Sree Vinayaka", which is located near the Nenmara bus stand. To be honest the basic south Indian dishes were really delicious and authentic. The waiter, who exchanged his looks similar to "Mohan Lal", was very energetic and affectionate while serving food to us. After our breakfast we bought some snacks to have during our time at Nelliyampathy as nothing more other than general groceries available at Nelliyampathy hills. Our cab reached Nenmara, which is the typical jeep used to climb the roughs of the mountain and trekking route came for picking us up.

Our driver Vishnu, (who's just a graduate, so we exchanged the same wavelength throughout our journey) came with the jeep picked us and thus we began our fun filled adventurous trip towards the beautiful Nelliyampathy.

Vishnu Chetan with his Jeep (Our ride)

On our way to the hills, the first view we had is an amazing Pothundy Dam's view which made us, especially me to think that I've chosen the best destination for the perfect friends’ trip. 

Spectacular View of Pothundy Dam

Pothundy Dam, Nelliyampathy

Resuming the journey, we came through 3 viewpoints on our way to the uphill, namely Lower deck, padagiri and upper deck viewpoints. As the driver Vishnu clearly at the par of our thinking he helped us with patience to click some snaps for the memory bucket list. Even though we were dirty, we clicked more pictures on every viewpoints.

Pothundy dam, Nelliyampathy

View from the lower deck viewpoint

Then rode along the AVT tea and coffee estates and there we saw a snake casually crossing the roads. Our driver took us to the big and small waterfalls there and we chose to take bath in the small waterfall. There happened one funny incident that our body builder friend Hari Balan slipped into the water while trying to pull himself out of the water also dragging Raja Guru to manage not to fall. We were never tired of clicking photos there too. Had a relaxed and natural bath at the waterfall and changed our dresses at the shore itself. 

AVT Tea estate

As we had a confusion about the package, we then discussed and finalized the plan then decided to have lunch and to go to the resort and to take rest for the remaining part of the day as we didn't had enough sleep in the train.

A hanging bridge

View form the Hanging bridge

Rough waterfall at Nelliyampathy

Few of the gorgeous view we had at the Nelliyampathy Hills really left us astonished. 

We also had an option of bathing at rough waterfall and another place. As the current of the water was high we chose an safe option. But there were tiny leeches in water as well as in the plains as it was located in between forest.

Bathing spot

Our room at the resort

Our resort's ambience made us to feel the worth of the package. We were extremely happy and set ourselves to take some rest as we didn't slept at the night. We slept from 3 pm -7 pm.

Room at the resort

Then we told the resort manager to prepare the dinner. After having dinner, it was time for our bonfire (a mini campfire) night. The boys at the resort prepared the bonfire. There was a small mood swing during the bonfire as I was not ok with the songs playlist later I apologized for my mood swing. 

Interiors of the room

Then the rest of the night at the resort was awesome and filled with joy and fear as well. Fear because our room is the first room located at the front at the entrance itself, as it is a jungle we feared for getting attacked by animals, but fortunately nothing happened. The most feared amongst us was Asiq. He requested us and slept in the middle of us. We slept late because we friends were together and spent valuable time with each other as well. We were watching TV as there was no program, we changed into a channel in which a funny advertising was going on and we did it a spoof of it. Then the rest of the night we slept and boosted us for the next day.

View from the window

Day 2

We woke up around 7:45 and it was raining. We were worrying whether we could it make it for the trekking or not. However we got ready and had breakfast, the Kerala's famous 'Puttu Kadalai' with papads. Till the mean time the rain stopped and our driver Vishnu also reached our resort. We vacated the resort and started our journey towards the trekking point.

Room at the resort

Bonfire 

We bought the tickets for trekking as the forest department checks whether the tourists bring any plastics or not. They are strict about taking perfect care of the forest by not allowing plastics in the forest area.

The trekking route is full of bumps which will get you nauseous and you'll get tired very easily. But the trekking is entertaining throughout. You can also enjoy by seeing some wild animals of the forest. There are some viewpoints which is mesmerizing and you'll wonder about the creation and nature will make you to forget all the luxury you enjoy in the city. This trekking will take minimum 3 hours to 3 and a half hours roughly including the halt in the viewpoints.

We went and visited the viewpoints and clicked many pictures throughout the trekking. We totally enjoyed the views and we were enthralled by the magnificence of Nelliyampathy's which is totally filled of green trees, plants, herbs and shrubs.

Breakfast Puttu Kadalai

When we got back from the trekking point to the town, the clouds just covered the place and it was like a fairy tale that we entered into the clouds and unexpectedly it started to rain. We then continued our expedition towards Nenmara to get back to our hometown.

We reached Nenmara by 3 pm and had lunch at the same "Hotel Sree Vinayaka". My friends bought some savories’ like Nendrampazham chips (Famous banana chips of Kerala) from "Ashtapadi Bakery" for their homes. Then we boarded a bus to Palakkad. There we went to the Palakkad fort. The time we reached it was cloudy and about to rain. The view was really stunning. As we had enough time there we were planning to do something. One of us suggested watching a movie and I suggested to visit some nearby places. But in the meantime, it down poured, we got not roof to settle there so we all got drenched. Finally decided to go to the railway station and catch an earlier train to Coimbatore, from there we had plans to catch a direct train to Thanjavur.

Entrance of the trekking point

Breathtaking view from our trekking

After reaching the Palakkad railway station we bought some snacks and changed our wet clothes in the waiting room of the Palakkad Junction. We boarded the 6 pm Coimbatore passenger. During this journey one guy asked us whether we have cigarette or not? Then we told him that we don't smoke. Then we were discussing the incident about the guy who asked us whether we need weed and laughing, hearing this the guy who asked us for cigarette got excited and stared at us.  And reached Coimbatore by 8:30 pm and had dinner at a hotel opposite to the railway station. Then we bought the tickets for Thanjavur and settled in the platform.

Green Green all the way

We reached Thanjavur by Chemmozhi express which departs from Coimbatore at 12:30 Am and reached Thanjavur by 6:30 Am.

Every one of us were tired, but Hari and I were awake throughout our journey. We were playing 'PUBG' and Hari showed me a horrible Telugu movie named "Middle class Abbayi". The movie provoked me to hit and abuse him very badly. But we enjoyed by joking at the logic less movie. In between these scenes, I saw the sleeping faces of everyone, Abinesh who got settled himself in the upper berth was sleeping with his eyes open. It was way too funny to watch him like that. Hari and I laughed out at this sleepy face of Abinesh.

Palakkad fort 

Back to Hometown

We reached Thanjavur by 6:30 Am and everybody went back and settled in our home. We shared the pictures from one to other the next day.

With all this incidents with mixed emotions made into one of the memories to look back and cherish in our life diary. I described exactly what we did throughout our journey. However I described all the funny moments of my friends, I Am expecting revenge would be taken by bringing my funny moments into the limelight.

End of the trip

This trip was just planned based on a forward message in WhatsApp. I then planned most of the things 2 months earlier itself. Nelliyampathy is an evolving and untold tourist spot located in Palakkad district of Kerala. Rather than describing Nelliyampathy, people must visit and relish the true color of the nature and the creation. It's a destination which perfectly suits any kind of tourists like bachelors, family members and couples.

P.S: I've added below the contact numbers of concerned people like Mr. Abhan and the small restaurant where we had breakfast and lunch and the driver's number also for further use of those who are interested in going to Nelliyampathy.
Mr. Abhan Abhilash (tourist agent)  - 9447693444
Sree vinayaka hotel - 9446101581, 9496804592

Mr. Vishnu (jeep) - 9400178143

I've added a lot of pictures taken by mostly Haribalan, Rajaguru, Asiq and Abinesh. Though it seems slightly disturbing the content but I've added them just to show the reality of Nelliyampathy.

Ending this really long post of our trip here.

Yours East Gaterr