Thiruvananthapuram, the capital city of Kerala, with its lush greenery and rustic surroundings, provide the ideal getaway for a picnic or excursion to the travel enthusiast.Homestays, resorts and tree houses offer the required relaxation for tired bodies.
Kallar, located about 46 km from the state capital is a picturesque place with a river, which serves as an ideal picnic spot.This river is a charming stopover en route to the Ponmudi Hill Station. A kilometre up is the Golden Valley, where a tributary of the Kallar joins the main river. The nearby Meenmutty Waterfall offers excellent trekking opportunity.Tree houses located nearby can be booked in advance.
Peppara Wildlife Sanctuary, located 50 km from Thiruvananthapuram, is an ideal stopover for a holiday.This sanctuary spread over 53 sq. km on the Western Ghats is accessible from Vithurai. With its rich flora and fauna, Peppara, dotted with hillocks, forests and eucalyptus plantations, is a great attraction for wildlife enthusiasts.
An idyllic hill resort with narrow, winding pathways and cool, green, wooded environs, Ponmudi is located 915 metres above sea level. Along with a variety of beautiful mountain flowers, exotic butterflies, small rivulets, springs and the deer park nearby, this hill station near the city also has excellent trekking trails.
Part of the Sahyadri range of mountains, Agasthyakoodam is the second highest peak in Kerala, at a height of 1890 metres above sea level. Teeming with wildlife, the forests of Agasthyakoodam abound in rare medicinal herbs and plants and brilliantly hued orchids.A bird watchers paradise, this legendary mountain is accessible by foot from Kotoor, near Neyyar Dam, as also from Bonacaud.
