Nearly 2,130 ft above, tucked away in the clouds, is the magical Kakkadampoyil. A quiet little heaven. For the travel hungry, this is yet another of those serene locations that has of late come under the ‘must explore’ list.
Travel junkie Junu Chullakkattil is a regular at Kakkadampoyil and he says he still has a lot more to explore in the place. “I am based at Malappuram and Kakkadampoyil is located roughly an hour away from my place.” Quiz him about the ‘must-visit’ locations for a newbie at Kakkadampoyil and he says, “The Kozhippara Waterfalls is one of the major attractions of the place. Moreover this is a spot that can be visited by tourist with a quick short plan.”
“And for those willing to take that extra effort, stick around the region and trek, there is a lot more to be seen in Kakkadampoyil,” he adds.
The region is about 19 km from Thiruvambady and 24 km from Nilambur. “Kakkadampoyil comes under Nilambur DFO. So those who can get permission from the DFO can trek the Grassland Hills, Chemboth Mala or the Pottan Para hills.”
Another major attraction of Kakkadampoyil is the Pazhassi Raja cave. “Tourists can visit the cave which he is said to have used to hide from the soldiers of East India Company. Most part of it has caved in , but few tribes of the region still conduct pooja there. This cave is located on the road to Kozhippara Waterfalls from Kakkadampoyil town. That is, after the first Kurishupalli, there is a place called Nayadampoyil. The cave is located 2.5 km off the road from Nayadamopoyil. It is not a car-friendly path, ideal for bikes and yes, for those who are ready to walk, it is possible.”
Junu has trekked pretty much every hill of Kakkadampoyil. “It was not done at a stretch. However, there was one hill that I could not cover — the ‘Kurishumala’. But I got to trek there very recently.”
He says the ideal time to visit Kakkadampoyil is the monsoons, but there is a catch. “The waterfalls is a very dangerous place during monsoons. Tourists are allowed to get into the water only during summer.”
“For those coming from far off places, it might take around three days to cover all these hills and the waterfall. Off late, there are plenty of resorts opening up here. There are reasonable ones as well and would not be too heavy on the travelers if they are coming as a group.”
For those travelling on a shoestring budget, there are plenty of buses that ply on the route. They can always camp at various breathtaking points, start a campfire, cook their own food under the stars and wait for the mist to take over the night.
