Major tourist attractions – waterfalls, wildlife, tea plantation and spice plantation
Languages – Malayalam, Hindi and English
Idukki is famous for its dense forests as well as mountainous hills. It lies at an altitude of 800 to 2600 meter above sea level. The landscape of this hill town is scarred by the rivers Thalayar, Periyar and Thodupuzhayar. The name of town is derived from the word Idukku, which means a narrow gorge. The low hills make means for the winding rivers to ripple past its slopes. This unspoiled place is blessed with Mother Nature. It offers diverse tourist attractions like spice plantations, wildlife sanctuary, tea plantations and mountain treks. The serene beauty and tranquil of the town has earned status of one of most spectacular place on the planet. The highest peak Anamudi of south India is situated here. The city has the largest arch dam of the India. The place carries crisp and cool mountain air with fragrance of wild flowers and rare herbs.
This hill town is greatly popular for the streams, dramatic valleys and splendid green mountains. This town has cool and pleasant atmosphere for entire year. Hence it is hot honeymoon destination for newly married couples. Once small hill town now come on international tourists map because of rich nature. Thousands of tourists flock here every year from different corner of the world to get escape form busy city life. The town is full of every tourist facility like world class accommodations, convenient transport system and world class hospitality. The town has great historical significance also and it was part of Chera dynasty. The era of modernization start here from 19th century when European planters visited. The hill resort owes its splendor to range of tea factories and beautiful bungalows. The town is full of many tourist attractions and offers something for everyone. The town is also good place for shopping. Tourists can shop here different varieties of species, handcrafts and art crafts.
Mustsee tourist attractions
Hill View Park offers panoramic views of Idukki and Cheruthoni dams. This well maintains park is spread over 8 acres area, above 350 feet dam water level. Tourists can enjoy sighting of animals like deer, bison and elephant in their natural habitat through binoculars from here. Padal boating facility is available inside the park.
Arch dam is hydro electric power project encompassing 5 big as well as 20 small dams, 5 rivers and underground power generator. This dam is ideally situated between two mountains and surrounded by green environs. The major attraction of this place is breathtaking view of the surroundings.
Keezhakuthu falls is also known as Rain bow waterfalls. It cascade down from a height of near about 1,500 meter. It can be seen throughout the entire year in full swing. The surrounding forest of this waterfall is full of various medicinal plants. It is an ideal place for adventurous activities like camp tracking, mountaineering and rock climbing.
Idukki wildlife sanctuary is spread over more than sprawling 1500 sq m area. It is home to several varieties of mammals and bird life. The sanctuary exhibits animals like tigers, jungle cats, wild boar, bison and many more. It is also home for birds like peafowl, hornbills, kingfishers and woodpeckers. Tourists can take elephant ride to explore hidden treasure of the sanctuary.
The hill town is also home to unique temples like Karikodu Bhagwathy, Annamalai and Krishnaswamy temple. These temples are famous for their south Indian architecture and believed to be very ancient.
Climate
Many topographical and geographical characteristics are unique to the town. The climate is very mild here and the temperature is always low. Summers are cool and pleasant here and temperature may rises up to 30 degrees. Winters are very cold and temperature might be drop up to 0 degree here. The town experiences heavy rainfall in the monsoon with thunderstorms. Usually the place also experiences landslides in the monsoon.
Best time to visit
Generally tourists may avoid monsoon and winter season because of huge rain falls and very low temperature to visit this place. Best time to visit the town is from February to May. This period is ideal for sightseeing and to enjoy adventurous activities.
How to reach
By road – tourists can reach the hill town by mortable roads from any part of the state of the Kerala. Daily bus services are available from all major cities of the state.
By rail – the hill station does not have its own railway station. Kottayam is the nearest railway station, at a distance of 133 kilometers to reach the town by train. Kottayam is well connected by direct trains with major cities of the nation.
By air – Cochin is nearest airport to reach by flight, at a distance of 100 kilometers. Cochin is international airport and well connected by daily flights with other part of the world.