Hyderabad to Munnar, Allappuzha, Wayanad and Goa. 8 Days, 7 States, 4000 kms. Road trip

[sagar]

Planning:

Having gone on no drives for quite some time this year, the travel bug started to bite again before the year's calendar got shut and it was already close to the Christmas weekend in December. Now this usually is the toughest one when you would have planned to visit a place with your friends, match up with the common leave dates at work and they get delayed at times, fell into a dilemma if to go without them or to wait till all get a leave.

Past experience taught me waiting for all to get a leave is a never ending proposition.

 

So, it was just myself and whoever could make it along would join in. Problem Solved. So, it was just me and my friend from Hyderabad until Bangalore with whom I have traveled extensively over the past few years to various places in India.

 

As we reached Bangalore and roped in two other friends of mine, the planned started to take some shape and we decided to drive down South to

 

'The God's own country' Kerala and end up for the Sunburn at Goa for the New year's eve.

 

When: December 25 - 2014 To January 1 - 2015

 

Drive: Honda City

 

Fuel Type: Petrol Mileage: Avg. 16 kmpl 

 

Route and Itinerary:

 

25th December (Friday) ---> Hyderabad (Hi-tech City) ---> Bangalore

 

26th December (Saturday) ---> Bangalore ---> Munnar (Via Dundigul)

 

27th December (Sunday) ---> Munnar local tour 28th December (Monday) ---> Munnar ---> Mararikulam, Allappuzha (Allepy)

 

29th December (Tuesday) ---> Allepy ---> Wayanad 30th December (Wednesday) ---> Wayanad ---> Goa

 

31st December (Thursday) ---> Goa local tour 1st January (Friday) ---> Goa ---> Hyderabad (Hi-tech City)

[sagar]

Since it was a weekend, we started off early around 3:00 a.m. from Bangalore to reach Munnar by the late lunch hour. It distanced around 500 kms from our start point which took us 11 hours of drive time including a breakfast stop at Dindigul and few coffee breaks in between.

 

We drove down through the beautiful ghats and tea plantations to reach Munnar

 

This was my first drive to Munnar and i loved every bit of the drive and every sight of the place.

 

We had reached Munnar by 2:00 p.m and got involved in clicking some pictures of the beautiful green meadows and tea plantations

 

Not having booked our stay at Munnar we started towards the Munnar town area and booked a decent home stay for 2000 INR for 2 nights excluding food.

 

Dropping down our luggage at the Hotel, we had our lunch late in a restaurant with in the urban limits and moved on to the ghats for a drive to experience the amazing Tea gardens by 4:00 p.m

 

Our drive for this epic trip down south

 

 

This lake laying on the lap of these beautiful green meadows was one of the best scene i had sighted

 

View of the beautiful winding roads in the Tea estates.

 

The drive on these roads was one of the best drives I did

 

One of the many waterfalls we had come across on our way

 

As we drove up the hill and over the clouds, we stopped by a broader road side to get a snap of the scene

 

The path gets very narrow over the steep at times such that only 1 car can pass through at a time

 

We had stopped by several view points to shoot these amazing green meadows hovered under a clear blue sky

 

A walk through these green alleys on the hills was one heck of a mesmerizing experience.

 

[sagar]

After the walk, it was almost getting dark and we started to head back to call the day off.

 

A walk, great drive, beautiful scenic views and delicious dinner. Overall, a great day spent.

 

It was the 2nd day in Munnar and we had our plan scheduled for the day. We passed by the Matupetti Dam to stop by the amazing 'Kundala' lake for a speed boat ride.

 

The lake itself is so beautiful surrounded by green hills and tea plantations. The scene was absolutely magical, calm and serene.

 

We were already running late according to the plan due to the heavy rush being a long weekend. After the boat ride, we started our drive to the Top station which was a long way up the hill. (25 kms ahead)

 

Due to the heavy rush and continuous traffic jams on these narrow 2 lane roads, it took us 2 hours (25kms) for us to reach this Top station over the clouds

 

Or i can rather keep it this way.. Yes, We were on the 'Could 9'. Absolutely mesmerized after watching the scene

 

Note: There is no specific parking area as such. You have to park at a random vacant space as the roads anyways ends at the 'Top Station' entry gate.

 

We walked down a small mud track to reach the entrance of the 'Sky Tunnel'. There is an entry fee of 15 INR for the Indians and 30 INR for the foreigners to take the stair way down to a view point through the sky tunnel.

 

After having spent some time at the view point clicking some snaps, we head back to the car parking to rest down after quite a hectic stairway trek. Refreshed after a snack break, we started to head back down the hill towards the start point (Munnar town)

 

Towards the opposite end of the Munnar town, we headed to the 'Anamudi' hill top which is the highest peak (8,850 ft.) in the Western ghats or say South India. The distance to the drivable top most point of the hill from the Munnar town is around 15 kms.

 

As we stopped by this amazing view point between the clouds and started to seep in this beautiful scene of nature, click pics, capture time-lapses of the moving clouds and the sunset at an extremely cold temperature.

 

One final pic of the day at the pit stop as my 'Honda' poses and we headed back home driving down the in the dark

 

[sagar]

The next morning we had checked-out of Munnar and started to drive towards 'The Venice of the East', Allepy via Kochi around 6:00 a.m. as the fog slowly started to clear the way.

 

The drive from Munnar through the ghats was breathtakingly beautiful & thrilling and the roads were absolutely amazing. We came across many waterfalls driving down between the green hills until we had reached Kochi where we have stopped by for breakfast at the 'Sarvana Bhavan' The distance to Allepy from Munnar is around 180 kms which took us around 5 hours and we reached the House boat point by 11:00 a.m.

 

We had booked a decent Canoe for a day boat ride for 8000 INR as the prices were running high due to the peak tourist time at the place to experience the ride back waters.

 

All boats sailing low between the narrow channels around, we started off around 12:00 p.m. sailing slow aboard

 

Surrounded with trees on the banks around, we traced our path on to a broader side lapping the water. It felt like an absolute dream traversing so silently.

 

By 1:00 p.m. we were taken to a small shack on the banks where we were served amazing lunch which had some delicious 'Karimeen' fish fry and Tody.

 

After the delicious lunch, we had started our ride further. We had the sight of the mammoth house boats passing by all over towards their halt for the day by the evening hour.

 

 

Enjoying the beauty of nature, stretching ourselves and clicking pictures, we reached another shack for a tea break around 4:00 p.m

 

 

 

 

We started to head back towards the finish point as there should be no boat found running after 6:00 p.m. and we got done with it.

 

 

One of the island resorts which rests on the lap of this water body

 

 

We had reached the parking place and drove down towards the beach side place called 'Mararikulkem' village which was around 10 kms from Allapuzha.

 

We have rented a home-stay for the night at the Marari place by the beach side, dropped in the luggage and left for hike. Beach was very neat and calm with hardly any crowd around and was almost like a private beach. After a sumptuous dinner, we hit back home to rest down and get charged for the tour the next day.

 

The next morning we had started our drive towards 'Wayanad' touching the Athirapally waterfalls (Niagara of India) on our way.

 

We took the road via Ernakulam which was decent and distanced around 100 kms with 4 hours of travel time including a break.

 

 

We reached the Athirapally waterfalls around 10:00 a.m. and this is definitely one must see destination in Kerala.

 

A trek for about 20 mins has to be done to reach the base point of the falls and needless to talk about the place as the pics says it all and definitely not a place to miss out on.

 

[sagar]

After a short snack and refreshment break, we had started our drive towards Wayanad around 2:00 p.m.

 

My camera battery ran out cold and so I have managed to get a few shots through my phone.

 

We had reached the 'Vythiri green' resort in Wayanad by 8:00 p.m. travelling 250 kms from Athirapally. The resort had charged us 3500 INR/night which included a complimentary breakfast.

 

Early morning walk around the resort in Wayanad on this green carpet was so relaxing and refreshing

 

We had spotted these beautiful fields around the place. After all it is the 'God's own country'..

 

The place looked so alluring that we never wanted to leave. Quite soon, we left the place after breakfast at the resort and started towards Goa around 8:00 a.m.

 

It was late in the night by the time we had reached Goa. We had traveled for about 14 hours to cover a distance of 650 kms via Gokarna. The drive from Mangalore until we had reached Goa was totally on the coast line and was one heck of an experience. The next day it was 31st December and we were all pumped for the new years eve in Goa after experiencing the 'Sunburn After Party' the previous night. We started to explore the known places around Candolim, Baga and Anjuna.

 

We had explored both the South and North Goa quite a few times when we had been there before and had come to Goa this time for an obvious reason to party like it never ends..

 

Few things to do when you are in Goa:

 

1) Always try to keep your bikes or cars full on fuel.
2) Try all the Goan cuisines possible.
3) It is known that Alcohol is cheap there but let us be civilized.
4) Keep the beaches clean and preserve the beauty.

 

List of beaches to be covered if you are going there on a tour:

 

North Goa:
1) Calangute
2) Candolim
3) Anjuna
4) Baga
5) Aguada
6) Chapora
7) Arambol
8) Dona-Paola
9) Vagator
10) Morjim

 

South Goa:
1) Colva
2) Palolem
3) Agonda
4) Varka
5) Cavelossim

 

List of places to be covered if you are going there on a tour:

1) Chapora fort
2) Aguada fort
3) St. Freancis Xavier's Church

 

List of few known places to party and good food:

1) Curly's (Anjuna)
2) Cafe Mambo (Baga)
3) Infantaria (Calangute)
4) Tito's (Baga)
5) Lasagna (Vagator)
6) Bora-Bora (Morjim)
7) Beach side seafood shacks (Prawns, Squids and Crabs are a must try)

 

 

 

After one heck of a night at the Curly's on the beach-side for the New year's eve, we got back to our stay around 4:00 a.m. in the morning to rest down as we have got our return journey lined up few hours ahead.

 

On the whole, it has been a holiday full of action as i have squeezed in maximum destinations possible for the days available and i admit it was exhausting but it was an experience to cherish for a lifetime.

 

[Gowtham]

Awesome pictures Sagar. 4000 kilometres in 8 days 

[karthik]

Very nicely written to the point. 16KMPL, mileage is very impressive. Especially on the narrow lanes of Kerala. Munnar is still pending in my check-list.

[uday]

Excellent write up. Pictures are drool worthy. Very nicely written to the point. 16 KMPL is very much achievable in Honda city. If driven with light foot.

[Kumsi]

Words cannot describe how breathtakingly beautiful the pictures above are.....Hats off!!! A very informative and impressive write up too. Places mentioned are definitely worth a visit....But can you suggest some alternatives to Goa which can be explored in the same time?....been there a lot already.... P.S.: Teach me a thing or two about photography also....:p

[sagar]

 Thanks a lot buddy.. There are a lot of places in India to be explored, could you be specific around which area are to looking at so that i can suggest you or we can do it together.. Can work on the photography also as you have asked for

[drhal]

wonderful !....were the roads good all the way and back sagar??

[sagar]

The roads were all good as we chose to avoid the shortcuts and take up the highways even if it distanced more. Only thing where we need to be cautious is when in Kerala as the roads get too narrow and curvy which gets crowded between the usual business hours between the frequent towns you pass by.

[shammy]

Remarkably attractive pictures. Sagar!! . Thanks a lot for making our trip more easier. We are 7 members planning to travel across south India this December in Innova. I found almost everything i need in this post - "The places to visit". I also need information regarding accommodation too keeping in mind, that there are 3 girls in our group. Do we need to book a hotel in advance, are there any specifics? or we can find easily when we reach each destination?

[sagar]

I would suggest you to book the hotels in advance as you have girls traveling along with you so that you won't have any last minute rush even at the peak hour considering the high tourist traffic during the season..

[Naveen1]

Superb stuff Sagar.Some pictures are just mind-blowing!

So you sold your Honda City?

[sagar]

Yeah brah! Got myself a new Hyundai Creta :cool:

[Teju]

8 days and 7 states !! Amazingg...Your pictures speak a lot about the beauty of this place Seems like you have made memories all over these states

[sagar]

Yeah.. It was a great trip indeed.. We've not just seen change in cultures as we traveled down, but also change in vegetation and nature sculpted beauty all along.

[Naveen1]

Congrats. Hope this solves you ground clearance issues What are you planning for this December?

[sagar]

Thanks a ton mate.. and yeah now i run 190 mm high .. .. Planning to do North East or Gujarat and Rajasthan .. I've also got multiple plans piled up in the head.. Not sure where i'l end up though

[sagar]

Letz kick in something big this December too :cool:

[Gowtham]

Gujarat is boring. Except for Rann of Kutch. yeah lets finalize the plan soon so that we can plan accordingly. Started searching for places.:search:

[sagar]

I am already on the run.. made up a few itenraries..Will share them with u soon.

[Gowtham]

Please make sure the trip is leisure this time. Since the trip is for 10 days, We shall try to limit down upto 500 kilometers per day.

[sagar]

 Alright mate.. 

[karthik]

Really nice and beautiful pictures Sagar, appreciate you for capturing the minute details which can be handy for the fellow travelers.

[sagar]

Thanks a lot karthik.. Hope it turns out to be useful

[Naveen1]

You guys planning to do South or North India?

[sagar]

I am gonna hit the western ghats and drive coastal to end up at Goa for the New year's eve

[etoor]

What a great writeup, Joy!! Truly amazing. Your written words made me feel as if i was there with you.. Thank you for the inspiration..

[sagar]

Thank you .. Its time you share your travel stories too

[Shik]

Amazing travelogue @sagar... Beautifully captured & meticulously documented .. This needs to be sipped slowly not gulped... thoroughly enjoyed reading the travel story

[sagar]

Thanks a lot buddy...

[etoor]

 .. After all that inspiration, You will not miss to see my travel story soon.. sure thing

[shiva]

Wow that was an awesome drive. Drive to Athirapally waterfalls will look like a race course in hills surrounded by forests. This route is one of the best roads that enthusiasts should not miss. I always wanted to drive to Munnar but was little skecptical if I can do it with family. I think if we halt at Bangalore it wont be a much of stress. This information helps a lot specially for the first timers.

[vivek]

Excellent captures of the western ghats and gripping travel story

[brteja]

The main ingredient of this travelogue is the drive itself.. Excellent and meticulously planned drive.. Great work

[sai86]

Hey Sagar, Dec is approaching any trips planned?

[sagar]

Hi Sai, We are yet to decide over the road trip in December.. Please register yourself to the 'whatsapp' group for quick updates.

[ullas]

Amazing post  .. It is so wonderful to see photos of my native and the roads I travel the most. Brings back a nostalgic feeling inside me..

[ujwal]

Nice travelogue. However, it would have been great if you have covered Thekkady and Kumarakom aswell..

[mansur]

Such wonderful photos. Munnar has been a dream unrealized and your travelogue once again stirs the travel hornet.. Thanks a lot for sharing .. I would like to suggest you Wayanadu, Nelliyampathi and Parambikkulam national park for your next trip to Kerala..

[vivek]

Hi Frnds,

I am planning for a trip to Munnar from Hyderabad with my friends on 26th of this month. I require some help on choosing the Best Hotel in Munnar and the best route to Travel. A decent hotel around 2500 INR will be a good choice.. TIA

[bpt]

Hi Vivek, Hyderabad - Kurnool - Anantapur - Bangalore - Salem - Coimbatore - Munnar is that best route you can take to reach Munnar by road with a night halt at Bangalore.. and i can suggest you the OYO rooms to rent for stay at Munnar as they have really good stays in almost all the regions around Munnar at prices around 2000 - 2500 INR..

[Naveen1]

It depends on, when you are planning to do the trip? December is going be crowded for sure. We were a group of 4 guys, It is very easy to get a room. Now-a-days most of the hotels stopped renting rooms to solo travellers due to suicide issues.

Bangalore : we booked OYO room, costed us 2k for 1 night.
Munnar: We got a room for 2k (4 people per room, peak season, december)
Allappuzha : We enquired a beach side home stay, owner said no to bachelors.:angry: We decided to explore the beach for some time and then head back to town for commercial hotels. Luckily we met a foreigner at the beach, He was staying in the same home stay for almost a month. We discussed a lot about travelling in India. He asked us to wait at the beach, He spoke to the owner and convinced him to give us a room. Room costed us around 800/- for one night. It is not luxurious but it is very neat with beautiful view.
Wayanad : we stayed at friends guest house.
Goa: We all know it is very easy to get a room.

[santosh]

Thanks drive king for the information. Good that i came to know that OYO will give room to unmarried couples? how safe is it?

I'm planning this weekend. Its a sudden plan and i'm kind of worried about rooms as we are bachelors...

[Naveen1]

Thanks drive king for the information. Good that i came to know that OYO will give room to unmarried couples? how safe is it?

I'm planning this weekend. Its a sudden plan and i'm kind of worried about rooms as we are bachelors...

OYO is easy for bachelors, no restrictions and rates are reasonable too.

Book them as early as possible.

[Gowtham]

Thanks drive king for the information. Good that i came to know that OYO will give room to unmarried couples? how safe is it? I'm planning this weekend. Its a sudden plan and i'm kind of worried about rooms as we are bachelors...

No restrictions for OYO rooms, they prefer bachelors than couples. I would suggest you to look at Airbnb too. I have been using only Airbnb (no restrictions) for all my road trips. Airbnb is location at beautiful locations, OYO is mostly located at commercial locations.

[Gowtham]

Quote

Rahul: Hi all..
Rahul: I'm planning for a trip to Kerala...
Rahul: Please help me out with self driven cars and best places to hang out.

Hello Rahul,

Self-Drive:

Only zoom car is available at Kochi.
You try out some local vendors, but I am not sure about the authenticity. 

Must visit places in Kerala:
1. Munnar
2. Athirapally waterfalls
3. Kerala back waters ( Allappuzha  )
4. Muzhappilangad (kannur) Drive-in Beach (We missed this due to lack of time)

 

Kerala 4/5 day plan to explore must visit places:
 

Day-1

• Drive from Kochi to Munnar.

Day-2

• Explore Munnar

Day-3

• Drive from Munnar to Allapuzza
• You will get a 2 hour ride in normal boats, I would suggest you to avoid boat stay, unless you are going on a leisure trip with family.
• Stay in Allapuzza, beautiful beach view resorts are available.

Day-4

• Drive from Allapuzza to Athiripally waterfalls. You will come across one of the best roads in Kerala, narrow roads through forests, but are super smooth.
• If time permits drive from Athiripally to Kannur beach drive-in.
• Beach resorts available at Kannur.

Day-5

• Drive back to Kochi.

 

Vivekananda reddy shared the following pictures of kannur.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[SK01]

Awesome pictures and review@sagar.
This is an ultimate guide for those visit Kerala and Goa. Liked the pictures, mostly your car during sunset. The colours are just an eye feast.
And you haven't stayed in the house boats?

[sagar]

@Krish Thanks a lot bro.. We did take the boat in Allepy but the seasonal crowd seemed so much overhauled and as we were looking for a place to chill around in peace, we took a day boat ride from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m on the Allapuzha back waters and moved towards the Marari beach house.

[Pralay]

@sagar : man.. This is pure awesome.. So damn beautiful pics.. Reminded our trip to Munnar-Thekady last year.. Keep it up buddy.. [emoji106]

[sagar]

@pralay .. Thanx bro.. feel like visiting wayanad again [emoji3]

[Guest SUBRAHMANYAM]

Very nice article, Can someone say how much cost incurred per head? In such a trio?

[Gowtham]

On 9/23/2017 at 10:39 AM, Guest SUBRAHMANYAM said:

Very nice article, Can someone say how much cost incurred per head? In such a trio?

Would cost around 15~20k, depending on the car you drive and the hotels you book.

[ksa171983]

all the itineraries posted in this entire post .. wonderful .. amazing pics all over .. God's own country .. indeed mesmerizing.. 

 

Edited June 25, 2018 by ksa171983

[ksa171983]

On 11/17/2015 at 12:35 PM, sagar said:

Thanks a lot karthik.. Hope it turns out to be useful

super useful for me

[sagar]

3 hours ago, ksa171983 said:

super useful for me

 

So glad to hear it helps.. Please Don’t hesitate to let us know if you have got any queries about anything. Would be more than happy to help you with the best ?

[ksa171983]

1 minute ago, sagar said:

So glad to hear it helps.. Please Don’t hesitate to let us know if you have got any queries about anything. Would be more than happy to help you with the best ?

You do a trip so long and so exciting ... that itself is an adventure. Let me know when you plan next for such long trips if ok .... will try to make myself available...

[sagar]

3 minutes ago, ksa171983 said:

You do a trip so long and so exciting ... that itself is an adventure. Let me know when you plan next for such long trips if ok .... will try to make myself available...

 

Will definitely keep that in mind and let you know if any plan so long would be ON this year!

[ksa171983]

On 2/15/2017 at 2:00 PM, Ranger said:

 

Vivekananda reddy shared the following pictures of kannur.

nice picture.. loved the 3rd one and the last one..

[BORNDRIVER]

Wow Sagar What a blog.

 

Kerela is in my list and I am now pumped up after reading your post.

However I want to avoid the new year time and instead want to do it during Dushera.

Will that be ok or it will be equally rush in both season?

 

My target is to explore Kerela alone and Goa alone. Not combining together.

 

I have started my planning for Kerela trip for Dushera time this year.

Let's see how it goes, I will put down my plan in India-drive and you guys can help me for a fine tuning of the plan.

I think now I should go for  SUV though I truly impressed with my Toyota Etios Sedan...??????

 

Twoyear back I did Hyderabad-Bangalore-Madurai-Rameswaram-Kanyakumari-Bangalore-Hyderabad.

 

It was a 3000 km trip in my Etios without any issue at all though the roads were very good.

During my last year trip to Omkareswsr , mahakaleswar the car also responded very well though the route was hell from Aundha to Omkareswar.

So this time I am planning to go for Kerela trip in my Etios as well.

[sagar]

4 hours ago, BORNDRIVER said:

Wow Sagar What a blog.

Kerala is in my list and I am now pumped up after reading your post.

Will that be ok or it will be equally rush in both season?

 

Thanks a lot @BORNDRIVER  You should really do this road trip. I am very much sure that the rush would remain the same throughout the Dushera season. But, there would always be space in Kerala for solitude ...

Drop in your plan once you fix up your map and we shall surely help you building it better considering the road conditions and the scenic view enroute  

[hsudhir]

Can imagine the beauty in Kerala being hit by nature himself so badly this year. 

A picture of athirapally falls shared by a friend before the place got flooded ?

[BORNDRIVER]

Yes I dropped my travel plan  for Tamilnadu and Kerela for Oct-2018 due to this devastating flood .Let us pray for Kerela.......

[sagar]

Yeah @BORNDRIVER, I feel you should make some change in plan but not cancel it. There should be no stoppage to your road tripping ?

[white walker]

Hi Sagar, how are the roads from Wayanad to Goa? Did u go via Coorg/Madikeri? Can you please share your rooute details and experience. We are planning for a similar trip but other way round.. From Goa to Wayanad via Murudeshwar-Udupi

[sagar]

18 hours ago, white walker said:

Goa to Wayanad via Murudeshwar-Udupi

 

Hey, this was done about 4 years ago and my recent visit around this same route happened last year. The roads were absolutely good. Pretty narrow around Kerala and be cautious while you do the ghat region (suggest you to do this during the day hours) You will love the drive on the ghat and on the coastline while doing this circuit. Can I know which car will you be driving to do this trip and how many people ?

[white walker]

 
Hey, this was done about 4 years ago and my recent visit around this same route happened last year. The roads were absolutely good. Pretty narrow around Kerala and be cautious while you do the ghat region (suggest you to do this during the day hours) You will love the drive on the ghat and on the coastline while doing this circuit. Can I know which car will you be driving to do this trip and how many people ?

Hi, thanks for your response. This really helps. I'm going in Ford Freestyle, 1.2 petrol and just 2 of us.

Sent from my vivo 1802 using Tapatalk

[sagar]

35 minutes ago, white walker said:

I'm going in Ford Freestyle, 1.2 petrol

I am sure you will love the drive in it. Do share your trip details with some pictures and essentials once you are done with it. Would be helpful by a lot for all the fellow roadtrippers. Drive safe and Good luck