Bamboo and sunshine

Weekend itinerary around Coimbatore #01

I have heard about this Chalakudy — Anamalai Road for long, and I decided to explore this route last weekend. My travel rules are simple to reach the layover by 06:00 PM and make the most of the golden hour during the travel.

I planned to stop at Athirappilly (165 km, three and a half hours) for the night and take the early morning ride in Chalakudy — Anamalai Road. So I started in the afternoon from Coimbatore stopped at The Rice Bowl Restaurant, which is 1 km from Walayar Checkpost, for Ojo Chicken Sizzler. They take around 30 min preparation time, so plan accordingly if your planning to stop by. There are also other typical restaurants like Junior Kupanna, Adyar Ananda Bhavan nearby.

After a stomach full of hot sizzlers, I continued riding to Athirappilly (133 km) finally reached the resort right at sunset. Many riverside resorts will give you access to the banks of the Chalakkudy River. After checking in, I spent some time walking along the banks of the river, watching birds heading to their nests and capturing a few of the memories.

😴

After a good night’s sleep and I hit the road for the most awaited part of the trip. On the way, there are few excellent views of the Athirappilly waterfall.

I reached the forest department check post where you need to get permission to enter the forest, all Malayalam form, which you get for two rupees, which I managed to fill with the help of a passerby. One gets to drive along the banks of Chalakkudy River for a stretch till Peringalkuthu Reservoir View Point.

As you travel through these roads, you can experience the magic created by the early morning sun rays peeping through the bamboo grooves along the way. I continued riding until the next stop at Thotapura View Point. On the way, you can get mesmerized by the beauty of the ranges of mountains of the western ghat in the Ambalapara View Point. At Thotapura View Point, you get a scenic view of the Sholayar Reservoir.

As you ride towards Valparai, you move from Kerala — Tamil Nadu border multiple times, finally entering into Tamil Nadu crossing Malakkappara, where you head to Upper Sholayar Dam.

Finally, I reached Valparai for breakfast after a two and a half drive and headed back home through the scenic Valparai ghat road enjoying my ride.

And you would have yet another memory in your travel diary.