Wanderlust strikes again - A Drive to Silent Valley and Kanjirappuzha

I am reminded of a quote that i read somewhere...

"The  impulse to travel is one of the hopeful symptoms of life".

This morning, as i got out of bed, it was this very impulse which dominated my thoughts. I wanted nothing else than to go for a long drive into the lap of nature, drinking in an abundance of greenery. My son, Varun, suggested a drive to Silent Valley, which was about 60 plus km from Palakkad. Packing a quick picnic lunch, we set off enthusiastically for a day of absolute relaxation...

In my opinion, a travelogue is better expressed through pictures,.. so here goes...


The route from Palakkad town to Kalladikode, where we broke journey to pick up Varun's friend, Bimal, was in itself very green and picturesque. Tall and shady trees lined the 'could-have-been-better' roads and majestic mountains stood tall and proud, with silvery waterfalls cascading from among its sloping greens. It was a perfect day by all means and i certainly looked forward to a fulfilling day ahead...

Palakkad Town

Twists and turns through winding, narrow roads brought us very soon to a world of lush greenery filled with trees, shrubs, rocks, waterfalls, creepers, monkeys, butterflies, and a whole lot of beauty. It was as though each hairpin bend elevated us to a greener paradise...

A view from the road towards Silent Valley

A small creek, the water of which flows across the road

A steep cliff which revealed itself suddenly after a hairpin bend

The picturesque road towards Silent Valley

Lush greenery on either side of the winding road

A signboard erected on the side of the road

Silvery streaks of water cascading down a cliff

A small creek flowing in between the lush trees, shrubs, and rocks

waterfalls are always exciting...

We had to end our journey at Mukkali, which has a forest office where one needs to obtain permission to proceed further to Silent Valley national park, a good 25 plus km more upward. Being an off-road journey, one can only go there by means of Jeeps which ply frequently within a stipulated time. It was something we had anticipated and hence there was no disappointment. Instead, we turned back and found a picturesque spot where we wolfed down our sandwich lunch in an absolutely relaxed manner. 

Being a bit too early to head back home, or perhaps hungry for more beauty, we decided to drive to Kanjirapuzha reservoir area, which was actually very close to Bimal's house. It was a pucca off road adventure as the car went through bumpy, non-existent roads, but i must say it was certainly worth all the effort, because the journey revealed a lot more of the raw beauty of 'God's own country', 

Check out these pics taken on the way to Kanjirapuzha dam area.

The narrow road to Kanjirapuzha dam area. This area abounds in acres of Rubber plantations.

A splendid view of the tall, majestic mountains covered in greenery and touching the clouds.

The steadily flowing stream which finds its way to the huge Kanjirapuzha dam reservoir

A view of the Kanjirapuzha reservoir

Driving further across, we came to a small path which led down to the water.

This is where the path led us to... It was like finding a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow!

I was left speechless at this awesome scene in front of me... I am grateful that i was able to be part of this beautiful place for some time. The peace and quiet of the whole area, the blue-green mountains surrounding it, and the relaxing calmness of the wide expanse of water, certainly filled my heart to the brim and i felt truly one with nature!

A house of prayer constructed in a place abounding with divinity!

The gravel and sand filled river bed seen through the crystal clear water. I liked the way light reflects on the water and gives it a special glow.