When Nature beckons, it’s to the mountains that tourists and holiday-makers head. The cool, fresh air of mist-wrapped hills has an unmatched allure. One such hill station with come-hither looks is Ponmudi, as much sought after as Idukki or Munnar are. Given the sultry weather in the plains, a trip to Ponmudi would be a welcome change.
A 60-km drive from the capital city would take you to Ponmudi hills. The drive up is mesmerizing, for so alluring is Nature’s bounty. It’s a pleasure to go up the winding roads, all the while enjoying the sights, sounds and stillness of the place. The pre-winter drive is the best when huge flowering trees colour up the hills and the roads as one drives by.
Standing elegant at 1,100 ft above sea level, Ponmudi hills are part of the mighty Western Ghats that runs parallel to the Arabian Sea. The weather is cold and misty all through the year which makes it all the more attractive.
Ponmudi is perhaps one of the few hill stretches in the world that can be reached within a 60-km drive from the shoreline. Twenty-two hairpin bends later, you are atop the golden hill. It’s a merry medley of sights on either side of the drive with picturesque tea plantations, gurgling brooks, shola forests and green pasturelands gracing the landscape.
The Golden Valley, Meenmutty waterfalls and the Peppara Wildlife sanctuary are other packages that come along with Ponmudi.
