Meghamalai - Treasure of Nature

Meghamalai,(Tamil:மேகமலை) popularly called High Wavy Mountains, is a cool and misty mountain range situated in the Western Ghats in Theni district, Tamil Nadu. It is a place of natural beauty dotted with cardamom plantations and tea estates. The place is situated at an elevation of 1,500 m above sea level and it is rich in flora and fauna. This area, now mostly planted with tea, includes Cloudlands, Highwavys and Manalaar estates, the access to which is now largely restricted. It still includes large untouched remnants of evergreen forest.


There is a long-pending proposal with the Tamil Nadu Forest Department to establish the Megamalai Wildlife Sanctuary on 600 km2 of forest in the division. Priority tasks in the sanctuary should be the control of poaching and the use of pesticides, the elimination of ganja (Cannabis sativa) and the cultivation and scientific management of watersheds. The Megamalai Wildlife Sanctuary can be an excellent buffer to the Periyar Tiger Reserve and Grizzled Squirrel Wildlife Sanctuary and can immensely strengthen conservation in the southern Western Ghats, the range of hills south of the Palakkad Gap.

Getting There Meghamalai can be reached from Theni via Chinnamanur which provides you with a scenic experience. Theni is about 76 kms away from Meghamalai and 120 kms from Madurai. There are buses which start from Dindigul. Thirumalai Nayakkar Palace In Madurai The nearest airport is Madurai and the railway station is as well in Madurai. The roads leading you to Meghamalai are in pretty bad shape. The distance from Bangalore to Meghamalai via Kodai road is about 501 kms and Via Thekkady is 578 kms.

You can take a tour to these estates and plantations to indulge in the cool locales of Meghamalai. A highly diverse system of flora and fauna exists in an ecosystem of Meghamalai. Various animals that are often sighted in this place include the Wild Gaur, Spotted Deer, Wild Boar, Lion-tailed Macaque, Sloth Bear, Grey Jungle Fowl, Smooth-coated Otter and the Flying Squirrel.

It is also home to over 100 species of birds like the Red-whiskered Wagtail, Grey Wagtail, Pied Bush Chat, Blyth’s Reed Warbler, Barn Swallow, Spotted Dove, Asian Paradise Flycatcher, Brahminy Kite and Long-tailed Shrike.

The fresh foggy mountains with its cool breeze and scenic views will definitely bring out the hopeless romantic in you. The entire trip to Meghamalai is straight out of a picture postcard with breathtaking views at every corner. You will definitely love this romantic adventure and will keep coming back for more!

For honeymooners, this region provides a perfect escape. This area, now mostly covered with tea plantations, is home to the Cloudlands, Highways, and Manalaar estates.

Accommodation At Meghamalai The place offers very limited options for one to stay, some of the recommendations would be Cloud Mountain Bungalow, Sand River Cottage which is located in the Manalar Estate. And a few more near the bus stand. It is highly advised to pre-book the rooms and take few camping tents along with you.

Weather And The Best Time To Visit 
The best season to visit is during the winter season, and the best months to visit start from October all the way up to May. The summers here are generally hot and it's best to avoid the summer months.

Places To Visit In Meghamalai 

1. Meghamalai Wildlife Sanctuary Spread across an area of 600 kms, it is one of the most important tourist attractions of the place. The tea and coffee gardens attract a large number of tourists pan-India and is a perfect destination to make your holidays memorable.

2. Meghamalai Falls Also known as 'Clouds landfall', it is very popular for the rapidly falling water from a height of 190 ft throughout the year.

3.Vellimalai It is considered as the heart of Meghamalai. Vellimalai offers a serene and pleasant environment from where one can see the scientifically planned tea gardens and wild animals. Meghamalai is one good place to wander around without much restrictions. The never ending tea hills and the callings of the various animals simply adds to the beautiful experience that awaits you. It is a place where you can relax without anything to worry about.

Sightseeing / Tourist attractions

• Highwayvs Dam
• Highwayvs Lake
• Manalar Dam
• Deep Cumbum Valley and the villages
• Upper Manalar Estate
• Vattaparrai
• Venniyar Tea Estate
• Iravagalar Dam
• Maharaja Mettu – A bird’s eye view
• Magarajothi hills View of Sri Iyyappan temple.
• Thekkadi Viewpoint
• Elephant Corridor -amazing point
• Pothai pull medu
• Megamalai rain forest
• Manalar Waterfalls
• Thoovanam
• Game set Block no 27 – amazing point
• Vellimalai

Meghamali is famous for wild elephants and some other wild animals,  Elephants and beauty of the estates inspired us to go there.  

While reaching meghamalai we spotted only the tracks of elephants but we could not see any elephants,  we enquired the officer in the government office where we can find the elephants and do we need to take any local/guide with us? he asked us to go one estate in the early morning to find them, if someone else find the elephants i will inform you and no need of guide.  Generally they are not harmful until we disturb them.  Next day early morning we took the way suggested by the officer,  Meghamalai is so beautiful in the morning and with lush green estates and cloud touching peaks, amazing views.  We roamed around many estates still our luck didn't favored us, we have returned to guest house with sad faces.

Meghamalai is one of it's type,  mix of wildlife, tea estates around small dams and to add more it is not polluted yet.  Ideal for leisure walking, small hiking and elephant tracking. Meghamalai surrounded by lot of other beautiful destinations like Kurangani, kazhugumalai hiking,  Periyar tiger reserve and Thekkady.  We are planning to go to track elephants in meghamalai  again and to enjoy one more relishing weekend.

GoKarna - Trekking - Pakkarent.com

Gokarna, is a very touristic small town centered around temples with pilgrims coming throughout the year and tourists -indians, russians and europeans - coming from december to february for the beaches. The name Gokarna, means cow's ear (go=cow karna=ear) in Sanskrit and is based on Hindu mythology.
The town is popular among Hindu pilgrims as Gokarna has one of the few Shiva's holy temples with what is claimed to be original image of the god (a lingam). It is also the home of several religious celebrations, and some of them denote a good sense of dramaturgy. The most famous is the colorful "Shiva Ratri" festival at the end of february. If you are averse to massive crowd, unfamiliar with local culture, it is advisable to keep away during that time. Tourists arriving to Gokarna will stop at a check-point at the entrance of the town to allow the police to search their luggages. Even in the middle of the night if they come with the Matsyagandha express from Mumbai.


European backpackers originally visited the place for its warm winter climate and the not-so-crowded atmospheric beaches. An increasing number of foreigners have visited the area over the last 10 years. Additionally, it has become popular with young wealthy Indians coming from Bangalore and Mumbai.So the peacocky people of Gokarna is looking down now to those, who have paid for their noisy motorbikes and their large-screen TVs...
Gokarna is no longer a place for backpackers looking for a basic hut on the beach. Most establishments have upgraded to concrete guest houses with attached bathrooms, and several 4 star resorts have opened up shop.
Moreover, Gokarna is an eldorado for the police officers, who want to fullfill their bank accounts and whose main occupation is to hunt the smoker. Think of that : it's 20000 rps for a spliff...THEY CAN VISIT YOU NIGHT AND DAY IN YOUR ROOM ON MAIN BEACH. Traditionnal disrespect from the locals and the police harassment have sent many foreigners to greener pastures or just back to Goa, where the beaches are nicer and the people uncomparably more friendly. People looking for spirituality should move south to Udupi for its non-commercial and pristine atmosphere. There are four beaches in Gokarna. Internet and travel booking are available on Kudlee and Om beach, but there are no ATM facilities.

Gokarna Beach

Gokarna beach is several kilometers long and is situated at the edge of the town. It is quite popular with pilgrims and Indian groups but less with foreign tourists. Just the wind and the waves are cleaning this place. When the season is starting, the young workers of the beach-shops are collecting a few plastic bags, but only in front of their business. Nobody's cleaning outside these areas, except sometimes, an heroic foreign tourist (if you do so, be sure, locals will laugh at you... ). After Shivaratri - the biggest festival and picnic in town - it becomes a seven-kilometers-long garbage dump. A local tradition is to use this beach as a public toilet area : so don't take your shoes off...
Swimming may also be a challenge, since the water has an almost permanent dead fish smell. On the top of it all, the brown foamy stagnant liquid of "Gokarna river" is from time to time released into the sea. No wise person would enter the water on that day!
Walk a couple of kilometres north from town along the beach, and things are much nicer and more pristine. The part of the beach closer to the Gangavalli River is actually quite stunning and not crowded at all.

Kudle Beach

South of Gokarna beach, and accessible by a short downhill walk from auto drop off points at the northern and southern ends of this beach. The northern drop off point is closer to Gokarna town, but the southern drop off point is suitable if you are planning to stay at a place in the southern stretch of Kudlee beach. This beach is exactly what should never happen to a beautiful natural site. Have a look from the road down to the beach : the paddies have totally disappeared and some local building ambitions have led to the destruction of both the sides of the beach. Just a few coconut trees have survived and can recall you, this beach was a green gem... By the way, the lack of water during the high season is the same as in the slums in Mumbai : the toilets of some guesthouses are so disgusting, you gonna be prized by Guinness if you decide to stay there...
From December to February cheap accommodation is hard to come by and snapped up quickly. If you are are returning visitor, expect to pay double or triple what you paid in previous visits, both in accommodation and food.


Backpackers are no longer the preferred clientele on this beach, having caused many problems for the locals over the years with drugs, parties, theft, noise and and unwillingness to pay for much of anything. Local farmers own strips of land on the beach continuing back into the jungle. In the past backpackers have stolen wood, squatted on privately owned jungle land, and kept locals and tourists awake with parties and jam sessions. Several tourist who have build houses and businesses on the farmland and jungle areas have also suffered greatly due to this behavior, and as a result there are efforts on the part of business and home owners to face out the backpackers, and take back what's left of the nature on Kudle beach.

Om Beach

Om Beach is further along the coast from Kudle, and named for its shape as it is split by a rocky island. It can be reached by auto, with a downhill walk from there. Mainly occupied by Indian tourists, and sprinkling of forigners. The second half of the beach is packed with restaurants offering cheap accomodation in the form of bamboo or concrete beach huts. In the rainy season there are very limited options for boarding and lodging. This beach is reasonably clean all year round.

Half Moon Beach

Half Moon beach is smaller and less developed than Om Beach, and is reached by walking over the headland from Om. Facilities are limited, there are a couple of small restaurants and a limited number of huts.

Paradise Beach

Paradise beach is the furthest from Gokarna town, but does not offer any facilities. The lodges and restaurants have been demolished by land owners (actually the forest department) and the police visit this beach at times to evict any residents and extort large bribes from anyone seen smoking charas. There is only one guest house here.
 


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