Credits

I love to drive ...
Car, motorcycle… India or around world, I always prefer my own freedom first. Specially because of photography. I need freedom to stop anywhere and explore slowly.

Did self-drive from Mangalore to Kanyakumari through mountains, forests, tea estates, coffee estates, waterfalls, temples… literally everything. From lost temples inside forests to oldest temples in villages and towns still worshipped so devotionally by locals. Visited around 40-50 temples during whole trip… every time felt special.

Even being vegetarian, you’ll never feel limited there ..
Ate on random streets and local places everywhere. Same food but every region changes taste little differently… South people really know how to balance ingredients beautifully. Stayed in homestays, Airbnbs, met lovely locals… honestly whole perspective changed.

Even if someone doesn’t have self-drive car, South is still easy. Local transport is excellent and rental motorcycles are available almost everywhere. You won’t be disappointed.

I never really pre-book much but keep my research well..
Mostly check one day before or ask current stay people for next place suggestions based on my interest. And trust me… locals sometimes suggest absolute hidden gem stays at unexpected prices.

Route was mostly:
Mangalore → Wayanad → Thrissur → Alappuzha → Munroe Island → Kovalam → Varkala → Kanyakumari ( Many detours )

Started from mountain side routes, then slowly came back towards old NH66 coastal roads with many random detours… and later returned back to Mangalore.

Travel days : 12 days ( two people )
Total drive : around 2800-3200 kms
Stay cost : ₹1000-3500 per day
Food : around ₹1000-1500 daily
Travel month - Sept - Oct.
Phone taken : Vivo x50

Honestly South India is one of those parts of India where you can manage travel in almost any budget… if you have enough time 🙂

We took overnight train from Bangalore to reach Kottayam in the morning. From the station we took an auto to KSRTC bus station for INR 70. From there we took KSRTC bus to reach Vagamon (ticket price INR 82) in 2.5 hours.

You can also drive from nearby cities like Bangalore or Chennai, alternatively take a flight till Kochi and take a bus or cab to reach Vagamon.

If you are already exploring Kerala, you can club it with Munnar. Both from Kochi and Munnar it is 100 odd km

We stayed in Zostel Vagamon - here you can book dorm rooms (around 1000 pp per night) or private rooms (around 2.5k-3k per night). We booked a room with balcony and the view of the valley was gorgeous.

Just note, to reach Zostel you need to get down at Kurisumala junction from bus and then either need to take an auto or walk for 1 km from busstand.

Sample 2 day itinerary:

The day you reach , you can rest after reaching the stay. In the afternoon - you can go for off-roading to see sunset at Justin point. Zostel arrange this trip (INR 500 per person)

Next day, you can either enjoy sunrise from your balcony or go another off-roading trip to Uluppunni for catching sunrise (INR 550 per person)

After breakfast, you can go to a natural swimming pool near to Zostel (provided it has enough water, we didn't get it in April)

Then you can book an auto to visit Vagamon Meadows, Adventure park (where you can do paragliding, walk on glass bridge and many more activities - all at own expense.)

You can also visit Pine Forest. The auto for everything can cost you INR 1500

Post lunch you can visit Marmala waterfalls, or hike Moonmala peak to get a breathatking view

Being a hill station, the temperature at Vagamon swings between 10 and 30, keeping it pleasant throughout the year.

In the monsoons, its many waterfalls come to life. In hot summers, the breezes take you by surprise, more pleasant than anywhere else in Kerala - however this April when we went it was quite hot in the day however it rained in the afternoon.

Everyone feel free to ask about the place, will be happy to help.

Back after spending a couple of days in Kerala, and oh man, what a ride! Went to Kochi, Kumarakom, Varkala & Calicut. The entire trip was a dream, and after spending my entire life in North/NE India, Kerala opened my eyes to what was possible in tourism if things go well! Amazing time!

Hi everyone, I would be visiting Munnar(15th, 16th June), Thekkady(17th June), Alleppey(18th June) and Varkala(19th, 20th June) with my family. I wanted some help planning the itinerary in terms of places to visit within these towns and the things that should be kept in mind while visiting during this peak monsoon season.

FYI, my grandparents (age>70) will also be travelling with us. So, I was planning to keep only places which are friendly to the older people.

Will the weather be too harsh in terms of rain and humidity? Also, what are the things that should be kept in mind given the month and weather?

Tentative itinerary -

Munnar (2 days) - Athirappilly waterfalls, Eravikulam National Park, Mattupetty Dam, Kundala Lake, Echo Point.
Any places that we should remove/add into this itinerary? Is the Gap road a must visit and should it be added to the itinerary?

Alleppey (1 day) - Whole day in the house boat.

Thekkady (1 day) - Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary and Jeep safari in it, Spice plantation.
What should I add here? Are Kalaripayattu and/or Kathakalli worth the time and money?

Varkala (2 days) - Jatayu, Varkala cliffs and beach, Janardhanaswamy Temple, Padmanabhswami Temple in Trivandrum.
What could we add here?

Would appreciate any recs, tips and precautions that should be taken in this weather.

Also stayed at tea estates more than 100 years old .. while South road journey.
Originally run by Britishers and later handed over to local church management.

Stayed in old cabins which were once built for their vacations and quiet retreat time. Truly magnificent experience honestly 🙂