As far as I'm concerned, Kerala Tourism is probably the most overlooked tourism in India. You have a variety of places to choose from. If you love beaches, you have Cherai, Kovalam, Varkala; or if you like hill stations you have Munnar, Ponmudi, Agasthyakoodam and more. But, when it comes to waterfalls there is no "or". The best waterfalls in Kerala is undoubtedly the Athirappilly falls situated in Chalakudy which is close to Thrissur.
The falls are situated in Chalakudy river, which originates from the upper reaches of the Western Ghats at the entrance to the Sholayar ranges. Standing at a height of over 80 ft, Athirapally is the biggest falls in Kerala. The 145 kilometers (90 mi) long Chalakudy River, originates in the Anamudi mountains of the Western Ghats and flows through the Vazhachal Forest toward the Arabian Sea. The river initially runs smoothly but becomes more turbulent as it nears Athirapally. At Athirappilly Falls, the water surges around big rocks and cascades down in three separate plumes. Below the falls, the river remains turbulent for about 1 kilometer (0.62 mi) until it reaches Kannamkuzhi. Then it calms and flows smoothly until reaching the dam at Thumburmuzhi.
I spent some time in Kochi and I came to know about this place from a friend of mine. Without much hesitation, I googled the place. Just one picture was enough for me to get there. That one being the road to Athirapally falls which connects the Vazhachal falls. Upon further research, I came to know the importance of this place. Athirapally region has a diverse flora and fauna. Athirappilly-Vazhachal area is the only location where all four South Indian species of hornbills — the great hornbill (the state bird of Kerala), Malabar pied hornbill, Malabar grey hornbill, and the Indian grey hornbill are found living together.
Reaching there was not a problem. I got off at the Chalakudy railway station from where I used a taxi to reach the spot. Once I got there, I had to buy the passes and I was told that there is a 5-7 km walk into the forest to reach the falls. With a place with such elevation and range, I was skeptical whether or not I will be able to see the falls properly since I was worried about its infrastructure. Surprisingly, they have a good enough infrastructure and one could easily get around the place easily. There is an amusement park nearby but the real deal is the adventurous trek. One could trek down from the top of the falls to the bottom. This is the best thing to do while you are there. This does consume a lot of time so don't forget to plan things early and reach the place early. This place is literally heaven.
My visit to Athirapally included the Kodanad Centre but, among them, Athirapally was the best one. Overall, my trip to Athirapally was truly a bliss and I hope in revisiting the place as soon as my monsoon break commences. It is best to visit the place in monsoon as the flow will be unreal and it will be a perfect time for me to spend more time in Charpa falls compared to when I visited Athirapally. If you plan on visiting the place in a long run I suggest you visit every place near to it, Charpa Falls, Vazhachal falls, Sholayar Dam. It will be worth spending more time there.
Contributed by Sooraj Ram
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