Athirappilly waterfalls is Kerala's most famous and largest waterfall. Located around 63 km from Thrissur district, it is a perennial picnic spot for people in the area and beyond. The waterfalls is a part of the Chalakudy River and is one of the most visited tourist spots in Kerala. Here are some interesting places to visit in Athirapilly.
Thumboormuzhi Dam: Roughly 14 kilometres from Athirapilly waterfalls, the Thumboormuzhi check dam is used primarily for irrigation purposes in the Chalakudy region. A must visit place if you are planning to take your family. There is a lovely garden near the dam called as ‘butterfly Garden’. And this garden houses nearly 148 different species of butterflies.
Kodanad Elephant Training Centre: This famous Elephant training centre is an hour’s drive from Athirappilly falls, and you can spend half a day watching the elephants being fed and bathed. Not just elephants you can also see deers, various birds, and butterflies. Children would love the baby elephants too.
Illithode: There can’t be a better eco-tourist spot than Illithode which is a mere 10-kilometre drive from the waterfalls. You can just walk around, take photographs, watch various species of birds, and even take a dip in the streams flowing past the forest. An entire day spent there will drive away all your worries.
Vazhachal Waterfalls: This thing of beauty is a mere 10-minute drive from Athirappilly, and it flows through the doorway of the Sholayar forest. Vazhachal falls embark from the Chalakudy River and lopes artistically downhill for more than 300 feet into a puddle of water. The adjoining exquisiteness of the waterfalls makes it one of the best places to visit around Athirappilly waterfalls.
By the way, the tickets purchased for Athirappilly Waterfalls can also be used to enter Vazhachal waterfalls if visiting the same day. Several private taxis are available at reasonable rates to commute from Athirappilly waterfalls to Vazhachal waterfalls. Besides, if you love trekking, then you can walk through the jungle and make the trip more memorable. It is advised to not step into the flowing water. It can also be dangerous to attempt to reach the bottom of the waterfall, as the velocity of the water is soaring high.
Charpa falls: This waterfall is centrally located en route Vazhachal from Athirappilly. Charpa falls as part of the Chalakudy river which pours down on the road to Vazhachal from Athirappilly. In a series of seven steps from the top, the puddle of freshwater from the waterfall reaches the road. With such a picturesque natural phenomenon, the falls easily become one of the highlights of places near Athirappilly waterfalls.
Not to mention how the Charpa falls is also surrounded by the rousing beauty of nature that would capture your senses. The perks of visiting the falls are that it is on the way to Vazhachal so you wouldn't have to take any specific detour to visit the falls.
Tourism industry struggling to stay afloat
The bad news is that ever since the second wave Athirappilly tourism that was slowly picking has again slackened. The tourism industry is worried about facing another lockdown. They had expected some tourist flow during the summers. To attract tourists the tourism sector had introduced capsule size videos and other programmes, but nothing worked. Travel restrictions at Tamil Nadu and Ramzan fasting also added to the woes of the tourism sector.
