Vagamon travel

Vagamon is a hill station in Kerala. Unlike other hill stations like Munnar, Ooty or Kodaikanal, Vagamon is still not popular. But it attracts a lot of local tourists.

Vagamon was on my bucket list for a long time. We even planned a trip once but had to cancel due to floods in Kerala. I was searching for places to visit for Christmas vacation last year. Chaya suggested Vagamon, and we made a plan!

Travel to Vagamon

Bengaluru to Vagamon takes about 10+ hours of drive. I have no appetite for continuous driving behind the wheel. So, we broke our journey in Dindigul and halted there for a night. We used that opportunity to visit Dindigul fort.

After Dindigul, we said goodbye to the four-lane highway and took NH 183. It is a two-lane highway but beautifully constructed, bypassing key towns like Bathlagundu, Theni and Cumbum. But Tamilnadu police do not like people to have a smooth ride and have put barriers in every village!! But the ride was still good, thanks to the scenic Munnar and Kodaikanal mountains on the left and Megamalai range on the right.

I planned to go via Kumily, but on the outskirts of Cumbam, police diverted us to take the Cumbam ghat ride. I was confused about this sudden diversion, but Google Maps immediately took control of the situation and provided a new route! Anyway, we reached Vagamon as planned.

Vagamon Jeep Safari

I had kept my plans in Vagamon open. As we checked into our room, the homestay owner suggested we take a Jeep ride. We looked at the photos of the places and immediately agreed to his suggestion.

We visited various spots as part of the Jeep ride. It included many viewpoints like Thavalappara, Kottamala and Idukki backwater. Getting into the Kappakanam tunnel was a different experience. The Ullupuni waterfalls next to the tunnel were decent. Our Jeep ride ended with the sunset view at Kaithapathal.

Vagamon meadows

The next day started with a visit to Vagamon meadows, the most famous tourist spot in Vagamon. We were at the entrance at the opening time of 9 AM. The advantage was that there were hardly any visitors then, unimaginable during Christmas week!!

Vagamon meadows were beautiful, with a vast open area. There were many adventure activities like zipline, bicycle ride etc., but we were not interested in them. Experiencing the beauty of the place was foremost in our minds, and we spent a long time. As we came out, we were astonished to see that the parking lot was full. It was the difference between an hour.

Pine forest

The next place was the pine forest. We drove further for a few km to reach the parking area. The path from the main road to the entrance of the pine forest was dotted with many small shops selling local items and food.

Pine forest is maintained by the forest department. As we had seen pine forests in many places, we did not find much excitement with the location. Anyway, it was a decent place.

Adventure park

We then drove further to the adventure park. As we entered the park, we realized that the Vagamon meadows were a miniature version of this park! The grasslands spread across a large area. After driving for a km, we parked our car at a parking place. There was a watch tower that provided stunning views of the mountains and the valley.

This place is also famous for paragliding. But due to the winds, paragliding activity was closed. We roamed around the area for a long time. Despite many visitors, the place looked serene and beautiful due to its large size.

Thangalpara

We returned to the pine forest area and had lunch at a local restaurant. Post lunch, we headed towards Thangapara, which housed a dargah on top of the hill. The attraction point is a huge rock next to the dargah. Even though it is a Muslim pilgrimage site, many tourists climb the hill for its great views.

It was a bad idea to climb the hill after having lunch. But thanks to the pleasant weather, Chaya and I was able to pull it off easily. The climb was tricky in some places due to the rocky terrain, but it did not pose many challenges.

Further away were Kurishumala Church and Murugan temple, located on different hills. While I wanted to climb both, Chaya was not very interested. As we drove towards those places, we understood that the road was only good for Jeep. We used it as an excuse to view it from a distance and not climb.

Vagamon tea lake

Later in the day, we visited Vagamon tea lake, situated amidst tea gardens.

Thus ended our second day in Vagamon. On the third day, we visited the Idukki dam. More on that in a later post!!

Information and tips

• Vagamon is about 570 km from Bengaluru, and it takes about 11 hours of driving.
• It is not as established as other hill stations, but there are many homestays, resorts and lodges across various budget ranges.
• There is nothing to write about food in Vagamon town. It is good enough to satisfy your hunger. There are no pure vegetarian restaurants.
• While the main roads are in good condition, interior road conditions could vary. Even a few roads to large resorts were in pathetic condition. Keep this in mind before choosing the place to stay.