The pristine hills of Meghamalai situated in the picturesque Western Ghats of Tamil Nadu will take your breath away. You can reach this sleepy mountainous hamlet with incredible vistas after travelling for a while from Cumbum in Theni district. The six dams that dot the region are indeed eye-catchers. The hill, which is 1,500 m above sea level, is the perfect spot to beat the heat of the plains and a getaway to unwind in tranquil settings.
The drive to Meghamalai can only be breathtaking, though one has to negotiate 18 hairpin curves, with tea estates and cardamom plantations lining up on both sides of the winding road. The popular hill station of Munnar in Kerala would pale before this captivating hamlet when it comes to natural beauty and pleasant climate. A stroll on the nature’s lap to enjoy the beauty of the mist-dipped rolling hills and tea estates enveloped in fog is undoubtedly out-of-the-world material.
Meghamalai in Tamil means ‘paccha kumachi’ (green hills) and the local residents term the hills Meghamalai as the mountain range is always hugged by clouds.
Simply amazing
The main attractions of Meghamalai are the wildlife sanctuary, the Meghamalai waterfalls known as ‘cloud landfall’, Vellimalai, Suruli waterfalls, the six dams, Maharaja Mettu view point, and cardamom, tea and coffee plantations.
Lodging facilities are available as this mesmerizing tourist spot is replete with budget-friendly hotels and resorts. If you could travel a few kilometers from the town, beautiful resorts are all decked up to receive you with state-of-the-art facilities.
The sprawling tea estates of Meghamalai are a tourist-puller and you can savour the charm of these plantations with a cup of piping hot tea. One could get a taste of the village life and can also get acquainted with the villagers there. And if you are coming with your friends and family members, enjoy the night vibe by sitting beside a bonfire. And if you are into adventure sports, Meghamalai offers fabulous off-road experience too.
The best time to visit Meghamalai is from October to May as the weather would be salubrious during these months.
How to reach
There are many roads that lead to Meghamalai and one can reach this captivating destination from Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Meghamalai is 250km away from Ernakulam through the Pala-Mundakayam-Kuttikanam-Kumily-Cumbum-Uthamapalayam-Chinnamanur route. If you are coming from Kozhikode, you will have to travel 410km through the Palakkad-Pollachi-Palani-Oddanchatram-Sempatty-Batlagundu-Theni-Chinnamanur stretch.
